The Nut Question

[mesaphlin]

Hello everyone,

I would like to replace my bone nut with a new one but I don't know which brand to replace it with. I have seen TUSQ black nut somewhere on the net. Is that a good one? Anyone recommends that or something else? And also I have seen some luthier's websites that they use bronze or some kind of metal nut for their basses. Does it change anything radically on the sound?

Any comments and ideas are very welcomed...!!!

Thanks in advance.

[testing1two]

Is there something wrong with the bone nut you have? Tusq, bone, ivory, micarta, and even graphite are all pretty much the same in terms of tonality and durability so changing from one to another makes little to no perceivable difference. Brass changes things a touch but remember it only affects the open strings. There's no "best" material and it's far more important that the nut is cut and slotted properly regardless of the material used.

[Bobster]

Hi mesaphlin,

A bone nut is usually what people choose for the replacement when changing out the nut.

If the current nut is doing it's job, I vote for leaving it be.

All the best,

Bob

[mesaphlin]

thanks everyone...!!!

[Zooberwerx]

What's wrong with the existing bone nut? If overly-worn, cut improperly, etc, I'd say yes, replace it if a tweak is unlikely to solve the problem. If it just looks like hell but is 100% functional, a re-polish with some fine steel wool will make it look brand new.

Riis