Jazz V 24 brass nut or graphite - new bridge

[bksavage]

Hey friends. I just bought a Fender Jazz V 24 and the action is a little weird. It shipped in a box with no case so I'm sure it needs to be set up.
I'm going the adjust the neck to improve the alignment of the G, as per a post here on TB! The B-string however seems to have a lot of distance between the string and the the first fret, the relief is weird. It's already buzzing so I'm hesitant to file the nut. I'm planning to replace the bridge with a HipShot5 String TransTone, (the fender bridge is a bit chinsey) but I'd like to replace the nut as well. Maybe even install a zero fret. Any suggestions? I want a fast action without the buzzzz. PM if you have an instant insight

Thanks!

Billy

[Turnaround]

Originally Posted by bksavage

I'm planning to replace the bridge with a HipShot5 String TransTone, (the fender bridge is a bit chinsey) but I'd like to replace the nut as well. Maybe even install a zero fret.
Billy

If you want to put in a zero fret, you've got a quite a bit of work ahead of you. The zero fret will need to be placed where the nut now is. So you will need to remove the nut, fill in the nut slot and precisely cut the slot for a new fret. Then cut a new nut slot behind the zero fret. But the fall-away towards the headstock may inhibit relocating the nut further "north" so you may have to re-work the headstock. This will probably give you problems with string clearance between the end of the fingerboard and the tuner. And on and on ... you get the picture.

[Turnaround]

On closer examination of the photos, I have to wonder why you want to replace the bridge and the nut. That's a decent bridge on there, and though the nut may need a bit of adjustment, I don't see the need to replace it.

[John Wentzien]

I'd just invest in a good fret-level and nut-file adjustment..

[bksavage]

Thanks. I do notice a difference with a heavier bridge. The stock bridge is nice, but I like the mass of the Badass or Hipshot bridges. As far as the zero fret, I realize that's ridiculous. The main reason for the new top nut would be esthetic and tone. Although back in the day when I would customize my P-basses, my luthier would recommend the brass nut for top end and sustain. I might get a blank graphite and mess with the string spacing just a wee bit. The B and G are just a little closer to the edge than I'm comfortable with. I wonder if the spacing on the HipShot is any different than the Fender bridge. Anyway, this is what I LIVE for!

Cheers

[ByF]

Originally Posted by bksavage

I might get a blank graphite and mess with the string spacing just a wee bit.

I made a new nut for my Ibanez a while back, and used a Black Tusq blank, which contains Teflon. It's very nice to work with and shape, and takes a nice polish when you're done.

I have only worked with natural cow bone blanks before, and I like Tusq a lot better. Tusq is very uniform in density; cow bone can have soft spots and voids in it. That's probably okay for the cow, but not for me.

Ed