Off topic: Nut seat cut too low

[StratusX]

Hey gang

So I was replacing the nut on my Gibson Midtown and the nut unfortunately didn’t come off as cleanly as I’ve experienced in the past. I was able to clean up the bottom but I needed it leveled/squared a little better. So using some files I was able to square and level in back to the right shape. Unfortunately, now the nut seat is cut between 1/16” and 1/8” too low.

TL/DR, what’s the best way, aside taking it to a skilled luthier, to rebuild the wood now missing in the nut seat?

[Les Paul Lover]

Can you order a slightly taller nut blank?

Any wood you out back there will show a little bit. It won't be lacquered unless your refinish the top part of the neck.

A slightly bigger nut will not be noticeable.

[PBA]

I vote for take it to a competent guitar tech.

Yes, you could buy a new nut and if it was me, I'd buy a bone blank and shape it to fit. You however are not confident or suitably tooled up to clean up a nut slot and it sounds like your "friend" at Guitar Center isn't either!

Shaping and fitting a nut isn't difficult and it you want to learn - go for it. If however you are going to pay someone else to do the work - Check to make sure they are good then pay them to do the work properly.

For the record, probably the most common way of shimming a nut is to use thin maple veneer cut oversize, glued to the bottom of the nut then sanded to the required thickness. The veneer is then cut flush to the nut with a sharp knife and if it's necessary, stained/painted so that it matches the adjacent finish.

[Jondog]

I think Guitar Center owes you a new guitar

[fiveightandten]

At the very least, he owes you a repair with a shim glued in, and a finish spot repair to make it less noticeable.

I’d be pushing for them to take the guitar and replace it with another that isn’t damaged.

Guitar work is skilled labor, as in, you need to have the skills required to perform the required repair. Even the most experienced luthiers know their limits and do not perform work they can’t do properly. Damaging a guitar and returning it to the owner that way is completely unacceptable. Especially if he’s a friend.

[Les Paul Lover]

At the very least, he owes you a repair with a shim glued in, and a finish spot repair to make it less noticeable.

I’d be pushing for them to take the guitar and replace it with another that isn’t damaged.

Guitar work is skilled labor, as in, you need to have the skills required to perform the required repair. Even the most experienced luthiers know their limits and do not perform work they can’t do properly. Damaging a guitar and returning it to the owner that way is completely unacceptable. Especially if he’s a friend.

That's when it can be difficult having some work done by a friend.
If something wrong happens, complaining can become a can of worms.

I'd personally just get a slightly taller nut and call it a day, unless you feel/think the solidity of the headstock angle has been compromised.

[PBA]

...That's when it can be difficult having some work done by a friend.
If something wrong happens, complaining can become a can of worms.

I'd personally just get a slightly taller nut and call it a day, unless you feel/think the solidity of the headstock angle has been compromised.

You read the OP differently to me. As I see it, the Guitar Center guy levelled out the base of the slot but sloped it backward, towards the headstock. That would leave the maximum wood at the fingerboard side but would then need the new nut to have an angled base. Not a problem as I see it.

OP has then filed the slot to make the base square with the fingerboard end and has taken out somewhere between 1/16" and 1/8"

This is a Gibson too - not known for their robust headstock design.
I'd still recommend taking it to a trustworthy guitar tech to undertake the best repair they can given that the starting point isn't exactly ideal.

[pedecamp]

I vote for getting a competent tech to look at it and decide the best path forward - taller nut or shims.

[StratusX]

I vote for take it to a competent guitar tech.

Yes, you could buy a new nut and if it was me, I'd buy a bone blank and shape it to fit. You however are not confident or suitably tooled up to clean up a nut slot and it sounds like your "friend" at Guitar Center isn't either!

Shaping and fitting a nut isn't difficult and it you want to learn - go for it. If however you are going to pay someone else to do the work - Check to make sure they are good then pay them to do the work properly.

For the record, probably the most common way of shimming a nut is to use thin maple veneer cut oversize, glued to the bottom of the nut then sanded to the required thickness. The veneer is then cut flush to the nut with a sharp knife and if it's necessary, stained/painted so that it matches the adjacent finish.

Not my first but replacement, actually. And removing the nut usually goes smoothly and after a slight cleanup I’m left with a flat, level and squared slot. This wasn’t the case this time, so I called my friend, who happens to be head of repairs for Guitar Center in Indiana, to see if he had a nut seating file (he didnt) and could level and square the seat (he couldn’t) and he said sure and to have me bring it in.

He didn’t charge me for it, so there’s no grounds to go against Guitar Center for it. I definitely seem to have gotten what I payed for though.

Taking it to a very competent luthier later in the week, though, whose certified by the Gibson Custom shop for warranty work. I sent him pictures and he seems confident he can fix it up no problem. He also does Nitro refins in Shop so I’m sure I can get it touched up too

[fiveightandten]

I vote for take it to a competent guitar tech.

Yes, you could buy a new nut and if it was me, I'd buy a bone blank and shape it to fit. You however are not confident or suitably tooled up to clean up a nut slot and it sounds like your "friend" at Guitar Center isn't either!

Shaping and fitting a nut isn't difficult and it you want to learn - go for it. If however you are going to pay someone else to do the work - Check to make sure they are good then pay them to do the work properly.

For the record, probably the most common way of shimming a nut is to use thin maple veneer cut oversize, glued to the bottom of the nut then sanded to the required thickness. The veneer is then cut flush to the nut with a sharp knife and if it's necessary, stained/painted so that it matches the adjacent finish.

Not my first but replacement, actually. And removing the nut usually goes smoothly and after a slight cleanup I’m left with a flat, level and squared slot. This wasn’t the case this time, so I called my friend, who happens to be head of repairs for Guitar Center in Indiana, to see if he had a nut seating file (he didnt) and could level and square the seat (he couldn’t) and he said sure and to have me bring it in.

He didn’t charge me for it, so there’s no grounds to go against Guitar Center for it. I definitely seem to have gotten what I payed for though.

Taking it to a very competent luthier later in the week, though, whose certified by the Gibson Custom shop for warranty work. I sent him pictures and he seems confident he can fix it up no problem. He also does Nitro refins in Shop so I’m sure I can get it touched up too

I'm not sure what year the guitar is. But 4 or 5 years ago Gibson was using epoxy to glue the nuts in. As in, they would slather the whole area with epoxy. This makes for a very difficult replacement, and this might be what you ran into. There's a very helpful video somewhere on youtube that details how to remove one of those epoxied nuts without damage. It's pretty tedious work.

I have a 2013 Les Paul. I'm assuming the nut is secured with epoxy, and I'm not looking forward to replacing it when the time comes.

[StratusX]

I'm not sure what year the guitar is. But 4 or 5 years ago Gibson was using epoxy to glue the nuts in. As in, they would slather the whole area with epoxy. This makes for a very difficult replacement, and this might be what you ran into. There's a very helpful video somewhere on youtube that details how to remove one of those epoxied nuts without damage. It's pretty tedious work.

I have a 2013 Les Paul. I'm assuming the nut is secured with epoxy, and I'm not looking forward to replacing it when the time comes.

It’s 2011, so it’s possible they were doing it back then too. I did way more damage to the nut getting it out then what necessitated the replacement in the first place

[PBA]

...Taking it to a very competent luthier later in the week, though, whose certified by the Gibson Custom shop for warranty work. I sent him pictures and he seems confident he can fix it up no problem. He also does Nitro refins in Shop so I’m sure I can get it touched up too

Good luck. I'm sure in the circumstances, that's the right thing to do.