I am a pro repair tech of 45 years. I do not call myself a luthier, even though I do plenty of lutherie. I save the term for Master Luthiers such as Dan, as so many garage guitar builders call themselves a luthier, it diminishes the title imho. I am one of the only shops that asks the customer if they'd like to to stay and learn as I set-up or repair their guitar. I enjoy teaching the basics, but cutting nuts I don't teach b/c people are not usually set up with the correct files or understanding to fit and cut them properly. It took me years of trial and error and understanding to really get nutwork down pat, and I'm still learning. A video like this will get you more than you bargained for unless you are a highly gifted or methodical craftsman whose worked with different materials and understands the task at hand. Again, jmo so take it for what it's worth.
Luthier - If someone says they are a luthier, ask them "Are you a builder or and assembler?" If you work on stringed instruments you are a luthier according the dictionary but I know what you mean! Most of the job is understanding mechanical physics and going back to base principles, not assuming - electronics is totally that and when playing with valves that approach will keep you alive too.
It's funny... the word luthier is much discussed and debated here as well. Some think of it as a lofty word to be held in reserve for the highest masters, others think it's a descriptive word like carpenter which doesn't necessarily imply a level of experience or quality... just says I work on fretting instruments. I'm sure the discussion/debate will rage on forever. :)
@@guitartec It comes from a desire to be able to do more with the instrument than a person is able to do when limited by their own lack of skill, talent, or natural ability. Not so hard to understand at all.
The best details (and in 5 minutes) about how the nut slot should be shaped and reducing friction (especially on the 3rd and 4th string) for intonation. Thanks, Dan Erlewine!
This vid should be mandatory watching for all those folks fitting string redirection Tom Foolery to their headstocks. Thank you Dan for a fine explanation of nut finishing.
when i first got into work like this, out of necessity on my own guitars, id encounter convos where dans name would come up and everyone would be like oh yeah well what his says is the way to do it and id be like lol who the heck is this guy. so i looked him up and watched a bunch of these videos. i love and appreciate the way he shares this knowledge with others. hes such a patient dude and great teacher
Thanks Dan! I try to buy all my parts and pieces from y’all for this simple reason - all the time and effort you put in to make sure I have the info to do it right - appreciate that!
I love the vibe of all these StewMac vids. And I love Uncle Dan’s demeanor. Much better than the 27 minute “off the top of your head” ramblings from some of those other luthier tip videos.
I almost said the exact same thing. His presentation is tight and you get the info right out of the gate. And his humble delivery belies his vast knowledge
Love Dan Erlewine! So much knowledge. I do every single guitar repair possible, on acoustics and electrics. There is one job I don’t do, and that is guitar nuts. Doing nuts is a lost art that is so important and it must be perfect! Pause at 3:47 *that* is perfection. Look at how sexy those strings lay, it all just oozes top quality both from Gibson & Dan.
30+ years ago I spent a couple weeks with Dan and Bryan Galloup. They covered cutting and fitting nuts, fretwork and Martin neck resets. 2 amazing teachers and craftsman. Thanks for this great explanation Dan!
I really learned a lot from your excellent video. It’s great to have someone with such knowledge and experience sharing it freely. Thank you so much 🙏. 🇬🇧♥️🌈
Your lessons are always so detailed yet concise, right to the point. So enjoyable and informative to watch. You answered all of the questions that I had almost immediately. Thank you so much always
Hi, I always enjoy your how to's. They have been helpful for me over the years. I've always had tuning issues with my Gibsons. I tried a bunch of different approaches; changed tuners, bridges, nuts. Nothing seemed to work. Well one day I got the bright idea to file the nut so that the pass through of each nut slot resembled a Gibson bridge saddle. This was in an effort to keep the string from touching as little nut material/surface as possible. Wow, did that make a difference. I do a lot bends through my several hours of practice, and now have to re-tune very little. Just saying, thought I'd put that out there. Best Wishes to All.
Flying V headstock, goes to a point, you get the angle back so no trees and you go straight to the machine head, no angle. I built my guitar with that in mind, which is why I copied it.
@@davidainilian1106 no thanks I’ll just buy an entire diamond mine, hire a few hundred slaves and harvest my own diamonds to grind up and make my own nut files with.
Dan, I love you and I respect and admire your work and I have to admit that I've learnt A LOT from you all these years. But, don't get me wrong, in this video I am obliged to make a correction: when you turn your file a little sideways to widen the back of the nut at the same time the front of the nut is filed UNINTENTIONALLY. This is because you cannot tilt the file MORE downwards so that the back of the file won't work on the nut. You have to REMOVE the nut form the guitar for this job to be accomplished properly. I hope I'm not being impolite. By any means you are the best for many of us!
Thanks Dan! Just did this same repair to my new Flying V, which wouldn’t stay in tune at all...D and G strings exit the nut at an even steeper angle than most other guitars. Performed the repair using my old Stew Mac nut files. But I think I need to upgrade to the diamond files :)
Thank you so much Dan... I'd actually been wonderin' 'bout that sideways angle when you have a 3 + 3 setup (a bit of common sense too I'm afraid) Thanx again and Cheers
unless you are going to file the nut or saddle, all you need are feeler gauges and a tuner. Straightening the neck and adding a bit of relief then measuring the 12th fret and 1st fret isn't that difficult.
Naru Pickles, thanks. Everything you mentioned (including filing nuts and saddles) I already do, and have done for 30+ years. What I meant to say is that Dan is a master and he taught me a lot over the years. I’d love to meet with him and have him setup my instruments just for the sake of it.
TELE6220, thank you. That’s what I’ve been doing for 30+ years. Again, my comment is just to say Dan taught me a lot through his book and this channel and having him setup my guitar would simply be a great opportunity to chat.
Great useful video.. I didnt know about the rounded back end ( I was sloping them) and also the widening slot. Will try it with my next build :) Is the widinedning at the back so important if the guitar has straight string pulls ? I assume not so much
I just received my StewMac nut files. Many people think the StewMac stuff is over-priced. If you want to do a guitar job right don't waste your money on inferior tools that aren't made for guitar. Spend the money, save up if you have to, but get proper, good-quality tools and get the job done right the first time. * * * * * on the nut files.
Hearing Dan say "Killer" has made my day.
I love the fact that a master like Dan is willing to share his knowledge. Dan is the man.
I am a pro repair tech of 45 years. I do not call myself a luthier, even though I do plenty of lutherie. I save the term for Master Luthiers such as Dan, as so many garage guitar builders call themselves a luthier, it diminishes the title imho. I am one of the only shops that asks the customer if they'd like to to stay and learn as I set-up or repair their guitar. I enjoy teaching the basics, but cutting nuts I don't teach b/c people are not usually set up with the correct files or understanding to fit and cut them properly. It took me years of trial and error and understanding to really get nutwork down pat, and I'm still learning. A video like this will get you more than you bargained for unless you are a highly gifted or methodical craftsman whose worked with different materials and understands the task at hand. Again, jmo so take it for what it's worth.
Luthier - If someone says they are a luthier, ask them "Are you a builder or and assembler?"
If you work on stringed instruments you are a luthier according the dictionary but I know what you mean! Most of the job is understanding mechanical physics and going back to base principles, not assuming - electronics is totally that and when playing with valves that approach will keep you alive too.
It's funny... the word luthier is much discussed and debated here as well. Some think of it as a lofty word to be held in reserve for the highest masters, others think it's a descriptive word like carpenter which doesn't necessarily imply a level of experience or quality... just says I work on fretting instruments.
I'm sure the discussion/debate will rage on forever. :)
@@stewmac We need a new title for those that fix and build guitars, but can't play them at all. That's always blown me away
: D
@@guitartec It comes from a desire to be able to do more with the instrument than a person is able to do when limited by their own lack of skill, talent, or natural ability. Not so hard to understand at all.
@@nicholasbstone Not sure why you take "blows me away" to mean I don't understand it. I am in awe of it.
That drawing at 1:50 is worth more than the price of admission! Seriously - great presentation.
Dan is the Bob Ross of guitar lutherie. Could listen to him drop knowledge all day!
Huh?
"It's all the little things that add up" --- how true!
Zig Ziglar “It's the little things that make a big difference.”
Dan is a national treasure and the Bob Ross of lutherie.
I could listen to Dan talk about guitars all day. So relaxing
The best details (and in 5 minutes) about how the nut slot should be shaped and reducing friction (especially on the 3rd and 4th string) for intonation. Thanks, Dan Erlewine!
Dan, as an illustrator and educator, your new graphics are the perfect way to help the viewer visualize the correct way to make a nut.
This vid should be mandatory watching for all those folks fitting string redirection Tom Foolery to their headstocks. Thank you Dan for a fine explanation of nut finishing.
when i first got into work like this, out of necessity on my own guitars, id encounter convos where dans name would come up and everyone would be like oh yeah well what his says is the way to do it and id be like lol who the heck is this guy. so i looked him up and watched a bunch of these videos. i love and appreciate the way he shares this knowledge with others. hes such a patient dude and great teacher
Hand filing my own nut and saddle made my $50 instrument feel like a $200 instrument and I firmly consider it worth learning how to do.
because you spent 150$ for the nut files
@@antares4975 😂😂😂
Dan rocks! Happy to see you healthy!
Thanks Dan! I try to buy all my parts and pieces from y’all for this simple reason - all the time and effort you put in to make sure I have the info to do it right - appreciate that!
I never really thought of it as supporting the stray and trying to let it speak. Very inspiring to see people who think like this
I got myself set of nut files.
Dan is my first source of know how
Thanks for being here
Thanks for watching! Dan's an inspiration to us all!
I love the vibe of all these StewMac vids. And I love Uncle Dan’s demeanor. Much better than the 27 minute “off the top of your head” ramblings from some of those other luthier tip videos.
Sorry about that.
I almost said the exact same thing. His presentation is tight and you get the info right out of the gate. And his humble delivery belies his vast knowledge
Love Dan Erlewine! So much knowledge. I do every single guitar repair possible, on acoustics and electrics. There is one job I don’t do, and that is guitar nuts. Doing nuts is a lost art that is so important and it must be perfect! Pause at 3:47 *that* is perfection. Look at how sexy those strings lay, it all just oozes top quality both from Gibson & Dan.
For that simple fix you want, get a pocket set of files used for torch tip cleaning. About 6 or 7 dollars..
30+ years ago I spent a couple weeks with Dan and Bryan Galloup. They covered cutting and fitting nuts, fretwork and Martin neck resets. 2 amazing teachers and craftsman. Thanks for this great explanation Dan!
This is the best video I've seen on filing nut slots. A+
Dan is the greatest! Plus his videos are always short and direct to the point!
Dan's videos are pure gold
It is the little things like this that I've learned from these vids that add up! You're a national treasure Dan!🤓
I really learned a lot from your excellent video. It’s great to have someone with such knowledge and experience sharing it freely. Thank you so much 🙏. 🇬🇧♥️🌈
Thank you for watching!
Dan has much knowledge, every 2 or 3 sentences he alludes to a good tip or trick to keep in mind.
Thanks for sharing Dan, always a pleasure to watch a master at their craft,
Wow one of the best how to videos on TH-cam I’ve ever seen 🎉
Your lessons are always so detailed yet concise, right to the point. So enjoyable and informative to watch. You answered all of the questions that I had almost immediately. Thank you so much always
Hi, I always enjoy your how to's. They have been helpful for me over the years. I've always had tuning issues with my Gibsons. I tried a bunch of different approaches; changed tuners, bridges, nuts. Nothing seemed to work. Well one day I got the bright idea to file the nut so that the pass through of each nut slot resembled a Gibson bridge saddle. This was in an effort to keep the string from touching as little nut material/surface as possible. Wow, did that make a difference. I do a lot bends through my several hours of practice, and now have to re-tune very little. Just saying, thought I'd put that out there. Best Wishes to All.
Dan your a legend............Much love from Aust.!
Stu Mac rocks. Their stuff is superior. I bought a tail piece for my used Gibson hollowbody and it solved the rattle problem that I had.
Dan is the man!! No one can teach guitar building like Dan!!
I been watching and Learning from this humble and extremely talented man for many years ! Dan is the man !
Me too - ever since I got a book of his. I was so happy to find that he was also doing youtube videos.
So nice to watch a real expert
He is such a good teacher for me! I learned a lots of things from him.
Your repair book and tips helped me become a better luthier. Thank you Dan!
Thanks Dan for your years of hands on experience. I hope to be there one day!
This is exactly what I woke up wanting to find this morning. Thank you 🙏
Good job and good video. Also, a good example of why a straight pull headstock is superior.
Flying V headstock, goes to a point, you get the angle back so no trees and you go straight to the machine head, no angle. I built my guitar with that in mind, which is why I copied it.
Each time I watch your videos I always learn at least one more thing I just didn’t quite grasp before. You are really helping us. Thank you so much!!!
Thanks for something explained well with good camera work to see exactly what he is talking about. Love it when TH-cam is the worlds Library
I don't have the slightest clue on luthiery (or whatever the noun of "luthier" is), but this felt useful.
Luthierie
@@andrewwagner6851 Thanks. 👌
FadeSkywards no problem haha. Not a word you see very often.
@Reian Felipe That's true. 👌
Thank you Dan I don’t recall seeing a good example or drawing to go with the ramp technique and now to order a couple new nuts 🥜 lol
Thank you . Getting the nut right is the most difficult thing I've had to do for my guitar.
Not what I was looking for but very glad I watched this.
Excellent video. Finally someone knows what he is talking about.
Great lesson with a concise graphic. I'm on the last step of making a nut from scratch. Making the grooves can make or break the whole project.
Thanks!
This is nuts!
Thanks Dan, appreciate you sharing your knowledge with us.
Greatly appreciate this video a giant help very direct into the point
Great demo, Dan, thanks!
These videos are so enjoyable and helpful. Thanks StewMac and Dan! :)
As a lefty, this is valuable information, gotta be able to make your own nuts for conversions.
Excellent advice, Sir! Thank you for sharing.
I love the way you teach us! Thank you so much!
Thank you Dan!
Thanks, Dan!
Thanks. You’re a good teacher!
Very informative and do the point as always. Thank you for sharing the knowledge!
Exactly what I needed right now. Those tools look super handy, all of them!👌🏻
Just as I thought that nut files can't possibly get any more expensive...
Just buy the whole set it's only about $1000
@@davidainilian1106 no thanks I’ll just buy an entire diamond mine, hire a few hundred slaves and harvest my own diamonds to grind up and make my own nut files with.
@DC_Kamehameha you’re going to miss out on 490$ worth of tone, man! Cmon buy the set.
@Nick Smith ...I bought the same set from Amazon. Reasonably good quality.
@@BonafideToolJunkiecheap material ?
Dan, I love you and I respect and admire your work and I have to admit that I've learnt A LOT from you all these years. But, don't get me wrong, in this video I am obliged to make a correction: when you turn your file a little sideways to widen the back of the nut at the same time the front of the nut is filed UNINTENTIONALLY. This is because you cannot tilt the file MORE downwards so that the back of the file won't work on the nut. You have to REMOVE the nut form the guitar for this job to be accomplished properly. I hope I'm not being impolite. By any means you are the best for many of us!
Thank you sir building an SG kit and needed to know this because the nut is cut but not finished to the way you described 🖒
Such good videos on here. A wealth of experience & perfectly explained. Thankyou
Thank you, sir!
That's really good to know.
Awesome! This old man have great skills!
It's like turning Smirnoff into Grey Goose.👌
Very nice. Thanks so much for sharing your wisdom.
Thank you,Dan
Thanks for the tip, you rock
Anything you say, I’m listening. One of the best if not the best!
This Dude is a Master!!!
Thanks for another great video Dan 👍🏻
Thank you, Dr. Erlewine! (Seriously though, you'd make one heck of a surgeon!)
I love Dan's shirt
Dan is the man!
Thanks
Dan, the master.
Thanks Stew!
Thank you for sharing!
This was great! Thanks!
Wonderful video
Thanks Dan! Just did this same repair to my new Flying V, which wouldn’t stay in tune at all...D and G strings exit the nut at an even steeper angle than most other guitars. Performed the repair using my old Stew Mac nut files. But I think I need to upgrade to the diamond files :)
Thank you so much Dan... I'd actually been wonderin' 'bout that sideways angle
when you have a 3 + 3 setup (a bit of common sense too I'm afraid)
Thanx again and Cheers
Awesome info here!
⚓️ Thanks Dan 😎
100% Guitar Love. Thanks for sharing !
really you are amazing, love from India
I wish Dan wasn’t so far, I'd love to have him setup my guitars.
unless you are going to file the nut or saddle, all you need are feeler gauges and a tuner. Straightening the neck and adding a bit of relief then measuring the 12th fret and 1st fret isn't that difficult.
Naru Pickles, thanks. Everything you mentioned (including filing nuts and saddles) I already do, and have done for 30+ years. What I meant to say is that Dan is a master and he taught me a lot over the years. I’d love to meet with him and have him setup my instruments just for the sake of it.
TELE6220, thank you. That’s what I’ve been doing for 30+ years. Again, my comment is just to say Dan taught me a lot through his book and this channel and having him setup my guitar would simply be a great opportunity to chat.
Really clean job ♥️
Very professional
absolutely awesome video!
GREAT TIP, THANKS
Nice shirt Dan! 😄
Great video, very informative!
this is a badassed video. Top notch
Great useful video.. I didnt know about the rounded back end ( I was sloping them) and also the widening slot. Will try it with my next build :) Is the widinedning at the back so important if the guitar has straight string pulls ? I assume not so much
When my mans said, “a tooth file can SKID,” I flinched when he jumped forward.
Genio. Muchas gracias!
I just received my StewMac nut files. Many people think the StewMac stuff is over-priced.
If you want to do a guitar job right don't waste your money on inferior tools that aren't made for guitar.
Spend the money, save up if you have to, but get proper, good-quality tools and get the job done right the first time.
* * * * * on the nut files.
I wonder what size of file will work both acoustic and electric guitar