the nut broke off my Thumb bass

drmckool · #1 07-05-2007, 10:42 PM

i am freaking out here i was changing my strings today on my Warwick thumb bolt-on and i realized the nut was completely broken off. this leads me to a few problems.

1. i have an audition, the biggest audition of my life on sunday and i need this bass ready to go. therefore 1st question with the nut basically just held on by the strings (crooked at that) will it still hold up for a 5 hour band practice?
2. is it fixable (i have e-mail warwick but they will not get back to me for at least 4 hours), what can i do to remedy this?
3. how much will fixing it cost? i have a limited amount of money and i'm saving up for a ric with that money
4. what will be the associated problems with the nut like this?
5. i'm having a nervous breakdown becasue the bass is my prized possesion and i need to be calmed down immediately

thanks for reading and if you cannot help with the first 3 at least try and help me with #5

Beavinator · #2 07-05-2007, 10:47 PM

As long os the nut itself isn't damaged, you can simply reapply it with just a little bit of glue. My nut fell off (that sounds so sick) while re-stringing the other day and I just about freaked out. Then I read a couple of talkbass articles and I was good to go. Soooo...add a dab of wood glue, and let it set for a while. Then put on your strings, and the string tension + glue ought to keep it tight.

On the otherhand, if the nut is somehow damaged, you probably need to have it replaced. You would simply order a new one, and then glue it in place like above (although it may need to be filed...)

Anyways...there are tons of other more experienced players here that can help you further, but hopefully this calms you down a bit...

PilbaraBass · #3 07-05-2007, 10:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beavinator

As long os the nut itself isn't damaged, you can simply reapply it with just a little bit of glue. My nut fell off (that sounds so sick) while re-stringing the other day and I just about freaked out. Then I read a couple of talkbass articles and I was good to go. Soooo...add a dab of wood glue, and let it set for a while. Then put on your strings, and the string tension + glue ought to keep it tight.

On the otherhand, if the nut is somehow damaged, you probably need to have it replaced. You would simply order a new one, and then glue it in place like above (although it may need to be filed...)

Anyways...there are tons of other more experienced players here that can help you further, but hopefully this calms you down a bit...

+1 on gluing it back on...

it's happened to me, it's a 5 minute repair

however,
if the nut is broken (fractured), in a pinch, you could try putting it back together with a dab of superglue until you can get a new one...
don't apply the superglue with the nut on the bass
allow the glue to dry before reattaching the nut with white glue and restringing

mellobud · #4 07-05-2007, 11:07 PM

A local guy near me gave my Fender jazz a new nut as the original was crap...I paid 30$ for the nut and a setup. Got the bass a weekend later (plays 300% better). If you push up the price a little, Im sure any local guy could get you a new one ASAP. Or you could make a new one using the old one as a guide....

drmckool · #5 07-05-2007, 11:08 PM

warwick nuts are actually different than other bass nuts and kind of float so glueing it back in is not an option when the "stabilizers" have completely broken off. this bass is not a fender or an EBMM it's a warwick and uses a special nut

PilbaraBass · #6 07-05-2007, 11:26 PM

quick....need photo!

drmckool · #7 07-05-2007, 11:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PilbaraBass

quick....need photo!

that's a rough pic of the problem

it's the just a nut 2 that's broken

PilbaraBass · #8 07-05-2007, 11:39 PM

is it a brass just-a-nut

or a graphite just-a-nut-2?

drmckool · #9 07-05-2007, 11:40 PM

graphite just a nut 2

atrapp · #10 07-05-2007, 11:46 PM

I'd post this at the Warwick forum

http://www.warwick.de/forum/phpBB2/i...383aae930eab03

someone there will know just how to help you

PilbaraBass · #11 07-05-2007, 11:49 PM

looks like a graphite just-a-nut2

take the string off....

apply some paste wax onto the wood (warwick wax will do)

CAREFUL! no wax on the nut! maybe mask off the nut to be safe...

superglue the bit back on and let it dry....

then restring...see if it holds up

you can buy replacement nuts for the warwicks, but I don't know if you can find one in Toronto before Sunday....start calling around first thing in the morning...

worst case, you'll have to borrow a bass...

drmckool · #12 07-05-2007, 11:53 PM

k the real question now is, is it safe to play becasue if not i'm going to have to rent another thumb for the audition. i will be ordering a just-a-nut 3 tommorow and will get my bass fixed ASAP but if i can still paly it in the mean time that would be awsome. everything is holding due to the string pressure the nut is just a little crooked (not affecting sound).

PilbaraBass · #13 07-06-2007, 12:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drmckool

k the real question now is, is it safe to play becasue if not i'm going to have to rent another thumb for the audition. i will be ordering a just-a-nut 3 tommorow and will get my bass fixed ASAP but if i can still paly it in the mean time that would be awsome. everything is holding due to the string pressure the nut is just a little crooked (not affecting sound).

get TWO just-a-nuts (one for the drawer, just-a-nut-in-case)

you'll have to make the call on the renting another thumb...I can't see or feel your bass from here...but if the nut's not going anywhere...

OshKoshJoash · #14 07-06-2007, 08:23 AM

it hurts to read your thread title.

stabbicus · #15 07-06-2007, 11:25 AM

The JAN II (Just A Nut 2) has been infamous for breaking like this. Mine is actually broken just as yours is. It's not an issue, and will not slip and fall off of your bass while you're playing it.

First off, do not glue anything. My suggestion to you is, take your strings off. Then, reposition the JAN II so it sits in the little holes where the adjustment screws sit. Finally, restring your bass starting with the D string, then follow up with the A, next the G, and finally your E. Do not tune the strings to their pitch until you get all of the strings on.

You can try to contact a Warwick dealer in your area. They should have new JAN III's in, and should ship you one free of charge. Dana B. Goods is an awesome Warwick dealer here in the states, with awesome customer support. Here's the information of the Warwick distributor in Canada:

Efkay Music
2165 46th Avenue
H8T2P1 LaChine, Quebec
001514/6338877
001514/6338872
aymeric@efkaymusic.com
www.efkaymusic.com

Hope this helps.

FF Petro · #16 07-06-2007, 02:07 PM

didn't Warwick start supplying (free of charge) the new, brass reissues of the JAN I to JAN II owners. I know I had read that somewhere.

JAN II are infamous for their instability. It's not a big problem and it's easily fixed.

I owned a 98 Thumb where the top half of the nut would come off the JAN II base. I would just lay it back on top of the base and let the string tension keep it there. So the only time it would come off was while changing strings.

There are many post here on TB about JAN II's falling apart, and if you notice, it's always during string changes.

double_stop2584 · #17 07-06-2007, 09:38 PM

I had the nut break on my Thumb BO too. The little part that holds it in place on the G-string side snapped right off.

To be honest, I played with it broken for almost a year, because I couldn't afford to do anything about it. It just meant being careful when changing strings.

Once I could, I took it to the shop and had them put a bone nut on in place of the broken JAN. I don't ever plan on selling the bass, and I gave the guy my preferences for set-up and string height, so now it suits me fine.

But I went through a year at college, playing in gigs and labs and classes, and the broken JAN didn't explode on me. The string tension holds it fine.