Nuts a Broken Nut

The plastic string nut on my dad's 76 Fender Stratocaster broke. A small peace broke off and now the Low E string is hanging. Anyone got ideas on how to fix this like it was before? How would me and my dad go about fixing it?

If you mean the plastic piece at near the headstock on which all six strings rest, then it is quite easy to fix. If you have a guitar shop in the area, they'll have replacement nuts, or you can look into a graphite nut, which will reduce string breakage, keep the guitar from going out of tune, etc.

Graphtech home page.

Do you know how much it would cost to have it done comparison to how much to do on my own?

Originally posted by Koolen
Do you know how much it would cost to have it done comparison to how much to do on my own?

It won't cost much to get a tech to replace the nut, and do a proper setup while they're at it.

To do it yourself? There are a lot of subtle details involved that take time and experience to learn. The replacement part is about $10. Getting it installed and set up correctly is another matter altogether.

That reminds me of something. My dads guitar has a very poor responsive tapping. Could this be do to improper alinements and adjustment or the fact that the fingboard has a very curved radius. Would a setup do the trick.

Most Strats have a small-radius fretboard, and that never stopped anyone from tapping. It can cause strings to 'fret out' on really severe bends. Either problem can be addressed with an appropriate setup. Spend some time with your tech, discussing what you expect from your guitar. If they don't want to take the time, take your axe somewhere else. A setup is as individual as a pair of gloves, and it should fit you that well.