Changing the nut - really worth it?

[Alex]

I have four guitars and I must say I'm very lucky, because every nut seems well-cut and adjusted. However, two of my guitars, the LTD baritone and the Gibson Voodoo LesPaul feature what seems to me to be simple plastic nuts. The other two have bone nuts.

I once heard that having a new nut fitted is rather cheap and can have a profound effect on sound and feel. Is that true? I'm not expecting any improvement in playability, but as a baritone the LTD could always need more tonal definition (bone nut?) and the Voodoo, being swampash+ebony fretboard, could do with a bit more sustain (Graphtech Tusq?).

Also, would Jaydee Custom Guitars be a place to ask about this in Birmingham? Or is there any other recommended luthier/guitar repair store in Birmingham?

[gwEm]

Jonathan Feline once fitted a Tusq nut replacing the plastic one on my Epiphone V. It was a relatively cheap change for sure, and I could hear some extra top-end zing.

[DoomBuggi]

I would definitely change the nut.  I have always preferred bone, but there is other options that are good as well.  It will sound better, and you will have a more accurate sting height for intonation (if the person that does it knows what they are doing).

[Philly Q]

I've never had a replacement nut fitted, the stock ones seem decent enough on most of my guitars.  I usually file them a bit to take off the sharp edges, but generally don't mess with the actual slots, although I have got a set of StewMac nut files.

I do have a PRS SE with a nut which seems to be made of some horrible semi-soft plastic - I bought a Graph Tech nut for that but never got round to fitting it (and I was scared of chipping the paint removing the old one).

If you do get new ones fitted, you could consider Earvana nuts (as supplied by Feline), maybe?

[darkbluemurder]

To my ears the nut affects the open strings most. I consider the nut a functional part first and foremost which must not get in the way, i.e. if the string spacing is correct, if its height is correct and if it does not bind the string after bends or hard attacks - fine with me.

Cheers Stephan

[Elliot]

My vote is for a Earvana all the time - it really has lifted most of my guitars...

[FELINEGUITARS]

My vote is for a Earvana all the time - it really has lifted most of my guitars...

The Earvana really helps with a baritone guitar IMO
We did some guitars for Esoterica with good results.
ESP used Earvana on many of their guitars as it is ....

[Philly Q]

ESP used Earvana on many of their guitars as it is ....

And I see Ernie Ball/Music Man are using them now too - or at least their version of the same thing.

[Kiichi]

Mhh those earvana things look interresing...and your testemonys also help. Shame they donīt do 7 string versions too.
But for my accoustic (and one of my electrics) this might be really cool. Can I just get the accoustic set (measured to fit of course) and drop them in, getting the rigth intonation and all (I got an Ibanez Joe Satriani signature accoustic, the cheap one)?

[FELINEGUITARS]

Mhh those earvana things look interresing...and your testemonys also help. Shame they donīt do 7 string versions too.
But for my accoustic (and one of my electrics) this might be really cool. Can I just get the accoustic set (measured to fit of course) and drop them in, getting the rigth intonation and all (I got an Ibanez Joe Satriani signature accoustic, the cheap one)?

They do a 7 string version - we keep it in stock (although temporarily out of stock)
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Earvana-Shelf-Nut-7-STRING-ESP-LTD-etc-48mm-/370521180357?pt=UK_Guitar_Accessories&var=&hash=item9503af4f9d#ht_2065wt_1176

ESP used Earvana on many of their guitars as it is ....

And I see Ernie Ball/Music Man are using them now too - or at least their version of the same thing.

Yes - they adapted the earvana design and issued their own patent and have sued Earvana to put them out of business , so they can keep it for themselves. They won the first (albeit delayed) trial but it is in the appeals court now.
It's all very ugly!

[Philly Q]

ESP used Earvana on many of their guitars as it is ....

And I see Ernie Ball/Music Man are using them now too - or at least their version of the same thing.

Yes - they adapted the earvana design and issued their own patent and have sued Earvana to put them out of business , so they can keep it for themselves. They won the first (albeit delayed) trial but it is in the appeals court now.
It's all very ugly!

I didn't realise that - surely Earvana were there first?  Seems like bigger-company bully tactics to me!

[Nadz1lla]

Yeah I thought Earvana would have the copyright on the design, sounds like Musicman just being d1cks to me. That's a real shame. It puts me off buying any of their products in the future, that's for sure. :?

[HTH AMPS]

Sounds weird, you'd think Earvana would have a clear cut case of prior art, but then when it comes to law it gets very ugly very quickly.

[darkbluemurder]

My vote is for a Earvana all the time - it really has lifted most of my guitars...

Earvana is good - unless you also play with a capo. I used a Tele with an Earvana in the country rock band which sounded absolutely fine - except for those two songs where I needed to use a capo at the first fret which through the tuning completely out the window. The guitar has a standard nut again.

Cheers Stephan

[Philly Q]

My vote is for a Earvana all the time - it really has lifted most of my guitars...

Earvana is good - unless you also play with a capo. I used a Tele with an Earvana in the country rock band which sounded absolutely fine - except for those two songs where I needed to use a capo at the first fret which through the tuning completely out the window. The guitar has a standard nut again.

Yeah, I've wondered about that... and surely as soon as you even play a barre chord the compensation provided by the Earvana is "behind" your hand - dead string - so you're losing the benefit?

I also wonder how well it works with PRS guitars or LP Juniors where there's very little scope for intonation adjustment at the bridge - presumably it would throw the tuning further out?

Apologies if I'm being thick....