Albert Lee SSS - compensated nut removed?

[Junta]

Hey folks

I got a used Albert Lee SSS. The nut does not seem to be a compensated nut. Here it is next to my Cutlass:

Do you think someone replaced the compensated nut with a generic one?

Thank you very much for your help!

Cheers!

 

[Magic Jason]

Looks like it has been removed and replaced by an ivory, or whaterver material, nut

 

[Junta]

That's a bummer. I wonder why anyone would do that!

Hmm, I need to get this guitar checked thoroughly while I can still return it...

Thank you!

 

[xjbebop]

Depends on how old it is. They were producing the AL for a number of years before the compensated nuts became standard issue. I have a '96 AL with a standard nut...

 

[DrKev]

Compensated nuts became standard from 2006. But note that a compensated nut is thicker (front to back) than a non-compensated nut. If the non-compensated nut was a replacement of a compensated nut the slot in the neck that the nut sits in would be wider than the nut or obviously filled. That doesn't seem to be the case here and so I'd guess the Albert Lee here is a pre-2006 instrument.

Remember, while us EBMM fans love compensated nuts, 99.999% of all recorded guitar music was recorded with a standard non-compensated nut, and most of that was recorded without electronic tuners in the studio. It's OK. If the guitar sounds and plays well, it'll be great.

 

[Magic Jason]

If you had great deal and love the guitar, I'd just keep it as it is!

 

[Junta]

Thank you very much for the info folks.

So this guitar must be a rather old model. Nothing wrong with that, especially because the body, the paint is in excellent shape. I got it at a sale at a reasonable price, given its age.

I just showed it to an apprentice guitar tech, and his guess was that the nut is the original nut. He found a bit of a hump in the neck, but assured me that it could be fixed with an adjustment. I hope so.

After my frustration trying to buy a Made in Mexico Player series Telecaster, I was ready to step up to a US made Professional series guitar - and right at that moment I found this.

It is not a Telecaster, but close enough!

I suspect it will need a re-fret job. I hope that is not smth prohibitively expensive. I never got one done.

This guitar has one additional advantage: it is the same burst as my HH, so my wife will most likely never tell them apart!

Cheers!

 

[tbonesullivan]

Your tech will know if it's in need of a refret. in many cases only a fret dressing is needed to get everything good again.

 

[xjbebop]

Lovely neck on that!
Very similar to my '96 AL, which I converted to a Tele...
http://forums.ernieball.com/ernie-ball-music-man-guitars/64056-worlds-albert-lee-tele-style.html

 

[Junta]

Holy cow! That conversion you made is epic! What a joy it must be to experience Albert Lee playibility with Tele tones...

 

[John C]

Hi Junta,

Nice AL; nicely figured birdseye on the neck.

If you post the serial number in the sticky thread at the top of the page someone from EBMM Customer Service will give you the build date of the guitar. Here's a link to that thread:

http://forums.ernieball.com/ernie-ball-music-man-guitars/3830-serial-production-date-guitar.html

 

[V_S]

Congrats to a beautiful guítar.

This guitar has one additional advantage: it is the same burst as my HH, so my wife will most likely never tell them apart!

Ha ha... I have to keep that in mind when buying aother MM.

 

[Junta]

Thanks John C and V_S Cheers!

 

[Junta]

 

[Twang Banger]

I have an all original 2004 AL, and the nut is not compensated. This is normal.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[GWDavis28]

I see your a sunburst fan huh? Nice collection, 2 AL's and a Cutlass.

Have you added the images of the AL's to the AL thread?

Glenn |B)