Official Luthiers Forum!

Can anyone tell me how they go about shortening an existing (attached to the guitar already) fretboard 0.012-0.024" (to help with intonation)?

Thanks,
Bill

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Formerly know as Mandodiddle.

Use a nut that's shaped like an "L" that overhangs the fretboard by .012" to .024".

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http://www.birkonium.com CNC Products for Luthiers
http://banduramaker.blogspot.com

With the nut firmly glued in place, use a slightly modified, thin, razor saw to cut between the fretboard and the nut. The modification is to simply take out the saw tooth's set on the nut side by passing a stone on that side of the blade. This way, it won't cut into the nut at all, only the end of the fretboard.

When done with the cut, knock-off the nut and make a new, slightly thicker one...

Easy peasy!

I measure with the calipers, and then mark a line with a pencil where I want to cut to, and then using the mini die grinder router base and a small bit, with a magnifier on, I route it off, then clean up with a file ... years agoI had one old Ovation that needed almost an 1/8 inch taken off to get to play correctly. I couldnt believe the nut slot was that far off ...

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Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"

I use a good sharp chisel and sneak up on the amount I want to take off.

Chuck

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You believe it now don't you!!

The "quality control" at Ovation is awful! I've had bridges out so far it was impossible to get even close towards proper intonation. Others I've seen were perfect. Virtually the same model too. Ovations have enough things going against them.

I've used a shelf nut(overhanging the fret board) worked great! Stephen Delft has an article where he glues little blocks of bone onto the nut itself to make up for individual nut compensation.

On the Ovation that had a bad saddle location I made a shelf, like the shelf nut because I didn't want to remove the bridge or recut the slot. I have a fixture now that works well. I has thinking about making one to router the fret board on existing guitars. File or saw would work great too.

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Billy Dean Thomas
Covina, CA

"Multi famam, conscientiam, pauci verentur."
(Many fear their reputation, few their conscience)

I saw an article where individual grooved blocks were slipped under the string at the nut. Each block was a little different in width to provide the appropriate compensatin for each string. I suppose they can be superglued once the set up is perfect. This all depends upon the fret spacing being something compatible with the needed compensation.

I just did a quick Internet search on "guitar nut compensation and intonation" and ther were a lot of long articles.

I compensate the nut by shaping a bone shim to the fretboard radius , by using a piece of fretboard with sandpaper glued on , then gluing to then nut when it is firmly seated in the nut slot with ca, then marking and filing as usual .

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MK5acoustics.com

Thanks for all the good ideas guys. I really appreciate you taking the time to teach and share.

Bill

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Formerly know as Mandodiddle.