MS D-18

[Ben-Had]

Now I'll mark the top up for compensating it.

[Ben-Had]

Checking to be sure I have it snug (but not too snug) in the slot. I want to be able to grasp it and lift the guitar without the saddle coming out yet be able to remove it by hand. Mission accomplished!

[Ben-Had]

I use a string spacing rule to locate the nut slot positions, then I use a razor saw to cut a starter slot for the nut files. My slotting tools are the nut files (not all I have are shown), a string lifter, and a string height gauge.

[Ben-Had]

I start by zeroing the gauge, then getting the string height over the first fret (in this case .023). I want the slot to be no less than .010 or more than .015 over the fret on the high E. I graduate that up as follows - .017, .019, .021, .023, .025. Process is the same for each string just different heights above the fret.

Then I lift the string out of the way to file the slot, filing lightly and checking my progress frequently to sneak up on my desired height.

[Ben-Had]

I file until I reach my destination. Here I stop at about .014 over the fret on the high E. I forgot to photo the final shaping. But after I get the slots to there depths I take the nut back to the sander to reshape the top. I want the unwound strings to be in the slot even with the top of the nut and the wound strings to have about half the string sitting above the top of the nut.

Success!

[Ben-Had]

I should have mentioned earlier my setup steps, they are as follows:

1. Neck relief - check and adjust, I want to be between .003 and .010 (I checked it and it was .006)
2. Nut - check and adjust
3. Saddle - check and adjust

On this job the owner wants the action to be 5/64 at 12th on the the high E and 6/64 on the low E.

It started out a about 6/64 at the 12th fret (although in the pic it looks like 7/64, it was hard to keep the rule straight with one hand and focus and take the picture with the other) so I had to remove 1/32" for how much off the bottom of the saddle to get to 5/64. For those that don't know, one must remove twice the amount off the bottom of the saddle for how much the string is to be lowered over the 12th fret i.e. in this instance 1/32" is twice 1/64".

[Ben-Had]

Apply the pick Guard and...............

Habada, Habada, Habada - THAT'S ALL FOLKS!!!!!!!!