West African Hard Ivory Replacement Nut

[Drunken Bowling]

So the nut on my PRS SE Bernie Marsden needs to be replaced. I'm thinking of getting a West African Hard ivory nut from Bob Colosi's website. I'm not sure I'm making the right decision though, as I didn't even know that nuts constructed from this material even existed until the day before yesterday. Would I be better off with bone?

 

[LReese]

Re: West African Hard Ivory Replacement Nut

I'd just have a bone nut made. A Tusq if you want a more modern material.

I had a bone saddle from Colosi made for my Martin - It came out 'better' than the saddle I had a luthier make for the guitar.

 

[Edgecrusher]

Re: West African Hard Ivory Replacement Nut

So the nut on my PRS SE Bernie Marsden needs to be replaced. I'm thinking of getting a West African Hard ivory nut from Bob Colosi's website. I'm not sure I'm making the right decision though, as I didn't even know that nuts constructed from this material even existed until the day before yesterday. Would I be better off with bone?

Meh... I couldnt do it... I know he says he gets his ivory legally from state sales and what not but the demand for ivory still drives the poaching... For my own peace of mine I would go bone but thats just me.

 

[BTMN]

Re: West African Hard Ivory Replacement Nut

The Tusq product is real good.

 

[CTN]

Re: West African Hard Ivory Replacement Nut

Tusq 4 lyfe.

Don't do ivory. Legal or not, elephants gotta die for that. With bone at least it doesn't have to be elephant. But with tusq, no death is involved

 

[Oinkus]

Re: West African Hard Ivory Replacement Nut

Tusq is a more uniform material , it has the same density throughout. I shy away from bone because it is one of those "that is how it was done in the old days" things and bone can have voids or more dense areas inside it. I use the Tusq XL nuts whenever I need one. Ivory is up to you and if you get one or don't it probably won't change the demand.

 

[Ayrton]

Re: West African Hard Ivory Replacement Nut

Tusq is a better choice than bone or ivory. Easy to get and work, more consistent than natural materials, and most importantly sounds good.

 

[Jeffrec]

Re: West African Hard Ivory Replacement Nut

Meh... I couldnt do it... I know he says he gets his ivory legally from state sales and what not but the demand for ivory still drives the poaching... For my own peace of mine I would go bone but thats just me.

+1

 

[wolf5150]

Re: West African Hard Ivory Replacement Nut

I've just had a nut made from Mammoth Ivory.

Absolutely fantastic and much better than bone, tonally.

It's an extinct species so no environmental concerns.

 

[Rick Turner]

Re: West African Hard Ivory Replacement Nut

As of June 23, 2014, any and all sales of anything with African elephant ivory is illegal. Antique...doesn't matter. New...doesn't matter. Already on a product...doesn't matter. Yes, there will be court cases. Go onto the "UMGF"...the Unofficial Martin Guitar Forum and search for posts on ivory by Chuck Erickson to get the full, and dismaying story.

So-called "fossilized" ivory may be OK. Bone is just fine.

 

[Drunken Bowling]

Re: West African Hard Ivory Replacement Nut

I have a Tusq on there now, but I have a feeling it's either the wrong size (please don't ask what size it is, I can't remember what size the rep from Graph Tech told me to buy and I didn't save the packaging) or wasn't cut properly. It also seems like it's beginning to separate from the headstock on the treble side. After reading everyone's opinions I'll more than likely get another Tusq. Thanks for the advice, everyone!

 

[CTN]

Re: West African Hard Ivory Replacement Nut

either measure the hell outta your guitar for determining what size, or get a tusq blank and get your local ace guitar tech to cut you a nut out of the blank.

 

[Drunken Bowling]

Re: West African Hard Ivory Replacement Nut

I'm really bad at measuring that stuff, so I think I'll get a blank.

 

[MikE2e]

West African Hard Ivory Replacement Nut

I mostly use bone, but Corian works well. It is a DuPont product, very similar to bone but no grain and some say better. They say avoid inhaling the cut powder because it contains a tiny quantity of poison.
Corian off cuts are cheap or free, used in kitchens I was told.

,I have a few small pieces of ivory bought in 80's but it cuts, looks and feels like bone a has the same sound when you tap it with steel, so I don't think it is different to bone for a nut.

 

[Silver]

Re: West African Hard Ivory Replacement Nut

I appreciate the efforts he has gone to in ensuring that the ivory he uses is legal and documented.

However, I don't trust the governments of countries like Liberia and Congo to have exportation strategies that aren't riddled with corruption or poorly enforced. Both countries have been ruined by civil war for the last 30 years or so and before that both could have been considered tyrannies. The Corruption Perceptions Index has both countries consistently near the bottom. It really wouldn't surprise me if poachers were able to kill elephants almost to extinction with little risk of getting caught, and then easily be able to export the material through corrupt channels.

As such, I wouldn't use it. Plenty of other good materials out there.