Have the balls, but need a nut ! All advice and tips very welcome !

[tonequester]

tonequester here again.

WARNING ! Most of my posts are "long winded", so feel free to ignore. If ANYBODY feels up to giving me some advice/tips, I will be
thoroughly grateful. This is a 2 parter. First, I want to get rid of the tone robbing PVC nut on that $100.00 Kramer Focus/ Strat copy that I previously mentioned
trying to "max out". Although the $70.00 charge that my small music store want's to do the work seems to be a fair price, I've decided to do it myself, sans
nut files. I actally did this once, many years ago with an extensive Dremel set, feeler guages, 6" precision ruler, and pieces of the strings that I use. I know that I got lucky that time, and it turned out fine. However, the guitar I did this to was of zero value to me, and I put it through many such abominations before trashing it. It was given to me and never was worth a hang. This Kramer is perhaps the very best cheap guitar I,ve ever played so if the concensus is that Im a dumb___
to try I won't ! Anyway, I can get a pre-slotted unbleached bone blank from Stew-Mac for a few bucks. I would like ANY opinions, but especially would like to here suggestions on the best way to remove the pvc nut. I've heard that taping up around the nut is a must for protection of the neck etc., and that a good flat tip punch that fits the edge of the nut, struck sharply with a light hammer will usually facilitate removal easily( I know....don't believe everything you hear) If anyone has a tip concerning removal I'm interested. I can't remember just how I removed the nut so many years ago. I probably pried it of with a big screwdriver !
I now-a-days take my time and have plenty of it, as well as patience and better tools. Stew-Mac's "tech" told me on the phone that the Kramer/Strat copy SHOULD use a flat bottomed nut. If anybody knows different, that will probably stop me in my tracks,as I have not been able to find out the radius of the kramer's neck. I found one list of "specs" on the Kramer site concerning the Indonesion Focus 111s which is what I believe I'm dealing with, and it claimed a 12" radius neck. However, this was just written up by an owner on a post. I don't believe that I will try to work with a radius, as there is no guarantee that I could get
a pre-radiused nut that would match. That's it for number .
The more serious of the two issues that I'm dealing with is that I just replaced the sloppy stock tuners with a set of Gotoh sealed 16:1 tuners. I'd never done this before, so I tried to research the procedure first. I even watched a video. However, after I got into it I realized that the Kramer is
oddball enough that my research was far from all inclusive. I had to drill out the headstock tuner holes from both sides as they needed to be slightly different sizes. The Maple neck was hard as a rock and I still can't believe that I got it done without really f---ing it up. I installed the Gotohs and got them lined up in
fine fashion. Then I had to drill 1/16" mounting holes on the back of the headstock for the tiny screws which seem to function more to keep the machine from turning in the hole than anything. Mounting something of this nature I always leave everything a tad loose, until the very last if possible, and I did this on the
Gotohs. Everything looked near perfect, so I began to tighten the tiny backside screws. I was careful here cause I could have easily stripped the Phillips heads.
I tightened the hex head bushings from the front and all was well until i got to number 4. I was using the proper 10mm wrench and just snugging them down
about a half turn past finger tight. On the fourth one there was a light pop, and something hit me in the face. I picked up the hex head and about 3 and 1/4th
threads. When that bushing popped, the "rebound" blew the head and 1/3 the length of the little screw off the back of the tuner. Upon close examination of the
threads still attached to the hex head, I could plainly see that there was zero thread distortion, and it broke very jagged. I looked at the wall thickness of the
bushing and it can,t be over 2-3 thoudsndths thick. I had various bushings that i had come across over the years, some threaded, some splined, and all about 4 times the wall thickness. i called Stew-Mac and they're sending me a new bushing and mounting screw, no charge. Kudo's to their customer service. The problem
is that I have a tiny screw point and maybe 3 or 4 threads countersunk in the back of the headstock. I'ts visably about 1/32" deep. I can't imagine anyone tryint to drill it out, without making a real mess of that headstock. However,I'm clueless for anything to try. Any siggestions on this cluster---- will be greatly appreciated. I figure that if I take it to a shop that has the capability(and my shop doesn't) it will cost me dearly. Apologies for going on so long. If anyone has read this thanks for the patience. Again, I'll take any advice or tips with great appreciation. Blasting me for being "long winded" will be taken in stride.

tonequester, May your bushings never break,
nor your hands never shake.

[J M Fahey]

Confess to not reading your loooong post, but got intrigued by its title:
if you already have the "balls", why do you need an extra pair of "nuts"?

[tonequester]

In answer to JM's query.

Confess to not reading your loooong post, but got intrigued by its title:
if you already have the "balls", why do you need an extra pair of "nuts"?

tonequester.

JM. I like any attempt at humor, especially after having the kind of ray I had yestersay. I say attempt, because that's about all I am capable of.
Actually, as far as ball's go, I truly meant to allude to the fact that I don't lack "guts" when it comes to taking on things that I probably do not have the sense or experience to do so. The nuts part was actually in the singular(nut), because I'm going to attempt to do a "nut job" on my bargain basement Kramer Focus which
although cheap, I am really hopeing that I don't do serious damage. I've already had a brand new hex bushing break in half through NO fault of my own. I must
have ticked of the "guitar god". Friend, at 54 years young, a new set of either balls or nuts would be wasted on me ! I appreciate your lightening things up for me.
It helps to put my petty problems in the proper perspective.

My poor attempt at a quote : " If it ain't broke, try to improve it anyway. Even if you s---- it up you will probably have learned something."

Thanks for the post, AND the laugh. tonequester.

[soundguruman]

There is all kinds of nut files and you need them all if you wanna make an ideal nut...
and a mini belt sander and a dremel...
well, it takes a lot of effort to make a nut ideally, and you can make it out of bone, ivory, graphite...or buy a pre-made blank.

you can use a curved implement with a point, and the point digs into the broken piece,
and try to tap it counterclockwise...
you can get the special counter-clockwise drill bit, and try to use that by hand, a lot of times this can work.
Well yeah it is possible to drill a bushing out
but it needs a drill press, to hold the drill correct at angle
and something to hold the guitar correctly,
but there is a special drill bit...which removes in reverse and cuts into broken piece to grab on.

[52 Bill]

One thing that I used to do when I was a poor college student before I got a set of nut files was to take a wound string of the correct diameter and stretch it in a jeweler's saw frame. Then use the taut string to abrade the slot in the nut. That way I had the exact right size slot for the wound strings. For the plain strings I just used an xacto saw.

Sometimes you can use a Dremel tool to cut a straight slot into the stub of a broken screw, like a screw head and then use a small jeweler's screwdriver to back out the stub.

[soundguruman]

One thing that I used to do when I was a poor college student before I got a set of nut files was to take a wound string of the correct diameter and stretch it in a jeweler's saw frame. Then use the taut string to abrade the slot in the nut. That way I had the exact right size slot for the wound strings. For the plain strings I just used an xacto saw.

Sometimes you can use a Dremel tool to cut a straight slot into the stub of a broken screw, like a screw head and then use a small jeweler's screwdriver to back out the stub.

There is all kinds of broken off pieces, mechanics deal with it all the time.
There are all kinds of special tools, check with Sears,
Northern Industrial Left-Hand Cobalt-Coated Drill Bits — 15-Pc. Set | Cobalt Drill Bits| Northern Tool + Equipment
you might be surprised that one of these bits can extract a broken part...

[David Schwab]

First, I want to get rid of the tone robbing PVC nut on that $100.00 Kramer Focus/ Strat copy that I previously mentioned
trying to "max out".

Plastic nuts don't rob tone, but a harder nut is better. The nut only affects the tone of the open strings. Gibson uses Micarta, which is plastic based on phenolic, or melamine resin. The slippery graphite type nuts are good to use to help with keeping the guitar in tune.

A better reason to make a new nut is to make the guitar easier to play and tune. Nuts are time consuming to make, and you have to know how to make one, which is why they are not cheap. But by all means you should learn to do your own work if you like. That's how I got started in this.

You can get screw extractors, like this:

SCREW EXTRACTOR SET OF 3- Grobet-Tool Catalog-General Purpose Hand Tools-Screwdrivers

They used to sell them at Stew-Mac, which is also a good place to get nut files.

By the away, you don't need to hit return when you reach the end of the text entry box. It will auto wrap.

[tonequester]

Manythanks for the "screw" extracxtion and the "nut job" advice !

[QUOTE=David Schwab;264440]Plastic nuts don't rob tone, but a harder nut is better. The nut only affects the tone of the open strings. Gibson uses Micarta, which is plastic based on phenolic, or melamine resin. The slippery graphite type nuts are good to use to help with keeping the guitar in tune.

A better reason to make a new nut is to make the guitar easier to play and tune. Nuts are time consuming to make, and you have to know how to make one, which is why they are not cheap. But by all means you should learn to do your own work if you like. That's how I got started in this.

You can get screw extractors, like this:

SCREW EXTRACTOR SET OF 3- Grobet-Tool Catalog-General Purpose Hand Tools-Screwdrivers

They used to sell them at Stew-Mac, which is also a good place to get nut files.

By the away, you don't need to hit return when you reach the end of the text entry box. It will auto wrap.



tonequester here.

Thanks to David and to ALL who replied with nut making advice plus the added bonus of your thoughts/methods for broken screw wxtraction. I was able to "surgically extract" the broken screw, and the new tuner completely covered the spot, even though I spent an hour trying to make it look it's best. TYhank Heaven for small miracles. I've made one nut, 30 years ago, with mainly a Dremel and many attachments for it. I,ve decided to buy the needed files(Gulp !)to do the best job that I can.
Nothing like the proper tool for the right job. I'm checking into the Tusq(Teflon impregnated) polymer nuts, even though several "old timers" are insisting that i should use un-
bleached bone. I do a fair amount of blues/string bending which may favor the Teflon impregnated ones. They claim to transfer string energy more efficiently. If that translates into good tone and sustain, I'm all for it. They are slightly more than double the price of a bone blank at $12.95 plus shipping, and I have other things to order anyway.
The job don e at my local shop is $70.00 plus a new set of strings, so the "do it yourself" thing not only fits my budget, but I get to learn something useful in the process.
Again, thanks to all who replied. I'm highly favored to have many good advisors. tonequester.


Quote : "Hair is the first thing, and teeth second. Hair and teeth. A man got these two things he's got it all. ........James Brown.