i broke something...

[Denim]

yeah so i was changing my strings the other day and when i took off my old strings the white thingy that holds the strings at the head of the guitar (i think its called the nut but i'm not sure) just sort of fell off. its still in one piece and looks like it was just glued on... can that be fixed just by glue or should i get some professional to do it? any advice would be just grand!
thanks

[disobedience]

The nut (you had it right ;) ) is usually glued in place...not sure why yours isn't.

I'm not a tech, but I can't see any reason you couldn't glue it back in place. Just make sure you have it set in the right direction. The notches are cut to different sizes for the different strings.

If you're not sure...take the guitar and your new strings to have it "Setup" by a professional. It's not generally expensive and it'll play better than new. Plus they'll fix the nut issue :D

[Whiskey]

I think i would be very careful how I worded things. ... Walking into a guitar shop and saying "Hi there ... my nut fell off.. can you help me?" ... might not get a date for a long while...

[disobedience]

Hahah..now that's something I WOULD do just to get a laugh.

[Harley]

its still in one piece and looks like it was just glued on...
Myself and many on the guitar builders sites use regular, everyday Elmers glue here. Just a couple dabs. All thats required here is to hold it in place. The string pressure does 90% of the work anyway. Your nut probably became unattached long before your string change. Most likely a humidity change. It happens.

Super glue sucks. First off, replacing a nut that's been superglued in is a pain, usually requiring sawing/breaking the nut off in sections to remove it. Not something you want 'cause the old nut can be real helpful for transferring info onto a new blank. Also, if you don't have it lined up perfectly when you drop it in place you'll be stuck with a misalignment.

Wood glue can make things just as difficult, still many use it. What happens here is that most wood glue joints become stronger than the wood/nut around them. More common with natural bone material. Less with plastics and other synthetics. The benefit with wood glue is the ability to move the nut side-to-side for correct lineup after it's set into place.

Elmers white glue seems to provide all the strength needed for nuts, allows for exact lineup after being set in place, and is available everywhere. I usually string up after the gluing has been made to allow the strings to act as 'clamps'. Just put a couple dabs in the slot and spread it around a little with a toothpick. Make sure you have removed the old glue residue first. Try to use just a little bit to avoid run-out. If this happens simply wipe the access away with a damp cloth.

When the correct glue is used it should be easy to knock an old nut out for replacement. Below is a Martin style. On a slotted style(Fender, etc) the same process is usually used, only side-to-side.
http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Luthier/Technique/Setup/NewNut/NewNutViews/newnut02.jpg

Just an off topic note, but strings should be changed one at a time. I know some remove them all at once but the process invites so many problems. It can cause future intonation problems due to the truss-rod going from total relax to total pressure within it's track. It's also caused finish problems on set-neck acoustics, sometimes cracking them. When you have one-half of the set removed the other half is making unopposed pressure causing the neck to twist. On wrap-around bridges the removal of all strings allows the bridge to become detached and sometimes damages body finishes.

One-at-a-time allows you to use the other strings to bring each added one to correct pitch, then do your fine tuning(440) after all are installed. It's just best to try maintain a constant neck tension unless all strings need to be removed for repair or parts replacement.

[disobedience]

Sweet! I knew there had to be a tech here somewhere!

So...that leaves me with a question...What would you suggest for Nut material if I'm replacing mine?
I play a mahogany guitar (body & neck) with a rosewood fingerboard.
:)

[Harley]

Sweet! I knew there had to be a tech here somewhere!

So...that leaves me with a question...What would you suggest for Nut material if I'm replacing mine?
I play a mahogany guitar (body & neck) with a rosewood fingerboard.
:)
I spend part of my year in northern Minnesota where techs are a long distance away. Over the years the rumors spread that I worked on guitars and people started bringing me work. It's similar to someone owning blacksmith tools or even simple car diagnostic equipment.

I've been using camel bone for the past couple years. It's suppose to be the densest bone material on earth. Bought a couple dozen blanks of it on ebay. Most people dig the cool factor and everyone seems to request "bone". I also have regular cattle bone upon request.

It sounds better on some guitars but not as good on others. So subjective. I replaced the factory nut on my 00-15 Martin(mahogany body/neck) with it once and hated it. Then tried cow bone. Same result. Then TUSQ and other synthetics. Went back to the original White Corian and it sounds great again. Corian is simply laminated pieces of paper, I've read, but it sounds great, to me.

If you think the guitar sounds good now I wouldn't even mess with it. The most common nut upgrade is to bone. It does change the sound but the results, to your ears, can be for the good or the bad. 50/50 shot.

off topic-
I became certified by the MN police officers board(POST) in the early 90's and was involved in LE off & on for 12 years. Cutting bone nut material has the same smell I experienced in house/car fires. I sometimes get nauseous because it smells so much like burnt human flesh.

[Blewbyou]

There's nothing like a nice hard bone nut.....teeheee
Seriously bone allows for good resonance I also use bone for the bridge pins and saddles on my acoustics. It does make a difference.
Blew

[ez-one]

just think how it would sound if you walked in with two guitars with that problem. :-)

[Marshalldude]

If your not sure how to preceed take it to the guitar shop you can't make a mistake if yoi go there!

[Denim]

thanks ya'll! my guitar is fixed and i'm happily playing again!
i'm a girl so if i had any other nut besides my guitar (broken or not) then... well that'd be a big personal problem hahaha

[Harley]

Great! Did you bring it in or do it yourself?

[disobedience]

Congrats!! Glad it was an easy fix and you're back to playin!

[Meekguitarrepair]

Make shure there is no residual glue in the nut "seat" before you glue it back in. Actually I have never had any problems removing nuts that were super glued in place. (As long as the installer did not get any glue on the fingerboard end that is) Usually a little heat will release the superglue's bond from the wood. The same works well for superglued in frets. Heat (very hot air) is a great tool.