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I was an idiot. I decided to work on my guitar while sick with the flu and low on sleep. When installing a new nut, with zero forethought I decided to create a notch where there was none instead of gluing it in because it might look cooler or whatever. Worst of all I used a nail file, resulting in a non-level notch. I want to build it back up and just glue the nut in normally.

I fully accept that I am guilty of ruining my guitar.

I am scared of using epoxy and harsh/dangerous chemicals. I was going to use the Timbermate/Stew-Mac re-branded grain filler (ebony color) to fill the gap. In my mind I will create a "mold" by putting masking tape on the sides, and build the putty up till it's level with the original finish, then sand it down flat and apply a clearcoat (preferably an eco-friendly one).

What might go wrong here? I'm worried about not getting a good seal, resulting in moisture compromising my work down the road. Also, worried about the fact that it's under the nut - a critical contact point for tone.

PICS:
http://i.imgur.com/RNPthET.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/xvLpLbr.jpg

As you can probably see the notch gets gradually deeper toward the back of the nut. It's small, but it makes for an uneven surface for the nut, and the nut is a *hair* too low and the B and G strings buzz when open.

r/luthier on reddit suggested filing even lower/further and gluing in a piece of wood. I don't want to file any more neck material away. No more files, ever. They enable me to be stupid and ruin perfectly fine guitars.

I want to fill it somehow and use some very fine sandpaper on a block or something similar to return it to normal.

If the nut is too low, can you make a new nut to address both the gap and the needed height?.....sand paper, nut files and 1 hour and 'bob's your uncle'.....good luck and let us know your eventual solution......

Take it to a competent repair person and they will make you a new angled nut after making your mistake flat.

+1 for what Haans said.
Don't try to fix it yourself, you will only make it worse and possibly not repairable!
Find a competent repair person and get a proper nut fitted and installed.
C~

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Remember, there are no stupid questions, only stupid answers!

Well, I won't. You didn't ruin your guitar.

I will accept that you made a little mistake, but don't beat yourself up about it. It's only a minor cosmetic issue, really.

Now, you can take the nut out, and glue a little bit of wood on just the bottom of it, and spend a bunch of time very carefully shaping it to fit the uneven notch in the neck. Really, that isn't as much work as you might expect - and it's one way we approach fixing this kind of problem. Otherwise, you can level up the bottom of the notch and make a new nut to fit, remembering that it only needs to fit tightly at the ends, where you can see little gaps like the one you have now.

When you reinstall the nut, you can glue it solidly to the end of the fingerboard only, not at the bottom, so it can be removed easily for future work. As to any tonal "problem," well I'd say that's in the realm of theoretical, provided it's glued as I suggest.

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Cheers,

Frank Ford

FRETS.COM
HomeShopTech
FRETS.NET

I agree with Frank.
If the height on the nut groves are where you want them, take the nut and build up a bit of epoxy or CA on the base, in the void area. If you still have some room to play, sand it to fit the notch. If you can measure the angle, you could build a small sanding jig with an angle cut on a block so it would mimic the angle on the nut. IE, make a grove cut in a block that is greater than 90 degrees, to match the notch, to use for sanding. I had a bone saddle on an acoustic that just didn't fit as tight as it should. I used CA and built up one side of the saddle. Then sanded it square, and made it fit so that you can almost pick up the guitar by the saddle before it comes out of the groove in the bridge. Works great. Or you could build up the notch with epoxy, then run a square edge file across it so it is at 90 degrees. Either way will solve the issue, and the 90 degree filed notch is probably the better fix.

I would suggest that the tighter you can fit the nut to the notch, the better the transfer of vibration will be to the neck. Based on other people's stories about problems with loose shims here, whatever you do, make it solid.