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Post by Larry Madsen on Dec 13, 2022 9:38:22 GMT -5
Need to get this guy out. Not concerned with the neck, but I'd like to reuse the nut.  IMG_4473[1] by Larry Madsen, on Flickr My guess is it is the cheapest nut one could imagine, but I have it and it's free. I'm thinking to take a putty knife and drive it in to separate the nut from the top down? |
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DrKev
Wholenote
It's just a guitar, it's not rocket science.
Posts: 418
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Post by DrKev on Dec 13, 2022 10:15:44 GMT -5
Score carefully around all edges of the nut with a very sharp craft knife so no finish comes with it. Place a small block of wood against fretboard-side face, then tap gently towards the headstock with a hammer. Pray it wasn't glued with a ton of superglue so that it doesn't take any wood with it. When gluing nuts in use a tiny amount of wood glue to hold it in place, NOT super glue.
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Post by Larry Madsen on Dec 13, 2022 10:23:09 GMT -5
Score carefully around all edges of the nut with a very sharp craft knife so no finish comes with it. Place a small block of wood against fretboard-side face, then tap gently towards the headstock with a hammer. Pray it wasn't glued with a ton of superglue so that it doesn't take any wood with it. When gluing nuts in use a tiny amount of wood glue to hold it in place, NOT super glue. Thanks DrKev, As noted in the opening post ... I'm not concerned with the neck. The neck is trash. I'm just wanting to reuse the nut when I switch to the new neck. I'll go ahead and score it since I'm sure that will help the nut break loose without breaking the nut. |
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Post by Larry Madsen on Dec 13, 2022 11:38:29 GMT -5
Got it. One moderate tap and it was off. I did lose some material off the nut at the inside (glue) corner. It almost appears that's where all the glue was. I don't think that will be a problem on a re-install.  IMG_4474[1] by Larry Madsen, on Flickr |
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Post by Pinetree on Dec 14, 2022 19:54:42 GMT -5
Some fine sandpaper on a flat surface will make it gooder than new.
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Post by Peegoo 🏁 on Dec 16, 2022 15:33:25 GMT -5
Getting married is one way. Oh, sorry. This was a guitar question.  |
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Post by funkykikuchiyo on Dec 17, 2022 11:33:22 GMT -5
Getting married is one way. Oh, sorry. This was a guitar question. Heh. Thanks for reminding me of the surgery scheduling. I was enjoying a solid ten minutes without thinking about it.
More broadly on the topic of GUITAR nut removal, those black vinyl-ish nuts almost always come out easy, and it seems to be the case this time. Scoring is unnecessary if it isn't finished in, and that style nut is almost never finished in, because the finish will just blister and make a mess. I have a 3/4" square long strip of hard maple (6" maybe?) that is my nut bangy stick. Light taps on the fingerboard side, and if it is shaken loose but not totally out (think like a kid's loose tooth, just sort of wiggles), I'll switch to banging on the peghead side. This lets it wiggle loose, and it often will steadily move up instead of twisting back. This helps prevent ripping out pieces of wood on the bottom (not an issue with maple, often is with mahogany), and it helps avoid blasting out finish on the peghead, or chipping the veneer back there. On a Fender style nut, I can use the corner of my nut-bangy-stick to hit the sides and roll it from side to side. Often that is more gentle, and if you want to reuse the nut, you're more likely to get it out in one piece. I have a vise on my bench, and making sure it is tight in there helps me get good, focused taps instead of chaotic smacks. Not everyone has a bench vise, but without one I'd probably be looking for ways to make sure the guitar is steady.
Also, for scoring the finish, I like using a very sharp chisel. If you keep your chisels arm-shaving sharp rather than just "blunt-object-to-throw-at-intruders" sharp, it works a bit better than a x-acto because it doesn't slip as much. On the peghead side, the edge of the chisel will naturally index into the nook where it needs to be, then I can gently press the chisel in and make a clean break on the finish that is reliable, safe, and straight. On the sides I'll sometimes use a smaller chisel, but press in a few hairs into the nut side instead of trying to find the exact line. That will help avoid the shedding of finish on the guitar side, and keep a nice crisp edge. Of course, when I'm removing a nut, 99% of the time I'm replacing it with a new bone nut so I'm less concerned with what the old nut will look like, so that might not be a universal method.
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DrKev
Wholenote
It's just a guitar, it's not rocket science.
Posts: 418
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Post by DrKev on Dec 20, 2022 5:12:45 GMT -5
Note for future use: Ernie Ball Music Man use a locating pin on their nuts, with a corresponding hole in the neck. If you try to tap out sideways you'll break the pin. You have to lift the nut straight out vertically. I use sharp flush-cut nippers to grab the nut and pull upwards. You'll have to work a little a time on each end and shimmy it out. If you don't mind the nut breaking and you have a replacement ready to go (it's a proprietary nut) just yank and let it break.
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