It is currently Tue Mar 17, 2020 5:38 am

All times are UTC - 7 hours



Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 9 posts ] 
Author Message
Post subject: Retrofitting to a bearing nut
Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2013 7:20 pm
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Fri Jul 23, 2010 9:51 pm
Posts: 2
Location: Venice Florida
Question, Can a Mexican Strat be retrofitted to a roller bearing nut with out modification of the nut location?


Top
Profile
Fender Play Winter Sale 2020
Post subject: Re: Retrofitting to a bearing nut
Posted: Mon Feb 11, 2013 2:46 am
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Fri Feb 05, 2010 4:31 am
Posts: 14051
Location: Province de Québec, Canada
No. Roller nuts need more room.

Why roller nuts ? A well made ( and lubricate ) standard nut work fine.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Retrofitting to a bearing nut
Posted: Mon Feb 11, 2013 6:24 am
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2007 4:54 am
Posts: 2573
Location: Laurel, MD
A good luthier can cut away the neck and put on a roller nut, but like the last post pointed out, "Why a roller nut?" A well shaped bone nut will work just fine.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Retrofitting to a bearing nut
Posted: Mon Feb 11, 2013 7:29 am
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician

Joined: Thu Aug 02, 2012 6:15 am
Posts: 522
A Tusq XL nut is a great permanently lubricated nut to put on your MIM. A genuine Fender part will fit MIM or MIA.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Retrofitting to a bearing nut
Posted: Mon Feb 11, 2013 10:06 am
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician

Joined: Sat Aug 23, 2008 2:01 pm
Posts: 1598
I have to agree with the general consensus here...yes, you'll likely have to mod the neck and no, it's really not worth it. I put an LSR on my '96 and I honestly wish I hadn't...nothing wrong with it, just no benefit either. A standard nut that's been properly filed and the guitar properly setup will carry you a lot further than a roller nut will.

Peace,
Jim


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Retrofitting to a bearing nut
Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2013 10:20 am
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Fri Jul 23, 2010 9:51 pm
Posts: 2
Location: Venice Florida
Well thanks for the feed back. I wanted to get away from the plastic nut and assumed the bearing nut would be the way to go. I'll have to reconsiter.
Again thanks for the helpfull response.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Retrofitting to a bearing nut
Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2013 11:16 am
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Mon Jan 12, 2009 4:50 pm
Posts: 7998
Location: ʎɹʇunoɔ ǝsoɹ pןıʍ
I've never been one to shun new technology just because it's not traditional. Some people do exactly that. I'm not saying that's the motivation behind the previous comments but you do run into that mentality from time to time.

Leo Fender himself was always on the hunt for a better idea or a better technology. I have had a number of guitars with the LSR nut and even though I know I'm in a very tiny minority here it is my opinion that it is a superior nut in every way possible except aesthetics. I admit I don't care for the look of it.

Some will tell you that they are not durable. I am here to squash that notion. I have owned some guitars with the LSR and I still own two with the nut. One of those is my number one guitar that gets played more than all the others in my collection combined. It's a 1998 Strat making 15 years old now. I play 10's on all my guitars putting more pressure on the nut than 9's which is what the majority of players use. I also play in standard tuning so I'm not going easy on the nut with low tension from dropped tunings. I just changed strings on it the other day and since this topic is brought up once in a while I make a point of examining the nut every time I change strings. Not one single, tiny little sign of wear or elongation. I make a point of taking a piece of old string and rolling the balls back and forth to look for deformation, the primary complaint with these nuts.

There was one complaint on this board about 2½ years ago about a ball coming out and being lost. There was some debate about it but the OP of that thread eventually just replaced the nut with a new one (for about $25 IIRC). Since it's a simple matter of a couple of screws, nut replacement on an LSR guitar is way easier than any standard nut guitar could ever be and with no risk of marring the finish.

I'm not saying I advocate modding a guitar to install an LSR. That operation would require some very experienced hands to perform, preferably a luthier. Please don't think I am saying go ahead and install the nut. I merely object to arguments against the nut itself as I feel they are unfounded. Except of course, appearance.

My 2¢.

_________________
Image
Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Retrofitting to a bearing nut
Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2013 9:11 am
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Thu Oct 08, 2009 7:58 am
Posts: 2187
A Mexican Strat is a millimeter narrower than American. It won't fit unless you mod the nut.

_________________
"Epitaph on a blues musician’s tombstone: “I didn’t wake up this morning”" Davy Knowles


facebook.com/313DBC


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Retrofitting to a bearing nut
Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2013 9:38 am
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Sun Jun 28, 2009 6:57 pm
Posts: 1868
Location: Kansas City Mo
I have installed these in both Mexicans and Americans.

Your best bet is to remove the neck and clamp it in a jig on a mill table.
Then run a dial indicater across the nut slot to get it running true with your feed.
Once you have it in line and securly clamped not to hard as its not an engine block and you will make impressions I suggest cardboard pads under all wood contact points.
Use an 1/8 end mill and mill 3/32s out of the nut slot towards the frets.
Then use your mill along the bottom of nut slot to flatten it out.
Dont take it deeper just flat
Test fit your nut (please turn off mill before this step, you would be suprised how many dont)
It should slide in snug
drill your pilot holes for screws
Apply small amount of liquid soap to screw so it wont break.
Shim as needed.

You might wanna let someone do it that knows how though.

_________________
https://www.facebook.com/groups/fenderguitarandamp/


Top
Profile
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 9 posts ] 

All times are UTC - 7 hours

Fender Play Winter Sale 2020

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum

Search for:
Jump to: