action ?

have it pro set up, it will cost about £70, but it will play much better and you will actually want to play the guitar, if it has a niggling problem then you wont want to play it, never heard of a piece of paper under the string at the nut end, and i would doubt it would make enough difference if the string is touching the fret as the vibrations of the string effected would still buzz against it when they are played let alone making a chord. The truss road would need adjusting and the bridge adjusting but if you dont know what you are doing you will screw the intonation up, so it will be possible to tune the guitar normally but at the 12th fret it will be out of tune - therefore making it impossible to play in perfect tune. If you have the necessary allen keys and feeler gauges then the set up info is available on the guitar manufacturers websites, but i stress take it to a pro unless you are confident, and when adjusting the truss rod do it a qtr turn at a time.

J
November 2009

If you still have the issue, try loosening the string. And put a small piece of paper under the string at the nut. Retune the afected string. If it does work and you can live with it, there ya go. Or take it to a pro and ask what they think. It never hurts to have the guitar set up by a pro. Especially in the earlier stages of playing. I've played over 25 years. My advice, take it to some one who knows what they are doing.

JoeMama
October 2009

Lots of good stuff here...

http://www.fretnotguitarrepair.com/Electric_Guitar_SetUp.htm

I'm no expert but I have made just one guitar from a kit (I don't play) but changing the nut is a bigger job than adjusting the truss-rod. Try small adjustments to the rod first - quarter turn at a time and record your adjustments so you can get back to the starting position if you need to.

If that doesn't work then go for the nut.

Good luck...

Peccavi
July 2009