whats the ideal nut height for an electric guitar ?

slash300 · 10-10-2008, 08:22 PM

I have difficulty playing on 1st fret and I think that my nut height is not set at optimium. How do I check if my nut height is OK without using any measurement tools. I only have a ruler and I dont think its accurate enough.

dennistruckdriver · 10-10-2008, 10:18 PM

The taller the nut, the better!

lp_junkie · 10-11-2008, 12:30 AM

it absolutely depends upon the guitar itself, there are factory specs with tolerances, but string gauge, playing style and a lot of things will have impact on what is optimum for your guitar.

slash300 · 10-11-2008, 07:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dennistruckdriver

The taller the nut, the better!

Any reason for that ? Wouldnt that make playing a bit harder near the 1st fret ?

River · 10-11-2008, 07:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slash300

Any reason for that ? Wouldnt that make playing a bit harder near the 1st fret ?

I daresay he's kidding. If the nut is substantially too high, it will make your fingers bleed bending at the lower frets. Been there, done that, have the T-shirt (and scars).

Some pictures would help, though they'd have to be quite hi-res.

Nothing beats a really good setup, if you can get one locally.

kspeed · 10-11-2008, 09:29 PM

Are you hearing buzz when you hold down the first fret? Does it happen when you play acoustically or amplified or both? Or is it just really hard to push down on the first fret? If it's the latter, the nut's probably too high, but if you could snap us some pictures that would help a lot.

It's impossible to say what the ideal height is for any given electric guitar. It all depends on neck angle (is the neck perfectly parallel with the back of the body or is it angled?), the type of bridge, how high that bridge is set, even the gauge of string.

For most people the "best" action is as low as it can get with slight buzz played acoustically, but not enough to be amplified. Others, such as Stevie Ray Vaughan, preferred relatively high action/neck relief to improve sustain and output.

C/N: It all depends the guitar and your playing style. For most people it's "the lower the better" but that doesn't come close to covering everybody.

10-10-2008, 08:22 PM	#1 (permalink)
slash300 Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 77 Thanks: 0 Thanked 2 Times in 1 Post	whats the ideal nut height for an electric guitar ? I have difficulty playing on 1st fret and I think that my nut height is not set at optimium. How do I check if my nut height is OK without using any measurement tools. I only have a ruler and I dont think its accurate enough.

10-10-2008, 10:18 PM	#2 (permalink)
dennistruckdriver MLP Trucker Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: South of South St. Louis, MO. USA Posts: 3,947 Thanks: 27 Thanked 55 Times in 10 Posts	Re: whats the ideal nut height for an electric guitar ? The taller the nut, the better! __________________ Life without music would be TOO DANG QUIET!!! -Dennis The Truck Driver, 2008

10-11-2008, 12:30 AM	#3 (permalink)
lp_junkie Senior Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Southeast Texas Posts: 1,129 Thanks: 1 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	Re: whats the ideal nut height for an electric guitar ? it absolutely depends upon the guitar itself, there are factory specs with tolerances, but string gauge, playing style and a lot of things will have impact on what is optimum for your guitar. __________________ LP_Junkie now on MySpace _____________________________________________ Les Pauls and Marshalls- Hammer of the Gods. EPI/MIJ Modders (Orville-Tokai-Burny-Greco-etc.) Last edited by lp_junkie; 10-11-2008 at 10:57 PM.

10-11-2008, 09:29 PM	#6 (permalink)
kspeed Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Richmond, VA Posts: 554 Thanks: 5 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Re: whats the ideal nut height for an electric guitar ? Are you hearing buzz when you hold down the first fret? Does it happen when you play acoustically or amplified or both? Or is it just really hard to push down on the first fret? If it's the latter, the nut's probably too high, but if you could snap us some pictures that would help a lot. It's impossible to say what the ideal height is for any given electric guitar. It all depends on neck angle (is the neck perfectly parallel with the back of the body or is it angled?), the type of bridge, how high that bridge is set, even the gauge of string. For most people the "best" action is as low as it can get with slight buzz played acoustically, but not enough to be amplified. Others, such as Stevie Ray Vaughan, preferred relatively high action/neck relief to improve sustain and output. C/N: It all depends the guitar and your playing style. For most people it's "the lower the better" but that doesn't come close to covering everybody. __________________

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