Nuts too high or slots too deep?

[DanTheBluesMan]

Recently I've played a 50th Anniversary Strat and 50th Anniversary Tele.

Both were pretty nice, though I thought the strat neck was not up to par with what I've seen on recent USA made fenders. The strat was new and the Tele was used.

The Tele neck seemed too straight, and the action was really stiff, even though the strings were light gauge. I was playing it unplugged, and it seemed as though the bends were choking out on even a half step or whole step bend.

Both had the high E string (and the B and G) well within the nut, almost 2-3 string thickness below the top surface.

Is this normal? What gauge do they cut the slots for? I was under the impression that the slots should be cut so that the string is approximately 1/2 way into the slot.

[grandturk]

You can cut the slot however you like, so long as the string is not pinched and has the proper break angle. Over time, the string digs deeper into the slot and this type of "natural" nut slotting can create tuning problems.

Overall, I find that the 1/2 string rule is useful for cutting your own nut as its easier to see than a deeper slot.