Warmoth Stratocaster Nut Slot

[Jay Menon]

What is the depth of the nut slot please on a Warmoth Strat neck?

I take it the bottom of the slot is flat..?

Given the 10"-16" compound radius - I'm hoping the Graphtech PT-5000-00 nut (9.5" radius) will be a close fit - but I would need to be sure that it's tall enough...

http://www.graphtech.com/products/brands/black-tusq-xl/product-detail/pt-5000-00-black-tusq-xl-fender-style-slotted-nut?id=9b64915a-5aca-43c8-a221-eef54e56142d

Expert opinions deeply appreciated.

Jay

 

[Cagey]

I've never seen a Graphtech nut that wasn't tall enough, and I've seen a lot of them. You're almost certainly going to want to cut the slots deeper. Everybody leaves 'em a bit shallow to allow for that.

 

[AirCap]

but I would need to be sure that it's tall enough...

Jay, in 40 plus years at the bench, I've never come across an aftermarket nut blank that is too high. They ALL have to be fit to the guitar, and then have the string height adjusted by someone competent and experienced. NONE of them are "plug and play".

 

[Jay Menon]

Thanks Cagey and Aircap...

The choice lies between

and

Does the latter, with its flat base, offer any sonic advantages / more coupling with the wood etc please?

 

[Cagey]

I suppose your ultra-cork-sniffer types could make an argument, but it might be similar to the "material" argument, which is countered by citing the frequency open string notes are played, which is the only time a nut makes a sonic difference. For whatever it's worth, I always use the full-flat version.

 

[bagman67]

The full-flat part is easier, it seems to me, to sand down to an appropriate height without the part flexing on you.

 

[Cagey]

On the other hand, sanding back a flat bottom to adjust height can be a problem without a jig to keep it square. You don't want the nut to rock in the slot or be tilted forward/back. So, if you can get a nut to sit flat in the slot, it's sometimes better to just let it go in that away and cut/file the slots to the appropriate depth, then sand the top down to meet the slots. Either way works, although it takes more tools to do the slot thing.

 

[AirCap]

Does the latter, with its flat base, offer any sonic advantages / more coupling with the wood etc please?

If they can, it can't be measured with any certainty. In this case - opinion will be many.