Tell me about your nuts! Need help with Gibson nut replacement

  • Thread starter Thread starter romanianreaper
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romanianreaper

romanianreaper

Well-known member
I got a Gibson Les Paul Studio last year and love the guitar but the nut is awful. Cut too deep and causes issues, especially with the G. Wondering how easy it is to get this fixed and what the best replacement nut is?
 
I like brass. They sound cool, look cool and I’ve never had issues with binding. They’re not rocket science to install but to do it correctly takes a fair bit of time as your balancing a bunch of factors. Definitely not something to cheap out on though if your having someone else do it.
 
I have a good repair place I use and they basically always want to do bone nuts, and the only reason I would do otherwise is if I really wanted the nut to be black for looks. Then I’d use a TUSQ nut probably. It’s all about having someone cut the thing right.
 
Bone blanks are real cheap. Get yourself some nut files and make your own. It's worth the investment.
 
If it's just one slot that's a touch low, you can try wicking super glue into it to build up the height.

I had a recent Studio ('21 or '22) that also had a slot cut too low. The open high E didn't ring out. I just returned it though.
 
I would replace it myself or have it replaced. It takes a little time but not bad really
 
What I do is take the nut off the guitar and make an exact replica with the bone material.

Once on the guitar I start lowering the string slots little by little.

I measure the string height at the first fret with a feeler gauge. .020 for the low E and A .018 for the D and G, then .016 for the B and E.
 
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I always loved brass on bass. Shame you don't see them on guitars as much.
 
Had a guy at angel guitars cut a bone nut for my LP Custom & haven't had tuning issues since.
 
Tusq is awesome, I’ve replaced a few Les Paul nuts with their precut replacements. String spacing was a dead on match for the stock nut. Just had to file the bottom down evenly to get the height to match. Old nut comes out easy too. Just used a razor to gently cut the clear coat so it wouldn’t tear, then just tapped the old one with a small rubber hammer and it fell right out. One or two tiny dabs of glue on the bottom of the new one (want to hold it in place, not permanently glue it in in case it ever needs to be replaced) and it’s good to go. Recently though I’ve just used those Stewmac nut files to just clean up the existing nut, then sprinkle some graphite in the slots. That works just as well for tuning stability and is way easier.
 
I won’t use anything but the Tusq self-lubricating ones now. After putting one on a Strat and seeing that it actually does the job it says it does, I’ve got zero interest in any others. They come pre-slotted so it’s just a matter of ensuring the slots are deep/smooth enough. They won’t be too deep from the factory, that’s for sure.
 
So you moved to Vegas and found the slot was too deep, busted a nut and now they want to bleach your bone. Welcome to the business!!
 
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