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A little advice on a new nut?

S

SharksFan

Sep 3, 2010
11
0
33
Arizona
#1
Well, apparently last night the nut broke on my SX Ursa 3 (P Bass). I won't waste your time on the details as to how it happened. I don't even know. I just woke up and there it was....

I've been doing research on different nuts and I've come to the conclusion that either brass or nickle is what I should get. The only problem is I really don't know what I should be looking for. I'm still rather new to all of this, I've only been playing since February. I'm having a hard time finding a pre-slotted one at the usual places I buy my parts from, so if anyone knows of somewhere that would be extremely helpful.

The neck is 1 3/4" wide at the nut. I've seen a couple that say they've been fitted for P basses, but the size they list is different. Will the slight difference in size matter? My biggest question is that even if I find a good nut, will I be able to do it myself? There's a Guitar Center only a couple miles away so it's not too big of a deal if I can't.

Any advice, information or help would be highly appreciated. Thank you for your time. x.x
 
#2
For that kind of bass Id just do regular type plastic graphite type nut installed by local store tech. Same kind found on most basses. If it was a nicer bass or been modded to equal much higher priced basses. Or you intend to do so later. Then spending the extra to get brass, nickel or bone nut could be worth it if you really like those more expensive nuts. Even though its a fairly minor thing since nut only really affects open non fretted single note for each string.
 
#3
There are two reasons why I intended to use the brass/nickle.

The first is that the couple I've seen weren't too much higher in price, and I've always felt if you were going to fix something you might as well do it right. I figured they'd be much stronger than the plastic which also meant I wouldn't have to worry about it breaking on me again. Secondly I do intend to upgrade the electronics after I get an effects pedal. The reason I've held off on that is because I'm still trying to find the style of music I prefer to play. Doesn't make much sense to blindly upgrade without knowing what you actually like first.

I'll keep what you've said in mind though as I try to come to a decision. It's not like I've been displeased with the standard as it is. Thanks for taking the time to respond.
 
#4
Well if price is about the same. Last time I had new nut put on cost was allmost 3 times as much as reg graphite one, went with bone nut myself. If you like brass bridges, youd prob like brass nut. Nickel will be more neutral sound wise in comparrison though. Like nickel frets compared to brass frets. In my experience anyway. But yeah if you can get other materials for nuts at low price and they are qaulity ones not soft cheapo version, is good deal.
 
#5
Was able to find to find a couple different nuts in all sorts of materials , but it comes back down to the size thing again. All I'm able to find in 1 3/4" are generic plastic nuts. On the other hand all of the brass and bone nuts I'm finding are 1 5/8".

It's less than a centimeters difference, but would it be a bad idea to use one of the 1 5/8" nuts in a 1 3/4" neck?
 
#6
The plastic nuts that come on the SX are not very good, or sturdy. When mine came out of the box, it looked a little funky and even after a string change buzzed a bit from being loose.

I ordered nut blanks that were bone and tusq. I used files to shape them myself using the original as a guide. There was a lot of filing, to the point of getting blisters on my non-playing fingers from holding the nut and running it back and forth on the file to get the thickness down. ;) I bought a small round file set to cut the string notches. (I figured that I'd not be making a ton of these, so buying actual nut files was way too expensive an option.)

In the end, I have made 5 nuts for my various basses. Its good practice and blanks are pretty cheap if you'd want to give it a shot. Got mine off Ebay, but Stewmac carries them too.
 
#7
After reading a little more on the differences between them, I think I'd be willing to go with a bone nut. Slotting them myself wouldn't be too bad. Was just hoping to get through this with as little work as possible. Probably end up ordering two or three later tonight. Still trying to find the right set of strings, so it'll come in handy later when I find the proper gauge. Then I can have one slotted specifically for said set.


As one final question to finish this off, which did you prefer? The tusq or bone?
 
#8
SharksFan said:
After reading a little more on the differences between them, I think I'd be willing to go with a bone nut. Slotting them myself wouldn't be too bad.
Click to expand...
as a newbie, slotting it yourself likely would be "too bad".

it's not at all easy to really get it right; one swipe of the nut file is the difference between hard to play, easy to play, and buzzing against the fret. (not to mention, the right file costs like $20, and you need 4 of them to do a 4-string bass.)

it's well worth it to get it done by a pro.
 
#9
I'm a big fan of bone as a nut materiel. You can do it yourself but it's probably worth the expense to have a professional do it. (I make a far better nut now that I did when I started as a repairman 12 years ago!) String spacing and height above the fretboard affect playability, comfort and intonation.

I've had bad experiences with Tusq nuts, though I like their acoustic saddles. It seems that they're a softer materiel because strings seem to saw through them eventually and buzz on the first fret. I've replaced a number of Tusq nuts that did this.

Good luck!
 
#10
I preferred the bone material myself.

Yes, it took practice, caution and patients to get it right. You've got to measure constantly and read up on the Stewmac page about nut filing tips. You don't get better at something unless you practice, which is why I bought several blanks. I tossed the first attempt with a tusq, but was happy with every one since.
 
#12
Hi.

JLS said:
Oboy...the answer,as walter said, is to have a pro do this. "Little work", and, "fabricating a nut", are rarely said in the same breath.
Click to expand...

^This.

While cutting a nut is something every stringed instrument player should be able to do IMHO, it's also the most difficult to get exactly right. Just like everyone has stated, it takes practise, a lot of practice, to get it right. But You have to start cutting 'em to learn.

If You're bent on DIY, I'd find some free material to practise on if I were You. Hard plastics or pieces of hardwood are exellent choices when cutting the first few.

Regards
Sam
 
#13
T-Bird said:
While cutting a nut is something every stringed instrument player should be able to do IMHO, it's also the most difficult to get exactly right. Just like everyone has stated, it takes practise, a lot of practice, to get it right. But You have to start cutting 'em to learn.
Click to expand...

Changing strings is something that every player should know how to do. Adjusting pickups, or cleaning a guitar, is something every player should learn how to do. Setups fall under the category of something every player should learn to do. Guitars may require multiple set ups per year, depending on environment and the specific materials used to make the guitar.

Fabricating a nut for a guitar, on the other hand, may never happen in a player's life time. Or a guitar's lifetime, for that matter. Why this skill set should be included in the list of "something every player should be able to do" is baffling. It is not "a little work". A skilled tech with the proper tooling will spend forty five minutes to an hour and a half making a nut depending on stringing, spacing, nut material, and degree of finish desired. It will take much, much longer for someone who is doing it for the first time. This is an advanced task. If someone is not comfortable or has no desire to work in thousandths of an inch it is highly recommended to seek the services of someone who does.
 
#15
After taking everyone's advice into consideration I've finally got a handle on what I'll most likely end up doing. Will order the three bone nuts as planned in my last post, but as T-Bird suggested I'll practice on spare material until it matches up correctly with my example piece. When I reach that point, I'll try doing it on the bone nut. If I fail on the first two, which is probably in all likelihood going to happen, I'll take the third in to be cut by a professional as most of you have said.


There's no harm in trying to learn something new. I know it's not an easy thing to do, maybe even impossible for someone like me, but everyone had to start somewhere right? Worst case scenario is that I lose some money and blister my fingers raw. On the other hand if I get it right I've learned a valuable new skill. It's worth a feeble attempt I'd say.


I thank you for your time and patience, all of your responses have been very helpful. Will let you know how it turns out in the end. :)
 
#18
SharksFan said:
Worst case scenario is that I lose some money and blister my fingers raw. On the other hand if I get it right I've learned a valuable new skill. It's worth a feeble attempt I'd say.
Click to expand...
it's not like if you do it wrong the bass is going to catch fire or anything :eek:

the likely outcome is that you'll end up with something that "works", but will be way harder to play and to tune than it should be. it's something which you might not notice as a "newbie", but could end up handicapping your playing a little without you realizing it.
 

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