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Topic: Fender Console Steel String Bed Feels Uneven |
Aaron Brownwood
From:
San Diego, Ca
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Posted 4 Oct 2024 3:12 pm |
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I've been playing an old dual professional for a few months, love the guitar, but I slightly noticed the front neck string bed feels uneven, and the strings depress more and it causes weird issues with the bar and slanting. It was not too bad when I had an E7 tuning but I went up to E13 and it's much worse.
Has this been discussed before? I'm really curious if it's a common thing or if my guitar nut is warped. It doesn't appear off visually, but you set the bar on the strings and can feel it's not making even contact with them all. |
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Tim Whitlock
From:
Colorado, USA
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Posted 5 Oct 2024 8:36 am
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One of the design flaws of the older Fenders is the nut. It is flat - no grooves to help level the strings. They all sit on the same flat plane, therefore the big strings sit higher than the thin ones. It takes a good deal of effort to apply the correct amount of bar pressure to compensate for this. That being said, it doesn't seem to be a problem at all for many great players (Scruggs, Roberts, etc).
This was resolved when they went to the bar nut with the grooves in it. The grooves allow the big strings to sit lower so all the strings are level. This makes my Stringmaster so much easier to play than my '51 Custom. |
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Joe A. Roberts
From:
Seoul, South Korea
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Posted 5 Oct 2024 2:50 pm
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Yup it is a noticeable issue, you learn to live with and navigate the buzz.
I believe the level plane was even advertised as a feature in the Fender literature of the day.
The unevenness is especially noticeable once the strings wear grooves on the bridge or the “nut”.
Another issue is string to string spacing is never even, and it is sometimes not even close.
The trapezoid models have a lot of weird quirks that were eventually solved with the stringmaster, which has:
- potential for even string spacing
- tuners that can be changed so easily vs the old lollipop models
- changeable nut, east to make new ones with custom spacings and gauges, especially good for reentrant tunings
- body more logically constructed
- more clearance between necks, easier to play harmonics.
- less cramped for the right hand than the string through trapezoid pickup
- pickup more ”normal” not prone to mechanical buzzing and other issues
- vastly more stable (especially vs 3 neck Custom) four leg set up which are splayed outwards
The advantages the trapezoid models have, in my opinion, are:
the switching controls in the middle means much quicker neck switching mid play (but these controls can get in the way)
…and of course, the trapezoid pickup!
If both the earlier models and the stringmaster were made with the same pickup(s), it would almost be a no brainer IMO.
But for better or worse, the decision is more complicated than that.
For many the answer is “both” !
Anyway, it would be a niche product for sure, but the solution is an awesome and sorely needed aftermarket tuning pan with serviceable machines and a proper stringmaster style nut. |
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Aaron Brownwood
From:
San Diego, Ca
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Posted 14 Oct 2024 3:59 pm
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Thanks for the replies, I'll just learn to work with it. Yes I have one pretty bad tuner, the rest work really well. The tight space up high I am learning to work around, putting my palm on the pickup and doing more fingertip blocking at the 24th fret. My string spacing is almost perfect, I got an overall great built guitar and great shape 1951 walnut body.
It seems this was answered above but is it really so hard to put a new nut on these old guitars? |
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Tim Whitlock
From:
Colorado, USA
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Posted 15 Oct 2024 5:25 am
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| Aaron Brownwood wrote: |
| It seems this was answered above but is it really so hard to put a new nut on these old guitars? |
I thought about that (briefly) as well. One solution would be to file slots where the strings rest on the nut. Replacement would require sawing off the nut from the tuning pan. Both are major modifications that would devalue the instrument, so I decided the best solution is simply to adjust my technique. |
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