Confusion about P-Bass nuts

[Colonel_Claypoo]

hey folks,

my p-bass needs a new string nut so i ordered one like this:



now when i compared it to the nut installed on my p-bass it looks lower and i'm confused if i can install the new nut.

it looks as if the strings would be way to low if i did that...

and also i don't know if i need a curved or straight nut?

so what's the deal?


thanks

[XylemBassGuitar]

Colonel_Claypoo,

To determine if you need a curved or straight nut, sight down the neck from the headstock to the bridge. If there is a slight curve from one side of the neck to the other (left to right, that is) you need a curved nut.

A vast majority of basses have a radius on their fretboards, so in all likelihood, you need a nut that is radiused (curved) on top where the strings will lay.

You'll also need to get a nut that is about the same height as the one you have currently. If the new nut is a lot lower than the old nut, you'll run into problems. You may get a nut that is slightly higher than your old nut, but you'll need to sand it down to the same height (while keeping the bottom of the nut very level). Try to get a nut that is the same height as your old nut.

Also, from the picture it appears that the nut you got doesn't have any slots cut into it for the strings.

If you aren't familiar with cutting nut slots, I would strongly recommend that you get a pre-slotted nut with slot sizes that match the string gauges that are on your bass.

Actually, if you aren't familiar with doing bass adjustments, setups and modifications, you might want to seriously consider taking the bass to a shop to have the nut installed properly.

Of course, if you are well-versed in bass modification/adjustment, pardon my assumption.

If you have any more questions, let me know. Good luck!

[notforrobots]

make your own get a chunk of cow femur from the pet store and cut away and file at it for a while thats what i always do

[Colonel_Claypoo]

thanks for the answers.

so i will see if i can get a higher nut, pre-slotted if possible.

any thoughts on material? i heard there is bone, graphite and graphtec plastic? what do you prefer?

thanks

edit: i couldn't manage to find a graphite or graphtec nut for my fender p-bass. they are either j-bass size or strat...

could somebody help me out please?

[XylemBassGuitar]

This is a matter of pure opinion, but...

I would go with bone or tusq. Graphite is really good if you have a trem on your bass (graphite nuts are self-lubricating). But, you probably don't need the graphite or graphtec plastic, bone or tusq will be just fine.

If you haven't checked them out yet, go to stewmac.com, they'll have a lot of different kinds of nuts.

[Colonel_Claypoo]

thanks!
i deceided that i still want a graptec nut because it's black and heard graphtec should sound warm. so i checked stewmac.com but they don't have a fitting one or material

it should like this:



if this is not available, how was this one made then?

thanks

[GlennW]

http://www.graphtech.com/products.html?SubCategoryID=58

[Colonel_Claypoo]

thank you very much but i still don't get it. am i calculating the wrong measurements or what?
my p-bass has a nut width of ~4.4cm or 1.7in and the measurements on the graphtec site don't fit these.

how can i make sure that this nut will fit?

sorry for being so stupid but thanks for your help!

[Funkdrawer4]

GC sells these preslotted nuts for basses,it was all of 88 cents.It was much larger all around than I needed but the slots were correct width .I took it home and used my bench grinder to sand it down to the correct thickness.Then kept taking alittle off the bottom till it fit.heck your only out 88 cents ,buy a couple 3 of them.plus a trip to gc.

[Colonel_Claypoo]

thanks!

i've found a graph tech tusq nut that has the correct measurements but that is not curved. now i think my nut is curved but i'm not completely sure.

can i curve it myself or is that too difficult to do?

thanks

[Rodent]

curved or flat nuts is a reference to the bottom shape of the nut slot - not the top shape of the physical nut. Fender (and several other companies) typically cut a non-flat bottom when they slot the fretboard due to their manufacturing methods

here's one example of a company radiusing a fretboard (sanding belt method) and then slotting the frets and nut (see tool right behind)



here's a nut pre-cut for a curved Fender style nut slot - notice the slight radius on the bottom of the nut



when installing a radiused bottom nut, you need to know the slot bottom radius. Stew-Mac sells nuts precut for both 10" and 7-1/4" radii

a flat bottom nut fits a slot that was cut with a different manufacturing method, or even possibly by hand. here's an image of what these look like



this nut is designed to sit tight against a flat bottomed nut slot


in either case, you're going to need to dress the top side of the nut after you have properly slotted it to fit and space your strings. you will need several small files, and a vise that has small enough jaws to allow you to work freely in fine detail.

be sure to buy a couple extra nuts - your first one usually doesn't turn out well, and you can then make corrections on your second (or third) one. unless you plan to renut several basses, it might just be less expensive to have a local tech do the job for you. not only will you get a job done right, but you won't have spent all of the $$ on tools/files/nut blanks only to learn you have a lot of practicing to do before you can make a playable nut ... and you pay the tech to make you a nut until such time as your skills are up to the task

all the best,

R

[Colonel_Claypoo]

great advice, thank you.
now i just have to get a proper nut blank.
i shot graphtec an email if they would custom cut one but i don't think so.
if not, i'll buy a few slabs and start looking for a local luthier.

thanks again