Need advice on lowering Floyd Rose Nut and buzzing issue

[mark1178]

Hey guys,

Been a while. Need some advice on the best, safest, easiest, method on lowering a Floyd Rose nut height.
The low E string is at .015" above the first fret, and it's at .012" when the 3rd fret has a capo.
Should I take a flat file and file down the shelf? Should I grind/sand the bottom of the nut?

As far as buzzing, the high E string always buzzes when hitting it open. The action on all strings is pretty high, and I have even stared at every part of the string and guitar to find the point of where it's buzzing, but no luck so far.

Thanks!

 

[stratamania]

I'm assuming you have a compound radius neck ?

Just to rule it out have you made adjustments with shims to get the bridge radius correct ?

Have the frets been checked for level etc ?

Until the radius is correct at the bridge and the nut adjusting heights could be a fruitless exercise.

 

[dmraco]

do you want to lower every string or just the e?

 

[mayfly]

You say that the action is pretty high, but the high E buzzes when open. 

Based on that I don't think it's the string vibrating against the fret.  Rather it's probably being choked at the nut.  I'd have a look at the nut slot on the locking nut with a magnifying glass to see if the string termination point has shifted backwards to the headstock for some reason (debris? goop build up?).  If that's the case, the string would vibrate against the part of the nut forward of the debris.

If that makes sense.

Also - what about the shims as other folks have mentioned?  Still have any in there?

 

[Cagey]

.015" at the first fret for the low E is not really that far off. I usually adjust to ~.012", but that's really pushing it. Any lower than that, and the string is going to start hitting frets when it's vibrating. Most people would consider .015" to be pretty low, so if you think your action is high, I'm guessing you mean farther up the neck.

It's difficult to lower Floyd nuts reliably. The shelf is large, and trying to get a flat, even cut across the width of a neck by hand with a file is asking a lot without a jig or some sort of controlled cutter. Then, you can't really change the slot depth of the nut itself. But, really, I don't think you need to make that move. The small amount you could gain would be nearly imperceptible.

It's more likely your frets aren't as level as you need them to be and/or your bridge isn't compensated for the compound radius, so your bridge is set too high. You need an ~18" radius at the bridge to get the strings to lay across a 10"-16" compound radius fretboard evenly. Get those two things taken care of, put about .008" of relief in the neck, and you'll be able to lower the bridge overall to get your action down where you're happy.

Be aware that Floyds have more "down" range than most vibratos, so the strings can go quite slack on a dive. You need some clearance for that, as the slacker they get, the wider the vibrational travel, and you'll start buzzing real early.

As far as your high E buzzing even when it's open, that's a problem at the exit side toward the speaking length of the string at either the nut or bridge. Most commonly, it's at the nut. You need an abrupt edge where the string leaves, or you'll get that "sitar" sound. It's kinda unusual to hear that from a Floyd locking nut unless somebody's been filing on the slot improperly.  This chart shows some of the geometry needed to make a nut work well...

That's obviously not a Floyd nut, the the same rules apply. See the upper left side diagram that shows how the string should leave the nut.

 

[dmraco]

all this talk about nuts and slots is driving me crazy :doh:

 

[Cagey]

Getcher mind outa the gutter!  :icon_biggrin:

 

[mark1178]

Hehe nuts.

Anyway, my bad guys not sure why I said .015 I meant .040" between the first fret and the bottom of the low E string. Math/measuring aren't my thang. When it comes to math, I'm kind of dumb, and kind of an ass,....I'm a...dumbass.

 

[mark1178]

do you want to lower every string or just the e?

Every string, all of it is around .040"

 

[Cagey]

Do you have a router? If so, I'd recommend building a jig to hold the neck with an upper bearing surface tall enough to allow a 1/2" x 1/4" pattern-following mortise bit to follow its edge. Then, take off .025"-.030".

You could try it with a file, but the odds of screwing it up are pretty good. The shelf needs to be flat, and that's difficult to do by hand. You'll almost certainly end up with some side-to-side crown to the shelf, which is NFG.

 

[mark1178]

Thanks Cagey and everyone! I do have a router, but honestly I don't trust myself enough with it yet. I'm great with files and chisels and scrapers (done a lot of wood carving). I'd rather not use mean ol mister router on the neck.

My thought is filing the shelf down keeping it as flat as possible, maybe grinding the bottom of the locking nut base as well.

 

[pabloman]

Don't do it!!!! The router is the only way to go. Make some Floyd shelves on some practice boards then use both methods to try and lower the shelf. You'll quickly see the router is you're friend. I speak from experience.