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Author Topic:  Nut size
Jim Mitchell


From:
Phily,Pennsylvania, USA
Post  Posted 13 Mar 2012 4:59 am    
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I picked up these three parts from E-Bay
To make a 6 string Lap steel guitar

Tailpeice, bridge and nut

You can see the nut is smaller than the bridge like a guitar nut

Can I build a lap steel with tappered strings


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I am trying to play a Harlin Brothers 1956 Multi Kord 6 String 4 Pedal Steel Guitar
and a RONDO lap
Retired from Boeing Helicopters in Ridley Park Pa.
we build the CH47
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Brad Bechtel


From:
San Francisco, CA
Post  Posted 13 Mar 2012 5:08 am    
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You could, but you would be unsatisfied with the result. Better to buy or build a nut that matches the other two parts.
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Jim Mitchell


From:
Phily,Pennsylvania, USA
Post  Posted 13 Mar 2012 5:15 am    
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That is what I was thinking

A nut is easy to make

Thanks
_________________
I am trying to play a Harlin Brothers 1956 Multi Kord 6 String 4 Pedal Steel Guitar
and a RONDO lap
Retired from Boeing Helicopters in Ridley Park Pa.
we build the CH47
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Fred


From:
Amesbury, MA
Post  Posted 13 Mar 2012 6:57 am    
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If you don't want any taper you can get another bridge.

Fred
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Steve Wilson


From:
Morgan Hill, California, USA
Post  Posted 13 Mar 2012 8:12 am    
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Jim,
I was looking at those, too.
I was wondering what the string spread might be on the bridge and nut. The nut looks narrower than the 3/8 spacing I like, and the saddle looks like it might be wider than that. Hard to tell from the picture.
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Tom Pettingill


From:
California, USA (deceased)
Post  Posted 13 Mar 2012 9:43 am    
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The string spacing on those nuts is way too narrow. Here is a listing where they show the spacing at the nut at 35.71 mm and the bridge at 52.88 mm
The bridge is a little wider than 3/8" spacing and would be fine for Fender spaced single coils and F spaced humbuckers, but that 35.71 mm nut translates to about a 9/32" spacing.
The other thing to consider about those is that the height is listed at a bit over 10mm / just a hair over 3/8 tall. Depending on the thickness of your fretboard, it could be a deal breaker unless you shim the bridge.
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Jim Pitman

 

From:
Waterbury Ctr. VT 05677 USA
Post  Posted 13 Mar 2012 10:59 am    
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A nice thing about having the bridge and nut spacing match is that a bar slant is presumably easier as the string spacing doesn't change as a function of what fret your bar is at. Be aware you must change the bar slant angle regardless of course to line up with the frets and the frets change spacing. However, the string spacing change is just one less variable not making a contribution to your error, and I find lap steels with same spacing throughout easier to do a bar slant accurately.
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