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D. Lakin - first batch of basses!

#141
ModuMan said:
I got my Ready To Ship Notification today!
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Damn. Where's that "eating popcorn" smiley?? Waiting to hear about your new Lakin.

As far as bone nuts, first of all, I just like the way that sounds: Bone nuts. Bone nuts. Bone nuts. Boooooone. NUTS!

Second of all, just got a new-to-me bass fitted with a new bone nut. (Bone nut. Bone nut.) Made more of a diff than I would have thought. Maybe it's the height of the slots on it, but just like Brad says, I tend to notice a positive difference all the way up the fingerboard. Anecdotal, for sure. But I bee-leeve!!

And I'm not just agreeing with BH 'cause I think he's a great player. Wellll....I guess I kind of am. So sue me.
 
#142
brad houser said:
ask Matthew Hill or Chris Forshage. luthiers. I think it has something to do with the neck being a vibrating entity as a whole. even up above the 12th fret the notes sing more since the bone nut installation. my evidence is anecdotal, I have no way of quantifying any of this. your results may vary.
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So glad Brad showed-up to answer this criticism. I have no trouble with the notion that the nut has some bearing on tone beyond open strings. Who knows what-all is at work on fretted notes? I am sure there is some vibration of the string between the fret and the nut that affects what's going on between the fret and the bridge. An attempt to bolster this argument with the "tone wood myth" bit doesn't fly either. I don't think body wood is an end-all for tone, but it def matters. Make two identical basses - one with a body from balsa, the other of epay- and get back to me. Sure a bone nut matters, and if Brad Houser says it mattered a lot for him in one particular case, why call BS on that?
 
#143
ModuMan said:
And... just like that... I got my Ready To Ship Notification today! Funny how these things work out. :hyper:

View attachment 430986
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That is tremendous! I hope it plays and sounds as good a it looks!

Chris 'Wighat' Jordan said:
So glad Brad showed-up to answer this criticism. I have no trouble with the notion that the nut has some bearing on tone beyond open strings. Who knows what-all is at work on fretted notes? I am sure there is some vibration of the string between the fret and the nut that affects what's going on between the fret and the bridge. An attempt to bolster this argument with the "tone wood myth" bit doesn't fly either. I don't think body wood is an end-all for tone, but it def matters. Make two identical basses - one with a body from balsa, the other of epay- and get back to me. Sure a bone nut matters, and if Brad Houser says it mattered a lot for him in one particular case, why call BS on that?
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Because it is BS. Brad is a fantastic player, though. Victor Wooten and Gerald Veasley both have signature power cords. Being a great player doesn't make you immune to believing the hype. However, if you believe a bone nut will make your notes at the 14th fret a little more clear and more present, and if that inspires you to play a little more, then you should definitely get a bone nut - and a Gerald Veasley power cord. Bone nuts are good, and fun to say (thanks Diaper Geni!).
 
#144
I dunno. Back in '84 I had a brass nut installed on my P-bass (hey it was the 80s) and it definitely made a noticeable difference in tone across the entire fretboard. One could argue there's not enough difference between bone and plastic/corian to yield an audible difference, which I suspect is the case.
 
#145
Turn Em Loose said:
As far as bone nuts, first of all, I just like the way that sounds: Bone nuts. Bone nuts. Bone nuts. Boooooone. NUTS!
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I read that as if it was coming from your avatar. Totally works.

I have a hard time believing there is a quantifiable difference in tone on fretted notes. That said, I'm likely going to change out the wilferite JAN III on my Warwick for a brass JAN III. Partly because the nut isn't set all that well but mostly for aesthetics. If some noticeable change in tone occurs I will be sure to announce the results.
 
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#147
Chris 'Wighat' Jordan said:
I am sure there is some vibration of the string between the fret and the nut ...
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There is and this is easy to prove. If you've ever had a nut slot that was cut too low, you will be familiar with the fact that, when the slot is too low, you will get buzzing BETWEEN the spot where you are fretting a note and the nut. Thus, it is clear that the string does vibrate (and not insignificantly) between the fretted spot and the nut when you pluck a note.

And if the string is vibrating noticeably between the fretted spot and the nut, how can anyone say that the nut material makes no difference? Not only is the vibration of that portion of the string being conducted into the neck through the nut, the vibration is also reflecting back off the nut towards the bridge and affecting the vibration of the string between the fretted spot and the bridge. That is the physics of wave propagation.

If you think the nut material has NO effect on fretted notes, try replacing your nut with some high density rubber - some that's thick enough to give you the correct string height when the string is under tension - and let us know how your fretted notes sound.
 
#148
I have basses with corian, bone, tusq, Warwick JAN, and even nickle silver (Yamaha BB2024X) nuts.
You know, I imagine there ARE tonal differences, but I think they would be very subtle. Having or not having a Zero fret is probably another comparison as well; also the MM compensated nut is interesting.

Now back to D. Lakin bass!
 
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#150
I've never had this "back buzz" on any of my basses. I file the nut slots very low, and it never happens. I file the slots so the clearance on open string is as low as second fret, when I fret the first fret. First fret clearance on open strings are about .5mm on my fenders. I tried lowering the adjustable nut on my warwick even lower than my fenders to see how low I can go, to simulate back buzz. It never happens within acceptable playable range. Some would say nut slots on my fenders are excessively low, but I get no buzzing. What gives?

StuartV said:
There is and this is easy to prove. If you've ever had a nut slot that was cut too low, you will be familiar with the fact that, when the slot is too low, you will get buzzing BETWEEN the spot where you are fretting a note and the nut. Thus, it is clear that the string does vibrate (and not insignificantly) between the fretted spot and the nut when you pluck a note.

And if the string is vibrating noticeably between the fretted spot and the nut, how can anyone say that the nut material makes no difference? Not only is the vibration of that portion of the string being conducted into the neck through the nut, the vibration is also reflecting back off the nut towards the bridge and affecting the vibration of the string between the fretted spot and the bridge. That is the physics of wave propagation.

If you think the nut material has NO effect on fretted notes, try replacing your nut with some high density rubber - some that's thick enough to give you the correct string height when the string is under tension - and let us know how your fretted notes sound.
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