Replacement Nut For AV'62RI Jazz Bass

[esa372]

Hey, TB.

I need to replace the nut that came with my Fender Jazz (AV'62RI).

I called Fender, but all they had were unslotted blocks. I did find these two at AllParts, though:

http://www.allparts.com/BN-2351-0U0-Unbleached-Slotted-Jazz-Bass-Bone-Nut_p_838.html

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Does the TB community have any opinion on these? ...or perhaps a recommendation for another one?

Thanks!

 

[Lownote38]

It's best to find a local luthier to make a nut for the bass, or put slots in a blank. It's rare that a pre-slotted nut will be perfect when you put it on.

 

[esa372]

It's rare that a pre-slotted nut will be perfect when you put it on.

Well, that's not good news...

 

[Lownote38]

Well, that's not good news...

It's not an expensive thing to do. Especially if you provide the "blank" nut. Every bass is different, so the slots need to be specific to the bass and the strings you use.

 

[esa372]

Thanks for the info.

 

[esa372]

OK - here's a question:

Which material is preferred - bone or graphite?

 

[walterw]

bone by a mile.

now, why does it need to be replaced at all, what's wrong with it?

 

[esa372]

bone by a mile.

Thank you! What make bone preferable?

now, why does it need to be replaced at all, what's wrong with it?

It broke beneath the 2nd string slot. I've glued it back together with krazy glue, and it seems to be fine, but I'd rather have one in there that isn't damaged.

The original one bone, too, btw...

 

[walterw]

graphite-type material has a place on guitars with trem systems, where the tradeoff between softness and the self-lubricating properties is worth it, but on bass i don't see it.

either way, you're gonna need to get it professionally shaped and installed, and anybody good enough to do it right is going to have their own supplies of the material; the thing to do is just find a pro and say "here, fix it".

 

[esa372]

Thanks for the info!

I'm going to try making one myself. If it doesn't work out, I'll take it to a luthier... or, I may just try again.

 

[walterw]

then it's all about getting those slots shaped right so the strings don't pinch but also don't rattle around in there, and getting them low enough for easy fretting and good intonation but not so low they buzz when open.

this is a detail that's gotten wrong so many times, and makes such a key difference in how well the bass plays and stays in tune.

 

[esa372]

then it's all about getting those slots shaped right so the strings don't pinch but also don't rattle around in there, and getting them low enough for easy fretting and good intonation but not so low they buzz when open.

this is a detail that's gotten wrong so many times, and makes such a key difference in how well the bass plays and stays in tune.

Thank you for the advice! I will try to post pics of my progress here. I have ordered the blanks, and I should be able to start on it this weekend - we'll see how it goes....

 

[JLS]

then it's all about getting those slots shaped right so the strings don't pinch but also don't rattle around in there, and getting them low enough for easy fretting and good intonation but not so low they buzz when open.

this is a detail that's gotten wrong so many times, and makes such a key difference in how well the bass plays and stays in tune.

Yep.

 

[Turnaround]

Yep.

Agreed!

 

[Korexus]

Luthier will help.

 

[Frenchy-Lefty]

It's best to find a local luthier to make a nut for the bass, or put slots in a blank. It's rare that a pre-slotted nut will be perfect when you put it on.

I paid $40 to get a bone nut (It does sound kinky doesn't it?) made by my tech. He adjusted the height to perfection which can be tricky to do for an amateur.

 

[Lownote38]

I paid $40 to get a bone nut (It does sound kinky doesn't it?) made by my tech. He adjusted the height to perfection which can be tricky to do for an amateur.

That's what I have done in the past as well. For basses where the nut should be black, I have a tech who actually dyes the bone material black and it works great!

 

[esa372]

OK - beginning the shaping...
(Top: original (broken) nut - Bottom: a new blank)

Roughing out the shape:

The body of the bass is having some work done right now, so I may have to stop here for a few days, but the progress looks good. Once I get the body back, I can put everything back together, and see exactly what needs refinement. I know that the sides have to be filed down some more, and the slots need to be smoothed, but I just wanted to post a little "progress report".

I bought 3 blanks, so I'll have a few more tries if this one doesn't work out.

 

[walterw]

getting there, but your D looks like it's both deeper than the other strings and too far from the G.

 

[esa372]

getting there, but your D looks like it's both deeper than the other strings and too far from the G.

It may be slightly deeper at this point, but it is still ~2mm up from the fingerboard line... so all of them will be cut deeper than they are now.

As for the spacing, all the slots are precisely in the same position as they are on original nut, and the nut on my other (fretted) Jazz. I did a "test" on a graphite nut I have, and all the slots were in the right space, so I think I'm on the right track. (The pre-slotted nuts I have space the strings much wider, however.) It may look more askew in the pic; both sides of the nut will be filed down ~1mm.

As I said, I'm stopping here until I get the body back. I will then put the whole thing back together and see what's what. If the string spacing isn't true, I've got 2 other blanks to try!

I really appreciate all of the comments and pointers - please keep 'em coming; I've never cut a string nut before.