Change Nut when changing Strings?

[AuxOne]

Quick question. Do you change your nut when you switch between different string sets of wildly varying diameter, like steel to guts?

I'm about to get some guts and I realize I'll have to file the nut quite a lot to fit them which may make it difficult to go back to steel.

[rhino333]

If you're changing the guage to a much larger gauge and you might want to revert back to the original gauge, I'd recommend put on a new nut that's cut to the size of the new string set.

Keep the old nut so you can "swap it" if/when you want to. The type of string (steel or gut) will matter in tone only. If there similar gauges, you wouldn't need to put on a new nut.

I've done a number of "nut jobs" (no pun intended) for size and sound reasons and always found it worth my time, but I do all my own work including cutting the nut, shaping it and slotting it. You can buy precut nuts and do the replacement yourself with the right tools and info.

[Gearhead43]

Hey Rhino - where does one procure a "pre cut" nut for a double bass?