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14-string nut blank?

N

nadaRobot

Guest
Aug 16, 2014
17
2
59
#1
Hi - long time lurker, finally joined. I've just bought a 14-string touchstyle. It's currently set up with the bass strings at the outside of the fingerboard, and I'm pretty sure I want to switch it to Stick-style (bass strings in the middle). Anyone have a recommendation on what to use for a nut? I can't find anything in the normal 'nut blank' searches over about 3" wide.

TIA!
 
#6
pilotjones said:
What size is needed--what are the dimensions of the finished part? And do you have the ability to do some machining?
Click to expand...

Won't know the dimensions for certain until the brown truck dude shows up (might be this afternoon, but I'm trying not to get my hopes up) - but it looks somewhere in the neighborhood of 6" wide. I don't have the tools for precision machining, but I've got a reasonably good selection of hand and power tools, including a small bandsaw and a benchtop belt sander - I imagine between the two I can get to the rough dimensions I need. I'll post details as soon as I get my hands on it (it's still an 'it' until I get to know it :) ).

HaMMerHeD said:
Graphtech sells acoustic TUSQ XL saddle blanks 4" wide and 1/4" thick.
I don't know if that's wide enough, but there it is.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that, Graphtech was one of the first places I checked - their blanks aren't wide enough.
 
#8
You can get a cow femur from a butcher shop and make your own bone nut. You would need the right tools to pull it off. I hate cutting bone on a bandsaw, I cant stand the smell.
 
#9
Hopkins said:
You can get a cow femur from a butcher shop and make your own bone nut. You would need the right tools to pull it off. I hate cutting bone on a bandsaw, I cant stand the smell.
Click to expand...

How do you prepare bone to use as a nut - just boil all the goop out of it?

Never mind - shoulda googled first, found lotsa information on that topic.
 
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#10
You can get nylon or delrin in sheet or square rod from McMaster-Carr. Not that expensive. And you can get MDS-filled nylon too for lowest friction and highest wear resistance if you want, though it's probably overkill. It would be like what Graphtech may be (if they're even anything more than standard nylon 6 or 6/6). Or if you like brown, you can get PTFE-filled delrin which is seriously low friction.
 
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#13
HeavyDuty said:
You have to post a pic of this beast when it gets here!
Click to expand...

Will do! It appears to be trapped in the Rochester Vortex - tracking showed it leaving there at 5:30 yesterday morning, and again at midnight last night. Not sure what exactly is going on...

J Posega said:
You could always cut the current nut in half and just make a new one from a regular blank for the side you're trying to change.
Click to expand...

Alas, I'm changing both sides. It's currently set up Low -> High / High -> Low, and I want the opposite: High -> Low / Low -> High. Although, as I'm typing this, it occurs that I bet in a pinch I could split the current nut and flip each half end-over-end...
 
#15
The option to bond two new blanks together at the center exists too...modern adhesives would introduce a chemical bond that would not fail like a traditional mechanical bond. And you'd still have your existing nut if you ever wanted to change back.

I would not modify your existing nut, as it would cause a loss of material equal to the kerf of your cutting apparatus, and may as a result throw off the general spacing string to string as it meets that point..
Not only this, but if there's ANY radius to the fret / touchboard, that radius would be thrown off relative to string depth from the switch at the existing nut.
 
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#16
J Posega said:
As long the either side of the nut (tuner and bridge) are flat sided, you could indeed split it and flip both sides around.

What kind touch guitar is it?
Click to expand...

It's a Krappy (Kevin Siebold - krappyguitars.com/touchstyle - mine's the Sherman Tank 14). I've wanted to try a Stick ever since the mid-80s, but can't get over the price. From everything I've read, Kevin's touchstyle instruments are quite good, and I found one on EBay for a good price.

hover said:
The option to bond two new blanks together at the center exists too...modern adhesives would introduce a chemical bond that would not fail like a traditional mechanical bond. And you'd still have your existing nut if you ever wanted to change back.

I would not modify your existing nut, as it would cause a loss of the kerf of your cutting apparatus, and may throw off the general spacing string to string as it meets that point..
Not only this, but if there's ANY radius to the fret / touchboard, that radius would be thrown off relative to string depth from the switch at the existing nut.
Click to expand...

Both excellent points -thank you!
 
#18
Whew! Finally arrived -this thing's a monster! The rough dimensions of the nut are 4 3/4 x 1/2 x 1/4. My local woodworking store has some interesting looking acrylic blocks (normally used for pen-making). I'm gonna grab a couple after work today and see how that works out. It may be a little softer than ideal, but it'll get me started. Working on putting together a string set - I've sent inquiries to Conklin, Warr, and Circle K. I think for starters I may just go B - F on both sides of the neck. Figuring out the right gauges to do 4ths on the bass side and 5ths on the melody side (a la classic Stick tuning) is about to make my head explode.

krappy touchstyle 1.JPG
 

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