If you file the nut slot too low, you take either bone or plastic dust, fill in the slot with the dust, and put a small drop of thicker super glue over the dust (put tape over the headstock and fretboard just incase it drips), blast it with some super glue accelorator so it drys quickly, then re-file. That's how we did it at Fender.
@@TheProHunting it's like when you mess up a miter joint in carpentry. The dust is the material lost and you're putting it back in. But as per previous comment, won't work on all nuts especially the fancy metal kind. But for plastic and bone it should be fine. Worst case is a new nut which isn't expensive but really inconvenient. Sometimes if the nut is that poor quality may as well get a new one.
In a pinch a piece of paper between the string and the nut will usually afford you just about how much was overshot. Not a matchbook like when adjusting points on your dirt bike, just thin copy paper.
I just cut my nut on a bass that had been very difficult to play. The files cost me $65. A little painful, but I am now set for life. I also followed the steps in your other videos on setup. My bass is playing very nicely now. Thanks Elixir and John Curruthers!
These videos are a simple and the results is some amazing. Ihad to go out and buy just a few inexpensive tools but it was so worth it. Thank you John for putting these out for all of us.
One very important thing that John is not doing is pushing the string down right in front of the nut to stress relieve the string so you will get the true height measurement. If you do not stress relieve the string, the string will naturally stress relieve while playing and then the string height will be lower. You must file a little, put the string back to pitch, stress relieve the string, put the string back to pitch again and then check the string height. You also should not ram the file into the tuner or string.
Always coming back here to see how the job is done professional. John Carruthers is the man, I really have to buy his book! He and Dave from Canada showed me all I needed to know to learn my luthier skills for setting, modding and perfecting all my guitars. MOST APPRECIATED!!!
Two things I learned while setting up the nut on the bass I'm building: 1. Using a brass nut makes a beautiful sound (also brass frets so np there), but unless you have a powerful belt sander your arm is going to get tired reducing that thing to the right height so you don't have to carve most of the way through the fretboard. 2. Constantly winding and unwinding the strings causes metal fatigue. I snapped my G string. Also the string on my bass broke.
You funny man, I just chose a brass nut without any clue what to expect, I just used a dremmel with a set of diamond bits where I had one for each string size. The body of the dremmel is what dictated the angle of the groove if you dig what I'm saying. Saving the new blue steels for when I'm all done, playing pretty good but I'm going to lower the entire bridge a bit more, it's a Frankenstein
I don't get why people are hesitant to do this themselves. Once you do it and understand what each adjustment is for, it becomes easier and easier. You could fully set up your own bass in a shorter amount of time than it takes most of us to drive to and from the local luthier/guitar shop and have it done. And bonus, you keep dollars in your pocket.
@dangreous birb They really aren't. Tools at quality needed by your average non-luthier user are going to cost you way less than the price of one setup. Look beyond places like StewMac with their high prices. I can understand if someone doesn't want to put in the time to do fret maintenance, but it's not going to be because of tool cost.
@@slottygw2wvw842 Setup, not build a guitar. The tools needed for majority of setups is relatively cheap and a lot of people probably have most of them at home already. Are you confusing repairing your guitar for set up?
@@anonymousoffspring1566 that's legit ... lol. If you're not good with your hands or aren't comfortable following directions, then pay somebody so you don't have to worry. Basic setup is pretty straightforward though.
I'm too cheap to go out and buy tiny files, so I wrapped 240 grit sandpaper around a toothpick and sanded the nut for the A and D strings, then just folded up the sandpaper by itself and sanded the nut for the G string. Worked well. By the way, this is a great video, and I agree... if you are adopting any grandchildren, let me know.
Glad you figured it out. I for one have very high action on standard tuning, but that's because I mostly play lower tunings and I would get fret buzzes if it went any lower than that. It took me a while to figure it out, 2-3 tries are enough for 2 hours of hard working.
It may be a small detail. But you said to hold the string down at the fret that joins the body. You were measuring the relief and pressing at the 15th fret instead of the one that joins the body, the 16th fret
other thing you can use for making the canals on the nut (better if its made of bone ) are simple used -- bass strings -- , you can begin with a cutter then use strings to make the perfect nut .
Yeah. To be honest, it's videos like this that cause people to mess the job up. He was not careful enough at all. It seems he was even banging tne file against the tuner. This job is not easy. I can do it but that is necause I've done it numerous times and I know where you are likely to go wrong which means starting with a new nut.
Hi Mugwump, I'm not John, but I am pretty sure the files he uses here are StewMac - Double Edged Nut Files. I can't post a link, although they aren't too difficult to find on the stewmac website > Tools > Nuts & Saddles > Double Edged Nut Files. Unfortunately they are really expensive, I guess you get what you pay for (?).
theres actually a couple of reasons, for one, truss rod adjustments from factory are worthless since as soon as it leaves the factory, the environment warps the neck away from what it was set to. because of that, the other 3 steps become immaterial since the foundation step has been faltered. nut height for strings is a standard thing and as long as the string sits in it, they do it and move on, rather than having to pay for more tedious measuring work.
Am I right in saying by the numbers that this is a Fender Mex bass ... when these leave the factory they have a tag attached saying checked with a date and signature .... the last two Fender (USA) basses I have bought have both required significant nut work to get them to play properly without nut buzz on an open string. This guy knows what he's doing. Why don't Fender get it right from the start - especially on basses costing $2k? or more - Great video btw.
its a real pet peeve of mine; nearly all basses could use tweaking the nut slots. the argument here is that "its easier to file it down so they leave them high"- I think its an excuse for poor workmanship. warwick has it right with their adjustable nuts.
joethebar1 The adjustable nuts are convenient, but the convenient way usually isn't the right way. They soak up a LOT of vibration. Whether that matters on a solid body electric instrument will never be agreed upon, and I don't have a strong opinion, so just in case it does I'm not terribly interested in them. I know the Warwick Thumb I had in like 2008 sounded a bunch better than an acquaintance's Corvette (itself sounding pretty damn good) regardless of which of us played which, and that my Thumb had a traditional Tusq nut (probably not factory). I'm not sure what other differences there might be between them. Both German, both bolt-on neck.
Nut buzz on open strings, indeed! I once pointed this out to a salesguy at the guitarshop. Looked at me with big eyes like I'm some kind of lunatic: what on earth are you talking about, don't you know this is a FENDER? He was probably too deaf from listening to grind core to be able to hear it himself.
This is something that I have an issue with as most if not all new bass guitars that come out of the factory are done with the minimalist of setups & I'm tired of paying to have my guitars set up for me by a Luthier... The Luthier I got to is a great guy who I've come to get to know over the 14 years since the store he works in opened but asking anything about learning or teaching me is akin to talking to someone out with the magic circle in as it's not done & any information is witheld... If it's anything to do with my setup he'll be more than happy to discuss with me on how to get to what I'm looking for but apart from that it's a closed book & I only see the finished product once I get the call that it's ready to pick up... I get that each player is different & will want a different setup but are alot of these measurements set in stone & it's only a few other things that need to be changed... I've still to pick up any bass to find that it's setup properly & I'm not just talking about the different gauges of strings I'll use one different bass guitar's... I just want to be able to adjust my bass guitars to whatever I feel is best for me at any given time as with some bass guitars I'll use heavy/medium & very light strings... In the previous video he cuts away to the desired depth on the nut which is fine but wouldn't that vary depending on the gauge of the string!... As a thicker string will sit wider compared to a very light gauge string & once you've cut into the nut at a certain depth is that it, as in whatever gauge I used & then cut into the nut to fit is that the only gauge of string that will sit perfectly without any problems!... I'm enjoying these videos but it'd be nice to know all the aspects & why certain measurements are chosen, as i know not all bass guitars (even from the exact make) are not the same & many bassists use different adjustments... I'm guessing that is in the in-depth part of this book... I'm not being disrespectful to the man & would like some more input into the whys of these adjustments & with regards to cutting into the nut, if you cut to a certain depth will that work with every gauge of string... Alot of bass guitars come with adjustable nuts or you can replace it with an adjustable one & that's fine as you can lower & raise each time but with plastic or other types of nut that once who've cut the depth down your stuck with it & this is something along with other elements I'd like more information on... if anyone can help it'd be appreciated... I love the work that these guys & gals do but I definitely get a sense of that information is off limits & I find that rather strange considering well live in an almost 24/7 days a week society... I'm not trying to take someone's job by wanting to know these things & I believe luthier's need to pass on what they've learned & know but for a musician who wants to adjust their instrument at any given time can't seem to get this knowledge so easily... I'm not going to do a Jaco on my bass guitar only to realise I don't have the knowledge to do that correctly & then my expensive bass is ruined... I've heard people say you can't ruin a lead or bass guitar but if that's the case why is the Luthier I go to always fixing other musicians mistakes that they've done trying to just stop Fret Buzzing as an example... Is it Clock Wise or Anti Clock Wise when adjusting the Truss Rod but even then I need to get that sorted first... Maybe I should stick to just playing but I know I can't be the only one who wants to learn how to do this ' purely on my own instruments ' as I have no desire to take work away from a true crafts person... You get the gist by now Luthier's... Through us a bone here... lol
nice video... i would add making sure your feeler gauge is parallel to the string.. otherwise the action is still too high as seen @4:00. if you don't have the proper files, the next best thing is to use an actual round wound string to cut the nut. hold it in place with one finger and pull the string thru at the proper angle like mr John stated. NEVER use knives, sandpaper, regular mini-files, etc. each string needs to sit properly on the bottom of nut slot.
Hi, John. Are the files you're using rounded on the bottom in order to match the rounded grooves? Seems that filing the grooves flat would not be ideal.
This was great, but I wish you had added a little more such as what size of gauge you used on the 2nd string....did the 2 middle strings...and what to do if the nut is too low and the strings rattle on the fret. Thanks anyway for what you are showing.
John, would you please elaborate on the file or files you are using? The one you have might work for the E String, but is that same one applicable for the A, D and G ?? Is the file V-shaped or a simple rectangle? One more thing, how does a square file work in the V notch? The rest of the tools are pretty straightforward, but the file?, I would like to get "it" right on this step of the setup as to do it right the first time and keep it that way. Thanks for your time and excellent FREE videos.
Is the nut adjustment actually necessary? I've read in some action/intonation setup guides that making adjustments to the nut isn't always all that necessary. I would like to set the action on my Bass a little higher then it currently is cause I get a LOT of unwanted fret buzz and the strings popping and slapping against the pick ups.
In any case don't let a luthier tell you what you need. Most of them can't really play and seem to just use standardized setups to make their lives easier.
It looked like all four strings were way high. Would pulling the nut off and sanding the base so they came down all together make sense? Great video series. Thanks!
I think so; I have seen a couple repair guys do it like that before. Also, if the slots are to low, you can shim under the entire nut with a thin piece of cardboard/paper fitted in the bottom of the nut slot....
@jabt Thank you bro. I´m looking for tools to make a brass nut for my bass guitar. Due to the nature of this material, i don´t want to use expensive tools, so i really appreciate your suggestion :) regards.
"I" banez is the official pronunciation of the company name. "E" banez would be the correct Spanish pronunciation, but that's not what they use. I'm sure he worked for them. He's the man!
thank u . i'm a drummer ,but have 2 bass guitars and this helped out alot for me. Bet it will make a big difference in sound and playing 4 me. Where can i get the feeler gauges? I had them in machine shop but idk where to buy them.?????
check tuning at 12th fret as well. If it is sharp at the 12th but normal on open strings you need to tighten your bridge saddles and loosen them if it is flat at the 12th fret
My strings were too low, so instead of building up or replacing the nut on my bass, I just bought thicker strings. Going from a Med/Light string to a Medium string was enough to raise the strings up enough off of the fret to allow me to set my bass up properly. I agree with other posters... this step can quickly damage your bass... proceed with caution.
@Zackr27 Yes. That's why he uses the 1.00 file for the 1.00 string, etc. If you were to then use lighter strings, the action would be too low and you'd get fret buzz.
(cont'd) I guess if you file them much bigger than the manufacturer already has them, and then switch to a lot thinner strings, it may not theoretically be ideal but in practice might not even be noticeable. The strings sit in the bottom of a rounded groove, thus should not shift much from side to side anyhow - the distance from the bottom of the string to the fretboard is still the same. The only alternative is to change to a custom-fitted nut every time you change string gauges.
I have a 5 string bass that I'm interested in setting up, but I'm having trouble finding a file to match my .145 gauge low string. is it okay to go with a file that isn't quite that wide? or where can I find one that is that wide if I'm having trouble finding one on amazon? And another question, if I will have a .110 gauge string, is it okay to use a .105 file? or should I look for a .110 file?
Just an observation about the video.... Once Mr. Carruthers says he's got something adjusted properly, the cameraman should take a shot of that area... Doh! Perhaps also list the factory specs, and atleast tell what a lower action might measure... Because I can tell you my bass plays fine at half those distances, in standard tuing. If I drop 1/2 step, I might get a small amount of buzzing that is easily fixed by 1/2 turn on the bridge height on the offending string, until I tune back up to standard.
I have a question about the file size. So the gauge of your string like the E string at .105in you should us a at should a file at .105in as well? and same for goes for the other strings?
What did you mean by diameter, Does the file you use have to just fit in the groove of the nut? Also what if some one files too low, is it possible to replace the nut (& how)?
how can you tell if you need to file the nut? file down a fret? or adjust the neck with the truss rod? the first 5 frets on the E and G string are buzzing. when i look down the narrow fretboard facing the bridge dead center, i don't see a bow or warp. however, the neck curves in on one side and out on the other at the same spot sideways, when you look down each side the same, maybe the neck is just made that way. it's an electric acoustic if that matters
Where can i pick up these tools that you are using? Would a normal Home Depot work or do i have to go to some sort of guitar store or special order them online?
That's weird, you'd normally have a buzz problem if your bass was properly adjusted for a lighter gauge and then you'd change with a heavier one.Either way, I'd say you should try adjusting anyway, since it's only a one fret buzz go just a little bit counter clockwise untill you won't hear any more buzz.
i dont have a filler gaage, what is about the same thicknes I may have around the house? Like match book? dbl it, or ? Ok Im disabled and can't get out till nest wed? so any ideas?
John - do you have any advise for doing the setup of a "Steinburger" clone - the Washburn Bantam? Single ball-end strings but the ball-end and tuners are at the bridge side and a simple string clamp as at the nut. I'm thinking that doing the nut height adjustment will be a bit of a challenge since there is roughly 1 inch between the nut and the string clamp.
Well, the slot has to be a size no matter what, whatever that size may be. I think the manufacturer probably oversizes the slots to be able to handle reasonably fat strings in the first place (as it would still work for thinner strings, whereas narrower slots wouldn't allow for fatter strings).
I just now got a old schecter bass 07 somebody had the bridge saddles all the way down restaurant on the bridge that was totally bottomed out this helps me thank you
don't you think the last string hight was measured incorrectly? He should've put the bar paralel to the neck surface but he measured the gap at an angle which kinda distorted the result.
Oh no, I have to do this to my new Fender highway one Jazz?? I thought those Fender luthiers fixed all these stuff already prior to releasing to the market :(
Hi John, Which brand of files would recommend purchasing for a Fender Precision using La Bella 760FS, La Bella 0760M, Fender 9120 medium and heavy flat and round wound strings ? Thank you, Sal
In my experience, when you do a proper setup, you shouldn't get any string buzz. If you do and all your standard measurements are right then you might have a neck that is warped/not straight. You could also have one or more frets that aren't level (I even worked on a friend's where he had a loose fret that sat up too high).
Hi ! I’ve gone thru the steps 1 &2 a working on step 3 nut adjustment. From what I gather, if the string moves with the feeler gauge (.022)then the nut needs to be replaced ? Or am I missing something ? Thanks !
You only have to think about repairing or replacing the nut if the groove depth measures too low AND the strings buzz when you pluck or pick them with your desired amount of playing force. Gentle to moderate force players can get away with having lower action. Players who frequently slap, tend to be more tolerant of fret buzz and clanking noises. If you desire to play very aggressively with zero fret buzz, then you might consider replacing your nut. However, there is an alternative method to nut replacement which involves filling up the grooves with super glue and filing them back down to the desired height to avoid replacing the nut. But, I won't go into that unless you're interested.
@@michaelfuria4257 You can get those on ebay for 15 bucks. Warwicks look cool, used to have corvette, but they are pretty generic sounding, although most solidbodies are. I have taken to hollowbodies (not semi-hollow, those are no different than solid), and not acoustic-electrics, but old school hollowbodies like hofners and kays. they have a sound few people are using these days. it's all that bright tinny tone that has taken over, because bassists want to "cut through" rather than actually making good music. Same with hyper compression on all modern productions. People playing generic played out derivative crap and trying to make it "pop" with compression. Good music doesn't need that shit.
wire messiah, thanks so much for your informative response, I have an Epi. Jack Casady bass which I replaced the factory strings with heavier gauge strings. It is now hard to press the strings down on the first three frets or so. I had bought the nut slot cutting files from Stew-Mac but am afraid to use them on this somewhat expensive bass..Anyway, thanks again and especially about the info about the adjustable nuts on E-bay. I don't understand why all bass guitars don't come with adjustable nuts..
These instructional bass guitar videos by Elixir are OK but their strings coating shreds in 1 or 2 months. I switched to D'Addario nylon tapewound strings & they last and sound great.
Same reason I don't use elixir. They sound good, but the sheding is gross; it happens quickly especially when you play a lot. Erinie ball cobalt flats for me
It looks like I have about 2mm at the nut and about 1/4 inch around the 12th fret. Before, I haven't been good enough to notice but it's really starting to stand out. Which is why I searched. I'll give those values a try.
I will. I'm sure getting it close will be "good enough" until I improve some more. I've been trying some slap bass and it's just not working well with the high string height. FWIW, my bass is not quite the same as the one in the vid. Mine is the Jazz. I think the specs should be the same though but I'm sure it comes down to preference for some of it too.
I don't play bass but I found this interesting.... Question: Does a brand new bass come from the manufacturer with these adjustments already done or should everyone be doing this or having it done to a new bass?
Is it bad to start the low E string at .022", and make each string a little lower where the G string is at .015"? That's how mine is set up. It doesn't buzz, but I want to find out if there are any disadvantages to having the higher pitch strings a little bit lower. The bridge height measures correctly from 4/32" at low E to 3/32" at G on the fret where the neck is attached.
Actually what you have on your bass is the is most desirable nut setup, progressively decreasing the height from bass side to treble side (E/B to G/C string)
If you file the nut slot too low, you take either bone or plastic dust, fill in the slot with the dust, and put a small drop of thicker super glue over the dust (put tape over the headstock and fretboard just incase it drips), blast it with some super glue accelorator so it drys quickly, then re-file. That's how we did it at Fender.
Hi. But why? How does the dust affect the process?
@@TheProHunting the dust + glue basically puts the material you filed away back, not really but in essence that's what's happening
That doesn’t work on all nuts
@@TheProHunting it's like when you mess up a miter joint in carpentry. The dust is the material lost and you're putting it back in.
But as per previous comment, won't work on all nuts especially the fancy metal kind. But for plastic and bone it should be fine. Worst case is a new nut which isn't expensive but really inconvenient. Sometimes if the nut is that poor quality may as well get a new one.
In a pinch a piece of paper between the string and the nut will usually afford you just about how much was overshot. Not a matchbook like when adjusting points on your dirt bike, just thin copy paper.
Thank you John ! Just to help doing the conversions:
E 0.034" A 0.030" D 0.026" G 0.022" = E 0,85mm A 0,75mm D 0,65mm G 0,55mm
Are those the file sizes for the nut?
Stew Mac has a set of files for nut slots 0.046", 0.065", 0.085", and 0.105"
The video shows .022 for all strings.
What about for low B?
@@pleasurementgui use .022 feeler gage still
I just cut my nut on a bass that had been very difficult to play. The files cost me $65. A little painful, but I am now set for life. I also followed the steps in your other videos on setup. My bass is playing very nicely now. Thanks Elixir and John Curruthers!
Personally I would just take it to a good repair man. I’m lucky since I have easy access to good guitar experts who do this all the time
These videos are a simple and the results is some amazing. Ihad to go out and buy just a few inexpensive tools but it was so worth it. Thank you John for putting these out for all of us.
One very important thing that John is not doing is pushing the string down right in front of the nut to stress relieve the string so you will get the true height measurement. If you do not stress relieve the string, the string will naturally stress relieve while playing and then the string height will be lower. You must file a little, put the string back to pitch, stress relieve the string, put the string back to pitch again and then check the string height. You also should not ram the file into the tuner or string.
Always coming back here to see how the job is done professional. John Carruthers is the man, I really have to buy his book! He and Dave from Canada showed me all I needed to know to learn my luthier skills for setting, modding and perfecting all my guitars. MOST APPRECIATED!!!
So glad to hear that the videos are helpful, thanks for watching!
Two things I learned while setting up the nut on the bass I'm building:
1. Using a brass nut makes a beautiful sound (also brass frets so np there), but unless you have a powerful belt sander your arm is going to get tired reducing that thing to the right height so you don't have to carve most of the way through the fretboard.
2. Constantly winding and unwinding the strings causes metal fatigue. I snapped my G string.
Also the string on my bass broke.
You funny man, I just chose a brass nut without any clue what to expect, I just used a dremmel with a set of diamond bits where I had one for each string size. The body of the dremmel is what dictated the angle of the groove if you dig what I'm saying. Saving the new blue steels for when I'm all done, playing pretty good but I'm going to lower the entire bridge a bit more, it's a Frankenstein
I always tell folks my favorite string on my bass has to be the g-string ❤
The music nomad nut files worked great for me for this step, as did their string action and truss rod gauges for the other steps.
always use a good nut.. Bone, Brass or Tusq...Based on your videos i bought some tools to learn setups myself..Great instructions John!
I don't get why people are hesitant to do this themselves. Once you do it and understand what each adjustment is for, it becomes easier and easier. You could fully set up your own bass in a shorter amount of time than it takes most of us to drive to and from the local luthier/guitar shop and have it done. And bonus, you keep dollars in your pocket.
@dangreous birb They really aren't. Tools at quality needed by your average non-luthier user are going to cost you way less than the price of one setup. Look beyond places like StewMac with their high prices. I can understand if someone doesn't want to put in the time to do fret maintenance, but it's not going to be because of tool cost.
I dunno... Mb because I feel like I could seriously fck up my guitar? 😂
Maybe because you need to front 400$ worth of tools and it would take you 60 setups to justify the purchase?
@@slottygw2wvw842 Setup, not build a guitar. The tools needed for majority of setups is relatively cheap and a lot of people probably have most of them at home already. Are you confusing repairing your guitar for set up?
@@anonymousoffspring1566 that's legit ... lol. If you're not good with your hands or aren't comfortable following directions, then pay somebody so you don't have to worry. Basic setup is pretty straightforward though.
I'm too cheap to go out and buy tiny files, so I wrapped 240 grit sandpaper around a toothpick and sanded the nut for the A and D strings, then just folded up the sandpaper by itself and sanded the nut for the G string. Worked well. By the way, this is a great video, and I agree... if you are adopting any grandchildren, let me know.
Glad you figured it out. I for one have very high action on standard tuning, but that's because I mostly play lower tunings and I would get fret buzzes if it went any lower than that. It took me a while to figure it out, 2-3 tries are enough for 2 hours of hard working.
It may be a small detail. But you said to hold the string down at the fret that joins the body. You were measuring the relief and pressing at the 15th fret instead of the one that joins the body, the 16th fret
other thing you can use for making the canals on the nut (better if its made of bone ) are simple used -- bass strings -- , you can begin with a cutter then use strings to make the perfect nut .
Very important too keep feeler gauges flat and level when checking ✔
Yeah. To be honest, it's videos like this that cause people to mess the job up. He was not careful enough at all. It seems he was even banging tne file against the tuner. This job is not easy. I can do it but that is necause I've done it numerous times and I know where you are likely to go wrong which means starting with a new nut.
Great video tutorial, thanks for uploading. Would love to see luthiers using metric though
I've always been uneasy about nut adjustments...
It hurts if you scratch them too hard
I just take my guitars to a repairman. I’m fortunate to have easy access to a good guitar techs who do this all the time
Hi Mugwump, I'm not John, but I am pretty sure the files he uses here are StewMac - Double Edged Nut Files. I can't post a link, although they aren't too difficult to find on the stewmac website > Tools > Nuts & Saddles > Double Edged Nut Files.
Unfortunately they are really expensive, I guess you get what you pay for (?).
theres actually a couple of reasons, for one, truss rod adjustments from factory are worthless since as soon as it leaves the factory, the environment warps the neck away from what it was set to. because of that, the other 3 steps become immaterial since the foundation step has been faltered. nut height for strings is a standard thing and as long as the string sits in it, they do it and move on, rather than having to pay for more tedious measuring work.
Haha he said height instead of heighth like the previous video. Good stuff thanks for the video series
Am I right in saying by the numbers that this is a Fender Mex bass ... when these leave the factory they have a tag attached saying checked with a date and signature .... the last two Fender (USA) basses I have bought have both required significant nut work to get them to play properly without nut buzz on an open string. This guy knows what he's doing. Why don't Fender get it right from the start - especially on basses costing $2k? or more - Great video btw.
its a real pet peeve of mine; nearly all basses could use tweaking the nut slots. the argument here is that "its easier to file it down so they leave them high"- I think its an excuse for poor workmanship. warwick has it right with their adjustable nuts.
joethebar1 The adjustable nuts are convenient, but the convenient way usually isn't the right way. They soak up a LOT of vibration. Whether that matters on a solid body electric instrument will never be agreed upon, and I don't have a strong opinion, so just in case it does I'm not terribly interested in them. I know the Warwick Thumb I had in like 2008 sounded a bunch better than an acquaintance's Corvette (itself sounding pretty damn good) regardless of which of us played which, and that my Thumb had a traditional Tusq nut (probably not factory). I'm not sure what other differences there might be between them. Both German, both bolt-on neck.
Nut buzz on open strings, indeed! I once pointed this out to a salesguy at the guitarshop. Looked at me with big eyes like I'm some kind of lunatic: what on earth are you talking about, don't you know this is a FENDER? He was probably too deaf from listening to grind core to be able to hear it himself.
This is something that I have an issue with as most if not all new bass guitars that come out of the factory are done with the minimalist of setups & I'm tired of paying to have my guitars set up for me by a Luthier...
The Luthier I got to is a great guy who I've come to get to know over the 14 years since the store he works in opened but asking anything about learning or teaching me is akin to talking to someone out with the magic circle in as it's not done & any information is witheld...
If it's anything to do with my setup he'll be more than happy to discuss with me on how to get to what I'm looking for but apart from that it's a closed book & I only see the finished product once I get the call that it's ready to pick up...
I get that each player is different & will want a different setup but are alot of these measurements set in stone & it's only a few other things that need to be changed...
I've still to pick up any bass to find that it's setup properly & I'm not just talking about the different gauges of strings I'll use one different bass guitar's...
I just want to be able to adjust my bass guitars to whatever I feel is best for me at any given time as with some bass guitars I'll use heavy/medium & very light strings...
In the previous video he cuts away to the desired depth on the nut which is fine but wouldn't that vary depending on the gauge of the string!...
As a thicker string will sit wider compared to a very light gauge string & once you've cut into the nut at a certain depth is that it, as in whatever gauge I used & then cut into the nut to fit is that the only gauge of string that will sit perfectly without any problems!...
I'm enjoying these videos but it'd be nice to know all the aspects & why certain measurements are chosen, as i know not all bass guitars (even from the exact make) are not the same & many bassists use different adjustments...
I'm guessing that is in the in-depth part of this book...
I'm not being disrespectful to the man & would like some more input into the whys of these adjustments & with regards to cutting into the nut, if you cut to a certain depth will that work with every gauge of string...
Alot of bass guitars come with adjustable nuts or you can replace it with an adjustable one & that's fine as you can lower & raise each time but with plastic or other types of nut that once who've cut the depth down your stuck with it & this is something along with other elements I'd like more information on...
if anyone can help it'd be appreciated...
I love the work that these guys & gals do but I definitely get a sense of that information is off limits & I find that rather strange considering well live in an almost 24/7 days a week society...
I'm not trying to take someone's job by wanting to know these things & I believe luthier's need to pass on what they've learned & know but for a musician who wants to adjust their instrument at any given time can't seem to get this knowledge so easily...
I'm not going to do a Jaco on my bass guitar only to realise I don't have the knowledge to do that correctly & then my expensive bass is ruined...
I've heard people say you can't ruin a lead or bass guitar but if that's the case why is the Luthier I go to always fixing other musicians mistakes that they've done trying to just stop Fret Buzzing as an example...
Is it Clock Wise or Anti Clock Wise when adjusting the Truss Rod but even then I need to get that sorted first...
Maybe I should stick to just playing but I know I can't be the only one who wants to learn how to do this ' purely on my own instruments ' as I have no desire to take work away from a true crafts person...
You get the gist by now Luthier's...
Through us a bone here... lol
nice video... i would add making sure your feeler gauge is parallel to the string.. otherwise the action is still too high as seen @4:00.
if you don't have the proper files, the next best thing is to use an actual round wound string to cut the nut. hold it in place with one finger and pull the string thru at the proper angle like mr John stated.
NEVER use knives, sandpaper, regular mini-files, etc. each string needs to sit properly on the bottom of nut slot.
any input on feeler gauge measurement on a fretless bass nut adjustment ?
Hi, John. Are the files you're using rounded on the bottom in order to match the rounded grooves? Seems that filing the grooves flat would not be ideal.
excellent videos. I am going to try and find your book :) can you do the same videos on fretless bass?
Thanks Frank. We're glad that the videos were helpful.
This was great, but I wish you had added a little more such as what size of gauge you used on the 2nd string....did the 2 middle strings...and what to do if the nut is too low and the strings rattle on the fret. Thanks anyway for what you are showing.
John, would you please elaborate on the file or files you are using? The one you have might work for the E String, but is that same one applicable for the A, D and G ?? Is the file V-shaped or a simple rectangle? One more thing, how does a square file work in the V notch? The rest of the tools are pretty straightforward, but the file?, I would like to get "it" right on this step of the setup as to do it right the first time and keep it that way. Thanks for your time and excellent FREE videos.
fantastic, thank you.
thanks for watching!
Mistrzu, uderzanie końcem pilnika w chromowany kołek klucza powoduje ból głowy od samego patrzenia ;-)
Thanks for the videos, I will be using all 4, Bill
What do you do if the either file to much or it was to low to begin with?
Is the nut adjustment actually necessary? I've read in some action/intonation setup guides that making adjustments to the nut isn't always all that necessary. I would like to set the action on my Bass a little higher then it currently is cause I get a LOT of unwanted fret buzz and the strings popping and slapping against the pick ups.
In any case don't let a luthier tell you what you need. Most of them can't really play and seem to just use standardized setups to make their lives easier.
It looked like all four strings were way high. Would pulling the nut off and sanding the base so they came down all together make sense?
Great video series. Thanks!
I think so; I have seen a couple repair guys do it like that before. Also, if the slots are to low, you can shim under the entire nut with a thin piece of cardboard/paper fitted in the bottom of the nut slot....
How would you guage a fretless? I am converting a fretted to a fretless. Any idea how to guage it? Thank you
@jabt Thank you bro. I´m looking for tools to make a brass nut for my bass guitar. Due to the nature of this material, i don´t want to use expensive tools, so i really appreciate your suggestion :) regards.
"I" banez is the official pronunciation of the company name. "E" banez would be the correct Spanish pronunciation, but that's not what they use. I'm sure he worked for them. He's the man!
thank u . i'm a drummer ,but have 2 bass guitars and this helped out alot for me. Bet it will make a big difference in sound and playing 4 me. Where can i get the feeler gauges? I had them in machine shop but idk where to buy them.?????
Whacking the tuner post with a hardened-steel file might garner some complaints from folks with really purdy basses : P
Ye hah and slipping off the nut onto a nice rosewood fingerboard and running a gouge out of it really pisses people off too lol 😆
this can be done to a 5 string bass?
Very good video the best in the net !!! good work !!! THANK YOU !!!
Ok thanks...intonation is sharp if nut is too high .Makes sense now.
check tuning at 12th fret as well. If it is sharp at the 12th but normal on open strings you need to tighten your bridge saddles and loosen them if it is flat at the 12th fret
My strings were too low, so instead of building up or replacing the nut on my bass, I just bought thicker strings. Going from a Med/Light string to a Medium string was enough to raise the strings up enough off of the fret to allow me to set my bass up properly. I agree with other posters... this step can quickly damage your bass... proceed with caution.
Where or how can I find the exactly tools you are using?
@Zackr27 Yes. That's why he uses the 1.00 file for the 1.00 string, etc. If you were to then use lighter strings, the action would be too low and you'd get fret buzz.
thanks man! this has helped me a lot !
Very informative. Thanks
there are also too many winds of string around those tuning pegs...who put the strings on???
(cont'd) I guess if you file them much bigger than the manufacturer already has them, and then switch to a lot thinner strings, it may not theoretically be ideal but in practice might not even be noticeable. The strings sit in the bottom of a rounded groove, thus should not shift much from side to side anyhow - the distance from the bottom of the string to the fretboard is still the same. The only alternative is to change to a custom-fitted nut every time you change string gauges.
Where can I buy those tools you are using for measurements??
I found the feeler gauge on Amazon.
Top top top e a melhor corda para mim!
One more question,,does the rectangle file have teeh on the thickness side and not just on the flat side??
Great video. Very professional.
Elixir strings I ❤️ U!
I have a 5 string bass that I'm interested in setting up, but I'm having trouble finding a file to match my .145 gauge low string. is it okay to go with a file that isn't quite that wide? or where can I find one that is that wide if I'm having trouble finding one on amazon?
And another question, if I will have a .110 gauge string, is it okay to use a .105 file? or should I look for a .110 file?
After watching your videos ,I'll let a shop do it,too much for me to deal with thanks for the video ...
Just an observation about the video.... Once Mr. Carruthers says he's got something adjusted properly, the cameraman should take a shot of that area... Doh! Perhaps also list the factory specs, and atleast tell what a lower action might measure... Because I can tell you my bass plays fine at half those distances, in standard tuing. If I drop 1/2 step, I might get a small amount of buzzing that is easily fixed by 1/2 turn on the bridge height on the offending string, until I tune back up to standard.
My guess would be look at the strings you have (the package), and find out what their diameter is. Use the file that matches in size.
What if you need to heighten the string at the nut?? (Which is what I need to do)
You are right, almost anywhere where they tell you about 'adjustment' of the nut it means lowering.
You have 2 options. Get a new nut or shim the nut you have.
I have a question about the file size.
So the gauge of your string like the E string at .105in you should us a at should a file at .105in as well? and same for goes for the other strings?
What did you mean by diameter, Does the file you use have to just fit in the groove of the nut?
Also what if some one files too low, is it possible to replace the nut (& how)?
Would all these steps be the same for an electric guitar?
how can you tell if you need to file the nut? file down a fret? or adjust the neck with the truss rod?
the first 5 frets on the E and G string are buzzing. when i look down the narrow fretboard facing the bridge dead center, i don't see a bow or warp. however, the neck curves in on one side and out on the other at the same spot sideways, when you look down each side the same, maybe the neck is just made that way. it's an electric acoustic if that matters
My 1978 Jazz (American) plays perfectly, it would scare the s____ out of me to mess with it!
What size of files do i need to cut the nut?
daniel kvassheim Depens on your nut size 😂
What do you do if the string gap on the nut is already too low? get a new nut and go through the procedure?
Where can i pick up these tools that you are using? Would a normal Home Depot work or do i have to go to some sort of guitar store or special order them online?
That's weird, you'd normally have a buzz problem if your bass was properly adjusted for a lighter gauge and then you'd change with a heavier one.Either way, I'd say you should try adjusting anyway, since it's only a one fret buzz go just a little bit counter clockwise untill you won't hear any more buzz.
i dont have a filler gaage, what is about the same thicknes I may have around the house? Like match book? dbl it, or ? Ok Im disabled and can't get out till nest wed? so any ideas?
John - do you have any advise for doing the setup of a "Steinburger" clone - the Washburn Bantam? Single ball-end strings but the ball-end and tuners are at the bridge side and a simple string clamp as at the nut. I'm thinking that doing the nut height adjustment will be a bit of a challenge since there is roughly 1 inch between the nut and the string clamp.
Well, the slot has to be a size no matter what, whatever that size may be. I think the manufacturer probably oversizes the slots to be able to handle reasonably fat strings in the first place (as it would still work for thinner strings, whereas narrower slots wouldn't allow for fatter strings).
What strings are being used in this video ? What size nut files are being used for these strings ? thank you
the master!
I just now got a old schecter bass 07 somebody had the bridge saddles all the way down restaurant on the bridge that was totally bottomed out this helps me thank you
Nice
Thanks dude - saved me £45 and I learnt something!
is it ok to adjust the bridge to make it go low?
don't you think the last string hight was measured incorrectly? He should've put the bar paralel to the neck surface but he measured the gap at an angle which kinda distorted the result.
Oh no, I have to do this to my new Fender highway one Jazz?? I thought those Fender luthiers fixed all these stuff already prior to releasing to the market :(
Are these measurements good for all basses?
Hi John,
Which brand of files would recommend purchasing for a Fender Precision using La Bella 760FS, La Bella 0760M, Fender 9120 medium and heavy flat and round wound strings ?
Thank you,
Sal
In my experience, when you do a proper setup, you shouldn't get any string buzz. If you do and all your standard measurements are right then you might have a neck that is warped/not straight. You could also have one or more frets that aren't level (I even worked on a friend's where he had a loose fret that sat up too high).
Same distance from fret for low B?
Good awesome strings =)
Hi ! I’ve gone thru the steps 1 &2 a working on step 3 nut adjustment. From what I gather, if the string moves with the feeler gauge (.022)then the nut needs to be replaced ? Or am I missing something ? Thanks !
You only have to think about repairing or replacing the nut if the groove depth measures too low AND the strings buzz when you pluck or pick them with your desired amount of playing force.
Gentle to moderate force players can get away with having lower action. Players who frequently slap, tend to be more tolerant of fret buzz and clanking noises.
If you desire to play very aggressively with zero fret buzz, then you might consider replacing your nut.
However, there is an alternative method to nut replacement which involves filling up the grooves with super glue and filing them back down to the desired height to avoid replacing the nut. But, I won't go into that unless you're interested.
Thats why warwick is the best company when it comes to bass hardware
yes, Warwick has adjustable nut height..
@@michaelfuria4257 You can get those on ebay for 15 bucks. Warwicks look cool, used to have corvette, but they are pretty generic sounding, although most solidbodies are. I have taken to hollowbodies (not semi-hollow, those are no different than solid), and not acoustic-electrics, but old school hollowbodies like hofners and kays. they have a sound few people are using these days. it's all that bright tinny tone that has taken over, because bassists want to "cut through" rather than actually making good music. Same with hyper compression on all modern productions. People playing generic played out derivative crap and trying to make it "pop" with compression. Good music doesn't need that shit.
wire messiah, thanks so much for your informative response, I have an Epi. Jack Casady bass which I replaced the factory strings with heavier gauge strings. It is now hard to press the strings down on the first three frets or so. I had bought the nut slot cutting files from Stew-Mac but am afraid to use them on this somewhat expensive bass..Anyway, thanks again and especially about the info about the adjustable nuts on E-bay. I don't understand why all bass guitars don't come with adjustable nuts..
@@34672rr Also, I too like the sound of full acoustic basses, I believe Jack Casady is now using one..
@R3velatiOnx where did you find them?. I´m looking for a set, but not so expensive though :) thank you
These instructional bass guitar videos by Elixir are OK but their strings coating shreds in 1 or 2 months. I switched to D'Addario nylon tapewound strings & they last and sound great.
Same reason I don't use elixir. They sound good, but the sheding is gross; it happens quickly especially when you play a lot. Erinie ball cobalt flats for me
Are these instruments coming out of the factory like this?
I actually have this exact bass (different color) and it's way off than this. I have a lot of correcting to do.
It looks like I have about 2mm at the nut and about 1/4 inch around the 12th fret. Before, I haven't been good enough to notice but it's really starting to stand out. Which is why I searched. I'll give those values a try.
I will. I'm sure getting it close will be "good enough" until I improve some more. I've been trying some slap bass and it's just not working well with the high string height.
FWIW, my bass is not quite the same as the one in the vid. Mine is the Jazz. I think the specs should be the same though but I'm sure it comes down to preference for some of it too.
Should i need to adjust every nut?
Have the exact same question...
What are the sizes for the files used?
Where can I get a set of files to do this? I'm assuming I can't just go too a hardware store to get them.
How many mm height of the first fret mr?
this method wont get any buzzing?
@tolow16 yes, but fretbuzz may occur.
I don't play bass but I found this interesting.... Question: Does a brand new bass come from the manufacturer with these adjustments already done or should everyone be doing this or having it done to a new bass?
It might be somewhat close, but the chances are setup will have to be done, especially with cheaper instruments
@@Strepite Thanks for the info. 👍
Can someone list the tools needed in this video please? I'm going to a hardware store tomorrow to buy the materials for my pj
Thank you! so do you use the same 0.22 gauge for all 4 string?
Video says .022 for all 4 strings.
What's the reason for doing the bridge adjustment before the nut adjustment? Don't nut adjustments effect bridge adjustments?
The capo "takes the nut out of the equation" as he mentioned in video #2.
Is it bad to start the low E string at .022", and make each string a little lower where the G string is at .015"? That's how mine is set up. It doesn't buzz, but I want to find out if there are any disadvantages to having the higher pitch strings a little bit lower. The bridge height measures correctly from 4/32" at low E to 3/32" at G on the fret where the neck is attached.
Brian Coverstone 8
Actually what you have on your bass is the is most desirable nut setup, progressively decreasing the height from
bass side to treble side (E/B to G/C string)