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Nut materials test

#21
I have used a lot of different types of nuts. I like bone the best but HATE making them. The dust is terrible! I find that it effects the open notes most. Tusq has become my favorite because of the ease of making it.
I think nut material make a much larger difference with guitars when you are playing open chords.
 
#25
Meatrus said:
You know the tone will only be affected on open notes and possibly the first fret....right? The nut is taken out of the equation after.
Click to expand...


I don't know that this is necessesarily true - after all, I think you can hear the effects of "backbuzz" when a nut slot has been cut too low - so, why wouldn't nut material also have a similar effect???


- georgestrings
 
#27
georgestrings said:
I don't know that this is necessesarily true - after all, I think you can hear the effects of "backbuzz" when a nut slot has been cut too low - so, why wouldn't nut material also have a similar effect???


- georgestrings
Click to expand...

A lot of people seem to think it is true and it goes with my experience. If you think about it it makes sense, very little string movement is at the nut. Also an incorrectly cut nut slot wont be audibile on fretted notes, just opens. Check out Frank Fords article on nuts on Frets.com. Though you will find a few others saying the same if you take a trip to Google.
 
#28
Meatrus said:
A lot of people seem to think it is true and it goes with my experience. If you think about it it makes sense, very little string movement is at the nut. Also an incorrectly cut nut slot wont be audibile on fretted notes, just opens. Check out Frank Fords article on nuts on Frets.com. Though you will find a few others saying the same if you take a trip to Google.
Click to expand...


"Also an incorrectly cut nut slot wont be audibile on fretted notes, just opens."

I'll have to respectfully disagree with that...


- georgestrings
 
#29
Good info, but I am disappointed that you didn't compare plastic. Everybody complains about plastic because it's cheap but I have yet to hear why.I use everything (basically, what came on the bass) but I don't have a beef with plastic (especially once the slots have been cleaned up). Why not do the same test with plastic?
 
#30
dabbler said:
Good info, but I am disappointed that you didn't compare plastic. Everybody complains about plastic because it's cheap but I have yet to hear why.I use everything (basically, what came on the bass) but I don't have a beef with plastic (especially once the slots have been cleaned up). Why not do the same test with plastic?
Click to expand...

I would have, but sadly, the plastic nut that came on the bass was in rough shape - messed up and two of the slots had glue in them, one completely full of it. I may have been able to "hack" that into some kind of shape, but honestly it just wasn't worth the effort to me. And in pulling the nut to try the others, it was glued on there so tightly (consider how much glue was in the slots as proof of how much glue they used...) that I couldn't get it off there in decent shape.

So I'm sorry for that. The graphite nut should be roughly equivalent, but I know you wanted exactly what was there, and I'm sorry I couldn't do that.
 
#33
Too bad we can't get nickel-silver, to match the frets.
Maybe that's why I like brass, as it's closest.

I'm sure the nut material affects tone on fretted notes, too, since it's the contact point for the string-to-neck interface and will still transmit a portion of vibration.
A soft nut will surely dampen vibration, whether playing open notes or fretting.
 
#35
schafhalter said:
I take the risk and play basses made out of wood ;-)
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Touche... Good one... I meant concerning a bone nut. They swell and shrink , like wood, and cause pinging problems as well as needing lubrication which all means they just aren't stable enuff for me. Obviously some people don't mind putting up with all that and who knows, maybe I will as well down the road. )-(
 
#37
hdracer said:
I have used a lot of different types of nuts. I like bone the best but HATE making them. The dust is terrible! I find that it effects the open notes most. Tusq has become my favorite because of the ease of making it.
Click to expand...

+1 one bone.
As for dust, a mouth cap is no bad idea with any sanding or filing job. Sitting outside with a bit of wind is also not bad.

I think nut material make a much larger difference with guitars when you are playing open chords.
Click to expand...

Bone enhances sustain on fretless. So does graphite, but bone is slightly better.
 
#38
Good writeup. I've worked graphite, tusq, plastic and bone. My favorite is definitely bone - it sounds great, looks great and shapes the best in my experience. My only real difference from your observations is that I actually found the graphite to be very hard, the hardest material of the bunch.
 
#39
I don't know of the truth of his statement, but I had an old luthier friend who stated that the friction of the string vibration tempered bone nuts and made them stronger with use. I have to say that I have never had a bone nut break. I also like the tone of a bone nut, but I can't swear that the difference isn't psychological. If the nut I have on a bass doesn't need replacement I wouldn't change it, but if it needs replacing I would use bone.
 

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