NUTS

[spunkmonkey]

How "bout some opinions/comments on brass vs. plastic

[alfredpunkjazz]

bone?

[Tony G]

Graphite

[alfredpunkjazz]

wood? (are there any wood nuts?????... LOL!)

[Gene Leone]

Tell me, is there really a big difference between a bone and a plastic nut on an elextric bass?

How about on a acoustic/electric bass?

I'm honesty curious to hear some opinions.

[mulepods]

I really don't understand the big deal about nuts. That sentence sounds funny. But anyway...whenever you fret a note, your finger acts as the nut. So the only time the nut would matter is during open notes. That's it. And I doubt it makes any big difference in tone. Am I wrong?

[Rakie]

Yes, everytime you fret a note your finger acts as the nut, therefor you need a flesh Nut near the head.

[Rugaar]

Actually, when you fret a note, the fret would act as the nut, not your finger.

Plastic nut is softer than brass, bone, tusq, etc... so your strings will bind more, causing potential tuning problems.

[FL Knifemaker]

I'm going to be making a few carbon fiber ones soon. I made one for a friend and it came out nice. Should survive a NUKE blast!!

[FL Knifemaker]

Originally Posted by Rakie

Yes, everytime you fret a note your finger acts as the nut, therefor you need a flesh Nut near the head.

I'm not going to touch that one with a 10 foot pole

[Rakie]

Originally Posted by Rugaar

Actually, when you fret a note, the fret would act as the nut, not your finger.

Plastic nut is softer than brass, bone, tusq, etc... so your strings will bind more, causing potential tuning problems.

we know, but thanks for killing my joke


I was kinda proud of that one actually, I named him skippy



O well, this poster is correct. A lot of people opt for "Brass" type nuts to create a sound very similar to a fretted "open" note...


Of course, there is always the Zero fret, which solves a lot of things too, just looks a bit awkward.

[ProfGumby]

Originally Posted by Rugaar

Actually, when you fret a note, the fret would act as the nut, not your finger.

Plastic nut is softer than brass, bone, tusq, etc... so your strings will bind more, causing potential tuning problems.

Agreed.

As I posted elswhere, the cheap plastic nut that was on my bass is now gone and replaced with a Tusq nut. The g string was cutting into the nut (that sounds as bad as the joke earlier) and the string was starting to sound muted.

Why a Tusq nut? Because when I walked into the local music store and asked the owners wife if he had any nuts (pun was on purpose...) the one they sold me was a Tusq...

I also remember reading that a harder nut material allows an open string to resonate like a fretted note. The theory is the hard material transfers the sound better.

[Rugaar]

Sorry, Rakie. I wasn't trying to kill your joke. I was actually replying to mulepods post right before yours.

So feel free to go back to fingering your nuts all you want. I hope you and skippy have a wonderful evening together.

Of course, if you want to look at the other end of the strings, I can honestly say that I've got balls of brass.

[Rakie]

Originally Posted by Rugaar

Sorry, Rakie. I wasn't trying to kill your joke. I was actually replying to mulepods post right before yours.

So feel free to go back to fingering your nuts all you want. I hope you and skippy have a wonderful evening together.

Of course, if you want to look at the other end of the strings, I can honestly say that I've got balls of brass.

No problem, i knew somebody would come buy and give a real answer eventually

[BassoP]

I'm not sure that it is a huge deal. warmoth has a section describing the differences on their necks page. Brass is reputed to be brighter and have more sustain, but like others have said, it probably doesn't matter much except on open notes. I've got corian, graphite, and plastic across my guitars and basses and never noticed much difference.

[roadkill2309]

So, wouldn't a nickel nut solve the problem of open notes not sounding like fretted ones? Does anyone make a nickel nut?

[BassoP]

Originally Posted by roadkill2309

So, wouldn't a nickel nut solve the problem of open notes not sounding like fretted ones? Does anyone make a nickel nut?

Not that I am aware of, but this is the logic behind the zero fret. Rather than ringing from the nut, the nut merely holds the strings in place laterally, and the open notes are actually held against a fret. This design has kind of a stigma, because it was originally found mainly on cheap instruments, although there aren't really inherent flaws with the design. Fender has a custom shop J with a zero fret, as do others.

To my (possibly uneducated, and definitely damaged) ears, It is really a solution in search of a problem. I've not found any meaningful differences in tone between open and fretted notes on any of my instruments.

[roadkill2309]

Really? I try my best not to use open notes when I'm playing, though let's face it: the only one who prolly notices the diff is me.

I actually like the idea of a zero fret a lot. I don't see it even offered as an option on my fave basses, though... Must be due to that stigma, because I've heard the zero fret denigrated before, though it seems like a great idea.

[j3b3r]

Originally Posted by ProfGumby

Agreed.

I also remember reading that a harder nut material allows an open string to resonate like a fretted note. The theory is the hard material transfers the sound better.

Ok, then wich one the hardest ?? Tusq, graphite, bone, corian, or brass ?? Or maybe ebony wood, maple, or rosewood ??

[Jazzin']

Originally Posted by xgabriele

Graphite

+1