DIY: Extension nut q's.

[zongeek]

Where do I get one/how do I make one?

Is this easy to do?

Any tips or tricks I should know before getting going?

Planing to do this for what will be a slide bass...

[grendle]

What exactly are you trying to do? Do you mean a scale extender like on a Factor bass?

[walterw]

all you need to do is pop the old one out and put a thin shim under it, like a layer or two of business card stock.

[T-Bird]

Hi.

What tuning, ie. do You require a flat or a radius plane?

Way back when I tried (and failed ) slide bass, I just took a nut blank and filed the nut slots so the top of the strings were on the same plane. Adjusted the bridge accordingly as well of course. That way there was a good contact without unnecessary pressure, and without rattles.

I'd say just shimming the existing nut most likely doesn't work well.

Regards
Sam

[walterw]

that assumes you always want to play all the strings at once, questionable for bass. the normal radius will let you play two strings at a time, even three if the action is a bit higher and you bear down a bit.

hell, the OP may need to do nothing more than loosen the truss rod a bit.

[T-Bird]

Hi.

Originally Posted by walterw

that assumes you always want to play all the strings at once, questionable for bass. the normal radius will let you play two strings at a time, even three if the action is a bit higher and you bear down a bit.

Hence the question about the tuning.

The way I radius the nut with standard gauge strings, playing slide would be impossible on A&D strings. If I wanted to, that is

I'd guess that for a bass slide instrument, something like 10" radius would work best. Can't probably do that with any regular bridge though.

Regards
Sam

[walterw]

you mean regular nut?

the bridge can be adjusted for whatever you want.

my own experiments with slide bass revealed that for me, as long as i used a heavy enough slide (like "big ol' craftsman socket" heavy), i could play a stock un-altered bass just fine with it, using the slide on single notes to sound a good bit like a fretless.

[zongeek]

Yea, I want to make the regular nut taller to lift the action high enough to play a slide on a bass without all the mucky muck.

If I do 2 strings, D and A

If I do 3 strings, low D and high D and A