If nut notches are cut too deep...

[MichiganboySB]

Can I just go from 9's to 10's to keep them from hitting at the first fret? Or will it not make a difference? I think this guitar I got was originally 10's but I started putting 9's in there. And I never knew just how important the nut is on a guitar. Wasn't until recently that I watched this guitar and maintenance video that described how to check the nut string notches and realized my strings hit at the first fret when I depress between the 2nd and 3rd fret. So either I take it to have the nut replaced or try the crazy glue or simply put the right string in there... if it'll make any diff.
Thanks'
Ken

 

[Peace]

Any time you change string sizes you should consider having your guitar setup as well..

You COULD just slap a set of different gauge strings on your guitar but you will almost always have tuning issues after doing that. The guitar's intonation will need adjusted as you go from gauge to gauge.

Don't mess with the nut. Changing string sizes isn't really as simple as just deciding to change from 9s to 10s and bada bing they're on and you're done.. That is, if you want your guitar to be in tune and be setup properly according to your gauge.

You might just need a neck adjustment too.. You drive a car for a while and you knock the wheels out of alignment. If you put brand new tires on your car....... you're still out of alignment....

My advice is, decide what string size you want to play.. 9s or 10s.....
Find a good guitar guy and tell him, you want your guitar setup, and you want it setup with (insert your desired gauge).

Get your bridge/intonation set and make sure the neck gets adjusted so there's no fret buzz.....

BANISH THE IDEA OF USING CRAZY GLUE FROM YOUR THOUGHTS IMMEDIATELY......

You screw up just a little bit, just one time and you'll regret mixing guitars and crazy glue....

Get someone to set your guitar up correctly and then stick with the gauge you choose for a while.

It really makes a great difference if it's set up right.

Just my opinion... It's your guitar....

Hope that helps a little.

 

[MichiganboySB]

Thanks Peace,
Yea I won't go the crazy glue route. I can do my own set up, I recently dl'd this Mark Arnquist video that teaches you quite a bit. And its cuz of this video that I found out my nut slots are too deep and could be affecting the tone, playability or creating buzz. But I will be taking it in to have the nut replaced just never knew how critical the nut is to begin with.
thx,
Ken

 

[RR]

Your intonation may go out of wack when changing string gauges.

 

[Fifteen Inches]

There's plenty of good information out there to help you do some of the minor jobs yourself. The Stewart McDonald website is always a good one for info, both free and paid for. If you have a cheap guitar that you no longer use, these can be great for getting a bit of practice on before attempting something more ambitious.

If the nut slots are narrow enough that they will "lift" your 10 gauge strings off of the 1st fret, you will almost certainly have tuning problems as a result of the strings binding on the sides of the nut slots. The strings should only make contact on a small point at the very bottom of the slot. Most nuts are cut a little wide to accomodate a reasonable range of strings (e.g. 9s to 11s) although James Tyler cuts his nuts VERY precisely. A nut of his, cut for 9s will not even take a set of 10s. Nice and precise but a pain if you don't realise.

One possibility without getting a whole new nut is to remove the nut carefully and place a shim under the nut before glueing it back in place (this is where a dab or two of crazy glue is the ideal tool for the job).

If you're in any doubt about doing any of this yourself, as others have already said - find a good tech.