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Guitar fettling (With Pics!)

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bobb:
OK - mostly out of focus pics!!

I know there are some guitar lovers here so......

My beloved Les Paul is 15 years old this month. It was delivered in early March 1996 after I ordered it at the beginning of the year, so it was made in 1996:



I decided it was about time it got a bit of TLC. It's been knocked about a bit over the years and I'd become a bit concerned by the ill fitting nut and warped truss rod bolt cover - as this picture doesn't actually show:



So I took the strings off and gave it a good polish with an old sock:



You can see how the nut has started to come away and forced the TR cover to kind of bend in the middle:



So I took it off (multi tools aren't just for bikes!):



I then filed down the cover:



And tapped the nut off with a universal nut remover (ie the tail piece!):



It came off very easily:



So I taped it up and scraped off the old glue with a knife:



I then needed to shape the new nut, so I employed some files:



And sandpaper:



After an awfully long time - I had shaped it perfectly:



I have never hoovered a guitar before!:



Mr. Super Glue helped me out:



New nut and reshaped truss rod bolt cover fitted  :)




Tomorrow I shall set the action nice and low and get the intonation spot on. (I hope!!)

Tewdric:
Ace.  I have often thought of setting my guitar up properly, but then figured I'd better learn to play the bugger first!   :thumbsup:

Rhys W:
Good stuff bobb. Looks like a nice guitar.

Did you cut the nut slots yourself? That, and fret-levelling are what I don't yet do, due to the cost of tools you might only use every few years. The guitar equivalent of a headset press I guess.

TimO:
I get my father to do all my instrument fettling, since he makes them, anything like what you've detailed is a five minute job for him, not that he does much with electrics, he mostly makes acoustic stuff for the folk market.

Having said that, the Mandolin which I took back home to get re-varnished (after water damage) about three years ago has yet to reappear!

bobb:

--- Quote from: Rhys W on 03 March, 2011, 10:27:12 pm ---Good stuff bobb. Looks like a nice guitar.

Did you cut the nut slots yourself? That, and fret-levelling are what I don't yet do, due to the cost of tools you might only use every few years. The guitar equivalent of a headset press I guess.

--- End quote ---

No they were already cut, but I had to shape the underside. I can cut them deeper though if needs be.

NEVER fuck with frets!!!!!! I have a 60s EKO in bits in the loft after pulling out all the frets and failing completely to refret it. That was about 8 years ago!! Need a pro to fix that!

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