I never refit curved bottom nuts. I file the slot flat and fit a flat bottomed nut, then nobody has to face this hereafter on the guitar.
Cheers,
I like that. Easier is better.
I don't really get why they curve the nut slot in the first place. Is this some holdover from the vintage correct committee.
careful though, i know plenty of vintage fender fetishists who would completely freak if i did that to their guitar.I never refit curved bottom nuts. I file the slot flat and fit a flat bottomed nut, then nobody has to face this hereafter on the guitar.
Cheers,
The radius of the nut slot bottom is not always the same as the fret-board surface radius.
Off-hand from memory, I know I've worked on recently made Fenders that had a 7" radius board, but the nut bottom was something more like an 11" radius. Fret-slots cut at a much flatter radius than 7" too, so I think their "gang-saw" is probably swinging on something around an 11" radius.
Anyway if you make a new nut and don't match the radius on the bottom, there's a good chance the nut will crack apart when you press it down in the slot.
I used to go the whole 9 yards with checking the radius of the slot, then machining a perfect matching radius in the new nut bottom, but never got paid enough for all the trouble.
It's time consuming but not difficult. Use some sticky-back sandpaper (I use 180 and 320 grit) and attach it to the fretboard. Rub the bottom of the nut against the sandpaper until you achieve the correct radius.
John
that looks like 7.25" to me! let me guess, is this from an AVR hot rod? maybe they take necks already pre-cut to 7.25" (nut and all) and flatten the fretboards to 9.5"?Is it possible that this nut has a 7.25" radius while the fretboard is a 9.5" radius?
Look at that!
How does Fender fabricate their factory installed nuts, anyway?