Nuts on the S-100

[danerectal]

No, I'm not talking about the acorns and oak leaves on the S-100c. I bought mine with a bung plastic nut that wasn't even the original Micarta. It had no clearance over the frets so I finally broke down and took it in to have a new nut made and fitted. I've never been able to experience the instrument's voice so I'm really looking forward to it. I dropped it off today and hopefully 24 hours and $50 later I'll have my S-100C in fully playable condition. How's that for a turnaround?

My question... Is that a reasonable price for the job? With a little studying, quite a few tools, and a good bit of practice, could I not do it myself? I ultimately want to do this with two others, one of which will probably need a refret before I'd take the plunge, so it wouldn't be a huge investment for just one job. I'm clearly too late to consider doing this one myself, but I'd like to learn how to do it for some other projects down the pipe.

 

[dklsplace]

$50 is average for a new (bone) nut. May even be on the low side depending on your geographic area.

The only real issue with doing this yourself is the tools. Nut files aren't cheap, & your average hardware store files don't quite cut it.......no pun intended.

 

[wright1]

Hi Dane, I always think that if you play something you should know how it works even if there are somethings that you cannot fix yourself. If you have any sort of skill making stuff then making nuts and saddles is not too difficult. DK is right though. Buying the right tools for maybe one or two jobs is going to be expensive. If you are paying $50 for a new fitted bone nut then this is not expensive for an hours time including the materials. I would check out the Stewart MacDonald website. They have all the tools and materials you would need and sometimes kits of stuff at reduced prices. There is also a section on HOW TO and I am sure one of the subjects is making a new nut. Tools is a long term investment but if you get confident then maybe you could start doing small repairs for friends etc and make the investment pay!
Best of luck,Steve.
PS doing a refret is not too difficult but it would be best to either get on a course or watch a few being done. StewMac do a good book which covers many different types of refret. Again you will have to invest in a few tools but nothing too exotic.

 

[wright1]

Hi Dane, I always think that if you play something you should know how it works even if there are somethings that you cannot fix yourself. If you have any sort of skill making stuff then making nuts and saddles is not too difficult. DK is right though. Buying the right tools for maybe one or two jobs is going to be expensive. If you are paying $50 for a new fitted bone nut then this is not expensive for an hours time including the materials. I would check out the Stewart MacDonald website. They have all the tools and materials you would need and sometimes kits of stuff at reduced prices. There is also a section on HOW TO and I am sure one of the subjects is making a new nut. Tools is a long term investment but if you get confident then maybe you could start doing small repairs for friends etc and make the investment pay!
Best of luck,Steve.
PS doing a refret is not too difficult but it would be best to either get on a course or watch a few being done. StewMac do a good book which covers many different types of refret. Again you will have to invest in a few tools but nothing too exotic.

 

[coastie99]

Sound advise from that chap !

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tools/Speci ... l_Kit.html

Seems pretty reasonable

Lots of stuff here, for when you get really ambitious..................

http://www.projectguitar.com/ref/supply.htm

Lots of satisfaction in "rolling your own", but be warned....... FRUSTRATION CENTRAL beckons if you don't have the correct equipment, and you're not prepared to exercise patience when DIY-ing !

 

[coastie99]

Sound advise from that chap !

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tools/Speci ... l_Kit.html

Seems pretty reasonable

Lots of stuff here, for when you get really ambitious..................

http://www.projectguitar.com/ref/supply.htm

Lots of satisfaction in "rolling your own", but be warned....... FRUSTRATION CENTRAL beckons if you don't have the correct equipment, and you're not prepared to exercise patience when DIY-ing !

 

[guildzilla]

I got a set of nut files for about $100 a couple years ago. Used in conjunction with a set of feeler gauges and the Guild set up instructions (on the web site), this is a fairly easy DIY for the meticulous. Cutting new nut slots, though is probably trickier than improving existing ones.

I don't have the confidence to refret or even dress frets.

 

[guildzilla]

I got a set of nut files for about $100 a couple years ago. Used in conjunction with a set of feeler gauges and the Guild set up instructions (on the web site), this is a fairly easy DIY for the meticulous. Cutting new nut slots, though is probably trickier than improving existing ones.

I don't have the confidence to refret or even dress frets.