Interchangeable nut?

[alex1fly]

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?

 

[Chris Pile]

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.

 

[Benjy_26]

LSR Roller Nut to the rescue...

 

[Chistopher]

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?

 

[ErikH]

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/...ng-guides-nuts/lsr-roller-nut/0990812000.html)

And as mentioned, don't forget to take in to account the string tension and how it will affect the neck. It will need adjustment each time.

 

[Mincer]

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.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Any nut that maxes out at .050” is pretty worthless for lower tunings.

I’ve gone back and forth between 11-56 and 9-46 on the same guitar, no issues.

 

[alex1fly]

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?

 

[GuitarStv]

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.

 

[Bogner]

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.

 

[Obsessive Compulsive]

^ You have a Floyd whose slots cut in different size to fit particular string gauge?

 

[Obsessive Compulsive]

Use a double sided tape to hold the nut in place when putting strings on, easy peasy. Then string pressure should hold it down.

 

[ErikH]

You don’t need different Floyd Rose nuts for different string gauges.

 

[GuitarStv]

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.

Yeah, I'd expect that a floyded nut would have to be screwed firmly down to avoid slipping from the slackening and tightening of the strings. I was talking about a regular hardtail guitar, where swapping the nut would be no big deal.

 

[Chris Pile]

Use a double sided tape to hold the nut in place when putting strings on, easy peasy. Then string pressure should hold it down.

Of course, the added thickness will require that the nut slots be cut the same amount deeper in order to maintain the same low action and ability to intonate.

 

[Obsessive Compulsive]

^Indeed, the nut would need to be cut with a laser to accommodate a paper-thin tape.

 

[Chris Pile]

^Indeed, the nut would need to be cut with a laser to accommodate a paper-thin tape.

Nope.
Double stick tape is about .005 thick - and believe me, good players can tell the difference.
Also - no laser needed. I use razor saws and a bevy of files to set action down to a gnats hindquarters.

 

[GuitarDoc]

I actually agree with everyone...while it IS possible to frequently replace nuts with no ill effects on the guitar, it is quite a bother and a lot of work getting everything adjusted properly (truss rod, action, etc). And are you going to do this between songs when you want to change tunings?

It just doesn't make any sense. I actually agree with Goober (post #3). A dedicated guitar for the lower tunings with fatter strings is by far the best way to go.