Shimming a Floyd Rose nut

jayjay347912

jayjay347912

Inspired
Hey guys, I own a sweet Charvel So Cal slime green Floyd Rose guitar. Plays flawlessly except I get a dead note on the 3rd fret high E string (treble side)..aka it sounds pingy and almost identical to fretting it at the second fret. I have tried raising the action at the bride Allen key post, and it works, but only after it's too high action.. completely ruining the point of why I got this axe, action is nice and low, almost to the point you can hear slight buzzing on some frets, but I usually use so much gain you can't even hear it. It really hasn't bothered me much, I am more of a rhythm 80s metal riffers/thrash and slower handed bluesy lead player, but I'd really like to fix it without taking it to my luthier (inflation sucks). I was flirting with the idea of taking the 3rd nut clamp off and shimming under the string with aluminum foil. Anybody try anything like this? I also checked for front/back bow and it looks on point. Thanks in advance PS: already tried reddit, and I cannot stand how you need alien code symbols knowledge to create a post title, that's why I'm here, you guys have always been awesome
 
It's hard to know for sure what's wrong without seeing the guitar. But from what you have described you probably need to loosen the truss rod a little and raise the action.
 
mr_fender said:
If the nut slots are too low, the proper way is to shim under the locking nut. If it's only on that one string, you might have a low or high fret in that spot.
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That's what I was thinking but it looks level to my eyes..I'm not a luthier though.
 
Just take it to your guy.

It's either the frets or the nut assuming your truss rod is set correctly. You could have a lifted fret, or significant fret wear. You could also need to shim the nut, which is done by adding the appropriate metal shim under the nut itself. But you need to be able to ID what nut you have and which shim you need.
Again, cheap enough in either of those instances to just support your local luthier.
 
Musikron said:
Just take it to your guy.

It's either the frets or the nut assuming your truss rod is set correctly. You could have a lifted fret, or significant fret wear. You could also need to shim the nut, which is done by adding the appropriate metal shim under the nut itself. But you need to be able to ID what nut you have and which shim you need.
Again, cheap enough in either of those instances to just support your local luthier.
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Yeah I think now that may be the way to go. What sucks is that it shouldn't be fret-wear, I just got the thing 6 months ago brand new at ZZounds, 1,300 bucks, and it's been that way since day one. I play it in rotation with 4 other guitars. Guess I've been putting it of because I'm more of a riffer and never even touch that fret literally 99.9 % of the time. The rest of the neck feels SOOO smooth too. But you know how it goes, the fact you can't have it makes you want that fret even more over time lol Thanks to all of you guys
 
VegaBaby said:
and more likely the open string.

hold down the third fret, tap the first and listen if you get a little ping noise. if yes, it's not the nut. my guess is on a wonky fret...
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THIS. Did as you said. It is the fret!! And it was the 4th fret I should mention, not the 3rd as I said in my initial post, haven't played this guitar in a while. I totally get it now, I held down the 4th fret, tapped the 1st, and it's pinging /directly touching the 1st fret with no play. I did the same on all other strings as a control, and you can still feel the "give" when you tap the first fret, because they are level and there is still slight space under the string. Guess my luthier could file it or do whatever. Thanks sir
 
you have a high fret or several. So those frets need to be reseated or you need a fret level or both. None of which should be done by a novice. you probably don't have the correct tools to do it properly. You could buy the tools and scour you tube and google for the correct way to do it. but then there is the lack of experience doing it so you can easily make matters much worse. I recommend biting the bullet and taking it to a pro. depending on where you live expect to pay $100 to $150 for a fret level maybe a little less if it only a partial level. good luck and God speed.
 
jayjay347912 said:
THIS. Did as you said. It is the fret!! And it was the 4th fret I should mention, not the 3rd as I said in my initial post, haven't played this guitar in a while. I totally get it now, I held down the 4th fret, tapped the 1st, and it's pinging /directly touching the 1st fret with no play. I did the same on all other strings as a control, and you can still feel the "give" when you tap the first fret, because they are level and there is still slight space under the string. Guess my luthier could file it or do whatever. Thanks sir
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you're very welcome!
have it checked by a luthier. could be that just that one fret popped out a little or a few are in need of a little tlc. should be no problem though...
 
The neck needs to be right with the correct relief before you can even think about nut hight . The only measurements that matter then are the action over the first fret, the distance the E strings are from the edge of the fingerboard and the string spacing . You can't set the nut hight without the neck relief set correctly though.
 
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