Gibson nut replacement

Nut height has a measurable effect on intonation on the first few frets. Too high and you will (for instance) notice your low G is audibly sharp. The low E and G (as long as it is plain) are most effected for the same reason that they change pitch easiest when you bend. Also the lighter the guage the more you notice it. The height Buckaroo describes is exactly what I would aim for. I have used this method on my Guild F512 (12 string). Before nut adjustment the intonation on the low E pair was dreadful.

As for depth I tend to side with Big Al. I have cured many a sticky nut by remove material from the top of a nut as well as dressing and rounding the back edge. In theory a rounded slightly oversized slot can work just as well but is more difficult to round the back take off point.

Also a huge fan of nylon. Takes a lot longer to make but I prefer the tone over anything else. Incredibly hard wearing, no pings and easier tuning in general. I used to think a well cut bone nut was the tops but not any more. BTW I bought a sheet of nylon 250mm X 250mm X 5mm for less than it would have cost to buy a single nut blank.

Yelly said:

Nut height has a measurable effect on intonation on the first few frets. Too high and you will (for instance) notice your low G is audibly sharp. The low E and G (as long as it is plain) are most effected for the same reason that they change pitch easiest when you bend. Also the lighter the guage the more you notice it. The height Buckaroo describes is exactly what I would aim for. I have used this method on my Guild F512 (12 string). Before nut adjustment the intonation on the low E pair was dreadful.

As for depth I tend to side with Big Al. I have cured many a sticky nut by remove material from the top of a nut as well as dressing and rounding the back edge. In theory a rounded slightly oversized slot can work just as well but is more difficult to round the bank take off point.

Also a huge fan of nylon. Takes a lot longer to make but I prefer the tone over anything else. Incredibly hard wearing, no pings and easier tuning in general. I used to think a well cut bone nut was the tops but not any more. BTW I bought a sheet of nylon 250mm X 250mm X 5mm for less than it would have cost to buy a single nut blank.

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Spot on post -all points :hank

As an epilogue to this resurrected thread. I sold the ES 335 without any further change to the nut. I did not want to risk damaging the guitar by replacing the nut. I did find a person who loved the way it played in its current condition. So they bought it knowing the full disclosure of the nut alteration that had been done.

I eventually used that money to by a "Gabby" CC Les Paul. Needless to say that no nut work is needed on that! It was perfect!!

Sorry, I am too late to this thread to be of any use, but hope this is still helpful, as it addresses some of your questions.

I have an R9 that was previously made over. The original Gibson nut was removed, and there was some chipping to the wood around the nut. It was subsequently painted over nicely during the refinishing, but the small missing bits of wood are still noticeable if you really look at it. The nut was too white for a relic'ed guitar. I then bought 6/6 nylon from Bartlett, and my obsessive guitar tech put the Bartlett nut on. Cost = $75 for labor, I think about $15 for the nut. He took before an after photos - no damage to the wood, and the nut looks much better - more authentic, and presumably a more authentic material. No additional damage done. In fact, he was the one who pointed out the damage from the previous makeover. So a good, obsessive tech can do the job without damaging the guitar. It does look really good, but getting the perfect fit of the nut with no gap against the fingerboard is not easy. There is a tiny gap right now, that I can live with - cosmetic, not functional. He does a lot of nut work for various electric and accoustic guitars - ivory, various bone. We have spent a disproportionate amount of time talking about nuts, as he believes its a key issue for good tone, so nut material and construction is a critical issue for him. He said working with this nylon was very arduous - very difficult to cut. Not fun. And advises don't go too deep on the slots. I would be confident to do it again on another R9 without any issues. They are redone on other Historic Makeovers or Dave Johnsons that have passed through my life.

I'm late but it's nice to find this thread... I'm a newbie in the "Gibson world"... I'm a new "1963 ES 335 TD 2015" user. I baught this fantastic guitar a month ago. A friend of mine sold it to me.
It’s a great instrument but I would like to show you (see pictures) the guitar nut... it seems to me not usual... there are two pieces... what do you think about this nut ? Is it original or was it repaired ? I’m new with ES 335 guitar but sometimes I feel the first string slip down out of the neck not like the same way on my others guitars… do you think it's because the nut ? or it could be normal on narrow Gibson neck ? Thanks a lot ! Pascal (France):hank

pmourard said:

I'm late but it's nice to find this thread... I'm a newbie in the "Gibson world"... I'm a new "1963 ES 335 TD 2015" user. I baught this fantastic guitar a month ago. A friend of mine sold it to me.
It’s a great instrument but I would like to show you (see pictures) the guitar nut... it seems to me not usual... there are two pieces... what do you think about this nut ? Is it original or was it repaired ? I’m new with ES 335 guitar but sometimes I feel the first string slip down out of the neck not like the same way on my others guitars… do you think it's because the nut ? or it could be normal on narrow Gibson neck ? Thanks a lot ! Pascal (France):hank

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That is the original nut with the lacquer around it making it looking like 2 pieces when it isn't.

P.Walker said:

That is the original nut with the lacquer around it making it looking like 2 pieces when it isn't.

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Thanks ! The Gibson Repair Service confirm your answer : " That looks to be the original nut, as it was installed at the factory. What you’re seeing is where the lacquer on the nut was scored and removed (upper half). That’s always a problem area because the nut is usually made of some non-porous, slick material to which lacquer doesn’t stick very well. That cut is made in order to keep the lacquer from separating as it often does when it goes to the top edge of the nut. All is well!"