Official Luthiers Forum!

How many of you have the bottom surface of the nut on the same plane as the fingerboard versus having the bottom surface on the same plane of the peghead..Do you believe that having one or the other makes a difference..I like to have mine on the fingerboard...Don't have to worry about getting the bottom angle right....

It's a preference thing. I've done both. You can get away with slightly smaller blanks (i.e. mother of pearl) when setting them on the fretboard plane.

I like the looks of having the nut on the pegead plane.

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Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from poor judgement.

I just can't see any benefit to the extra work required to put it on the peg head plane.

I put the nut on the fretboard plane, makes it easier to do nut compensation. The advantage that I see for putting the nut on the head plate plane, is that the ramps on a slot head can be somewhat shorter.

Chuck

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Fretboard for me...have never had a reason to do otherwise...

Fingerboard plane of neck..!!
Tom

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A person who has never made a mistake has never made anything!!!

I normally put the nut on the fingerboard plane, but on my current it's going to be on the peghead because I need the length after cutting my neck too short. Clinton

+1 for Fingerboard Plane.

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Brad
Avon, OH

Headstock plane. I like the look.

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It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you do know that's wrong.

If binding the headstock/neck, particularly with a side purfling line, you pretty much have to IMO.

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Dave
Milton, ON

Forgive my ignorance but I don't see how you would need the nut on the headstock plane if you have headstock binding/purfling. Do you perhaps have a picture to show what you mean?

Zeke, I have a better one somewhere, but this isn't bad. You can see that if you wanted a reasonable height head binding down to the red line (ie to mate up with the fingerboard binding), it would meet an exposed end nut set on fingerboard plane in a funky "birds mouth". I prefer the fingerboard plane nut bottom, cut to allow the headstock side purfling (red line) to run unbroken to the fingerboard (ie nut sits on the purfling). Looks best IMO

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Dave
Milton, ON

Thanks Dave. I gotcha now. That makes sense. Being new to guitar building I have not hat the opportunity to explore headstock bindings yet. I like the look of it. I'll har to try it. Thanks

I much prefer on the Peghead plane. Love the look. But I wouldn't blow a commission over it. Just my personal preference. Nice question, thanks for asking it.

Mike

fret board plane
Tradition . I prefer the look. That is the way it was done in the old days . I do not nuts that are cut into a slot. Makes it very difficult to remove.
Is one way better than an other ?? Of course Me and Todd like it so it must be the best.

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John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it

One more vote for fretboard plane. Just for the look