tool for slotting a guitar nut?

[trey85stang]

Anyone know where I can get the tool for slotting the nut on my guitar? I need to open the slot for the g string up a hair. Its driving me nuts going out of tune all the time.

Also... Does anyone know of a good tuner that I can use to intonate that doesnt cost an arm and a leg?

 

[trey85stang]

This won't be a popular answer, but to open up the nut slot for the G string, try taking a D string and pulling it back and forth in the nut slot. The wound string "kinda" works like a file and can open up the slot.

Also, I use a simple Boss TU2 to intonate my guitars and it works good enough for me. I'm sure it's not that accurate, but it's my opinion that it's good enough for rock and roll.

If you want to spend money, you can get nut slot tools from places like StewMac and others.

Awesome, Ill try the D string technique..., If I screw it up ill get a bone/graphite/brass nut or something installed. I forgot about stewmac and just loooked there $140 for a set of nut filers. I dont want to spend that much. Ill check out the TU2... my $12 tuner isnt getting the job done; according to the cheap tuner it says all the open and 12th fret are perfect.. but there are some very minor inconsistencies between the strings and its driving me nuts

 

[MrDan666]

The guitar builders that take this stuff seriously would likely laugh at what I suggested. But the cheap asses like me may think these ideas are brilliant. lol... Seriously, everything I said above works well for me.

Also, use a mechnical pencil to put pencil lead into the nut slots. This makes a HUGE difference, IMO.

Any method thats simple and doesnt cost anything works for me!! Good thinkin Chris!

I actually bought a set of nut slotting tools from eBay. Norman Nut File system is what theyre called. They cost a fraction of the price of the StewMac tools and theyre just as good. also VERY compact so you can keep them with you or in your guitar case when gigging.

I used pencil lead for years too Chris, in my strats and les pauls. Ever tried Big Bends? I just got one of those Syringe applicators of the stuff and it seems to work great. Supposedly contains up to 150 applications too.

 

[AC]

this might not be the most popular answer, but go to the beauty case of your wife/girlfriend/mother and take the file that they use to "sharpen" their nails...

Works perfect

 

[vchizzle]

I've screwed around trying to go the cheap route on this for years and have come close to getting to be ok....using the wound string method, cheap hobby files, etc. I didn't realize how much better my guitars played til after the fact. After buying a few of the stew mac files, they are SO well worth the money. My guitars stay in tune alot better now than ever before. The nut files make it so much easier and much more accurate getting the slot where it needs to be. If you're only having an issue with 1 string, why not just buy a single file for the size you need? Its $25, and you'll have another size on the opposite side of the file too. I got away with buying 3 files to have the proper sizes. Well worth the cost. And if there's another company that makes them cheaper, grab those.

 

[trey85stang]

I've screwed around trying to go the cheap route on this for years and have come close to getting to be ok....using the wound string method, cheap hobby files, etc. I didn't realize how much better my guitars played til after the fact. After buying a few of the stew mac files, they are SO well worth the money. My guitars stay in tune alot better now than ever before. The nut files make it so much easier and much more accurate getting the slot where it needs to be. If you're only having an issue with 1 string, why not just buy a single file for the size you need? Its $25, and you'll have another size on the opposite side of the file too. I got away with buying 3 files to have the proper sizes. Well worth the cost. And if there's another company that makes them cheaper, grab those.

Thanks for the thoughts, I changed strings a few days ago and grinded through with the d string. so far after 3 days of playing everything seems great. No more catching on the g string or anything. I might break down and buy the nut files when I have some extra cash and no real gear wants... (year right )

 

[broknstuff]

You can get one of these tuners, http://www.turbo-tuner.com/index.htm for 129 bucks for a strobotuner, either stand alone or in a pedal version (true bypass).

There is also a computer program called G-tune that is suppose to be really accurate and is free to try, but 30 dollars to get the full version. I downloaded and it wasn't calibrated to true A=440, but to calibrate it you had to buy the full version. I never used it because I got the above mentioned tuner, but the G-tuner also has a spectrum analyzer and a few other things.