Now it sounds more like a guitar

Even if it ain't broke you can still fix it.
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naccoachbob
Posts: 477
Joined: Thu Dec 03, 2009 9:25 am
Location: Nacogdoches, Tx

Now it sounds more like a guitar

Post by naccoachbob »

I built my first guitar from a kit about 3-4 years ago. Got it from Stewmac, a D shaped one made of mahogany and spruce. Kind of a Plain Jane.

After I bought my Gibson Les Paul Studio last year, the acoustic has kinda been set aside. But now I've started learning some fingerstyle, and going back to playing old country songs on the acoustic. For some reason it didn't sound too loud, even with new strings. On inspection, I noticed the dang saddle had chipped in an area or two. The nut wasn't looking so good either.

As I'm finishing a guitar for my son, I noticed all the scratches that I had put on the headstock of this one. They all came about the very first time I tuned it up. So I decided to take off the hardware and re-do the headstock. That finished, I was going to clean up the nut, but it broke when I hit it with a hammer. Then when I took the saddle out, I saw a couple of pieces of shim that I had used from some purfling.

So, out come a nut blank and saddle blank. I checked the relief, it's good. Made a pretty decent saddle and spent several hours trying to get it to fit the slot. You know, that's a B***** to do by the way!! The saddle slot was so tight compared to the saddle I had, that it took a good bit of sanding. I've tried using a belt sander or pad sander on those in the past, but I always mess up with the thickness. One end or the other will get out of whack, or I'll over-sand and the saddle will not stay at 90 degrees. So I actually used my nut vice and a file. Even when I thought it was seated, I could rock the saddle from high E to low E. It took a heckuva long, long time to get that joker in place.

I capo'd the first fret and measured the height of the two E strings at the 13th fret. As it turned out, the saddle was just about dead on. So, leaving that, I glued the nut in. (I might add, I wish I hadn't because of things that happened later on). Then went to filing down the slots. I have StewMac's String Height thingie, and took a couple or more hours getting the slots down where I wanted. I then checked height at 12th fret (notice not the 13th), and I'm just a tad high, but will try it for a bit.

Now this ain't the loudest guitar in the world, but the volume did increase. I did have some very, very slight buzz. The nut slots were deep, but I used a rasp/file and brought it down to where the slots are good - strings 3-6 are about half below the nut top edge, and 1&2 are just peeking over the top. Rounded out the nut slot, or really I sloped the slot some to give a definite point of contact, but not to where it will cut into the nut when I tune and re-tune. Also, rounded the saddle. Buzzing gone. Volume still there.

The guitar is over braced, because I didn't know better when I built it. But the notes are pretty clear when I play fingerstyle, and strumming is pretty decent as well.

I think I got more out of the guitar because of several things. First, the saddle might not have been seated too well. The two shims may or may not have contributed to that. Also, I've learned much more about making a guitar nut than I knew back in the day. And, doing a setup in the right order, and being more particular about actual readings of string height, nut slot height, etc. obviously make a major difference.

That ole guitar sure has it's blemishes, but if the house were on fire it would be the guitar I'd try to save. It's given me pleasure in so many ways, from playing it, from using the experience of making it to make one for each of my kids, and then some more after.

Just thought I'd share.
Bob
JLT
Posts: 296
Joined: Wed Nov 02, 2011 9:13 pm
Location: Sacramento, CA USA

Re: Now it sounds more like a guitar

Post by JLT »

naccoachbob wrote:

Just thought I'd share.
Bob
Thanks for doing so. I've often gone back to re-do the nut or saddle on an instrument I've made, and it's usually been well worth it.
tippie53
Posts: 7011
Joined: Fri Mar 03, 2006 7:09 pm
Location: Hegins, Pa
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Re: Now it sounds more like a guitar

Post by tippie53 »

the more you do the better you get
John Hall
Blues Creek Guitars Inc
Authorized CF Martin Repair Center
president of Association of Stringed Instrument Artisans
http://www.bluescreekguitars.com
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