Bare with me here. Is an interchangeable nut a doable thing? Reason I'm asking is I've been messing around with lower tunings lately, and ideally would take the plunge and dedicate a guitar to it with fat strings and a nut cut for that bigger set. But what if I want to go back to standard on that guitar? Can I get a nut cut and just not glue it in, or lightly glue it in, so that I can swap between nuts?
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Interchangeable nut?
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Interchangeable nut?
Originally posted by crusty philtrumAnyone who *sings* at me through their teeth deserves to have a bus drive through their faceTags: None
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Conversely, nuts aren't meant to be interchangeable. That is not to say it can't be done. After all - string tension should hold the nut in place, even without adhesion. But it's a lot of work and possibly cash - so weigh those two items against the "ease" of changing string gauges, tunings, etc.
There is a 3rd consideration.... Does your guitar like having frequent string changes and tunings, and how do you feel about adjusting your truss rod on the regular?
Might be wiser to have another guitar for each tuning.Last edited by ICTGoober; 09-27-2021, 09:16 AM.aka Chris Pile, formerly of Six String Fever
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I once bought a MIM Fender and when I changed the bridge the nut fell our. I simply popped it right back in and restrung it when I was done. You could easily do it depending on what style nut you have.
The biggest obstacle in your way as far as I can see is does your neck have enough rigidity to facilitate a major change in string tension without truss rod adjustments?You will never understand How it feels to live your life With no meaning or control And with nowhere left to go You are amazed that they exist And they burn so bright
Whilst you can only wonder why
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When changing a nut, the slot needs to be cleaned so the surface is flat with no glue residue left from the previous nut. Otherwise the new nut won't sit flush and that'll just compound to other problems.
The LSR nut is a good option as long as you don't exceed the max string gauges.- Max string gauge per string - E .013, A .017, D .026, G .036, B .046, E .05
(from https://www.fender.com/en-US/parts/e...990812000.html)
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- Max string gauge per string - E .013, A .017, D .026, G .036, B .046, E .05
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Yes, the LSR certainly has a maximum size you don't want to go over. But I love that piece of hardware. Should be stock on many guitars.Administrator of the SDUGF
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Well, I dropped the tuning down from standard tuning to C# standard/Drop B on all 5 of my "main guitars" and two of them (a Squier Tele and a PRS SE) stayed snappy and awesome to play, held tune great, no truss rod or action adjustment needed even with the .10s that are on them. Could changing tuning like this damage these guitars long term?Last edited by alex1fly; 09-27-2021, 11:09 AM.Originally posted by crusty philtrumAnyone who *sings* at me through their teeth deserves to have a bus drive through their face
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I don't see why you couldn't have several different nuts made and use them interchangeably. Don't glue it in, just hold the nut in place with string pressure. There are plenty of jazz instruments that just hold the bridge in place with string pressure, don't see why it wouldn't work for the nut.Join me in the fight against muscular atrophy!
Originally posted by Douglas AdamsThis planet has - or rather had - a problem, which was this: most of the people living on it were unhappy for pretty much of the time. Many solutions were suggested for this problem, but most of these were largely concerned with the movements of small green pieces of paper, which is odd because on the whole it wasn't the small green pieces of paper that were unhappy.
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As nice as the concept sounds on paper, it is not the best step to take in the real world IMO. If you are remotely particular on your set ups doing what you are discussing just got you a part time job working on guitars...lol. Way too much trouble. Best to have multiple guitars if you wish to make major tuning and or string gauge changes.The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side.
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Originally posted by Little Pigbacon
This doesn't always work. On my Ibanez RG270DX there is enough sideways string tension to pull a Floyd nut off to the side if it isn't fastened down. I use a couple of top-mount screws.Join me in the fight against muscular atrophy!
Originally posted by Douglas AdamsThis planet has - or rather had - a problem, which was this: most of the people living on it were unhappy for pretty much of the time. Many solutions were suggested for this problem, but most of these were largely concerned with the movements of small green pieces of paper, which is odd because on the whole it wasn't the small green pieces of paper that were unhappy.
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Use a double sided tape to hold the nut in place when putting strings on, easy peasy. Then string pressure should hold it down.
aka Chris Pile, formerly of Six String Fever
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