Acousticraft Posted March 23, 2007 Report Share Posted March 23, 2007 I have always used "Tusq" nuts on both my acoustics and electrics as it is so easy to work and sharp sounding when dropped on a hard surface. I also use Tusq for saddles on acoustics as I think it really transfers vibrations efficiently. What nut material do you like? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted March 23, 2007 Report Share Posted March 23, 2007 Tusq is quite nice stuff. I am using bone for more and more things now, but also use the odd graphtech nut when i want something black Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southpa Posted March 23, 2007 Report Share Posted March 23, 2007 (edited) I use dem bones. A few weeks ago there were some posts about making your own nut material from cow bone. Someone was nice enough to post a little tutorial on how to prepare said bone into useable nuts, acoustic bridge saddles etc. I decided to give it a whirl as a bone nut blank costs me $7 Cdn each around here. I figure why spend so much when a package of soup bones only costs about 2 bucks? I got about 16 good nut blanks from these 2 leg bone pieces. That works out to about $112, . Heres the rest of the pics. http://www3.telus.net/Alsplace/dem_bones/ Edited March 23, 2007 by Southpa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Posted March 23, 2007 Report Share Posted March 23, 2007 Great work on the bone nuts, I'd love to see those finalized. Bone and hardwoods here, I'll be trying ebony and purpleheart on my next couple of basses. The only variables I'm taking into consideration are price and availibility. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GUITARGOD Posted March 23, 2007 Report Share Posted March 23, 2007 I put brass on two of my guitars and like it very well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
low end fuzz Posted March 23, 2007 Report Share Posted March 23, 2007 i just used blackwood on a bass and it sounds real good; but slotting it was a hassle; to 'slipperry' it gummed up my files to fast and i had to do most of it off the guitar after i slipped on the a string; praise ala for truss rod covers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cherokee6 Posted March 23, 2007 Report Share Posted March 23, 2007 I've been happy with tusq but may try graphite on the new build. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vinny Posted March 23, 2007 Report Share Posted March 23, 2007 Plain bone from Stew Mac here. Hey Southpa, are those flatsawn or quartersawn blanks? -Vinny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diablo Posted March 23, 2007 Report Share Posted March 23, 2007 I've been happy with the plastic stock one on my ESP but I eventually want to go with Tusq or Graphite. Leaning more towards Tusq right now though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattia Posted March 23, 2007 Report Share Posted March 23, 2007 Bone doesn't have grain, you fool, ivory does! Ahem. Bone here. Unbleached if I can get it, and I've never paid more than about 3 bucks for a blank, usually less. I'm semi-considering getting some soup bones and processing, see if I think it's worth the hassle of boiling and de-greasing and all that. Mostly because I have a few ideas that require non-standard sizes. Check eBay, BTW; plenty of (mostly asian) sellers doing bone nuts and saddles for a song. It's not always top rate stuff, but it's cheap enough that even if you throw out 20% you're still getting a good deal. I've got bone nuts and saddles (bleached) to last me two decades, probably, and 20 sets of unbleached ones. So I'm set...for now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapbarstrat Posted March 23, 2007 Report Share Posted March 23, 2007 I got the idea from the Kinman pickups website to use Nylatron as a nut material, because he said it's very good for keeping the guitar in tune (kind of important, right ?). Tonal-wise, I guess it provides a good balance between open strings and fretted notes. If you like the open notes to be substantially louder than the fretted notes, the Nylatron might not be your favorite material. It's not brittle, and it "fuzzes" a little when filed/machined (I just trim off the fuzz with a razor blade). Used in a pro situation : Here's part of a testimonial off my website : "Rob also suggested a high-tech material called Nylatron for the string nut since I use the whammy-bar on my Strat. All I can say is that I did a gig last Thursday and put the guitar in it's case when I was done, when I picked up the guitar on Saturday at another gig it was still in tune! I don't think I even tuned it during either gig and it was still in tune after two sets on Saturday." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cherokee6 Posted March 23, 2007 Report Share Posted March 23, 2007 I think a previous thread on this discussed the fact that there is little, if any, tonal difference: certainly not distinctive to most human ears. (I think there was some scientific data provided also). However, rollers or some of the man-made plastics, such as graphite seem to be better for gits with trems. There's even argument over that! I guess it boils down to what material you like to work and feel comfortable with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
low end fuzz Posted March 23, 2007 Report Share Posted March 23, 2007 I think a previous thread on this discussed the fact that there is little, if any, tonal difference: certainly not distinctive to most human ears. (I think there was some scientific data provided also). However, rollers or some of the man-made plastics, such as graphite seem to be better for gits with trems. There's even argument over that! I guess it boils down to what material you like to work and feel comfortable with. play on a brass nut and tell me that. i would agree that plastics sound the same as other plastics and most wood nuts sound the same as others Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southpa Posted March 23, 2007 Report Share Posted March 23, 2007 (edited) I prefer bone for its density and slightly resinous quality (not oily) when dealing with string travel. It WILL wear down eventually, everything does anyway. Bone is less likely to fracture (not as brittle) below a nut slot than plastic. I also prefer bone for its ease of cutting, filing, sanding and polishing. A very workable material. Edited March 23, 2007 by Southpa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bertbart Posted March 24, 2007 Report Share Posted March 24, 2007 Corian kitchen counter top. One sink cut out will make a boat load of nuts and saddles. It's dense...easy to work and it's free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cherokee6 Posted March 24, 2007 Report Share Posted March 24, 2007 Point made; there's argument over the difference. I'm tempted to try brass, on my tele project. I'll let you know if I do it and can tell the difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j. pierce Posted March 24, 2007 Report Share Posted March 24, 2007 I've been using bone just because it was so easy to work - I've been using zero frets, so that seems to be pretty much the only only concern I have with my nuts, as I don't think they impact tone too much if the end of vibrating surface is the fret. I'm tempted by the super DIY method you folks have posted, but I gotta wonder about the smell. Even filing down an over-sized nut blank makes a stink I'm not thrilled about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fryovanni Posted March 24, 2007 Report Share Posted March 24, 2007 I just picked up a couple Pearl nuts. I have been kinda curious about them for a while. I guess I will know how they work pretty soon. For the most part I use bone and black buf. horn. Never really had any complaints. Peace,Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acousticraft Posted March 25, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2007 (edited) Lots of preferences out there. I have read that bone density can vary from one nut to another but whether that makes any difference is anybodies guess. When I built my first acoustic I used a plastic nut and saddle. My local music shop showed me a Tusq nut and demonstrated the difference between plastic and Tusq by dropping them on the counter top. The plastic nut sounded very subdued compared to the Tusq that had a sharp ring in comparison. I put the Tusq nut on and straight away the guitar was more alive, I then changed the saddle and again it brightened up the sound. It is quite unbelievable the difference it makes. Even a cheapo guitar will sound a lot better with the change. So thats why I'm sold on Tusq and its so easy to file and slot etc. I have tried Corian but its not as bright sounding as Tusq. Edited March 25, 2007 by Acousticraft Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapbarstrat Posted March 25, 2007 Report Share Posted March 25, 2007 I have a Tusq nut on my '61 Kay semi-hollow. The open string tone was actually better (to my ears) with a cheapo plastic nut I had on it before. Bighter does not always mean better. Guitars and amps seem to require a lot of brightness subduing to make them pleasing to the ear. But, it depends on the particular guitar, as to what level of brightness you want there. I always try to put a positive vote in for Corian, because it seems to work fine as a nut material all the way around. When you get a big slab for free, the price is certainly right. You can learn a heck of a lot, by doing what it takes to cut it in smaller pieces and get blanks out of it and the smell won't make your stomach turn. I made these perfect blanks by rough-sawing crude strips from a big slab with a hand-saw, then milling them flat with a little router-planer jig : http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/...home-and-garden Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
!WOOD!! Posted March 25, 2007 Report Share Posted March 25, 2007 I prefer bone for workability.I can get oversize blanks for about $2 on ebay.Have tried corian and works good for large nuts like an LP but seems too brittle for the skinny little Strat nuts.Just cleared out our shop and the samples for another solid surface company called Acriflek were in the garbage so I grabbed them all.Nuts to match any funky paintjob.Seems more forgiving and less brittle than Corian.Still probably stick with bone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
low end fuzz Posted March 26, 2007 Report Share Posted March 26, 2007 where are people finding pearl nuts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fryovanni Posted March 26, 2007 Report Share Posted March 26, 2007 where are people finding pearl nuts? This person ordered a couple from Andy Depaule. He has white bone, black buffalo horn, Mop, and green snail shell. I am not a fan of plastic, but I am open to trying just about any of the other commonly used materials. I am sure they all have there advantages(unique sound). Certainly not a hard thing to replace and try different types out if you so choose. Peace,Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iskim86 Posted March 26, 2007 Report Share Posted March 26, 2007 I use dem bones. A few weeks ago there were some posts about making your own nut material from cow bone. Someone was nice enough to post a little tutorial on how to prepare said bone into useable nuts, acoustic bridge saddles etc. I decided to give it a whirl as a bone nut blank costs me $7 Cdn each around here. I figure why spend so much when a package of soup bones only costs about 2 bucks? I got about 16 good nut blanks from these 2 leg bone pieces. That works out to about $112, . http://www3.telus.net/Alsplace/dem_bones/Bones%20001.jpg Heres the rest of the pics. http://www3.telus.net/Alsplace/dem_bones/ Gonna End Up A Big Ole Pile A Them Bones Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sawhorse Posted March 26, 2007 Report Share Posted March 26, 2007 I use dem bones. A few weeks ago there were some posts about making your own nut material from cow bone. Someone was nice enough to post a little tutorial on how to prepare said bone into useable nuts, acoustic bridge saddles etc. I decided to give it a whirl as a bone nut blank costs me $7 Cdn each around here. I figure why spend so much when a package of soup bones only costs about 2 bucks? I got about 16 good nut blanks from these 2 leg bone pieces. That works out to about $112, . Heres the rest of the pics. http://www3.telus.net/Alsplace/dem_bones/ I searched around for that tutorial about making a nut but couldn't find anything. Could you post a link? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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