GardMan
Enlightened Member
For more than a year I have contemplated getting the tools and learning to "set up" my Guilds to my own preferences. Each time I'd look thru the StewMac catalog at the various things I might need, cogitate for a while, and then put it off...
Finally, just before the holidays, I decided I needed to follow thru... my D-50 was in dire need of a new nut and saddle, to correct a string spacing issue and poorly angled bearing surface on the saddle. So, I ordered a vise, nut shaping files, a nut seating file, nut slot files, a string lifter, micro chisels, and four nut blanks from StewMac, and four compensated bone saddles from Bob Colosi (I wasn't ready to make my own compensated saddles yet).
Over the last two weekends, I have spending my free time sanding, fitting, re-stringing, etc... Although my D-50 was the incentive to try my hand at nut making, I decided to practice first on my D-25. The scariest part was using a hammer and wood block to break out the old nut... turns out it was plastic... I wonder if it was the original from Guild? I also was surprised to find the saddle on the D-25 was Tusq... I remember trying Tusq in several of my dreads 4 years ago, but thought I had replaced them all with bone already.
Fitting a Colosi saddle (I have now installed 3, on the D-25, D-55, and D-50) takes me about 60-90 minutes of sanding and fitting, making sure that the width and length are just right, and then test fitting several times to get the height/action where I want them (note... altho' it looks higher under the B string, that's just an illusion from perspective and the compensation):
Nut making was a little more time consuming and nerve wracking. Despite measuring three times, I got the string spacing wrong on my first attempt last weekend (too narrow by 1 mm). More succesful today... not perfectly shaped, but very useable (shown with the old nut):
I spent quite some time getting the string height where I want it... for each string I'd take 6-8 strokes with the file, then replace the string and test the height. Feels pretty good right now. Next week, I'll tackle the nut on the D-50. Again, the scariest part will be banging out the old nut. I also have one more Colosi saddle, slated to go into my D-46. In the end, most of the $325 I spent was in tools (several of which I probably didn't really need), and $80 (plus shipping) for four shaped saddles. I figure I'll break even on the tools with ~ 3 complete setups (nuts and saddles)... so one more after I finish the D-50. But, I didn't do it for economy... there's a certain satisfaction in being able to set up my Guilds the way I want them.
One last photo... while re-stringing the D-35, I pulled off the TRC and took a photo to show how much the headstock has faded in nearly 40 years. The patch under the TRC is the original color:
Finally, just before the holidays, I decided I needed to follow thru... my D-50 was in dire need of a new nut and saddle, to correct a string spacing issue and poorly angled bearing surface on the saddle. So, I ordered a vise, nut shaping files, a nut seating file, nut slot files, a string lifter, micro chisels, and four nut blanks from StewMac, and four compensated bone saddles from Bob Colosi (I wasn't ready to make my own compensated saddles yet).
Over the last two weekends, I have spending my free time sanding, fitting, re-stringing, etc... Although my D-50 was the incentive to try my hand at nut making, I decided to practice first on my D-25. The scariest part was using a hammer and wood block to break out the old nut... turns out it was plastic... I wonder if it was the original from Guild? I also was surprised to find the saddle on the D-25 was Tusq... I remember trying Tusq in several of my dreads 4 years ago, but thought I had replaced them all with bone already.
Fitting a Colosi saddle (I have now installed 3, on the D-25, D-55, and D-50) takes me about 60-90 minutes of sanding and fitting, making sure that the width and length are just right, and then test fitting several times to get the height/action where I want them (note... altho' it looks higher under the B string, that's just an illusion from perspective and the compensation):
Nut making was a little more time consuming and nerve wracking. Despite measuring three times, I got the string spacing wrong on my first attempt last weekend (too narrow by 1 mm). More succesful today... not perfectly shaped, but very useable (shown with the old nut):
I spent quite some time getting the string height where I want it... for each string I'd take 6-8 strokes with the file, then replace the string and test the height. Feels pretty good right now. Next week, I'll tackle the nut on the D-50. Again, the scariest part will be banging out the old nut. I also have one more Colosi saddle, slated to go into my D-46. In the end, most of the $325 I spent was in tools (several of which I probably didn't really need), and $80 (plus shipping) for four shaped saddles. I figure I'll break even on the tools with ~ 3 complete setups (nuts and saddles)... so one more after I finish the D-50. But, I didn't do it for economy... there's a certain satisfaction in being able to set up my Guilds the way I want them.
One last photo... while re-stringing the D-35, I pulled off the TRC and took a photo to show how much the headstock has faded in nearly 40 years. The patch under the TRC is the original color: