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Thread: Big nut!

  1. #1
    Forum Member Old Ranger's Avatar
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    Big nut!

    My neighbor across the road from me has "twang fever" real bad. He's got 4 of my guitars and 3 of my former amps. Much of my tools and books from luthier school and from my old shop that weren't sold to the man I trained who bought my business. He's got about 9 guitars or more and well over 8 amps total. He gets up at 3AM and plays unplugged every morning. OCD would be a good description.... And is an avid YouTube watcher.

    About three weeks ago he got it in his head to build a laptop 6 string guitar from a slab of wood off an old porch rail and scrap cedar. He was doing fine though, and would occasionally call me with some questions on various things that he was attempting to do. Well, yesterday, he finished his lap steel guitar. Its strong with 13 to 58 GHS Boomers and the nut, nearly 3" wide, was cut with "Swiss files" and quite rough. I brought him my new nutfiles and spacing rule. The nut was quite tall and his efforts were quickly removed. Proper spacing marked off. And the nut was cut and finished in 20 minutes with me explaining every step. When done, his newly created instrument was quite playable and sounded really good. I then handed him my files and spacing rule telling him he needed them more than me. He was speechless. Then he said I should keep em. I told him not to worry because if I need to use em, I could always borrow em. He's got promising skills and they're improving. I told him if I got him 20 years ago, he'd have his own shop turning out custom instruments and performing all sorts of repairs with ease.

    Oh well, though my hands don't always work as well as they used to, the old man's still got the touch. Always said I can fix 'em a hell-of-a lot better than I can play em. And now my neighbor knows how to properly slot and smooth a nut. Even a big one! Ha!
    I forgot what I was going to say...

  2. #2
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    Re: Big nut!

    We still need a "Like" button!

  3. #3
    Forum Member Volumeknob's Avatar
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    Re: Big nut!

    agreed like button NEEDED!
    The only time you really live fully is from thirty to sixty. The young are slaves to dreams; the old servants of regrets. Only the middle-aged have all their five senses in the keeping of their wits.
    T. Roosevelt

  4. #4
    Forum Member OldStrummer's Avatar
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    Re: Big nut!

    Posting this on behalf of @Old Ranger. It's his to describe:


  5. #5
    Forum Member Old Ranger's Avatar
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    Re: Big nut!

    Yup, the old man in action. Haa!

    He wanted w-I-d-e spacing on the nut. Never worked one so wide before, but none the less, it was done. You can see a blur of the fret file in my hand as I'd cut, shape, and angle. But now his whittled slide rig has a properly fitted nut of monstrous proportions.
    Thought y'all would like to see the old man gettin busy.

    My thanks to Fred for the pic posting here.
    I forgot what I was going to say...

  6. #6
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    Re: Big nut!

    Awesome! Looks like an old lap steel. Bet you could choke some twang outta that!

  7. #7
    Forum Member Old Ranger's Avatar
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    Re: Big nut!

    Yeah! The thing has two fantastic Epi humbucker in it too! Talk about depth, yeah, got bottom deluxe!

    The 'ole boy's got a near full woodshop and he made the neck kerf cut with a table saw! But its scratch built all the way. The fretboard is from 1/4" Norwegian pine from a crate made for shipping electronics. Just a bunch of scrap. I only stepped in to assist in fret measurements and cutting and finishing the nut. The rest he did himself. Like I said, if I had gotten hold of this guy 20 years ago.... But he just decided to do guitar work last year. Mostly parts and modification on guitars... But he's got potential if he quits watching the idiots on YouTube and their hacksaw half-ass so called luthier work! Those boys that I've seen are goofs!

    How bout that old wool felt bluesman hat? Cool huh?
    I forgot what I was going to say...

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