Grateful Dead Music Forum

Hey Now,

someone gave me a used Dean guitar yesterday and I put new strings on it and when I was tightening the big E string the freaking nut broke....never had this happen before

is this a big deal and can it only be fixed professionally......? any help is appreciated

thanks

Pistol

not a big deal at all. a repair guy can fix this easily, you can also do it your self. They make pre-cut nuts that work pretty well - just turn the guitar on its side, use a screwdriver and a hammer and tap the side of the nut till it comes off. sand out any glue left in the nut slot and glue the new one in. You can test the pre-cut nut by stringing up the guitar w/o gluing it in. If all seems in good order, glue it in.

Much Obliged,

I'll try it today and let you know how it works....

Measure the neck at the nut - it's probably 1 5/8" or 1 11/16 to make sure you get the right size. a sanding block or stapling a piece of sand paper to a piece of wood is a good idea if the bottom needs to be sanded down if the nut is too tall. If the strings pop out of the nut slot of a pre-cut nut then you might need to file down the nut slots a bit. Repair guys use files sized for the string gauge - I've used the edge a piece of folded sandpaper and that works reasonably. Just go a little at a time and check with a string frequently. The worst case scenario is you ruin a $3 nut and have to get a pro to do it.

Got the same size nut for $1.00....the old one came out after 5 taps.....the new one slipped in with a dab of glue ...tightened the strings just enough to hold it in and am trying to be patient while it drys...

thanks for the input and lesson...
take care

Pistol

No worries, if you have any problems once its set let me know.

peace