So a quick question about replacing a nut.

Rocheforte · #1 12-04-2010, 01:23 PM

I busted the nut with my G string (lol) on my Jazz and went to a local music store to see what it would cost to replace. One of the main guys there ballparked that to replace the nut with a bone nut and have it radiused would be about $60. I thought that seemed a bit high, so I thought I should ask you guys who I'm sure have far more experience with these things than I do. So is it worth the $60 or could I buy one that was already pre cut and radiused to install and be more cost effective? Thanks in advance!

mowburger · #2 12-04-2010, 01:46 PM

that's about right for a pro job, even a replacement nut from Fender might need fine tuning to play well, I've been qouted as low as $40 but thats about the cheapest I've found to have it done. you could always buy a pre-cut for <10 nbucks and a file for 5-7 and have a go at it. who knows you might have a nack for it. I suck at it

Benjamin Strange · #3 12-04-2010, 07:09 PM

Pre-cut nuts are NEVER right. Pay a pro to do it properly. Depending on your area, $60-$90 is reasonable.

walterw · #4 12-04-2010, 07:12 PM

real bone will be an improvement; think of it less as a "fix" than an "upgrade".

Rocheforte · #5 12-05-2010, 01:02 AM

Yeah, with the way it snapped off, I assumed the original was plastic, so I would definitely like to put bone on this time around. I live in a college town, and since there really isn't another music store within 100 miles of here, $60 is about as reasonable as it would get.

pandathe3 · #6 12-05-2010, 03:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rocheforte

Yeah, with the way it snapped off, I assumed the original was plastic, so I would definitely like to put bone on this time around. I live in a college town, and since there really isn't another music store within 100 miles of here, $60 is about as reasonable as it would get.

Check GraphTech out they produce some great quality replacement nuts which vary in size. They do have a measurment guide so if you get it right you can so it yourself easy enough. Would cost $10 for the nut.

Slowgypsy · #7 12-05-2010, 07:20 AM

Just curious... how did the offending "cracked nut" happen? Did it get knocked against something, or did you try to put slightly larger gauge strings in the slot, or something else?

Rocheforte · #8 12-05-2010, 11:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slowgypsy

Just curious... how did the offending "cracked nut" happen? Did it get knocked against something, or did you try to put slightly larger gauge strings in the slot, or something else?

I had changed to flats a few weeks earlier, but they were a smaller gauge than the previous ones, so I don't think that was the issue. I was just practicing with some RHCP and next thing I know there's a loud crack I hear and my g string is lying on the side of my neck.

OldBluesGuy · #9 12-06-2010, 11:18 AM

$60 seems very reasonable for a new bone nut. I've just starting making nuts, and there's a fair bit of work and a fair investment in tools if you're going to do it right. I wouldn't recommend the DIY route unless you're going to do several nuts. I do highly recommend it if you're into DIY on your instruments.

Stew-Mac is now selling pre-radiused bone nuts and I think they're cut closer to actual spec than a blank, but you'll need to look into that. I've been working with blanks and those require a lot of material removal. NOTE: bone dust is not something you should be breathing, so make sure you get a decent mask/respirator.

Stew-Mac also sells GraphTech Tusq nuts pre-radiused and pre-slotted. These still need to be sanded/filed to actual height and width specs for your bass. I've used these and they're fine for a quick replacement job, but I prefer bone to Tusq.

YMMV of course.

obg

Gopher Bob · #10 12-07-2010, 07:13 PM

I second the graph tech nuts. Love them. Only tried the black tusq personally but the white ones are harder and would be a great synthetic bone replacement. You can get most of them for about 10$.

Also.. and this was a long time ago a small music shop charged about $30 to put a new nut on my peavey guitar and cut the slots. But honestly the "job" wasn't that great and I probably could have done a better job myself with a precut nut and some sand paper and a razor blade.

Eric Moesle · #11 12-08-2010, 02:06 PM

And keep in mind: pre-cut and slotted nuts STILL need to be filed to exactly fit your setup. They cut a lot of work out by getting you close, but you won't have great action without perfecting the slots. And proper file sets are expensive.

elskeetro · #12 12-08-2010, 02:14 PM

the exact same thing happened to me when i first bought my EBMM Sterling.

I called them and explained what happened...They said it was too much to ship for them to fix it, so i'd have to take it to a local shop. They sent me a new blank nut, a few packs of strings and a couple shirts to cover the cost of my out of pocket repair. I ended up having a brass nut put on.

was around $60 if i remember correctly.

Skeet.

Rocheforte · #13 12-08-2010, 02:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eric Moesle

And keep in mind: pre-cut and slotted nuts STILL need to be filed to exactly fit your setup. They cut a lot of work out by getting you close, but you won't have great action without perfecting the slots. And proper file sets are expensive.

That's mostly why I was leaning towards letting a professional take care of it. I just don't really have the time to do it myself, and I wouldn't be saving much after buying a nut or two with all the file sets I need.