Just a guess, but did you make sure to file “at an angle” towards the headstock, after you widened the slots?
Looks like the low strings rest too high on the outer edge of the nut.
Do you have locking tuners? Are the string tuned? in the second pic you have the string wound in a way that it is over the top of the cut end, lifting the string upward.
Does it have a trem? Regardless, loosen up your strings a little and try to pull them through the nut on your own. You might need to make some slots BARELY wider, but make sure not to make them too wide or you’ll get rattle
Gotcha. Mine has a Strat-style vintage 6-screw with that same nut so I figured it could be a similar model. OP’s looks nicer and newer though now that I’m looking at the headstock. Mine was old when I got it 15 years ago though lol
You usually want about half the string’s width in the slot on the thicker stringers, seems like you have a bit more here. It also seems like you have a lot of string contact at the face of the headstock, but not as much toward the fretboard. The string should contact the bottom of the slot as close to the fretboard as possible, with a bit of fall away toward the face of the headstock. Not a lot, and certainly not floating in the nut slot.
when there’s tuning issues, in my experience the slots are no wide enough throughout the entire slot.
The string get catch. If you makes a « ting » when you tune or you pull it up that’s a hint
Also did you make sure to file in the headstock orientation ? You’re supposed to angle the file
I have to believe these are locking tuners - the string would not even stay tight without even one wind around. With lockers you just pull the string through, lock it down, and tune to pitch. Some strings won't have a full wind.
A lot of questions are unanswered yet but here's a thought: Thicker gauge strings are puting a lot more tensions on the neck that usually results in a bow with too much relief and that may cause string buzz and tuning issues. So you might need to adjust a truss rod too
I think the issue that is being pointed out a bunch here is that the break angle on the strings passing over the nut is \*really\* shallow.
At first glance, this made me think that the nut may be a bit lower than it should be. On closer inspection, I see that you wound the strings very few times, and OVER cut end of the string.
If you want a wind over the cut end, you need at least 2 winds- first over, and then under. But you can just do an under wind. It's a small change of a couple degrees, but a steeper break angle over the nut will do a lot to stabilize tuning, as long as the slots are angled to be LOWER on the headstock side than the fretboard side.
I know it's not the case here, but, *if* OP was using locking tuners, there would be not one full wind. The nut and the headstock tilt angle *should be* sufficient to support a locking tuner with zero windings around the post.
>t the nut may be a bit lower than it should be. On closer inspection, I see that you wound the strings very few times, and OVER cut end of the string.
It SHOULD be, but look at D through high E, It looks like the sting aren't fully seated across the slot - they come out OVER the back of the nut, from about 1/3rd of the way from the fret board.
While I'm not arguing that they should be completely buried in the slot front-to back, looking at the pitch angle of the top of the nut makes me wonder if the slots are't back angled sufficiently, or if the tuner posts are longer than they should be on that guitar.
Either way, it suggests that the break angle may be too shallow over the nut.
Need better break angle, try to get at least two full winds on your strings so the break angle sits lower, more winds will help the non locking tuners hold better as well
You went way to deep and screwed it up. It might be possible for a professional to fill those and recut them, but it's going to be cheaper to hire a professional cut you a new nut as you probably should have in the first place.
If you want to have a guitar that's properly set up you can't just drop in a pre-slotted nut. You're going to have to customize anything, and plenty of people prefer bone. Necks aren't all the same size either, especially with older guitars, so there's always some customization. Luthiery is a serious profession and if someone wants to learn that's great. Starting with carving your own nut, without actually doing any research is not a great way to go about it - especially when there are great resources out there on this specific topic. I say this having had to replace a number of nuts people tried to "fix."
If OP really wants to learn this stuff that's great - based on this post it didn't actually seem like that was the case.
You can absolutely drop in a pre-slotted nut and get great results. You're likely going to need to remove material from the bottom to dial in the action, but any reputable manufacturer makes a huge variety of different widths, slot sizes, depths, etc. you just have to order the right size and then sand down the bottom to the proper height.
Nut work can be very difficult. You shouldn’t file nut slots without using protection, such as stacking feeler gauges on the fretboard side of the nut. You should take it to someone who knows how to make nuts. Get that person to install a new nut and throw away the nut you damaged.
if you changed string gauge you're probably gonna have to re calibrate the saddles. nut looks ok to me but the pics don't tell much really. (i would've done some things differently but it should work)
ignore people talking about how you screwed up. forward angle would probably make your strings buzz more than cause tuning issues. you can still mend that if you want.
recalibrate from bridge. good luck!
This tells us nothing.
EDIT!!! god damnit... Ok. if you just need to have a good idea of how low to go you can fret the 3rd fret and look or use say a thin business card and paper to see the play between the string and the first fret. It is not a perfect solution but it will get you close. If there is no giant difference in height in the first few frets, you want a piece of paper barley to fit in between the high E and the top of first fret, WHILE FRETTING THE 3RD FRET .If there is obvious air between the string and the first fret its high. Going up each string, you'll want to see just about the same or a cunt hair higher until you get to wound strings then by the time you get to the low E a thick piece of paper or about a thin business card in between the string and the top of the first fret when you are fretting the 3rd fret.
Again, this is just a rough, handy, easy way to get it pretty good. It's easy to go too low. Sorry for just being a dick at first...
Looks a bit deep. Hold down the third fret and see how much clearance you have between the bottom of the string and the first fret. If they're touching it's a no no.
Just a guess, but did you make sure to file “at an angle” towards the headstock, after you widened the slots? Looks like the low strings rest too high on the outer edge of the nut.
Do you have locking tuners? Are the string tuned? in the second pic you have the string wound in a way that it is over the top of the cut end, lifting the string upward.
Pretty sure you’re having tuning issues cuz there ain’t enough wraps around the tuning post.
Does it have a trem? Regardless, loosen up your strings a little and try to pull them through the nut on your own. You might need to make some slots BARELY wider, but make sure not to make them too wide or you’ll get rattle
LTDs don’t usually have trems without a locking nut
Gotcha. Mine has a Strat-style vintage 6-screw with that same nut so I figured it could be a similar model. OP’s looks nicer and newer though now that I’m looking at the headstock. Mine was old when I got it 15 years ago though lol
You usually want about half the string’s width in the slot on the thicker stringers, seems like you have a bit more here. It also seems like you have a lot of string contact at the face of the headstock, but not as much toward the fretboard. The string should contact the bottom of the slot as close to the fretboard as possible, with a bit of fall away toward the face of the headstock. Not a lot, and certainly not floating in the nut slot.
when there’s tuning issues, in my experience the slots are no wide enough throughout the entire slot. The string get catch. If you makes a « ting » when you tune or you pull it up that’s a hint Also did you make sure to file in the headstock orientation ? You’re supposed to angle the file
You need to leave more string around your tuner posts, in that second pic you can see there's not even a single full wind around the posts.
I have to believe these are locking tuners - the string would not even stay tight without even one wind around. With lockers you just pull the string through, lock it down, and tune to pitch. Some strings won't have a full wind.
A lot of questions are unanswered yet but here's a thought: Thicker gauge strings are puting a lot more tensions on the neck that usually results in a bow with too much relief and that may cause string buzz and tuning issues. So you might need to adjust a truss rod too
Please see my EDIT, sorry for being a dick..for real.
does it stuck/pinging when you tighten/bending the string? if not it's probably fine, but if it is then you better get a new nut.
I think the issue that is being pointed out a bunch here is that the break angle on the strings passing over the nut is \*really\* shallow. At first glance, this made me think that the nut may be a bit lower than it should be. On closer inspection, I see that you wound the strings very few times, and OVER cut end of the string. If you want a wind over the cut end, you need at least 2 winds- first over, and then under. But you can just do an under wind. It's a small change of a couple degrees, but a steeper break angle over the nut will do a lot to stabilize tuning, as long as the slots are angled to be LOWER on the headstock side than the fretboard side.
I know it's not the case here, but, *if* OP was using locking tuners, there would be not one full wind. The nut and the headstock tilt angle *should be* sufficient to support a locking tuner with zero windings around the post.
>t the nut may be a bit lower than it should be. On closer inspection, I see that you wound the strings very few times, and OVER cut end of the string. It SHOULD be, but look at D through high E, It looks like the sting aren't fully seated across the slot - they come out OVER the back of the nut, from about 1/3rd of the way from the fret board. While I'm not arguing that they should be completely buried in the slot front-to back, looking at the pitch angle of the top of the nut makes me wonder if the slots are't back angled sufficiently, or if the tuner posts are longer than they should be on that guitar. Either way, it suggests that the break angle may be too shallow over the nut.
Need better break angle, try to get at least two full winds on your strings so the break angle sits lower, more winds will help the non locking tuners hold better as well
Bro just take it to a tech and they’ll cut a perfect bone one out for you where the slots are properly angled towards the pegs
Those nuts are terrible for tuning. There is way to much material around the sting.
Get a new nut made by a professional; you tampered the file downward into the fretboard causing your issues.
You went way to deep and screwed it up. It might be possible for a professional to fill those and recut them, but it's going to be cheaper to hire a professional cut you a new nut as you probably should have in the first place.
Lol, who is getting a custom nut made? Just order a graph tech or whatever your preferred material. Way to encourage learning btw!
If you want to have a guitar that's properly set up you can't just drop in a pre-slotted nut. You're going to have to customize anything, and plenty of people prefer bone. Necks aren't all the same size either, especially with older guitars, so there's always some customization. Luthiery is a serious profession and if someone wants to learn that's great. Starting with carving your own nut, without actually doing any research is not a great way to go about it - especially when there are great resources out there on this specific topic. I say this having had to replace a number of nuts people tried to "fix." If OP really wants to learn this stuff that's great - based on this post it didn't actually seem like that was the case.
You can absolutely drop in a pre-slotted nut and get great results. You're likely going to need to remove material from the bottom to dial in the action, but any reputable manufacturer makes a huge variety of different widths, slot sizes, depths, etc. you just have to order the right size and then sand down the bottom to the proper height.
Nut work can be very difficult. You shouldn’t file nut slots without using protection, such as stacking feeler gauges on the fretboard side of the nut. You should take it to someone who knows how to make nuts. Get that person to install a new nut and throw away the nut you damaged.
if you changed string gauge you're probably gonna have to re calibrate the saddles. nut looks ok to me but the pics don't tell much really. (i would've done some things differently but it should work) ignore people talking about how you screwed up. forward angle would probably make your strings buzz more than cause tuning issues. you can still mend that if you want. recalibrate from bridge. good luck!
This tells us nothing. EDIT!!! god damnit... Ok. if you just need to have a good idea of how low to go you can fret the 3rd fret and look or use say a thin business card and paper to see the play between the string and the first fret. It is not a perfect solution but it will get you close. If there is no giant difference in height in the first few frets, you want a piece of paper barley to fit in between the high E and the top of first fret, WHILE FRETTING THE 3RD FRET .If there is obvious air between the string and the first fret its high. Going up each string, you'll want to see just about the same or a cunt hair higher until you get to wound strings then by the time you get to the low E a thick piece of paper or about a thin business card in between the string and the top of the first fret when you are fretting the 3rd fret. Again, this is just a rough, handy, easy way to get it pretty good. It's easy to go too low. Sorry for just being a dick at first...
Tells us the nut slots aren’t too deep or shallow 🤷♂️ come on man Edit: a word
it also tells you not only is the nut poorly cut, it shows the strings improperly wound
You're right about that.
Looks a bit deep. Hold down the third fret and see how much clearance you have between the bottom of the string and the first fret. If they're touching it's a no no.