Nut material observations

[Lake Placid Blues]

I'm putting a new neck on an ash strat for somebody. I experimented with a few different nuts I had on hand to get a handle on what this guitar might need. It is a maple neck/rosewood fret board neck.

I first installed a bone nut I had fashioned several years ago. It sounded great. Nice bell like chime. Very vintage.

I then tried a graphite nut. I was surprised that there was a noticeable tone difference even on the fretted notes. The graphite nut was less lively but maybe smoother. This guitar is getting a bone nut. The trem stayed perfectly in tune with the bone nut, anyway, and I put it through some aerobatics.

It's not that the graphite made it sound bad-just different. So I wondered what it would do on another rather bright guitar with a bone nut . It helped tame the brites and warm it up a bit. So the right material for the application.

 

[ehdwuld]

Re: Nut material observations

Brass
Bone
Graphite (TusqXL)
PPS
Nylon
Polycarbonate

I think it's just preference

 

[Silence Kid]

Re: Nut material observations

I've given some practical thought to how a nut can affect the tone of fretted notes; my next step is experimentation. I suspect if there is an effect, it comes from the physical stretching of a plucked/vibrating string. The change in string length could change pressure upon the nut by a certain degree, even behind your finger; and the nut might absorb more or less of that force.

I have doubts as to how audible (to me) the differences could be between materials. That said, probably the deadest sounding guitar I own has a hollow plastic nut. I own other guitars with equally cheap bridges/saddles, supposedly identical body material, that don't sound nearly so dead. Plan on trying a nut swap to see what if any effect is exhibited.

 

[Darg1911]

Re: Nut material observations

.

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Nut material observations

I also noticed that the nut material influenced the tone of fretted notes. Nut materials that I've tried in order of my preference are: corian my fav, slabs of graph tech plastic or regular plastic pretty good, brass and micarta resonant but sound crazy, and bone and graphite I thought didn't resonate well.

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Nut material observations

What the hell is "practical thought"???

 

[Silence Kid]

Re: Nut material observations

Because this was the most rage-free nut material thread in years I figure I might as well bump it (Sorry in advance for ruining it, on that note.)

I bought a bone nut for the above-mentioned cheap Yamaha; I proceeded to make a bunch of shaping mistakes and ruin it, but not before removing the old plastic nut. I discovered the old hollow plastic nut was elevated on several strips of paper or light cardboard. I ordered a new bone nut, but in the meantime decided to reinstall the plastic.

I removed the paper and cleaned the plastic nut. I filled the old nut slots with sanded plastic dust/superglue, then re-filed the slots to the proper height- this eliminated the need for the paper supports. I cleaned the bottom of the nut and re-installed it; much more solid than before.

As a reminder, even with new strings the guitar was quiet and dull un-plugged with the previous paper-supported nut. It is now louder and brighter, even when fretted. Again I suspect the energy of the string stretching on a plucked note was absorbed by all that paper acting somewhat like a spring; almost in the way loose trem springs can absorb string energy and create an auto-vibrato when you strum or pluck vigorously.

I'm not saying this as anything definitive or implying you can hear a difference between brass and bone; but in this specific (extreme) instance it appears removing a lot of soft material from under the nut had a big influence on the sound of fretted notes.

What the hell is "practical thought"???

I don't know what I meant at the time, but from now on consider it as meaning the actions I took above.

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Nut material observations

^ I noticed that too.

Try a tusq slab for your next nut building attempts. Ez to find, not too expensive, sounds better than bone, and solid material unlike the hollow pre slotted ones.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/TUSQ-Nut-B...tAAAOSwTZ1XmA2n:sc:USPSFirstClass!87120!US!-1