I bought a string height gauge like Spacey uses to check out the action on a used guitar I bought recently on ebay.
 
The tool made it easy for me understand how screwed up the nut on this guitar is.
 
It seems like someone tried to lower the action by filing on the nut like a mad man instead of using the truss rod adjustment.
 
I've got a chunk of bone and a truss rod wrench. I hope I don't find out that the truss rod is whacky, because there is a lot of relief in the neck :-)
 
I want to try it with the skinny strings I put on it. You can see that the guitar was prepared for a much beefier set of strings, so the nut needs to be replaced for many reasons.
 
I'm slowly working up the enthusiasm to do the job. I think the hard part will be getting the old nut out cleanly.
 
I took these photos and they show me what I had figured out by using the string height gauge, and playing the guitar. The B string is a LOT lower than all the rest.
 
Just babbling...
 

 

Mike that is absolutely without a doubt one of the worst nuts I've seen.
I can assure you that the person knew nothing about nuts.
 
Use a razor knife and scribe (very neatly) around the nut before trying to remove it.
Tape off the fretboard to first fret - wrap around neck to protect fretboard edge.
 
When you jar the nut trying to break loose any glue go easy. If the top of the nut breaks
at six and first sting (to the slots) no loss.
The idea is to break the bond with strong enough taps and soft enough it doesn't break
the wood.
 
You'll be directing the blow as if to slide the nut out so make sure you cut all the edges
so when it does it will lesson the chances of taking finish, neck and fretboard wood with it.
Any little wood it takes from the slot is not such a big deal.
 
And one more thing....one didn't need a gauge for that nut! Nothing about it is even close! LOL

 
:-)
 
Thank you for the tips about removing the nut. I admit that I'm a bit apprehensive about it.
 
I'm looking forward to getting this guitar playable, because it is one lively box that vibrates and projects with a hear me roar sort of attitude. It seems like it was played hard despite how bad it was set up.
 
I am procrastinating by cleaning up the work bench... and the dishes and the bathroom. :-)
 
 
best,
mike

Just hope the nut that did that didn't soak it with super glue.
 
I have mag lenses I wear so I can really get close when making
cuts like need to made on this. I'm not talking about an age thing either :)

 
The nut popped of pretty easy, and the truss rod still seems very effective.
 
Goodness, I feel a lot better now.
 
:-)
 
Time to grind some bone. Yuck. :-)
 
 

Cool.
 
I remember how tight I got when I had to remove the nut from the 57 Custom Shop.
Couldn't have driving in nail in my butt with a 10lb sledge hammer.