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Missed the Mark On Zero Fret

Well, now I gone and done it. I missed the mark on my zero fret by somewhere between .030 and .040 of an inch. Everything must've slipped on me. The cut is square and pretty, but way off.

I spent quite some time searching for options here, and on duck, but my search skills are weak.

I have a standard maple, prefretted maple neck with the scarf joint. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Ray

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Permalink Reply by Taffy Evans on March 31, 2021 at 11:54pm

Hi Ray, I take it you have to reposition the zero fret. Two ways come to mind. First is to fill the slot with timber and refret the nut. Or, if the fret is wide enough file so the crown is off centre, in the direction needed for correct intonation. Or install a standard type nut.

Taff

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Permalink Reply by Southern Ray on April 1, 2021 at 12:07pm

Thank you Taffy! Guess my next step is to figure out which. Standard nut, or ... uh... "cut and paste"?... (groan)

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Permalink Reply by Taffy Evans on April 1, 2021 at 2:27pm

Hi Ray, Not a big job, and if the zero fret is big enough it could cover the old slot repair. If it does cover it you could just fill the slot using the glue and sawdust trick. One way I do this is to put sawdust in the slot and run thin CA glue in, and sand back flush with the fingerboard.

Taff

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Permalink Reply by Southern Ray on April 3, 2021 at 11:24am

Hey there, Taffy, I opted to go with the standard nut. Thought about going with a hardwood nut, even cut one from mahogany and got a start on cutting the string grooves.. Not sure if it'll stand up to the strings. Got any thoughts you would like to share? Soaking it in super-glue? Different wood?

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Permalink Reply by Taffy Evans on April 3, 2021 at 12:40pm

Hi Ray, Although Mahogany is listed in the hardwood category it is not really hard, like others on that list.

You could use plastic, like an old toothbrush or knife handle, or the like. Even fight with the dog to get the bone back.

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Permalink Reply by MadGomer on April 5, 2021 at 11:49am

What about the baking soda and superglue trick to create a hard surface for the strings to ride on? Thinking you could file oversized grooves in the mahogany, fill with CA/soda, then clean it up with a file and recut string grooves in the hard stuff.

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Permalink Reply by Southern Ray on April 5, 2021 at 4:07pm

I saw something like this a couple of years ago, but it was to repair a bone nut. Something to keep in mind and experiment with someday... This neck is expensive, (for me), so I'll experiment with building that some other day. Thanks for the tip! It will be used.

Ray

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Permalink Reply by MadGomer on April 6, 2021 at 12:32pm

Agreed, I was only suggesting this as a way to toughen up the string grooves on a wooden nut, not for the neck itself. I used a walnut nut and saddle on my very first CBG build and it is holding up fine, but it's strung up with wound strings, not a lot of pressure relatively speaking.

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Permalink Reply by Southern Ray on April 9, 2021 at 7:21pm

That's cool. I have wound strings as well. I also have a iroko nut on an acoustic build and it's held up well, but thought about trying this to see if it helps sustain. You have inspired me. Might try it tomorrow. Thank you!