Nut troubles.

[ClassicMetalMatt]

A combination of a rant topic and a help me topic. So I have an LTD MH103QM. a while back I dropped my guitar/child on its face, and the nut cracked. This made it impossible to lock down my strings to divebomb. So a few weeks ago I contacted esp,  and after 2 weeks, i got no answer as to which type of nut to buy to replace it. On the ESP website, it says its a 42mm locking nut. So i went and bought a floyd R3 nut. Technically its 42.85mm, but I would make it work. So I ordered it, got it today, took off all the strings, put in the nut, put on my low E. Then I thought. "wow, the string is really high off the fretboard." So i put on my a string. Same thing. now when I fret low notes, then right out sharp. Should i just file down the nut slots to lower the strings?

 

[Cagey]

I don't know which Floyd they use on that guitar, but there's a difference in height between Licensed FR locking nuts and the OFR nuts. Your guitar may be set up for the shorter (licensed) one, but you're installing the taller (OFR) one. In any event, because of the compression locks you don't file slots on those nuts. You file/mill/grind the bottom of the nut to change its thickness (height). You could lower the shelf on the neck, but that may end up irreversible so it's to be avoided.

Before all that, I'd make sure you've got the right nut in the first place. Filing the bottom of a metal nut by hand isn't as easy as it sounds because it's tough to maintain flatness. It's real easy to put a curve on it, or make one side shorter than the other.