Greetings!
I'm new to the Guitar Noise forums and I just have a quick question about how to go about repairing the nut on my Yamaha acoustic guitar. Note that I don't have access to luthier tools like a string/bridge radius gauge, string height gauge, etc. I DO however have access to a caliper, as well as various other small and large hand tools and power tools. Keeping that in mind, I'll describe my issue.
I've owned this guitar for a few years now, and it was passed down to me from my brother who played it to death, and a few months ago, I noticed my B string starting to buzz. Being a novice in guitar repair, I just shimmed up the nut with a small, thin strip of cardboard, as well as some hot glue. Well that was a huge mistake, because the glue warps and forms under string tension, resulting in the nut to sit higher on the treble side of the board. So not only is the string height completely messed up, but playing the treble side frets 1-3 is nearly impossible without superhuman force.
I've watched various videos on Youtube, specifically from one of my favorites, Dan Erlewine of StewMac. I've learned about the baking soda and super glue trick, and found various ways to remove the dried hot glue that resides on and under the nut. I'm not completely foreign to the concept of fixing this pesky nut, but I would like some advice on how to get it back to being flush, and set where it was from the beginning. Removing the nut with the hot glue underneath has also resulted in some of the wood being pulled up and out of the little notch that the nut sits inside of, so I'll need to fill that in and level it before I can do anything else.
What I'm mainly concerned about, however, is just getting this thing set correctly, so it doesn't move on me again. I've posted some pictures of my issue below.
Thanks in advance!
Take it to someone who knows what they are doing before you try anything else. There is still a chance to save it, but if you lose any more wood in that slot you will have to re-cut it deeper, and have a custom nut made. Whatever you decide to do DO NOT USE SUPERGLUE! EVER! Superglue fixes are not luthier tricks---they are hack solutions!
Call bs on using superglue for a nut repair. the nice thing about super glue is that it is hard and brittle, a sharp rap with a small hammer usually pops it right off. clean up is done with a scraper. nut replacement is not a difficult job, you can buy a replacement nut precut for a few dollars at most music stores. another superglue trick is to soak a piece of business card in glue and place it underneath an old nut and using a HARD drying glue, glue it in place. shimming it up higher.
Guitar repair is a common sense operation. Understanding how it works is key. Dan Erliwine is great for explaining this stuff. Gryphon Guitars and Frank Ford is another.
When I die, I want to go peacefully in my sleep like my grandfather, not screaming......
like the passengers in his car.
