The Electra Forums

Im sure many of you have tuning problems with the brass nut on Electra guitars. I solved the problem a few years ago on my Outlaw and finally fixed a horrible tuning problem on the x350. Anyone interested in pic send an email and I will show you the perfect fix. Doesn't take long and afterwards you won't be able to knock the guitar out of tune.

Feel free to post it. Upload to photobucket (it is free). Then use it's copy function to copy it to the clipboard, then press Img above and insert the clipboard (Ctrl)(v). That should work for you. Unless you don't want to post it for a reason. If it is excellent information it would be good to share. If you have any difficulty and want me too, send me the pic and I will attach for you. You have me curious.

I am a big fan of Earvana one piece compensated nuts - they REALLY help a guitar stay in tune better between the cowboy chords and the barr chords. But I usually leave the brass nuts on these guitars. I have filed a few to lower the strings in the slot to make it easier to play on the first fret, and that can help intonation too. I also use some big bends "nut sauce" (yeah, they REALLY called it that). It really works well. I think planet waves makes something similar but a lot cheaper. But a little does go a long way.

Let me know. I am always for learning something new.

Thanks.

Thorny

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Thorny

Yeah, the nut sauce is very good stuff albeit very expensive. I found that it is very similar to a tube of stuff I used for gunsmithing at a quarter of the price so I use that these days! Actually, seeing as how I don't gunsmith anymore and this tube was a leftover, I guess it's free, eh?!

The trick with any of the lubricants is, I've found, use as little as you can get away with!!

Just harking back to compensated nuts.... I was thinking of using one on my current project - a Vantage Avenger to be custom finished along the lines of tbe Corsair Avenger - any tips or hints on their use? Or whether they are actually a good thing, or otherwise??

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"... and on the eighth day, God created New Zealanders.

Because even the Australians need heroes."

I like the "earvana" brand one piece compensated ones (also called a "shelf" nut because it extends slightly over the top of the fingerboard). They used to be sold by ESP (they come on some of their high-end guitars). But now they offer them in several standard sizes. Find the right style and the right size. Replace the existing one. Trim to fit (file). File the nut slots (pre-slotted so it is easy). Then just re-intonate your bridge as you would normally with the compensated nut. No more difficult than that (than installing any other pre-slotted nut). I believe they come the black/graphite style and the lighter tusk style. I buy them on ebay. They also make/made a two piece nut - don't buy that one. The "shelf" one piece style is what you want. The two piece is adjustable but it really isn't needed and will cause more problems than it will help (as far as I am concerned).

As for the compensated brass nut, I don't really know as I never tried it. It is not a "shelf" nut though, so I can't see it working as well as an Earvana.

Some guitars do exceptionally well with a standard nut, but some don't. I really don't know why, it does not make sense. But ALL of them do better with a compensated nut. I do not set the tuning any differently (as you do with the Buzz Fieten tuning system). The bar chords and the cowboy chords all get along a lot better.

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Thorny

I have endlessly tried to post pics but have not beem successfully. HELP!

No problem - Here is a posting that we saved to show people how to post pictures.
http://www.rivercityamps.com/electraforum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=3675

There are lots of online services that you can post pictures too for free. Basically, you
1) upload your picture to that service (I use photobucket),
2) click on that picture and it should take you to a full screen shot of that picture
3) copy the actual web address of the picture you want from the Photobucket or picture hosting site - you do this by looking to the upper right of the page with your picture underneath where it says "Shared Links" and you click on the one that says "Direct" (it may say copied to clipboard after you do this),
4) then go back to your Electra Forum Page and open your window in your Reply or in your new Message,
5) Go to the spot in the message where you want to put the picture and press the "Img" block/button from the blocks above your message
6) that will insert the image statement and position your cursor automatically where you should paste your link to your picture web address
7) do the "paste" function on your PC or device, on a PC I use a [Ctrl][v] or you can right click your mouse and choose "paste"
That should fill out your line

Then you can move to the end of the note and position it for pasting another picture or add text you want after the picture - whatever you want to do. Repeat as many times as you need for your pictures.

This will work! If you have problems let us know. You can also send me the pictures and I will post them if you can't figure it out, but once you get it to work you can do it over and over again.

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Thorny

Did any pics or instructions make it online for this issue? I would love to get my Outlaw fixed, but need insight. Low E intonation problems.

We have some problems where none of the hosting sites are working for us lately. Not sure what the cause is.

The trick with the nut config isn't just the nut itself. The neck must be adjusted right usually flat with no tension. The bridge height must be set. The nut slots need to be deep enough only slightly higher than the top of the first fret. Then the intonation must be set.

At this point if the stock bridge does not adjust enough at this the wider bridge replacements will give you enough width. Or alternative put an earvana shelf nut on it as that will flatten out your current bridge intonation adjustment. Sometimes flipping the saddle will give you enough adjustment. I have done all of this at one time or another.

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Thorny

Try posting pics to IMGUR site. Copy them up to imgur, and the copy the link of the picture and insert that link in the post on this site (just like I gave instructions previously for the other site that no longer shall be named).

Sorry to revive such an old link but it was interesting and I'd like to see it resolved.

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Thorny

This is a good tutorial that includes most of the steps. It shows a 5-step process.
http://www.guitarrepairbench.com/electric-guitar-repairs/electric_guitar_setup.html



But it also has another link for setting up the action, which tells you about the string height at the nut. This might be considered a step 4.5 kinda thing.
http://www.guitarrepairbench.com/electric-guitar-repairs/adjust_action_electric_guitar.html

With a brass nut, you can adjust the nut by filing the bottom of the nut on a flat file (keeping it perpendicular). Or you can cut the slots deeper. But that requires slot files. Replacement nuts are nearly always too high to give you some room to adjust. If you do all this and don't have enough adjustment at the bridge you may be able to get more by flipping a saddle if you have a tunomatic or similar bridge. Or putting on an earvana shelf nut will require a narrower intonation adjustment at the bridge. Or you can put on a new bridge with more intonation range such as a modern Goto tuneomatic (or a metric copy, such as a GFS or similar metric import) with wider intonation adjustment and get a tiny bit more, or in extreme cases a schaller "harmonica" style bridge for a HUGE amount of adjustment. That is almost always way too much and "overkill". Although Electra sold an electra branded schaller harmonica bridge back in the day, some Gibsons came with them in the 70s, like my 1980 L6S-Deluxe and many SGs. For a strat style bridge, you can use a longer saddle intonation adjustment screw or trim a tension spring to compress the saddle back a little better. Make sure your bridge mounting posts are tight where the bushing goes into the body and not created and oblong hole that allows the posts to move. You should not have to do this, but it can happen.

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Thorny