How to Replace A Guitar Nut

From the Ant Hill Music team, this video shows you the process for replacing a guitar nut. These simple steps can be applied to any guitar. We also make the process of choosing the right guitar nut dead simple...just click the links below to get started:
Acoustic Guitar Nuts:
anthillmusic.com/c-234-acousti...
Electric Guitar Nuts:
anthillmusic.com/c-238-electri...
Bass Guitar Nuts:
anthillmusic.com/c-237-bass-gu...
All Graph Tech Nuts:
anthillmusic.com/casearch.aspx...

[@brianknickerbocker8518]

When you want exact measurements you should start at the 1 inch mark rather than the end. more accurate.

[@kaptaintrips]

Esp using an old nut ruler. Always start from the taint for maximum inaccuracies.

[@darryltaylor9916]

@@kaptaintrips .plus you can end on the taint,if your pull-out game is on point. =oD

[@drock55551]

Or use the Metric System. It's way more accurate and easier to use than the Imperial System. IDK America still used the Inch, it's so much more complicated.

[@darryltaylor9916]

@@drock55551 ..dude...you didn't get the joke...do you know what a taint is?..or where it's located...*Hint: it's your symmetrical center of gravity. this flew over your head...Just for fun ask the next five people if you can measure from their taint. =oD

[@drock55551]

@@darryltaylor9916 I don't think it was a joke. A lot of people use the the 1" mark instead of the end of the ruler because it is usually more accurate.

[@paullee3660]

Absolutely excellent video. All the information you need with no long-winded waffle. It showed you how to do the job correctly with good tips like watering down the wood glue and how to prevent the wood splitting off when you remove the old nut.

[@joeprod1]

Thanks - I bought a cheap mandolin to mess around with. The nut was a mile high. I followed your removal instruction, filed the nut now and the intonation is almost perfect and it plays much easier too. Very helpful video.

[@gazelle1467]

My god, that graphite idea is amazing! It's seems so obvious now you've pointed it out, but I never thought about it before. I'll definitely be keeping that in mind for the rest of my life!

[@inkey2]

BRAVO....ant hill. You are one of the very few on youtube who knows to score all around the edges of a nut before knocking it out. It amazes me how most video posters do not know this.....until they tear a hunk of finish off

[@jojogegen8703]

Clear and concise explanation. Works well for me. Thanks for sharing this info.

[@BonafideToolJunkie]

This is just what I needed know. Trimming the nut at the bottom. Much easier than cutting the slots deeper. Bench disk sanders come in handy for some work. Sometimes you can mark a thin pencil line at the bottom edge which will serve as a gauge when grinding material away.

[@rockonguitar8117]

Your video helped me replace a good nut that fell off...I never done that before. Thank you!!!

[@okiebsooner]

Concise and to the point...Just like I like it...Great video!!

[@MichaelHunt185]

that porno music lol

4:02

[@kaptaintrips]

@ Sick bahstid, yew!

[@parkinsons8years]

The music made it too hard to watch

[@el_raffido18]

What's the title?

[@jacobg7756]

Awesome vid, Ive been wanting to change the 'furniture' of my guitar just for aesthetics, but was very intimidated. This seems doable with some patience.

[@aquilesparada761]

thank you very much for the video, really helped me

[@PaulTheSkeptic]

It's such a shame these guys aren't in business anymore. It was really nice to have that personal touch. The guys wouldn't mind sitting there for long periods of time just explaining stuff to me. The guys at Guitar Center are all nice but they're all busy doing something or helping someone else. Well, que sera sera.

[@MrEmual]

Thanx for ur vid. Very nice and clear explications.

[@nickrowell2651]

amazing help!! you guys rock!!

[@dlmullins9054]

I bought a mint Merida Poison acoustic electric and although it compared well to both my D-28 Martin and My Gibson J-200 for a quarter the cost, i noticed my finger sometimes slipping when i pressed the high e string . Come to find out the nut was a little off i.e. it hangs over about 1/16" on the high e end and is short the same amount on the low e end or side. I came here to see what to do to remove the nut, then slide it to where it belongs and your video made me feel more confident on adjusting the nut. I have done it a hundred times, but i wanted to make sure before trying it on one of my favorite guitars. I plan on re-using the original bone nut and just slide it to where it should be. It's a fairly new guitar , but that is the reason the string slipped off the fretboard sometimes while playing . Wow, i just noticed this is a ten year old video! Well, hopefully you still make educational videos because even though i am over 70 and have played more than 55 years, i ain't too old to learn something. I am just slow ;-) .

[@ronsewell294]

Excellent ... thanks very much Ant Hill!

[@phantomtoast5747]

I have a nylon string and I was thinking of getting a bone nut, would I need to use glue to hold the nut back in?

[@7777indie]

good video man, thanks for your help!

[@getyaboogieon]

thanks for posting - very helpful

[@joemasters2270]

I was forced to use a righty nut on a lefty guitar. I had to flip it upside down to accomodate the strings accordingly, but the sound hasn't been right since. I can now confidently fix it myself. Thanks for this video!

[@tucker5.712]

the sound hasn't been right? ..so you confidentially didn't fix it correct?

[@josevasquez6744]

Nice thanks for posting this, great info

[@rookd1137]

Great video helped me a lot dude!

[@festushaggen2563]

I knew everything else at this point about the measuring and sanding. Funny enough, it was just the adhesive that I was debating on. Watered down wood glue sounds like a good solution to make it stick without bonding too much. Thanks. 👍🏻

[@jmedi5589]

A tip I read is to use elmers school glue. Less strong.

[@JustinAlanW8]

Very helpful, thanks!

[@diamax2373]

Nice, very instructive!

[@theclawsault]

Great Video learned lots. thanks

[@yabbayuya8788]

Great video very helpful

[@idanmashta]

Hi is there a difference between a classical and acoustic guitar nut ? 10x

[@Darren-D.C-Cross]

very helpful! many thanks greetings from Down Under!

[@RobertMorrisKnowsStuff]

cool video man!.. Ill be using this momentarily!

[@spiced_berry]

Fantastic video!

[@satishcsharma8215]

Thankyou sir for help me😊😊

[@Mr59coconut]

Excellent job!!

[@HensleyDon]

Well done! This video has aged very well. That neck is beautiful.

[@arkarpaing1361]

It’s so helpful, mate Thanks

[@123elvislives]

Thank you Very easy illustration thank you Thumbs up from Geelong Australia 👍🇦🇺👍👑

[@ChubbaBoastinTone766]

Took me two hours to find out why my high E wouldn't tune right. Was a chipped nut. Thanks for posting. I don't know if your supposed to glue at all? I'm sure the string tension will hold it firm, I'll probably use a tiny bit of weak paper glue so it will be removable again if it ever needs replacing again. I put a tiny piece of paper clip wire diagonally right across the leading face of the nut to hold that string up till I get a new nut.

[@sylviaboa5510]

I agree about the glue , i hate it when you tap off the nut and sometimes lot's of big chips of wood come off .

[@johkonut]

Awesome tips

[@arcticgummibear4500]

Very good Video. Thanks.

[@AvidFire]

a power tool to unwind the strings! Ive seen it all now and I can die happy! :P

[@keithclark486]

They've been around the past 25 years Where have you been

[@charlienyikos1564]

Te legláb fajon vagy koma hogy meg mutatod a nyereg cserét nem ugy mint itt nálunk a hangszer javitòk.Taps az neked szòl👏👏👏👏👏

[@nishanraj5943]

The high e is the most common string to bust right?

[@AgimLubonja]

Nice job!

[@igorkhomenko9680]

Thanks a lot for great instructions. The music is actually rather loud and annoying though. Thanks again anyway.

[@joedirt3563]

I like the porno music just a little loud.

[@austenreid1257]

@Joe Dirt, literally made my entire day 😂 so accurate...

[@5oyberraca]

I just noticed mine is chipped right at the first string does this impact the sound? If anyone can help me it would be great. Thanks

[@goldenoldiesmusicandfilm9373]

good video very helpful

[@Jay-lb1eu]

no matter how much scoring and hammering my nut wont come out any tips? think they used some industrial grade glue to keep it together.

[@mapleleafedge]

Is this process the same for acoustic and electric?

[@InTheDesertRain]

How do you know the slots for the strings are exactly where they should be ?

[@eleezakaine3028]

So I need to water down the saddle part too?

[@wilsonleon7383]

Relly useful. Thanks

[@jasonhall947]

Excellent. Thanks.

[@MrLokenSS]

I've got the same problem. At first I wasn't knowing the reason of it until I took a look at all components of my guitar and I finally got that. :D

[@art1muz13]

What a trip n0t 1 minute ago I placed an order for 4 bass bushings , I also have a nut to glue so I came here and there u r !! I'd like to know what kinda glu 2 use .

[@antithug7942]

It shows you in the video. Titebond Wood Glue. When gluing a fretboard to a neck I prefer the Titebond III Wood Glue, though. But the one here or Titebond II Wood Glue would be sufficient.

[@monkeymilk8060]

My guitar nut is broken on the high E and B end. But for some reason they are the easiest to tune now haha.

[@eaglet260100]

Could you please give me instructions how to fabricate the string winder on your drill

[@AntHillTVMusic]

Try adding a little graphite from a pencil or using a Graph Tech nut. The patented material is self-lubricating.

[@jwilham]

Got a question... i fear that i am going to waist 30-60 bucks for a locking nut for my 7 string. they seem to be quite bigger than just a normal nut. especially since i have a really skinny one on my guitar... only reason i want one is because the G-string keeps slipping when you use a whammy bar. any idea on how to fix this without buying a lock nut? or what would be the best option to install a locking nut? might have to just take it to a guitar shop if i have to cut into the wood.

[@OSLP]

Great video, now I know what I guess I did wrong when I've replaced the nut on one of my guitars :S. It was the first time I've done it (some years ago without great instructional videos) and it sounds wrong when picking at the first fret or picking the string "empty". My tuner verifies that, it's just not the correct note. The measured octave's adjustment is fine... Could I just file off at the top (kinda the other way around) or would you suggest to replace the whole nut again? I guess it might be too "tall" or the glue has "pushed" it too high. Thanks!

[@shanemotown295]

Ossel Pi it may rest too high but if the other strings are perfect and you file it, in may cause the other strings to fail. I’d make sure the groove the nut rests in is perfect and smooth, but probably a new nut is needed.

[@OSLP]

@@shanemotown295 Hi Shane, thank you for your answer. In fact it was resting too high as you suggested. I decided to just replace the whole nut again (with less glue) and it worked out perfectly. I guess these are some of those experiences us guitarists have to make haha.

[@charlesdetmar1571]

good vid but man 4:00 totally looks like you're using some nut to secure the nut

[@PsyRaf]

xDDDDDDD

[@phoenixschofield7711]

Ew

[@HellusRaizen]

Ye deez nuts

[@stoner4]

Cool never had this problem before!! Fix this guitar up and might sell it,don't know yet

[@LearningYouth]

Which sandpaper should i use?

[@DamianDeEu]

The nut on my acoustic guitar became loose. I noticed that the old nut has a very thin piece of wood glued to the base of it (less than 1mm thick). It's Simon & Patrick Luthier - 6 Spruce. (dreadnought type) Can I get find a nut slightly 'taller' to compensate for the piece of wood for this type of guitar.

[@NiMareQ]

Do you think it is possible to replace Guitar's nut for a Dobro's one?

[@leascaart]

Would have been really nice if you showed how the guitar strings are set up while bone nut is drying and how long do you wait till you put the strings back on?

[@whiteschoolbus]

This was realy useful :)

[@michaelgarcia1328]

the nut on my bass is different because you have to slide it in. I need some help on fixing it because when I put a new E string on it and popped out so now some of the nut is sticking out. I went to go get it fixed and when I changed my strings again it happened again

[@user-xc8oi4ec4k]

Which glue did you use?

[@clintwhite3021]

Does anyone know how important (like an acoustic saddle) the nut must have a good flat base and contact with the neck? If the string is pinched in the slot will it suck tone/resonance? Behind the break point (where it should slope towards tuners) should it have slight clearance on the width and/or turn to the peg direction? Thanks in advance! Yea I'm a perfectionist haha

[@viyath1374]

Clint White it’s fine!

[@ebenezerndanyuzwe9292]

God bless you for this

[@eriwebnerr]

Yah, there is a definitely a normal configuration. It should be a part of your routine guitar maintenance like changing strings. There are a ton of videos and webpages on it, but here is an easy rule of thumb: Capo the first fret and push the string down at the last fret (highest up the neck) Then check the string height at the 8th fret with a single playing card. It should be able to just slide under without disturbing the string. Too much or too little room means too much or too little relief.

[@Briggsbuckman21]

Is it necessary to glue the nut down?

[@bluesdog88]

Thanks for the video, what's the best way to raise the height of the nut (is that a shim?), I want to setup a guitar for slide, Thanks

[@SirSelby]

Brett Morgan I have never done this, so you might take my opinion with a grain of salt, but I would think that simply buying a new nut and not filing it down so far would be the best option.

[@bluesdog88]

OK cheers sounds like a plan, worth tackling myself I reckon

[@design1of470]

There was some movie magic at work when you tapped that block and the entire nut came off. I managed to bust off half a nut and then had to use some other tools to bust the rest of the nut.

[@gypsyjones6789]

jazzings busting nuts left and right

[@jadeedmundson5715]

Super Duper vid, thanks!!!

[@glb5053]

Thanks, dude!

[@concur9450]

If you have for eg a les Paul, can we just look up “les Paul nut” or something? Coz then we won’t have to do the measurements ourselves.

[@shanemotown295]

SuperTroop I’d try looking at the specs on the guitar itself, it may have the dimensions or the nut used. Worst case you could contact a les Paul rep and ask and they’ll give you the product number or exact spec.

[@eriwebnerr]

It could be, but it almost sounds like your truss rod needs adjusting. Especially if it happens like clock work with the changing seasons. The differences in temperature and humidity will cause the wood to swell and contract and effect the string tension. Check the truss rod every 3 months if you haven't already.

[@blindreefer]

Well done. You guys sure do know your nuts.

[@joshhamester]

8 year old comment and still hilarious

[@LordPatrickStryknine]

Are you suggesting wood glue because of the guitar you are doing this on is an acoustic or is this an across the board thing? I heard elmers glue, clear nail polish and all kinds of things.

[@unklewink]

Is this the Anthill Music store in Pompano? If so, I need to stop by. I live close by. :)

[@g.p.sgeorge582]

Very good

[@krzysztofkodzis7822]

I use calipers, give you .00 of a mm so you'll be more accurate, and if you get a digital one (most common) you can change units to suit your needs

[@karanrandhir9865]

ty dude..!

[@buthex]

please, what is the name of the tool used to remove the strings ? really need one thanks

[@cc92103]

You can make your own by using a cordless screwdriver and modify the end of it. You can google the instructions.

[@CJ-rf9jm]

or use a stringwinder.

[@kilroy19701]

What if ya dont have one to measure? I got my papals guitar after my mamal just passed thyre both gone but my dad found an acustic he was building and needs this. I'm just gunna take it to my guitar center buy one and hopefully they can install it for me along with strings. I mean I can put the strings on but hey two birds one stone.

[@mcwooley]

How old was the original nut?

[@PhillyGism]

Suhweet! Thanks man!

[@themusicexpresswithrobertl8816]

What kind of glue?

[@lukeking6711]

Thanks so much’

[@PlayJewel]

The nut on my guitar is made of bone, and doesnt move at all but when i take the strings out its loose enough to fall out by itself, is that normal?

[@shanemotown295]

I’d secure it with a layer of 50/50 water/wood glue as he stated. (Other option is to BARELY sand the groove it sits in but you’d loose the height and essentially need a new nut and start at the beginning process of the video.) the nut being loose enough to come of indicates either warping, or at the very least with infringe on the clarity of the sound. If you do either option, you should notice a drastic improvement in the beauty of the sound it produces, especially on bends and pulls. Bone if it’s acoustic, tusk if it’s electric is always my route.

[@SortEnthusiast]

I like the music.

[@akshat_joshii_]

I applied a lots of glue now its not comming out , . . . . What should i do ?

[@nekrohatred9547]

So no using glue on the nut at all? It just stays in place?

[@danielk6105]

My acoustic is buzzing on open strings. I've adjusted the action (truss rod), and it still is buzzing. Could it be possible that the problem is the nut is worn down and I need a replacement??

[@malcolmboyd3467]

yeah that happened to me too and when i googled it all it said was to change the action but it was the nut was worn down

[@toup0]

+DeStrober easy way to check is to fret at the first string and if its not buzzing anymore you know its the nut

[@samarthgupta683]

+toup0 I put my finger on the first fret of the 6th string. It only buzzed a little bit tho. It was very faint but it still existed. If I play it open it makes a loud buzzing sound. Is the problem still the nut.

[@toup0]

Yes, when the string is buzzing more open then fretted it indicates that the nutslot is lower then the first fret. But the string shouldn't buzz when you fret also, you should probably adjust your tussrod. And first question i should ask , is your guitar in tune and you know how to fret properly :D?

[@BridgeIsSky]

Do you guys think it's necesary to put glue (or water glue) to it?

[@MadeinChinakiki]

thanks a lot! probably saved me $40 in repairs!

[@ChapoChaos]

Could this work with a ukulele?

[@lucaguerrinimusic]

DylanDinosaur yes

[@bayblues9886]

Ant Hill Rocks.