Hello All. Does anyone know where I might find a replacement truss rod nut for a vintage D-40? Mine's a '76. I have checked on eBay and there is nothing except Gibson nuts, which don't work in a Guild because the diameter is too large. A local luthier put in a Gibson replacement nut in my guitar and it's clearly wrong. You cannot tighten the nut enough to get the neck correct because the nut goes down too much on the bolt thread where it rubs against the casing enclosure in front. I was thinking of contacting Guild directly to get one.
Truss Rod Nut Replacement
- Thread starter Bear214
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adorshki
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Yes, we saw a mysteriously mangled nut and slot a few years back, something didn't look right and I believe Hans said it was actually a Gibson nut.
Suggest Hans, last I heard his preferred contact email was mousthans@gmail.com
(Bear I assume you know who Hans is, author of the Guild Guitar Book and would be sure to know exactly what nut your guitar needs, might even have it)
PS not to be snarky, but Guild's new owners and crew wouldn't know what nut your guitar needs, they simply don't have the specs from that era although they've tried to be helpful to some folks. With at least 3 accounts of new parts not fitting older models, so....
Thank you kindly for this information. Yes, I have a mangled slot, too, now because of the stupid Gibson nut. You cannot even put the truss rod cover without it bending. I have the old nut still, even though the luthier says it was bad. Doesn't seem that bad to me. I also have one from a DCE5 that works. But when I put it in the D-40 with a 1/4" socket, it began stripping. So I can probably fix it if I had the right truss rod wrench. Unfortunately, for me to get the right neck tension, I have to really screw it in tight. Anything less and I hear all sorts of buzzing on the top and bottom ends. What wrench would work best for this vintage nut?Yes, we saw a mysteriously mangled nut and slot a few years back, something didn't look right and I believe Hans said it was actually a Gibson nut.
Suggest Hans, last I heard his preferred contact email was mousthans@gmail.com
(Bear I assume you know who Hans is, author of the Guild Guitar Book and would be sure to know exactly what nut your guitar needs, might even have it)
PS not to be snarky, but Guild's new owners and crew wouldn't know what nut your guitar needs, they simply don't have the specs from that era although they've tried to be helpful to some folks. With at least 3 accounts of new parts not fitting older models, so....
davismanLV
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If the threads are stripped from the wrong nut being forced on and multiple tries, that's a problem. Then you have to fix the threads and I'm not sure how you'd do that without replacing the truss rod which is a big deal. Maybe someone knows a fix for this, but i don't.....
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You can buy a spacer at StewMac that does the trick.
www.stewmac.com
Gibson Truss Rod - StewMac
The standard one-way truss rod installed in new Gibson guitars.
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The threads are still ok. I'm not sure how the washers would effect the mechanism, but good idea. If I could explain the issues that I'm having, perhaps there are people here who might understand what is going on. The main problem is that the top two strings cause buzzing when striking them, while the bottom end is off. You can't simply strum the strings with you finger because of resistance with those strings, even after replacing both the saddle and nut. I've had this problem since I've owned the instrument going back 10 years and not one luthier out of five or six in the Chicago area understood the problem, let alone could fix it. It makes me have zero faith in luthiers. They're as bad a lawyers. On the bottom end, the bottom two strings like with the top two are not in sync when playing a G chord, for example. It could be the neck is permanently damaged from the guitar being dropped, I don't know, or the truss rod is not doing it's job well enough that only with max tightening of the truss rod nut gets the neck straight enough that the buzzing and bad tone is minimized. It's frustrating because the guitar is a fine instrument with excellent balance, if it only worked right. They don't make 'em like this anymore.
RBSinTo
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Bear214,
Perhaps instead of a Luthier, you need to see the guy from the tool department at Home Depot.
Seriously, just because you've had a bad experience with some Luthiers is no reason to disparage the profession as a whole, and worse, give up having them work on your guitar(s). Vintage instruments that are worth saving need expert care and the casual "handy guy" may or may not have the expertise to fix your problems. And the Do-it-Yourself videos, even when followed to the letter often don't produce the desired results either.
However, Time Machines are tough to come by, so best to get people who know how to do it right the first time.
I hope you continue to look for an expert who understands your problems and can restore your guitar to its former glory.
Good luck.
RBSinTo
Perhaps instead of a Luthier, you need to see the guy from the tool department at Home Depot.
Seriously, just because you've had a bad experience with some Luthiers is no reason to disparage the profession as a whole, and worse, give up having them work on your guitar(s). Vintage instruments that are worth saving need expert care and the casual "handy guy" may or may not have the expertise to fix your problems. And the Do-it-Yourself videos, even when followed to the letter often don't produce the desired results either.
However, Time Machines are tough to come by, so best to get people who know how to do it right the first time.
I hope you continue to look for an expert who understands your problems and can restore your guitar to its former glory.
Good luck.
RBSinTo
fronobulax
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I'll repeat the advice to not expect a correct answer when asking today's Guild about anything that happened before 2014.
Also any tool that can manage a 1/4" nut should be a possibility. The thickness of the "collar" can be an issue but that can be easy to check.
Luthiers, like doctors and automobile mechanics are folks who fix things. How well they do depends upon their technical skills and experience but also on their willingness to listen and discuss the problem. Even the good ones don't always get things right the first time. So your best bet might be to find an experienced luthier who listens and doesn't jump to conclusions about what your problem really is.
If you can't find someone in Chicago (or vicinity) who listens, maybe Elderly Instruments in Lansing, MI would be worth a drive?
Also any tool that can manage a 1/4" nut should be a possibility. The thickness of the "collar" can be an issue but that can be easy to check.
Luthiers, like doctors and automobile mechanics are folks who fix things. How well they do depends upon their technical skills and experience but also on their willingness to listen and discuss the problem. Even the good ones don't always get things right the first time. So your best bet might be to find an experienced luthier who listens and doesn't jump to conclusions about what your problem really is.
If you can't find someone in Chicago (or vicinity) who listens, maybe Elderly Instruments in Lansing, MI would be worth a drive?
GuildFS4612CE
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Since the OP states intonation issues...all guitars will have some...suggest the Straight Edge test should also be done...guitar old enough for neck angle issues...one of you guys with more time can please locate/post the instruction link to assist...this guitar sounds like it might benefit from a trip to fixit in FL to save it.
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This was a genius suggestion about using washers. After trial and error and about 3 different visits to Home Depots and two to Ace Hardware, I found a washer that fits the bolt and in the truss rod slot---5 mm flat steel washer from Everbilt. The copper washers and other washers that I purchased at Ace broke instantly. The problem with the old nut is that as you tightened it, it went too deep into the slot that my socket did not go far enough while hitting the outside of the truss rod casing at the base of the slot. Buying an extended socket and creating a little more space in the slot around the bolt solved that. I'm happy to say that I now have the neck tension or bow right. Whoever said that tightening the truss rod causes more fret buzz doesn't know what they're talking about. Maybe if you go to far, yes, but I'm not able to go to far with this instrument. If there's not enough tension from under tightening the nut, that sounds terrible, too. On my D-40 you have to tighten almost the whole way to get the neck right. No way around it. Remember it's a '76 and maybe over time the truss rod has degraded some in functionality. Now it's playing like butter and I'm ecstatic.
You guys are fantastic.
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The only casualty is a bit of a mangled slot, but I'll take the fixed instrument. Once the truss rod cover is back on, no one will even know.Glad to have helped - that's what LTG is about
As for my comments on luthiers, I stand by them. Most don't know their business because they can't play or they can't hear the problems. But they're happy to overpromise on repairs and take your money for doing poor work. This applies to the most reputable in the Western Chicago suburbs, because I've seen them all.
Rather than Home Depot (if the one here is typical, staff are helpful but not always knowledgeable) I'd go to a good full service owner occupied hardware store with the nut that needs replacing.
RBSinTo
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Bear214,
I've yet to meet a Luthier who couldn't play the instrument or instruments they repair. Truly strange to hear that the ones in your neighbourhood can't and are all bad.
But it seems in this case that all's well that ends well.
RBSinTo
You have to have experience to make a correct diagnosis of what the problem exactly is, no different than doctors. This was a case of me not knowing what I didn't know, because the problem was hidden. Just because there is a truss rod nut on the bolt in the slot does not mean it is working right. But replacing the nut alone did not help either. In my view, a good luthier should be able to make the diagnosis about the nut not tightening right from the symptoms the guitar was presenting. None of the luthiers I dealt with were able to understand the problem, let alone find a solution. If they really knew their business, they should have.
RBSinTo
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Bear214,
Well if that's how you feel, next time you have a guitar problem you can't fix yourself you can take the instrument to a parachute packer or driveway paver because obviously they wouldn't do a worse job than say, a Luthier.
Me? I'll stick with the folks who fix guitars for a living.
Enjoy your guitar.
RBSinTo
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The one luthier I dealt with that diagnosed the problem correctly, to his credit, was Rick Cremer at Cremer Guitars in Aurora, IL. But putting in the Gibson replacement nut, as he did, was not enough of a solution. The nut had to be raised by the washers so that the socket could reach down far enough into the slot to tighten the nut without stripping it and without hitting the truss rod slot casing at the bottom. I basically had to tighten the nut more than what was possible before, which the washers allowed. It was only then I attained the correct neck tension/relief that eliminated the buzzing. The lesson is that for certain repairs, it does not pay at all to go to Joe Shmoe luthier. You really need to find the best.
Does the end of the truss rod, the rod itself, look broken or uneven? It is odd that the truss rod nut would end up needing to go down that far. It may be the wood that has a natural tendency to back bow. Happens with some necks. i"m wondering if the truss rod isn't shifted in the neck.
There are a number of luthiers in my area, some are good, some are not. ALL play guitar, and in many cases, bass, ukulele, banjo, and mandolin as well. All play in local bands of one type or another, and a few play in multiple bands (rock, blues, country, bluegrass, jazz, and gypsy jazz).
You have yet to find a good luthier. But because you have yet to find one, doesn't mean that all luthiers are bad, or are scammers. There are bad luthiers, no doubt. But just as true is that there are good luthiers out there as well. Your not finding one and name calling all luthiers is not helping anybody.
There are a number of luthiers in my area, some are good, some are not. ALL play guitar, and in many cases, bass, ukulele, banjo, and mandolin as well. All play in local bands of one type or another, and a few play in multiple bands (rock, blues, country, bluegrass, jazz, and gypsy jazz).
You have yet to find a good luthier. But because you have yet to find one, doesn't mean that all luthiers are bad, or are scammers. There are bad luthiers, no doubt. But just as true is that there are good luthiers out there as well. Your not finding one and name calling all luthiers is not helping anybody.