8 String Nut

Porkbun · #1 03-22-2010, 10:16 PM

Im thinking about building an 8 string bass over the summer but the one part that I can find is an 8 string nut. Is there a place where I could buy one or will I have to make my own? Im talking about the octave 8 string like:

Not advertising, just the first closer up pic I found on google

Beej · #2 03-22-2010, 10:42 PM

Not to be a jerk here, but if you're struggling to decide on whether or not to cut your own nut, you're nowhere near ready to build your own bass...

ZolkoW · #3 03-23-2010, 01:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Porkbun

Im thinking about building an 8 string bass over the summer but the one part that I can find is an 8 string nut. Is there a place where I could buy one or will I have to make my own? Im talking about the octave 8 string like:
Not advertising, just the first closer up pic I found on google

you mean the "lower nut", AKA bridge?
I think your picture find is a good example for home-made version, but thre are some factory bridges, too.
http://shop.sollerguitars.com/index....6bass-bridges/

(I don't want to advertise, too, but that's the source of pics what I can remember)

__HM__ · #4 03-23-2010, 03:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beej

Not to be a jerk here, but if you're struggling to decide on whether or not to cut your own nut, you're nowhere near ready to build your own bass...

Not necessarily. Ive built a couple basses, and modified plenty more. Never had to cut a single nut. (Given, they were all 4 strings with standard fender slotting.)

T-Bird · #5 03-23-2010, 04:12 AM

Hi.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beej

Not to be a jerk here, but if you're struggling to decide on whether or not to cut your own nut, you're nowhere near ready to build your own bass...

^This.

Quote:

Originally Posted by __HM__

Not necessarily. Ive built a couple basses, and modified plenty more. Never had to cut a single nut. (Given, they were all 4 strings with standard fender slotting.)

This statement will never cease to amaze me, no matter how often I see it.

Cutting a nut is probably the easiest thing (and the most important IMHO) to learn in instrument building, and as the tools are cheap, the (practice) materials even cheaper, only a fool would use a pre-cut nut as-is. Not that it usually can be used as-is, but that's another story.

True, the octave strings require smaller diameter tools than the bass strings, but some of us started with guitar nuts. Much, much harder to get right than a bass nut.

Perhaps that's the reason the whole subject sounds unbelievable to me?

Regards
Sam

Diogenes · #6 03-23-2010, 06:30 AM

I'll have to agree with beej. Cutting a nut is child's play compared to building... or even assembling a bass.

It's like not knowing how to lap valves when blue-printing a race motor.

Anyway, hopefully this will help out:
http://www.lutherie.net/nuts.html

T-Bird · #7 03-23-2010, 08:40 AM

Hi.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Diogenes

It's like not knowing how to lap valves when blue-printing a race motor

More like not knowing how to gap spark plugs. IMHO only of course

.

Regards
Sam

mikeyswood · #8 03-23-2010, 08:56 AM

Is this about the nut or the bridge?

Diogenes · #9 03-23-2010, 11:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikeyswood

Is this about the nut or the bridge?

After my previous response it occurred to me that maybe the OP was referring to a bridge... just going by ZolkoW's response... the OP's pictures are filtered here at work. However as is said, "ask and ye shall receive". Just make sure you ask the right question.

Porkbun · #10 03-23-2010, 11:18 PM

I realized that the picture was mostly focused on the bridge

I have already found a bridge that I want to use and I am looking for the nut up top on the neck. Ive reshaped and refinished a bass before as well as taken many woodworking classes but I doubt I will do the nut right which will lead to some technical problem

T-Bird · #11 03-24-2010, 03:10 AM

Hi.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Porkbun

I doubt I will do the nut right which will lead to some technical problem

If You want to be a crafts-man, you have to have at least some confidence.

Also, if You want to acchieve anything worthwile, you have to practise. A lot.

Fabricating a nut for a stringed instrument is not something that's easy to learn, or something that can be mastered quickly.
A well cut nut will make or break an otherwise good instrument.

When I was teaching wood/metal-shop in upper secondary school back in the day, the students were all to quick to reply with: "I won't be able to do that" when asked to do something. And as I asked whether they had even tried, even once, the reply was always "no". Almost everyone got it correctly the first time, as long as they tried. No-one took more than three tries on simple tasks. They were totally surprized that they could actually do something with their hands and more importantly, that they were permitted to fail, as long as they tried.

My advice to You Porkbun, is to find some files or hacksaw blades and start practising on scrap hard-wood or plastic pieces. Small diameter wire or drill bits with emery paper wrapped onto them, work well with bass gauge slots.

Regards
Sam

Porkbun · #12 03-24-2010, 05:04 PM

My lack of confidence is due to my simplistic view of the bass. It wasnt until I came to talkbass that I started to realize that the bass was more than a chunk of wood with strings and pickups. I just dont know how precise to be since it is more than cutting the vague shape away in a piece of plastic. As I was typing this I just thought of something. Would a string through nut work just as well? I could just drill the holes according to the string.

HogieWan · #13 03-25-2010, 07:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Porkbun

Would a string through nut work just as well? I could just drill the holes according to the string.

do that and then cut off the top

mikeyswood · #14 03-25-2010, 08:00 AM

^What?! You are telling him it would work?

Porkbun: You have to have confidence before any of us are able to help you. Your simplistic view can be a good thing; there are only six machines and one of them will get you there.

Drilling holes into a blank can work as long as you drill in an arc perfectly matched to the fretboard and then file the bottom to set the strings to the proper height. Good luck - that is a LOT harder than filing a nut.

FunkMetalBass · #15 03-25-2010, 09:37 AM

Easy solution - zero fret!

Then you just have to be horizontally accurate with your cuts.

mikeyswood · #16 03-25-2010, 09:44 AM

...and level your zero-fret to proper height all across.

FunkMetalBass · #17 03-25-2010, 10:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikeyswood

...and level your zero-fret to proper height all across.

Which would be extremely easy, seeing as you're going to do a fret level/crown anyway. You'd just have to make sure that it's up higher than the rest of the frets.

I personally think it sounds like an easier solution, but I'm biased because of the tonality of a zero-fret.

HogieWan · #18 03-25-2010, 01:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FunkMetalBass

You'd just have to make sure that it's up higher than the rest of the frets..

no, it can be level (I think a zero fret should be level). If the zero fret should be higher, then the first fret needs to be higher than the second and so on. Bridge height and neck relief are all that's needed.

HogieWan · #19 03-25-2010, 01:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikeyswood

^What?! You are telling him it would work?

just pulling his chain a bit.

Diogenes · #20 03-25-2010, 01:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FunkMetalBass

Which would be extremely easy, seeing as you're going to do a fret level/crown anyway. You'd just have to make sure that it's up higher than the rest of the frets.

I personally think it sounds like an easier solution, but I'm biased because of the tonality of a zero-fret.

The main reason I like the zero fret is because it does simplify things. I just treat it like the rest of the frets during a level/crown.