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Post subject: 1st Timer: Gauged Nut Files or Swiss Needle Files?
Posted: Fri May 23, 2008 11:20 am
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Guys:

I own a Fender American Strat and Tele and a Martin acoustic/electric dreadnaught.

I've been reading up (Dan Erlewine's Guitar Player Repair Guide) and I think I'm almost ready to try to do my own basic setups (neck relief, saddle height, nut action and tremolo bridge). If I get good at it, I may do this for friends, too, but I don't intend to make this a business.

The only tool that I don't have, but think I need, is a tool to adjust nut action.

Here are my questions:

Do Fender and Martin nuts typically require adjustment, or are they within spec from the factory?

If adjustment would be required, should I use a gauged nut file set or would a Swiss needle file set be adequate?

Thanks for any help.


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Posted: Fri May 23, 2008 11:22 am
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I picked up an inexpensive set of jeweler's files and they work just fine.

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Post subject:
Posted: Fri May 23, 2008 5:04 pm
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No rules, but some people feel that regular needle files are fine for the wound strings, but that proper luthier's nut files are needed for the top three strings.

Couple of points: for a given string you need a file at least a couple of thou larger than the gauge of the string. So you'd use the 0.012 file to slot a .009 or .010 string.

The other point is that of course by leaning a file from side to side as you file you can make a slot significantly bigger than the gauge of the file. So you don't need many of them - certainly not one for every string.

Take a glance at this page at Stewart-MacDonald:

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tools/Speci ... ddles.html

You'll see they offer alternatives. If you're starting out I'd be nudging you towards the Double-Edge Nut Files. You will need the 0.012/0.016 file at the very least. But that could perfectly well be enough, along with a set of needle files from the hardware store.

If in time you want to add more files that's fine: in fact, if you get into this stuff you will eventually find you accumulate most of the tools on that page I mentioned!

Good luck!


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Posted: Fri May 23, 2008 5:38 pm
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I think that shaping the perfect nut is as much science as it is an art form. I have one strat that has an exceptionally perfect nut and it's on a relatively low cost MIM strat!


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