proper nut filing

You probably want the strings to 'sit' on the nut. Dan Erlewine's Repair Guide recommends no deeper than 1/2 the diameter of the string.

But manufacturers don't always follow that - most of the guitars I have follow that spec, but my Martin is cut much deeper, at 1 to 3 times the string diameters. If you go deeper, I'd probably bevel the sides of the nut slots (sides being at the peghead and bridge side) slightly to keep the strings from binding.

I don't have any lap steel guitars, but I do have one set up for slide, and the strings sit on the nut.

I know it's not specific to lap steels, but here is some good information on nuts from frets.com .

Interesting. I've been slowly building my lap steel, and finally got around to grinding a stainless nut a few weeks ago. I intend to slot it soon. However, I was going to try shallow V-shaped notches instead of actual slots.

What tuning and gauges are you using dogbite?

hey, thankyou for the link and replies.

I tink I over filed a couple slots.
the heavier gauged strings sit nicely on the nut. partial in th slot and partially on top.
with the thinner gauges I had a hard time seeing how they actually sat.
I will remake the nut. maybe just grind it flat again and reslot with a better file.

the tuning I use for this guitar is open G
GBDGBD. it is similar to my dobro tuning.

the gauges I dont exactly remember. I do remember buying a pack of Ernie Ball Power Slinkeys. it has a unwound third string. cant remember the gauges, altho I think they only come in one size.
here's a pic:

Cool instrument.

That fretboard decoration is

... strangely...
...hypnotic...

must...learn.... lap... steel........

:shock: :shock:
you are now under my spell
:shock: :shock:

Thats very cool, is it a kit? If not thats EXTRA Very cool hehe. good job. If you have any more steel guitar questions just PM Me and I will ask my boss. I work at a Steel Guitar builder's shop and so I have acess to a LOT Of Info on that subject even if im not a master of it myself.

manitou. thankyou.
it isnt a kit.
I made it from scratch.
mahognay slab body, stainless nut, HipShot bridge (which sorta works...I need help on bridges).
pots and tuners from Stewmac.
the pickup is killer. It is a Seympur Duncan Antquity.
fretboard is my own design. hand cut paper and paste under a anti galare pelxi. the ttone control cover is brass I made and painted.
the knobs are from an electronics salvage yard.

got some very creative people on these boards, i am most impressed.

Out of interest, how long did it take to complete?

all the best

Matt

thanks matt.
start to finish is hard to say.
I worked on it in spurts. my guess would be around 100 hours.
labour of love Id say.

I learned alot and have been inspired to try a few more.

The biggest problem I had with my lap steel nut - which came with it - is trying to make the 'top' edge of the strings level. I thought of getting a bone blank from StewMac (the dobro one), but they're all 3/16" thick; my lap steel requires a 1/8" thick nut and I didn't want to sit there milling off 1/16" by hand, since I only have files and whatnot :shock:

So if and when I do it, I might go get some scrap 1/8" brass stock or maybe even plexiglass and do it.

But the thought was, since the tone bar is flat along its playing edge, I figured the tops of the strings would have to match, and the best way to do that, for me, would be to level the top of the existing nut and then file the slots so that the entire diameter of each string is sunk into the nut, using the flat top edge of the nut to measure; just keep filing till the top of the string is smooth with the top of the nut.

Usually the bridges/saddles are just flat and straight across, so each string down at that end would be at different heights, according to its diameter. Thing is, you don't normally play right up to the bridge though, so it shouldn't matter. Lots of playing is done right up at the nut though, so having the strings laying over the nut, each height dictated by its thickness, would create bar buzzes until you moved out toward the middle of the neck. It's like the opposite way you'd setup a regular fretted guitar, where the undersides of the strings are meant to be evenly above the frets for the least finger pressure.

I wish some manufacturer (besides Alembic, for their basses) would come up with a height adjustable nut - sorta like the Fender Strat type individual saddle bridge they have on all those inexpensive lap steels all over the place now. It would be cool to be able to raise and lower each individual string height at the nut to make them all flat because, as soon as you decide to switch string gauges for a different tuning, you basically have to start all over again. :shock:

I mean yah, it's a small problem; I avoid it by never playing below the 3rd fret :)

I don't see why you couldn't use an adjustable bridge at each end of the strings, for a lap steel.

I was thinking about that, but...the Strat type saddles (I haven't mearsured them) seem like the spacing would be too wide for the nut-side. Maybe grinding them down to make them narrower would work. Luckily I've decided on the SIT C6 (6 string) set, so all I have to do is keep tweaking slot-depths till I get it right, but...I guess the lap steel market isn't big enough for someone like Gotoh or one of the other hardware companies to go out and invent something like that.

It would be fun to experiment with using an Artisan or something: just grind the sides of each saddle down - without digging into either of the setscrew holes on either side - and then maybe redrill the holes for the screw/spring that adjusts the back and forth adjustment of each saddle, and finally make the whole plate narrower. The Alembics had a pretty piece of machining going on though - each segment was adjustable by a single screw I think, but the whole thing look just like a regular brass nut otherwise...nice and smooth and shiny.