Nut width?

[knucklehead G]

Should nuts be the same width as the neck, or slightly wider? I've seen a few Rick nuts poking out a bit.

Asking because I'm looking at putting a 1.771" Warwick nut on a 1.750" neck..

[Gort]

IMO, the nut should be flush with the neck and not overhang the edges or be too short.

[Chasarms]

Functionally, it doesn't matter. Aestethically, I think it looks best flush. Also, having it flush prevents it from catching on anything. It seems it would be more likely to chip, crack or even get dislodged if it extended beyond the FB.

[JTE]

I hate the way they feel when they hang over (another reason I disliked trying to sell new Fenders in the late '70s). But, a proper installation will include trimming the nut down to the correct size for a specific neck. There's always some slight variation in wood, so count on filing the sides down to fit along with cutting the slots to the correct depth and angles.

John

[Benjamin Strange]

It should be flush, and there should be a smooth transition from the fingerboard to the nut.

It doesn't surprise me that you've found a few Rick nuts that aren't up to par.

Why are you wanting to put a Warwick nut on a bass? A properly cut nut doesn't need adjustment.

[knucklehead G]

I've accepted I'll never be able to afford a CS Warwick so I'm trying to get the sound from a DIY bass down to the brass frets and nut.

[steve_rolfeca]

Sorry, I was trying to figure out if my nuts were as wide as my neck, and then I got distracted...

[knucklehead G]

Originally Posted by steve_rolfeca

Sorry, I was trying to figure out if my nuts were as wide as my neck, and then I got distracted...

This is why I shouldn't be on TB on my phone at work, I start laughing randomly at customers.

[Chasarms]

Originally Posted by steve_rolfeca

Sorry, I was trying to figure out if my nuts were as wide as my neck, and then I got distracted...

Now that's funny right there. I don't care who you are!!!

[Benjamin Strange]

Originally Posted by knucklehead G

I've accepted I'll never be able to afford a CS Warwick so I'm trying to get the sound from a DIY bass down to the brass frets and nut.

Ah - in this case, just have a brass nut made to fit your bass. You don't need a Just-A-Nut.

[steve_rolfeca]

Just out of curiousity, I have no experience with this whatsoever, but would brass frets contribute much if anything to the "Warwick sound"?

Also, brass is awful soft. Wondering if they're literally brass, or some sort of yellowish alloy?

[electracoyote]

Originally Posted by Benjamin Strange

It doesn't surprise me that you've found a few Rick nuts that aren't up to par.

It doesn't surprise me when I find a nut that's not up to par on any bass. All it takes is one lazy craftsman on any given bad day. I've seen it on almost every production line bass known to man.

[knucklehead G]

Originally Posted by steve_rolfeca

Just out of curiousity, I have no experience with this whatsoever, but would brass frets contribute much if anything to the "Warwick sound"?

Also, brass is awful soft. Wondering if they're literally brass, or some sort of yellowish alloy?

Warwick claims they are "bell brass," whatever that means. I've played a few Warwicks and liked the feel. You can tell the difference in stainless frets, so brass should be an important bit of the equation since it is one of the only things the string is actually touching. I haven't run into a bass I've liked as much as an old Corvette I had, but I couldn't stand playing it because of how bass-ackwards that body felt on the strap. If its not comfortable, I don't care how good it looks or sounds, I still won't want to use it.

Frets:
http://shop.warwick.de/product_info....6-pieces-.html



The JAN-I is brass, so I can always go that route. I was looking at the JAN-III, but either will work.

[Benjamin Strange]

Originally Posted by steve_rolfeca

Just out of curiousity, I have no experience with this whatsoever, but would brass frets contribute much if anything to the "Warwick sound"?

Well, all things being equal, I don't think that fret material makes much difference in sound - if it can be heard at all. Most who say that it makes a big difference are coming from the standpoint of having their instrument re-fretted with a different kind of wire - but, during a proper re-fret, much more gets changed than just the fretwire. Factory fret jobs are rarely done really well - the frets aren't glued in, the frets aren't seated properly, etc. When a fret is properly seated and glued in, it will tend to be stiffer and brighter, even when it's made out of the same material. Sure, the fret material may matter in some degree, but I'd bet that most people couldn't hear the difference.

In fact, Martin Guitars did a year long study on the tonal differences between fretwire types, and concluded that there's no significant difference in tone.

Feel, on the other hand, is definitely noticeable. Stainless steel feels much more slippery to my hands, and bell brass is a bit more grabby.

[knucklehead G]

Grabby, maybe that is why I liked them. At this point its been a few years but I still compare all basses I touch to that raw neck, brass frets and wenge board.