Guitar Maintenance: Measure & Adjust Your Guitar Nut (ELI5)
Smoke Eater Guitars
49,215 views
If your chords sound sharp, your open notes buzz, or your guitar just never feels “right,” the problem might be at the nut—and no, not the player!
In this video, we’ll walk you through how to measure and adjust a guitar nut like a pro. You’ll learn:
How to measure string height at the nut for perfect playability
What tools you’ll need to make accurate adjustments
The difference between too high (ouch, sore fingers) and too low (buzz city)
Pro tips for filing nut slots safely without ruining your guitar
Amazon Affiliate Link: https://amzn.to/4gHa7pS
Perfect for beginners who want to finally understand what the nut does, and for aspiring guitar techs ready to take on one of the most important setup skills. This is the must-see guide to unlocking comfort, tuning stability, and tone.
Grab your guitar, your feeler gauges, and a steady hand—by the end of this video, you’ll know how to tame the nut like a pro.
Check Out:
Nut Files Amazon Link: https://amzn.to/4e3BVoJ
Nut Height Gauge Amazon Link: https://amzn.to/4d5saW1
Website: https://Musicnomadcare.com
Time Stamps:
00:00 - Intro
00:27 - Overview
00:52 - Shameless Plug
01:28 - Quick Nut Check
02:54 - Manage Your Gap
05:47 - Practice Necks
06:38 - Let's talk Nut Slots
07:16 - String too High
09:22 - Experience is the Best Teach
10:53 - Opening the end of the Gap (LP Users- It's a Must!)
12:07 - IMPORTANT SAFETY MESSAGE
12:45 - String too Low
14:39 - Bone Dust & CA Glue
18:18 - Toothpicks Uses
19:01 - Final Repair Process
20 Comments
A more practical test is to fit a capo on the second (or any other) fret, then compare the action with and without it.
If the nut is high, putting a capo on will improve the feel and action of the instrument, and ANY improvement you gain by putting on a capo is a sure sign that the nut is too high. A capo is the best ‘instant test’ because the improved ‘feel’ you get will tell you what you can expect with the nut set to the correct height.
Now leave that capo on and try doing your ‘nut check’ again to see how much movement you can see (and I'll bet you can't see any).
You can try putting those feeler gauges under it as well if you like (although I prefer to use a cigarette paper myself) but if you want the best action, playing and ‘feeling’ the guitar with a capo on will show you how much improvement you can expect with a decent nut.
Otherwise, thanx for a good informative video.
This is how I do it with my double G/B bender Tele with a hipshot drop D tuner on the low E string and Keith drop banjo tuners on the high E and A strings. Same for my other bender teles and trem Strats.
About six months ago I invested quite a lot of money I would say as much as a decent guitar in a large selection of Music Nomad Tools as I see you’re using here. They are excellent, fairly expensive but I feel a real investment as most will probably last a lifetime. There is nothing more satisfying than using the right quality tool for the job.
That’s an interesting tip with the triangle file especially regarding Gibson style guitar.
I repaired a high E nut of my Mexican Strat using that glue tip although I used baking soda worked a treat
Thanks for the video
Guitar Maintenance: Measure & Adjust Your Guitar Nut (ELI5)
Smoke Eater Guitars
49,215 views
If your chords sound sharp, your open notes buzz, or your guitar just never feels “right,” the problem might be at the nut—and no, not the player!
In this video, we’ll walk you through how to measure and adjust a guitar nut like a pro. You’ll learn:
How to measure string height at the nut for perfect playability
What tools you’ll need to make accurate adjustments
The difference between too high (ouch, sore fingers) and too low (buzz city)
Pro tips for filing nut slots safely without ruining your guitar
Amazon Affiliate Link: https://amzn.to/4gHa7pS
Perfect for beginners who want to finally understand what the nut does, and for aspiring guitar techs ready to take on one of the most important setup skills. This is the must-see guide to unlocking comfort, tuning stability, and tone.
Grab your guitar, your feeler gauges, and a steady hand—by the end of this video, you’ll know how to tame the nut like a pro.
Check Out:
Nut Files Amazon Link: https://amzn.to/4e3BVoJ
Nut Height Gauge Amazon Link: https://amzn.to/4d5saW1
Website: https://Musicnomadcare.com
Time Stamps:
00:00 - Intro
00:27 - Overview
00:52 - Shameless Plug
01:28 - Quick Nut Check
02:54 - Manage Your Gap
05:47 - Practice Necks
06:38 - Let's talk Nut Slots
07:16 - String too High
09:22 - Experience is the Best Teach
10:53 - Opening the end of the Gap (LP Users- It's a Must!)
12:07 - IMPORTANT SAFETY MESSAGE
12:45 - String too Low
14:39 - Bone Dust & CA Glue
18:18 - Toothpicks Uses
19:01 - Final Repair Process