Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: Bradock PI on April 07, 2009, 09:19:09 PM
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What Nut do you use and why?
Was it origional or did you change it?
Do you use the same in all your guitars?
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Most of my guitars are floating trems, so locking nuts.
And they're usually the Ibanez factory ones or an OFR one.
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I had a plastic one changed for a bone nut, I felt the plastic killed the vibration, whereas with the bone it rings true. More percussive almost.
Then I have an early 80s Gibson, I am not sure if its bone or corian, but I like it the most
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I've got an Earvana nut on my main guitar. I only really changed it because one of the slots was cut too low on the stock nut & I was getting some string buzz. I'm glad I've changed it though. It sounds better & improved the intonation a canny bit.
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All of mine have the stock nuts, corian, plastic, bone, graphite or whatever they came with.
If they needed replacing I'd probably go with Tusq, but I'd get advice from our luthier friends. It's one job I've always been reluctant to try myself - I think I could fit the new nut OK, but I worry about making a mess of removing the old one.
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I like dense bone, graph tech, tusq, slipstone, decent locking nuts and Earvana
I stock and fit all the above
On my own guitars if they aren't Floyd Rose locknuts then they are all Earvana
( I am a total convert- love them)
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Graphtech by default, but trying an earvana on the next legra
Oh, the why is they give the best toane. Strong, broad frequncy vibration transmission. And, of course, less string sticking.
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I like dense bone, graph tech, tusq, slipstone, decent locking nuts and Earvana
I stock and fit all the above
On my own guitars if they aren't Floyd Rose locknuts then they are all Earvana
( I am a total convert- love them)
couldn't you put a locking nut behind an earvana so you've got best of both worlds?
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Yes - you could put the locknut behind an earvana - would be a bit like the old Kahler system
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i have a thing for unbleached bone at the moment.... once you get past the smell its a great nut material. quite happy with delrin, graphtech or tusq as alternatives and i think we are in a situation now where less factories are using cheap soft plastic
absolutely hate cheap plastic
i do the drop test on my kitchen worktops. if it clangs or rings when i drop it then it gets used, if it thuds it doesnt
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I couldn't give a rats ass as long as it's cut well and lets the string move through it without sticking.
Fret a note and it goes out of the equation anyway... so, who's going to argue that the magical tonal properties of bone or whatever extend past a fretted note? I know someone will :lol:
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I couldn't give a rats ass as long as it's cut well and lets the string move through it without sticking.
Fret a note and it goes out of the equation anyway... so, who's going to argue that the magical tonal properties of bone or whatever extend past a fretted note? I know someone will :lol:
I agree by 100%. Never noticed enough of a difference to matter.
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so, who's going to argue that the magical tonal properties of bone or whatever extend past a fretted note? I know someone will :lol:
no lew... you are spot on - but how many open notes are there in the average piece of music you play? ;)
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Almost all mine are stock nuts, except for a Tusq on my Epiphone SG and a Graphtec on my Squier Strat.
The Strat is a project guitar, so I did it as an experiment. The Epi SG is heavily pimped for gigging, and I changed the nut to ensure tuning stability.
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For something that I buy then stock nut. The time and money spent changing it would be better of spent on part of a lesson (for me anyway) rather than increasing sustain by a tenth of a second.
For something I build - anything that I haven't used before (I like to experiment :D)
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I tend to use Tusq or bone on anything that I am putting together myself. If I have bought it, then unless it is a really cheap nut I will leave it alone. If I do change an existing nut it wll be for a Tusq nut usually. I do have a couple of guitars with Graphtec black nuts and one with the Earvana nut, and one with an old brass nut (there was a craze for brass nuts in the late 70's- early 80's).
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so, who's going to argue that the magical tonal properties of bone or whatever extend past a fretted note? I know someone will :lol:
no lew... you are spot on - but how many open notes are there in the average piece of music you play? ;)
I use a capo on the first fret for everything :lol:
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so, who's going to argue that the magical tonal properties of bone or whatever extend past a fretted note? I know someone will :lol:
no lew... you are spot on - but how many open notes are there in the average piece of music you play? ;)
I use a capo on the first fret for everything :lol:
What's it made of?
:roll:
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shall we talk zero frets - that can split a crowd!!
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so, who's going to argue that the magical tonal properties of bone or whatever extend past a fretted note? I know someone will :lol:
no lew... you are spot on - but how many open notes are there in the average piece of music you play? ;)
I use a capo on the first fret for everything :lol:
What's it made of?
:roll:
200 million year old T-Rex bone, blessed by celtic druids
Check your inbox Wez 8)
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so, who's going to argue that the magical tonal properties of bone or whatever extend past a fretted note? I know someone will :lol:
no lew... you are spot on - but how many open notes are there in the average piece of music you play? ;)
I use a capo on the first fret for everything :lol:
What's it made of?
:roll:
200 million year old T-Rex bone, blessed by celtic druids
Check your inbox Wez 8)
LIAR!
There we no t-rexes 200 million years ago.
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cr@p... I got ripped off :shock:
8)
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You got cr@ppy allosaurus bone!
HA HA!
It doesnt have the low end transmision of genuine T-Rex.
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I had to wiki allosaurus ;P
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shall we talk zero frets - that can split a crowd!!
+1 for that.
Tried a guitar with a zero fret. Too short to notice any sound difference.
Anyway, currently all my guitars still have the stock nut. I do prefer bone.
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I do prefer bone.
Why? :)
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I had a plastic one changed for a bone nut, I felt the plastic killed the vibration, whereas with the bone it rings true. More percussive almost.
Then I have an early 80s Gibson, I am not sure if its bone or corian, but I like it the most
Addint on to previous post. I think this is TF's terms, but the corian seems to have more note bloom whereas bone just rings out (I hope that makes my explanation clearer)
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With respect Will, you didn't hear any of that due to a material change.
I'm not saying you didn't hear a difference - perhaps the new nuts were cut better/different the second time.
But if you think you're hearing a tone difference in fretted notes due to material it's in your head.
You know what Corian is yea? It's fancy plastic and by your own definition it should have 'killed the vibration' but you say it has more 'bloom' than bone.
Unless your saying that you heard all of that in the open notes?
Edit: Re-read what I wrote and I don't mean to sound like a c--khandle... 8)
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Oh, no! I am on about open strings only, I fully agree with you about the frets and all that. I rarely play the one with bone open anyway, its metal chugging only really.
about corian, well Vs cheap Korean plastic I like it. I'm not sure it is corian anyway, its a complete guess.
I think you are looking at it in the wrong way if you are generalising all plastics tonal attributes.
This thread has really gone downhill since I looked yesterday. I thought it was quite interesting and put a bit of thought into it while at work :lol:
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Oh, no! I am on about open strings only, I fully agree with you about the frets and all that. I rarely play the one with bone open anyway, its metal chugging only really.
about corian, well Vs cheap Korean plastic I like it. I'm not sure it is corian anyway, its a complete guess.
I think you are looking at it in the wrong way if you are generalising all plastics tonal attributes.
This thread has really gone downhill since I looked yesterday. I thought it was quite interesting and put a bit of thought into it while at work :lol:
Then I was out of order! Sorry :( !
8)
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Some aspects of having a bone or tusq etc nut replacement will improve the guitar perhaps because they are a better cut nut but I am also sure that the nut strongly influences tone during bends (from listening to guitar playing friends not my own!! Couldn't do that to save me life atm) as it effects the way the string moves.
/Debate
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Some aspects of having a bone or tusq etc nut replacement will improve the guitar perhaps because they are a better cut nut but I am also sure that the nut strongly influences tone during bends (from listening to guitar playing friends not my own!! Couldn't do that to save me life atm) as it effects the way the string moves.
/Debate
:lol: :lol:
Have you read the replies so far? 8)
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What Nut do you use and why?
Was it origional or did you change it?
Do you use the same in all your guitars?
1) Both the left and the right. Use them because they like it.
2) Both originals :lol:
3) Ahem..
Ok, seriously :D I haven't done a direct comparison, but a well cut bone nut or a graph tech nut (or similar material) both sound great. I have never had a brass nut (would like to try a guitar with one! like an Yngwie strat)..and I hate the plastic ones.
-Zaned
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Some aspects of having a bone or tusq etc nut replacement will improve the guitar perhaps because they are a better cut nut but I am also sure that the nut strongly influences tone during bends (from listening to guitar playing friends not my own!! Couldn't do that to save me life atm) as it effects the way the string moves.
/Debate
:lol: :lol:
Have you read the replies so far? 8)
Sounds like a good place to start...
Debate? :? :lol: :lol:
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People were talking about open strings - no debate there - but also as to if it made a difference on fretted notes - static fretted notes it does not but it does make a difference when going for bends etc. No one had discussed much of that so far.
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People were talking about open strings - no debate there - but also as to if it made a difference on fretted notes - static fretted notes it does not but it does make a difference when going for bends etc. No one had discussed much of that so far.
Oh right, I see!
No it doesn't affect it, it's in your head.
End of debate.
8) 8) 8)
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Well of course it doesnt effect it for you you always have a cappo on !
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I was being sarcastic, I really don't have a capo made from dinosaur bone and blessed by celtic druids.
... and you kinda just proved the point anyway! If your saying a capo would stop the nuts tonal properties from reaching past the fret then so would fretting with your finger 0_o
8)
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I was trying to make the point that when you bend the string ie move your finger the nut will have some influence as you are moving the string between the two riding points and as far as I can recall I have never seen a capo that can bend a note but mebbe dinosaur bone ones can!!
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There's no difference if your bending or just fretting as far as the nut's concerned, how could there be?
If any builder wants to explain otherwise to me then I'm up for learning, if you look earlier Wez agrees with me but maybe Bob and Jonathan don't? :D
Anyway I think we've exhausted this so untill then... and in Dragons Den style, I'm out 8)
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Lew, you're having way too much fun lol.
Keep feeing dem trollz.
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Bah, he's not a troll! He's just eager 8)
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When you bend a note your finger is driving the string to stretch and a part travels through the nut the other across the bridge as you now have elongated the string between its two fixed mounting points. More importantly when you relax the elastic properties of the string pull it back across the nut the way it behaves there can influence the sound.
But since you signed off Lew you won't be able to reply :(
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You're meant to deny Nooodle calling you a troll :lol: ...
I don't know what to say really without coming across as rude, having played for 15 years I'm quite aware of what string bending does, thanks. And although I'm certainly no tech I've installed Bone, Tusq, Graphtec and even an Earvana nut in several partcasters that I've put together for fun.
Once the string's fretted, it's fretted and doesn't matter if you bend it, bang it, bong it or fry an egg on it.
If you can find someone with actual experience playing guitar or a builder (lot's of both here on the forum) to educate me with facts telling me otherwise then I'll be more than willing to learn 8)
Please explain what you mean when you say 'elastic properties of the string' and 'the way it behaves there can influence the sound' in detail because I don't think you can. Quite frankly I don't think you have a clue what your talking about :D
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I was calling you a troll Lew :p
I think what Bradock's saying is that when you bend the string - You're stretching it.
When you stretch the string, the stretching is distributed across the length of the string.
If the nut grips the string, then it won't stretch uniformally - Which'll have an effect, not neccesarily a negative effect I'd imagine, but hell, a nut is meant to be be perfectly transparent, and allow the motion of the string to be unhindered.
If the nut grips the string, then everytime you move the string through it (everytime you bend the string, stretching it and then unstretching it) it won't neccesarily return to its former position, and thus will reduce tuning stability.
Ofcouse, stretching and unstretching strings has its own tuning problems, but that's to do with the properties of the string, not the nut, and adding more complications again - doesn't help.
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Thanks noodle I think I do need physics turned it to terms a guitarist understands.
If I had to give a parady there are many sports where the player can use the physics of the situation to make something happen and they have know idea how and there are many physicists who understand why the snooker ball does what it does, or the football curls or the golfball travels further but they couldn't play the shot, curl the ball or even hit the golfball. Analysis of the physics of a situation can improve the way people play by helping them further understand the effects.
The post was intended for people just to list the wheres and whys of the nuts they chose for information I am sorry we got into this debate as I am sure the effect is small in most cases and the nut I think can only be bad or good and some materials may be better for open strings but for all the other stuff it will be a combination of cut and material making a bad nut.
So Lew I am guessing that for the same reason the footballer can curl the ball you and all other experienced players would just not pick out that instrument as you would not like it when you played it so you would never own one where it made a difference.
Get out of that one !!!
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I would if I understood what you're trying to say.
I haven't always played high end guitars though if that's what you mean? It's only been the last 5 years or so that I've been playing guitars over the 1k mark even. I've had to curve my balls around plenty of poor nuts...? 0_o
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am i a bit late?
anyway i have changed nuts just on two guitars... one because it was a cheap looking and feeling piece of plastic, the other because i blocked the trem and got rid of that useless locking nut, so my luthier used a graphite one...
i've got an earvana on my LTD EC1000, and i can say that it doesn't wonders. the 3rd string goes quite easily out of tune, even if i've got locking sperzels... i'm not sure if it should be supposed to keep intonation better than other nuts. if yes it's a failure!
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I just had the nut replaced on my epiphone and a full fret dress and setup and it's a lot nicer to play. I was gonna have tusq or bone but ended up with slipstone which my luthier told me is at least as good and better for bending. Stewmac seems to have discontinued slipstone.
I think the biggest difference is probably having a luthier do the nut and not just a standard robot cut nut and also perhaps the cheap nuts plastics not so good. Between the better nut materials I would guess there is not much of a margin as each can probably point to a major manufacturer using their product for premium instruments.