Sound production, nut and saddle.

Controlling sound is about understanding the interaction of strings and the body of the instrument.  What's in between? Bridge, saddle, nut and post.

The shape of the nut is particularly important.  The strings should sit halfway down into the nut grooves, these can be slightly wider then the string diameter at the peg box and exactly the string diameter at the fingerboard.  I like to have a slightly curved surface on the side of the nut, this follows the natural curvature of the fingerboard.  Sound adjustment is as much as moving the position of the sound post as it is about checking that the nut, saddle and bridge are of the correct shape and allow the strings to move freely.