Lowering the nut

On my new Lanikai I find the nut really high. I have to press really hard on the first fret to get a clean buzz but moving the shape just one fret up is a lot easier.

Intonation is less than 20 cents off at the first fret, and almost spot-on at the 12th. It is a concert size.

So what can I do about the nut, and will I have to compensate at the saddle? I am willing to buy a spare nut just in case I screw it up. How much higher should the nut be than the frets?

The action at the first fret should be about 1mm from the top of the fret to the bottom of the string.

The truth is, if you only have a single ukulele to adjust, it may be best to take it to a good shop and have them lower the string height at the nut.

To really do it right, in addition to a digital tuner, you need a way to measure the string height and some thin files or other type of cutting tools that are the right width to file down the slots in the nut. If you are really mechanically inclined you can improvise.

On my wife's concert I have set the first fret string height at around .6mm. It really comes down getting the right height that will give you the correct intonation when you fret a string down by the nut, and it may be a compromise to get the best overall intonation. Depending on how much you need to remove, it may have a very slight effect on the intonation at the 12 fret.

John

If its to high all the way along, it's pretty easy to just lower the nut, search on youtube and watch a lot of videos so you get a really good idea of how to do it and find a method that you will find best, wouldn't say its worth paying someone to do tbh unless your worried about making a mess. Remember measurements given are guidelines its going to be what feels right to you and doing a bit at a time to avoid buzzing from a too lower action.

Like you say do pick up a spare, shoot your manufacturer an email and see what they can do as they may be able to send a pre slotted one which will make it easier.

All I've done is:
1: remove strings
2: wrap all the area your working around in masking tape so you don't scratch or damage the surface.
3: put a piece of flat edged wood up against the nut and tap this wood with a hammer (don't hit the nut directly with the hammer as it will cause a lot of damage).
4: Lay a piece of sand paper on a very flat surface.
5: draw a straight line around the bottom edge of the nut all the way around to give you a marker of how far you sanded, and to ensure you sanding it straight and flat. (use a straight edge also to monitor it).
6: Once lowered remove masking tape.
7: Use wood glue to put it back in (do not use anything super strong like no nails! You are supposed to be able to tap these out again without damaging the wood).
8: restring it to keep the pressure on the nut to ensure it has a good contact when it sets. Make sure the area is clean from excess glue.
9: Once dry reapply masking tape and sand the nut to a smooth fit.


Thats how I've always done it anyway. But do watch some vids.

The nut is much trickier than the saddle (at least in my opinion).
If you have not done any I would 2nd the suggestion to take it to someone.
Sometimes it is a combination of things needed on a new ukulele. Saddle, nut & fret adjustments to get it setup correctly and how YOU want it.
If you really want to do the work yourself I suggest getting a really cheap uke and practice. Usually you can find some garage sale ukes for less than $10.
I practiced on some toy souvenir ukes from Hawaii. They were really bad. I worked on the nuts and saddles, all adjusted, the action was great, but they still sounded like poop.

The nut on the LU21C is glued to the fret board, not tapped in. I was afraid that if I tried removing it, I would damage the finish.

After doing a lot of research and actually avoiding the Lanikai for a few days (because the $30 Mahalo was easier to play), I decided on a plan of action.

Besides the discomfort of the high action, it caused the first fret notes to play very sharp. I understood why - the strings were stretching more than they should, to get from the high nut (0 fret) to the fingerboard behind the first fret. I decided if the action were too low, the fretted note would be flat, and fretting higher on the fingerboard would cause fret buzz, as the oscillation of the string would bring it into contact with additional frets.

With these things in mind, I bought a set of acetylene torch tip cleaners from Bunnings (like Lowes for those in the US) for 7.95. For each string, I chose the size that most closely matched the string width. I followed these steps:

1. Loosen the string enough to ease it out of the nut slot.
2. Gently deepen the nut slot a small amount, being careful not to change it's shape or angle.
3. Re-tune the string and check the first fret.
4. Check for fret buzz by plucking the string very hard at each fret.
I kept doing this until the first fret was just a few cents sharp. I wanted to be conservative and not file off too much.

I ended up having to file off quite a bit more than I expected. I have no fret buzz on any fret, and the first fret is now in tune, at least good enough for my ears. My tuner says it is about 1 or 2 cents sharp. Action is noticeably lower, and the first fret only takes a little more force than the other frets, to get a clean note. I have made the nut slots deep enough that I need to sand off the height of the nut if the strings are to sit 1/3 above the nut. But it does not seem to affect the sound, or I am not sophisticated enough to hear it.

I would not recommend doing this if you do not have a luthier or guitar shop to fall back on! I knew that if I screwed it up I would just take it in and have a new nut fitted.

The first few times I did this I removed the nut and used a file on the bottom of the nut to lower it. I do have a set of welding files but lately I just use a regular file for everything on the uke. Lately I prefer to just file down the individual slots and recently set up three ukes and find it very easy to do. Once you learn how to do it it is pretty easy and not rocket science. Here's a link to the file I use. I found out about this file on a guitar forum: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001R1WZUY/ref=oss_product

yeah, they should all be glued in, though it should be a fairly weak glue. Your right though there is a chance it would damage the finish underneath, which means tidying up the nut and slot before replacing it.

Glad you got it sorted.

Its not that hard. I do it all the time. But I remove the nut, and file/sand the bottom down and keep try fitting it back in until I get the right height. Just be sure you sand it level and straight. make yourself a jig if ya need to, because free hand it is difficult to be sure you are sanding level. Then I do the same with the saddle to be sure the strings are level. It's not as intimidating as it sounds really. I do it on cheap ukes all the time to get them playing better for kids. I've made some sub $20 ukes play as nice as $100 ukes.

I find it much better - and actually easier - to work the nut from the top. Reason being is that I insist on perfect intonation at the first fret and the only way you're going to get it is generally by working each slot down to it's optimum point. Also, you don't have to remove the strings, file nut, reinstall nut and strings, only to find that you need to take a little more off and do it all over again. You can just lift the string out of the slot and move it to the side (with nylon strings you don't even need to loosen the string first like you do on a steel-string guitar).

It is kind of necessary to have the proper files, though. I did a few guitars using a cheap pocket knife that I had file serrations across the edge. It worked but it was slow and tedious and I screwed up probably 1 out of 5 nuts I used it on. I finally broke down and bought a set of nut files from stewmac - expensive but they've already paid for themselves several times over. With them a uke is pretty easy, and you can get it perfect because once you get close it's so easy to lift a string aside, do one or two strokes with the file, then slip the string into the slot and check intonation and for buzzing.

The welding-tip cleaners sounds like a good idea (certainly cheaper than nut files!) - at least if you're working soft plastic (95% of the nuts out there, I suppose). If you're working Tusq, Corian, or bone I suspect the tip cleaners wouldn't work.

My near vision is so bad that I find doing setups very tedious and I'm perfectly happy to let guys like Mim and MGM do them for me. However, if you're going to be blessed with UAS for a long time to come then a set of nut files is a very good investment.

John

I agree with ya ya ol' phart on the final tuning. I work from the bottom up, leaving a little bit to fine tune after re-installing the nut. Once ya got it close to the action ya want, then fine tune the slots to polish it up... That way, ya keep your strings pretty close to the same height, only difference being that fine tune, so they all "look" right and at the same height and ya dont feel a big difference in string heights..

The .024" nut file from stewmac will do the job. I've fine-tuned several 'ukes with just this file.

Once, I cut a C-string slot just a bit too deeply, and got the dreaded buzz on the first fret. Got some epoxy putty, kneaded a small bit, molded a tiny amount into the nut slot (shaping it with a round toothpick). After it hardened, I adjusted again with the nut file. No nut replacement was needed. The nut was black, so I painted the hardened/filed epoxy with a black sharpie after all was done.

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Adjusting the action @ the nut is easy with the right file and patience. Even if you get impatient like me and go too far, it's easy to repair.

Working from the top is better.

I used to pop of the nut by first scoring the seam with a razor behind the nut so that it doesn't rip up the finish, then pop it off with a soft block of wood and a mallet by stricking the front of the nut with the woood mallet combo. Then you clean the nut slot and the crap from the bottom of the nut, replace it and remeasure the strings.

Then take off the nut and sand it down by super gluing it to a squared piece of hardwood with the just the part you want to remove protruding past the wood. Then you sand it flush and square, Remeasure and then if OK attach it with a small drop of white glue (so you can remove it again if necessary).

Using the nut files on each string is musch easier. I liked the idea of using the torch cleaner files. Great idea Misty!!

I would only add that experimenting with string brands might be the first step when dealing with too high action at the nut. I had that problem with my SK35, and changing to the thinner martin fluros solved the problem without any need for adjusting the nut.

I got some mini rasps from Harbor Freight that seem to work well.

One thing I do is finish the slot in the nut with some folded 600-800 sandpaper to smooth things out.

John

Harbor Freight has some really great tools for uke tweakin! Great price too.

I've sanded the bottom of the nut and I've deepened slots. If it's high all the way across, I prefer to sand the bottom - slowly and carefully, checking frequently to see if it is enough. I've also used hacksaw blades to lower slots - VERY carefully.