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How wide to make channels in nut compared to strings? (self.luthier)

submitted 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) by mihnt to c/[email protected]

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Hi, 3d printing a nut guy again. Finally have all the materials and I think enough skill to model this thing on my own.

Exactly what tolerances should I have in the channels of the nut for the strings? Like, for example my low B string is a .59. How large should I make that channel? 1.50mm? A little more room perhaps?

Thanks for any responses!

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 11 months ago (1 children)

The cuts in the nut really serve two purposes:

Supposing there's no 0-fret, they let you set the action height at the headstock end of the fretboard.
Set string spacing at the headstock side.

So, in my opinion, try to keep the tolerances close but with a bit of room for movement. You want to be sure that the strings can slide when tuning and fretting notes without getting caught, which can mess with tuning. Especially with a floating bridge.

[–] mihnt 3 points 11 months ago

Especially with a floating bridge.

Luckily it's a string through hard bridge. Ibanez ax7221 (Japanese built version.) I am going to be printing it standing up so that the layers of the print are parallel to the strings to keep it from getting hung up on the winds.