space behind nut??

[Chinslip]

Hi guys, I just ordered a new slotted fingerboard from LMI and on the order form a question as to how much "space behind nut" is asked. 1/8 1/4 3/8 and so on up to 1". I'm clueless here. Can anyone enlighten me please?

thanks
Norm

[Andy Miller]

On some instruments (look at a Stratocaster or Telecaster) the nut sits in a slot with the fingerboard extending past it towards the headstock. On others, like most mandolins, the fingerboard just ends at the nut.

[Chinslip]

okay thanks. When this thing comes in, will I have to narrow and taper it to fit my neck?

[Dale Ludewig]

Yes, you'll have to fit it to your neck. And that nut slot has to be in a slightly different spot depending on whether or not you're using a zero fret or a nut. Why are you replacing the fingerboard on your instrument? Is it a mandolin?

[Chinslip]

Yes it's a mandolin that I'm building. thanks for your help. I really appreciate it.

http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/sh...r-carbon-fiber

[billhay4]

They're cut long on purpose to accommodate those who use zero frets. If you're not using a zero fret, you'll need to cut it off at the first slot. A zero fret setup doesn't use a nut, but a string spacer instead. The first (zero) fret is what the strings rest on. The spacer just holds them at the right spots across the fretboard. This has a lot of advantages in my opinion but is not common in American instruments.
But, before doing anything, measure the fret spacing carefully to make sure it's right for your scale length.
Bill

[carbonpiou]

One might think that it is simply an aesthetic choice.

In fact, it is mainly a problem of solidity. The top of the neck, just at the site of the nut is a place especially weakened by the abrupt stop of the fingerbord and the dug start of the head. Extending the fingerboard further than necessary and injecting the nut into a well-fitting slot greatly enhances this location.
There is however a limit, so that the strings do not touch this extension in their course inclined towards the tunings peds.
So, in summary to answer your question, I would say that this choice depends on the shape of the underside of the neck at the location of the nut and at the beginning of the head. If the neck already thickens there (very common on a mandolin) this configuration is not necessary ..

[Mandoplumb]

I read the thread title, turned around and looked behind me.

[Andy Miller]

They're cut long on purpose to accommodate those who use zero frets.

Bill, it may look that way, but in fact LMII does not make them that way. They locate that first slot so that the bridge edge of the slot is the "zero" point of the scale. If it were for a zero fret, the zero point would be in the center of that slot.

[Marty Jacobson]

To Andy's point above, if you are going to use a zero fret, you need to tell them. Otherwise, the end of the fretboard will be in the wrong place by about a half millimeter. When you receive the fretboard, it will have a sticker on it saying whether it's designed for use with a nut or use with a zero fret.