I love how you really break down these topics. In the modern time full of connectivity and information it’s a lot easier to gain a huge perspective and start overlapping that experience to form actual truth and dispel myth. Great job Dylan.
A couple of weeks ago, my guitar tutor was swapping between bone, tusq and plastic as part of his ever ongoing quest of tone. Having heard the 3 of them I can say that the bone was the worst, it sounded very dull. TUSQ was pretty good but it had a bit too much high frequencies and the plastic one was the most balanced of the three. That's my personal experience with nut material.
When I was working as a product design engineer, I used a plastic called Ryton PPS (polyphenylene sulfide). I chose it because the application required it to retain its strength at temperatures around 300°F or so. One of its characteristics was that if you dropped a sample on a desk it would 'ring' almost like glass. I've always wondered how it would do as a guitar nut (or saddle on an acoustic guitar), since it was so hard and resonant. Don't know about lubricity though. It was a relatively expensive plastic and needed properly controlled processing to get its best performance.
"Tusq and bone you can't tell the difference really". Well, I know I can't. That's why I've been using Tusq lately. I can't hear the difference, don't have to deal with the stink, they come in pre-slotted and pre-shaped sizes for most common guitars (which really cuts down on the work), and are self lubricating. It's a no brainer.
Yes sir, we are living in the A.D. period too, if I am not mistaken. Still, some folks are fond of the "paleo" nuts for whatever reasons. Does bone even last longer(?) I just today was wondering?
TUSQ is not self lubricating, it needs to be “TUSQ XL” or “Black TUSQ XL” in order to provide the lubrication - these are the *only* “models”/materials that actually have PTFE (Teflon) impregnated into its polymers Just a pro tip is all 👍 Cheers
My 2004 Squier Stratocaster I am finally going to learn to play and the original nut was always horrible. I got Graphtech to tell me which one is a drop in replacement, but I don't know what height to make the bottom of the slots to the top of the first fret as? Once I get that done I can do the rest of the adjustments as I have the tools for that arriving tomorrow but the nut height I can't get a definite answer too. I know the TusQ XL 5010 is about 3-3.4mm taller and 2mm wider but the rest is drop in replacement. I don't want to have to touch the slots at all and they said I don't need to but what height?
One of my favourite guitars is my jcx strat copy, I've had it 12 years and it was my first electric guitar, it still has the original plastic nut and plays great, I also have an 80s strat copy with what looks like the original plastic nut which also plays/sounds great, it also has the original p'ups and a plywood body! It's my main gigging guitar too :)
Thanks, Dylan. You are a voice of reason in a fanatical tone world. I keep asking, though, what is the deal with triple coil pickups? How does the third coil affect the hum factor?
Ive used about every nut material from actual ivory (vintage martin still had the original nut), to titanium, and even wood nuts. They all sound different whether its mild or extreme, but my favorite is tusq cause it sounds super close to bone but is more stable. Titanium nuts are cool too cause they basically never wear down, and there adjustable. Nylon nuts can be good if cut right and lubricated properly. Which is really the best is hard to say, because its entirely personal preference. I like graphtech tusq cause it takes forever to wear down, and it self lubricates.
One thing I like about plastic nuts is that they "turn off" the sound of the strings in the air. For me, I usually use chords in combination with certain strings in the air and when sounding more muted, and in combination with some saddles of brass, it makes the chords sound brighter and the notes in the air sound like a complement to what I do with my fingers. good video, chears!
I bought a used squire Jazz Bass and it had a semi hollow plastic nut I replaced it with bleached bone nut blank and it made a difference if vibration flowing throughout the body
The other thing is that people grossly underestimate how much the nut can affect intonation & tuning stability if it’s not just right. I’ve had techs recommend all types of different remedies for these problems when the problem was the nut all along. Often when people think there’s a problem with their tuners it’s the nut. When you intonate your saddles but the intonation is still way off on the lower frets, it is probably the nut.
I make bone nuts for all of my guitars. Solid, very dense, air dried. I have been making bone nuts for my guitars for about 30 years. I also make compensated bone bridges for my acoustics.
thing is...even the weakest part of a bone nut should be denser than any piece of tusq or plastic. also, bone looks and feels beautiful from an aesthetic pov
I’m also getting a bone nut for my Epiphone to replace the Corian nut. It probably might not make a difference but I like that hand carved bone vibe mojo. It’s the idea of something custom made for me.
I always wonder why zero frets, brass, or some kind of metallic material isnt more popular because of the fact that open strings definately sound different than fretted strings.
I am not an expert, I think zero fret is on the same level as the rest of the frets, and it can wear off faster than the rest of the frets, and when it wears just a little bit the string will be behind the first fret. I don't know, I think fret is harder to replace and it would wear off faster. The nut has little more space for wearing off and made of elastic materials. But on the other hand zero fret would sound the same as all other frets. I had few brass nuts and they have sounded similar to the rest of the frets, but they wear off really fast. Like G goes quickly under the first fret.
@@michaelcottle6270 I don't have any experience with it. Maybe someone experienced as Dylan could tell. It can be more durable. I like the idea of the zero fret because it solves the problem of sharp notes at first few frets. But if the nut is well made it can be good without sharp notes. One solution is compensated nut.
03/16/2020: Hi Dylon. I am a beginner guitar player, and watch your videos. I love that you are on the road in your mobile home and still teaching. Would you mind telling your viewers where you are at each time you move? Such as what state and name of the lake in this video? Oh, it would be cool to do a fast camera scan of the area too ... anyway, I love your videos! Tom, in Orlando Florida (74 years old retired LEO).
good point on the variety of density in bone. I cut my blanks from actual bones I get from the butcher. A lot of that raw material consists of spungy, fat containing bone. and yes, dense bone blanks don't need to be coloured white, they are white.
Dylan, Gibson used Nylon 6/6 for nuts in the Fifties until around 1964. The up side to the Nylon 6/6 is that it is somewhat self- lubricating. The reason Gibson went to Nylon saddles in 1960 was they got complaints that their guitars were too bright sounding. They did use bone saddles for a few months in the Tune-O-Matic’s before the Nylon was made. The down side of Nylon saddles is it’s slightly darker than brass saddles. The German company ABM/Muller makes some wonderful Bell Brass T-o-M bridges and Stoptails that increase the resonance of your guitar.
All good comments on nuts Dylan. We had an old luthier who taught me to make a nut at age 13, in 1969, and it turned out to be ivory. Obviously illegal today , and I had a Fender Heavy pick made of ivory. Both great but wrong in a moral sense. Being an igorant kid i just bought what i thought was best at the time. I enjoyed this video and would've liked to see the guitar - looks like a shade of Mahogany like I'm building a Les Paul jr. out of ATM. Good advice on nuts. Cheers. Terry from Oz.
Dylan, about a year and a half ago, I got a pawnshop prize called a Peavey Raptor Plus EXP. This is a really cheap Strat-oid that had a worn-out plastic nut when I got it. I made one miss and one hit when buying its replacement. I measured incorrectly and got some cheap bone nuts that turned out to be to short to get the strings' action right. I measured better the second time, and was able to get a properly-sized nut at my local Guitar Center. The replacement was graphite and fit so well that I didn't dare remove it after the test fit for fear I'd break it! Needless to say, tuning stability was a challenged under these conditions, but I've used a number of tricks that have worked together well enough that I don't feel the need to spare the vibrato. There was a small difference in sustain and tone after the replacement, but I wouldn't say that the difference was particularly important. Getting the new nut did, however, prepare the axe for a fret job, and that DID make a particularly important difference in sustain and tone. After that, I let the nut "wear in" for a while. That plus the many other things I did to that guitar have made that guitar a monster!😎 You're right when you say that many things come together to create a guitar's tone and sustain. Many things work well as nut materials, which is good as it's simpler: Get one of the good nut materials, fit and cut it well, and you'll have something.😎❤️️🎸‼️
I just installed brass neck nut, brass saddle, and brass pins on my Martin. However, it is thought to file and adjust brass compared from plastic, bone or graphite nuts. I do recommend doing this if you really like to make your acoustic more brighter and add more sustain but it is definitely a pain work with brass. On my electric guitars I always use graphite nut and I never have a problem. It does helps to lubricare your strings tension, keeps in tune your guitar longer than other nuts. Definitely recommend to use graphite on the electric guitars. Good topic and discussion Dylan. Keep it up!
One other consideration is a ZERO nut, which uses a thin piece of slotted, bone nut only used for the string spacing, and half a thickness of fretwire, which I have installed one in a Tele, and must say am very pleased. Kit comes with a few different fretwire heights to choose from. Very little difference in sound from an open chord to a fretted chord or note.
I use bone for non-vibrato guitars like my Gibsons, and on my some of my older vintage acoustics. I definitely prefer tusq or graphite for any vibrato bridge equipped guitar. I like the way bone looks and enjoy its varying striations on my Les Pauls, etc. Bone certainly is porous and not as consistent as man made materials but that's why I still dig it on non-vibrato bridge instruments. There's a very good reason why Bob Taylor uses tusq, and PRS graphite like our man Dylan tells us-function and consistency!
I went my own way and put a titanium nut in my custom Strat build,. the guitar is brighter than before nut also has mor elow frequencies coming through as well. a little louder over all
Just picked up replacement nuts for my 2 Squiers(2000 and 2007 models). First one was cut wrong but was solid plastic. Second one was cut correctly but was semi hollow. Both were white...which I didn't like. So, bought two black Tusq XL with the string trees. I really like the looks of the black with my guitars. Tone?....I haven't had them on long enough to tell a difference. But, doubt it is too significant. Thanks for the video!
I agree that if it is working, leave it alone. That said when I make nuts (fairly often) I use camel bone. It is a very good material and finishes well. It is more about getting the slots cut correctly and getting it smooth and polished. I use the polishing cord that StewMac sells for the slots after I cut them. Nut goes through the same sanding and polishing procedure that I use on my guitar finish. When I am done it looks more like glass than bone. It is a fair amount of work but I get years of trouble free performance. Not sure how many years as I have not replaced one yet.
finally my local shop is selling Graphtech TUSQ XL white nuts for Yamaha Pacifica! (Ive got 5 Yamahas...)🤓 I have one original plastic spare and a black Tusq XL, now ordered two white Tusq XLs, perfect measurements!! I tune very low with 9-sets so I think Ive got nuts for life!!!!! ( same goes for frets! and I use DUNLOP 65 String Cleaner/Conditioner for the strings, and its also good for fret polishing after the string handling!🤓
I could've sworn I posted this already but here it is anyway. I replaced the nut on my first guitar, a Silvertone SS10 strat clone, because low E was cut too low and I thought it was plastic. Turns out it was exactly the same as what I replaced it with, a GraphTech Black Tusq XL nut. I only figured that out about a week ago and I changed the nut about 3 months ago.
I do not use bone unless it's a restoration. The reason I don't use bone is you must ask if the person is concerned about using animal material . I make brass and aluminium ( from 6082T6) use Tusq or graphite depending on how the guitar is set up . I like working brass , it's also a self lubricating alloy which is why it's used for plain bearings with steel shafts , and will use brass if there is gold hardware on the guitar . It's available in 3mm flat for metric Srat types and 1/8" flat for Imperial or US Strat types . As is aluminium and also in 3/16" and 5mm flat thicknesses for everything else . I will use brass on bass guitars purely for tone reasons . It's like adding a whole pile of missing frequencies to a really woollen sound . Aluminium is great as the engineer grades are tough and nice to work light and polished look great with nickel or even chrome plated hardware . I've no idea what grade of alloy was used on an original Danelectro but certainly the 6082 T6 is another tone generator and I'm guessing this may have been the single most expensive thing to make for the Dano guitars by weight . Shape it , slot it , and drill a hole in it for fixing before adjusting for height . That is a job , but they sound great ! Stainless steel I have not tried as all of it is difficult to work and the stuff that is available in flat is usually quite rough in finish , which means every face needs polishing. I have used it for neck plates on bolt on necks and left the edges and sides as linished , like a brushed finish . And use countersunk stainless hex screws and stainless inserts in the neck itself , anything better is a one piece through neck design .
I changed all my plastic nuts on Gibson-style headstocks with Tusq as well as added a string butler to each one (about $50 - $70 per guitar depending on options). Cannot speak to whether or not the tone is any different, my primary gripe was the inability to stay in tune after doing a full bend, especially on the G and B strings. The 2 with Bigsby's still need graphite-coated bridge saddles to help fix this problem. Basically a bad headstock design by Gibson, otherwise I love these instruments. Another reason to build your own or buy used and then upgrade.
If it was previously a corian or micarta nut it probably sounds the same as tusk or bone. The expensive Heritage guitars use corian nuts so I assume it’s probably a good material
Cool video, my favorite is the graphtech guitar nut, it just sounds the best to my ears. My second favorite is the brass guitar nut, it rings louder unplugged and brightens up the sound a bit. Deez are the nutz!
I took the nut out of my player series Strat 2 days ago. It fell to pieces the second I tried to pull it out. It was only about 18 months old but I'm glad I replaced it. My 2008 MIM strat had stronger material than the player series. It was 12 years old when I changed it and it managed to come out in only 2 pieces.
Coincidently, I'm just about to finish re-fretting my 20yr old strat neck, and I'm going to use a Graph Tech nut on it too. Never tried them before, but I'm glad to hear that you recommend them.
I put a black graphite nut on a Squier Telecaster and it sounds amazing , the rhythms sound is real warm and the leads really scream out but that's the only guitar I ever had one installed on . Now that have the time and money plan to install more on the rest of my other guitars .
I got cheap guitars with an average light plastic nuts. On electric - I replaced with brass - on acoustic I replaced with bone. They are bigger sounding and more musical to my ear. Tusq would be fine - however I found that bone blank is cheaper - and I did not have a problem with unevenness.
I think the light plastic is fine like the corian and micrata types. As long as they are durable and not fragile, plastic is probably great in its own different way.
I have heard bone, plastic, and TusqXL but never a metal nut. Plastic was the worse with TusqXL very audibly different when playing using a blind test (unlike what this guy is saying). Metal I would love to hear and I suspect it gives a metalic sound to it? Just guessing.
@@airgliderz Tell you what I just put on a TusQXL 5010 and OMG, what a difference it made. I still haven't seen a metal nut. Wonder what it would be made out of? If the metal is too soft it would wear down lickety split. I suspect there is no such thing. Oh, and another thing with a metal nut and that is dissimilar metals will corrode each other (Galvanic corrosion) and damn fast too, so I think there is no such beast made by, or used by, any reputable guitar maker.
Brass is definitely a winner for me, I got a hybrid guitar I put together les paul special shape guitar with a strat style neck and trem with one in. Plays like a dream. You play it unamped and it still sounds good.
@@ruka5805 building my own LP style guitar, I carved out the back so it is comfy like a strat and modified where the neck connects to make it easier to play on high notes like a strat plus changed that awful Les Paul headstock straightened it out so its head won't pop off (breakoff at scarf joint) hate les Paul's necks and the awful uncomfortable back of the body squared off flat surfaces.
Germans like 0 frets. There are some tuning advantages. However, you will need to replace it more often than tusq/bone materials. We are still talking about 10+ years between re-fretting the zero fret (Brian May of the Queens didn't re-fret it for nearly 40 years!) if you are playing a lot....
My concern on zero frets were, that they are worn out faster as the frets. Because they get stringvibration and grind every single note played on that string. Even very slightly, but constantly. A stainless steel zero fret would prevent that, seems a good solution.
Yes, good question. I do know that Vigier now uses a sectional zero fret for easier sectional replacement as needed for a certain area if wear occurs, for one. Superb guitars those Vigiers.
I agree with you on the "if it ain't broke don't fix it thing " I just wonder if all the debate is genuine or, peer pressure or old fashioned snobbery Guess the debates will continue on every little minutiae
Good video. On my electrics (strat, tele & Les Paul custom) I use tusq nuts (string trees & saddles as well) and couldn’t be happier with it. All stay in tune very well, harmonics and everything is superb.
I appreciate your comments about bone and tusq. I recently had a set-up done on my acoustic with tusq nut and saddle. We replaced the tusq saddle with bone because the treble e was cutting into the tusq. Maybe I will have the same problem with bone.
I know you said acoustic guitars are different, but for what it's worth I used to have a Taylor K14c that came stock with a plastic nut I believe. I sent it back to the factory once for them to add electronics and a bone nut to it, and I can tell you the bone made a huge difference in tone. It made the guitar much more "alive" sounding and a bit brighter, stronger. I loved it.
I had a broken plastic nut in my Epiphone Les Paul Special and replaced it with bone. It was a pain to file and sand it and I was lucky the material was uniform. Next time I replace a nut, it will be Graph Tech TUSQ
I remember I changed the nut on my Epiphone Les Paul Zakk Wylde, from the stock plastic to a Tusq and what a difference. The sound is much more transparent and crisp. The sound was actually quite different for mine. Especially when you do artificial harmonics (pinch harmonics) they seem to leap off the fretboard. I couldn't believe the difference. I've always been wanting to do a roller nut.
@@lone-wolf-1 yeah I can see that. Their was another RU-vidr that swore by them, he use to be a touring tech of sorts. I can't remember his name , but I can probably dig it up. His theories make sense too, it was more about letting the strings move freely and return to zero again without catching or hanging up .
My home built bitsocaster has had a graphite nut for over 30 years. Sounds great to me and helps the tuning stability with my Kahler. I took off the Kahler's locking nut because I just didn't get on with it and I'm not a dive bomber so I don't need the extra help.
I absolutely agree with you. I had a plastic nut on one guitar, it broke while changing strings, although it served it's purpose for more than ten years on that cheap Strat type guitar, no intonation, tuning or buzzing problems. Since it's a tremolo guitar, I replaced it with a graphite nut, and I can say as well - it might be the best solution for guitars with tremolo, there are no problems with guitar staying in tune, it lubricates itself and is very sturdy! Absolutely worst experience I had with bone nuts, they are so uneven and inconsistent, it is only for "authentic guitar purists", as I think all modern technology surpassed what people had to use before - they didn't have a better choice than bone. Plus using animal products is unnecessary nowadays. I have a guitar with bone nut that couldn't stay in tune because the high E end of it was just too soft. I am about to replace this nut soon with a graphite one, although now I am considering to try brass one, since it is the only one I never tried!
I use 12-60 strings on my strat and 11-56 on my SG and Flying V. I was leaning towards bone nuts but thinking about you comment on bone being porous I wonder if heavier gauge strings would actually wear that material down quicker. Really interesting video, I was definitely one of the bone fanatics but now that your comments have got me thinking about the reality of the materials I am starting to think otherwise.
Great episode...A good nut can make the diference. I bought and installed temporari a graph tech tusq nut (without pfte impregnated) in my strat. and at time i bought a graph tech xl tusq nut (with pfte impregnated).. Never have installed the nut with pfte.. Tusq nut (without pfte) works perfect for me. ahh i can listen a diference on tone between a bad plastic and a tusk or bone nut...more in acoustic guitars... for me afected the tone, and more the functionallity obiously..
I got a neck with a hallow plastic on it. Finally got around to making an axe master nut fit. Made a huge difference. I've changed solid plastics for synthetic bone (whatever that is really) that tinkled better than plastic and also made a difference in holding the energy. I have two with graphite and are good. Bought a tusk but haven't tried it yet.
3:05 good point 4:39 based on your experience or some studies? To remember: 4:47 - the problem is that cheap guitars comes with cheap palstic ABS, not desne, and soemtiems even nhollow.
My 50th anniversary Strat came with an LSR roller nut which has a metal frame (not sure of the type of metal - looks like cast steel) with two tiny ball bearings on either side of each string. I doubt it'll ever wear out. But what's interesting, the adjustment is done with shims under the metal frame. I once thought of replacing it with a graphite, thinking it would be a better transfer of energy from the string to the neck. But haven't done so as I'm really ok with the tone anyway - I never play open chords.
Dylan you come off as up beat, very happy, and totally rejuvenated. You must have lowered your stress and it's obvious you love the new lifestyle. Good for you man.
lol. I'm pretty low stress normally. I go through phases where the online audience affects me. The PRS fanboys got me a bit annoyed.... I'm over it lol.
@@DylanTalksTone , I wasn't implying something was off with you, you just seem to have something extra now. I'm with you 100% on PRS. I'm excited to see the lace sensor dissection. You rock, I love the content.
"If it works, then forget about it" total antithesis of the vintage tone freak, but so true. I have a Classic Vibe '60s Strat with a bone nut and it stays in tune beautifully. The only nitpick I have with it is the saddles and their height adjustment screws. Other than that, it's a great guitar, snobs be damned! I've replaced the pups 'cause my music room is SUPER noisy, with what I won't say, 'cause you don't like 'em, but they work for me so far (replaced before I found your site, I wouldn't have bought them if I'd seen your review of them). Keep up the good work, science beats 'mojo' every day. :)
I have a lot of electrics and I don't notice a major difference in materials except the cheap plastic. On a DIY kit strat I had it had plastic until I replaced it with graphite, but it broke, then I either got tusq or bone and it's held up great. Other guitars I can't tell you what it is but I'm curious about using metal material for longevity sake. However after hearing this I might be better off with tusq.
There are 2 things that change the tone/sound via the nut given it is slotted properly. 1. Contact. How much contact the nut makes in the neck slot and how much contact with the string. 2. Brass. All standard nut materials basically sound the same except for brass. **This only applies for nuts and is not true for bridge saddles especially those with undersaddle piezos! For most of my personal guitars I make my own guitar nuts from brass.
Thinking about energy between the saddle and upper bridge..I mean nut..that's a great way to think about it. Any noise like fret buzz or string noise near the tuners or saddles is lost energy..that's a great visualization!
Wow I have a thinline classic vibe thinline telecaster and intonation issues, so I like the zero fret, so I cut the nut low and grooved the nut on the fret side and listen to this used a brass wire wound low E string shaped it to fit and it has the best sound and intonation of all my guitars, I wish I could send a picture, the wire wounds lock the strings grooves so no string nut moves twang from side to side and the sound is from an HH Squier shawbucker,,sound clear string sound plus the pickup sound added to it sharp string tones and the pickup sound together, love it , want to go brass compensated nut due to the hate from money people but I don't see it wearing out for a long time and the brass e string nut forms the curve of the neck so perfectly its just to easy to pass up please respond back and can you try this as well and give me your expert opinion of the best way to do this again, I'm not a dummy with an Low E string shoved next to my nut hahaha its not a joke I'm so curious of your opinion on this after doing it and hearing it. Thank you my music intonation friend, it's the most important pice of music being in tune 😆
I’ve def put graphite nuts in guitars with tremolo’s and appreciated the increased tuning stability. The nut in my PRS S2 is some proprietary graphite nut and the timing is spot on 100% with its trem system. My PRS Angelus has a bone nut and I had it slotted and set up correctly and it’s beautiful and lush. I did swap out the plastic bridge pins for a set of Tusq bins and it seemed to brighten or add some sparkle to the guitar. I agree with Dylan that most well-made guitars are tuned/setup for the material that suits them best.
Tusq is best. Have had guitars sit around for years without any lubrication, restring it - still smooth as silk when tuning and that's what matters in my opinion. It's all about tuning stability.
Hey Dylan, thanks for the rundown on nuts and nut materials. Very helpful and informative. I have no biases about nut material, but the basics you outline here really clarify the downside of bone nuts, and the advantage of graphite for strats with tremolos and Bigsby equipped guitars. Density matters. With the recent passing of Jeff Beck I've seen more videos of his playing and guitars. Can you tell from looking what material the nuts on his guitars are made from? Just curious. . .not that I'll ever play like him. . .🙄
I've made exactly one nut in my lifetime, for a Hamer bass. The reason is that I did not like the spacing of the nut that was on it. I used bone, because the dimensions (mainly the thickness) of the blank I found on Stewmac were exactly what I needed, and while I was mostly satisfied with the results (definitely happier with it than the old one), one thing I noticed is that I had a hard time keeping the slots centered on the desired spacing as I filed the string grooves. I wonder now if this is because of the non-uniform nature of what is, after all, a natural material. Sort of like a chisel wanting to follow the grain of wood. Also the smell - ugh! I'd thought about using a Tusq nut, but at the time I thought they didn't make the blank that I need, which is the one that is commonly "for Martin guitars" - about 2-3/16" x 7/16" x 1/4". However, I see now that they do - the PQ-4025-00. So I'm going to try again (I have two other Hamer basses I'd like to make the same improvement on). Keep the videos coming! I always learn something.
I bought this Glarry 335 copy cause it was sharp and cheap. When I got it the nut was so high which I expected so I grabbed a Tusq replacement that I had laying around. To my surprise the Glarry was bone. I had to sand the bottom and square the nut ledge but I was surprised at how easy it was to work with verses cheap plastic. I was also shocked at how good those cheap guitars can be with a little work and a few new parts.
I didn't know this was still a topic of contention. Even Dan Erlewine uses Tusq almost exclusively for repairs on the best instruments. From what I understand, Tusq is impregnated with PTFE, which is the slipperiest substance known to man. I think they sound better than anything I've tried. I also have an American Select Strat with the LSR roller nut, which is spring loaded stainless bearings. Bright tone, but it matches well with the darker humbucker. I love that guitar too, it never goes out of tune.
I used to put Mother of Pearl nut on cheap strat , i felt it bring out some brilliance tone and brighten up open strings , pretty nice , wanna try put it on Fender someday
On electric, you’re 100% right; it’s about the function. Tusq/graphite for keeping the strings from binding, & if plastic is working, no need to change. On acoustic, though, I upgraded my ultra-cheapo acoustic’s stock plastic saddle/nut to bone & it made a gigantic difference in tone. Night & day! Instantly sounds like an expensive guitar. Blew me away.
Hey Dylan, are you familiar with Tom Rodriguez? I know you're familiar with Lindy Fralin. I'm from Richmond,VA and have been friends with both of them for about 40 years. Lindy's pickups are in all but one of my guitars, and I have one of Tom's great guitars, a '68 Strat style guitar with the most unique, and best nut on any of my guitars. Tom uses a great deal of repurposed materials, like the almost 200 year old maple neck, and fretboard that was a piano leg in the 1880's. Now back on topic! The unique nut in the Rodriguez, it is made of approximately 20,000 year old fossilized Mastodon Ivory! It is hard, yet due to it's unique hardness, like graphite, it has lubricant qualities, without the shortcomings of graphite. I have Bone in my Thinline Tele, Corian on my 50th anniversary SG Special, Pete Townshend signature guitar plastic 9n my Ibanez Artcore ESc335 style guitar, and a Les Paul on order with Graohtech NuBone. I'm not sure about the Les Paul, but other than the Mastodon Ivory on the Rodriguez, and the Graphtech on the SG, I don't see any difference in the way the strings just slide through the nut slots after heavy bends. In the case of the Strat, I can do everything to try to get it out of tune, I can dive bomb all night, and the guitar stays in tune. Most of that is the build, Tom is an artist, but the main 3 reasons it stays in tune are: 1. Callaham vintage S bridge 2.tge Mastodon nut 3.the maple used in the neck along with my asking him to put the truss rod in below the fretboard,( no skunk stripe), with the adjustment screw at the body end of the neck I think the big headstock makes the strings line up with the tuners better as well. Sorry to go on, but I love that Strat, and my Fralins, and have heard you mention Lindy several times. So, If you don't know Tom, as Lindy about him next time you get the chance. Unless the customer asks for something specific, all of Tom's guitars come stock with Fralins! Keep up the great work. Peace, and guitars, Keith Clarke
I use bone primarily but also Tusq. Never had an issue with bone and like you said once you fret a note it's a non issue. We're talking 6 possible tone differences out of thousands. But if a person can hear the difference between nine volt batteries in their floor pedals like EJ then it could be a big problem. I've been thinking about putting Earvana nuts on all my guitar builds. I need to look them up and see what material they use.
Thanks Dylan. I was waiting for this one....So a guitar has strings resting between a bridge(saddles) and a nut. In between those 2 points are 22-24 other Nuts called “frets”. Unless I’m playing “A Horse With no Name” all day I am doing 98% of the playing between the frets and a bridge. So my choice for a guitar nut rests on reliability. Tusq and graphite are my favorite.
I am fortunate enough to have a custom guitar with brass bridge saddle & nut. The 'ping' 'life' 'liveliness' it has even with strings that are well played-in is amazing. Brass is the bees knees lizards gizzards & ducks nuts! Try brass nut & saddle / bridge, you'll never go back if rock's your bag.
I think plastic like you said is fine if it's working. If a replace a nut i use both tusq and graphite. I just recently used bone and i'm just not digging it and i'm thinking of changing it out. You need to do a video on saddle materials next.
One suggestion I would make is that when you put new strings on don't stretch them with them laying in the nut slot. Especially the wound strings. The plain strings won't saw into soft nut material like the wound strings will, What I do is put my left index finger under the string and with my right hand I stretch the string from the middle tuning it as close to pitch as you can without putting it in the nut slot. Dylan is 100% correct. The minute you put your fingertip meat in a note your finger functionally becomes the nut and takes the guitar's nut out of the equation.
A good plastic nut will suffice for my style and choice of tonewoods. I think a solid plastic nut can give a warmth to open notes, compared to other options.
I’ve been sold on tusk from the first time I tried it. I have a fender roller nut I want to try but it’s installation requires modification to the nut area on the neck, removing wood in other words. So I have been hesitant on that until I feel confident I wont screw it up. lol… Nice lake view btw. Do any fishing?
I'm very particular about nuts. I don't like old nuts, because they usually have a stink to them (probably could be washed?). I'm not particularly fond of black nuts (prefer white). I definitely can't stand when nuts hang out too much, either. Personally, I get compliments all the time about my nuts. People say they're smooth to the touch and their hands never catch on them when they're running their hands up and down. My nuts are the best.
As far as the bone nut density theory is concerned I have to disagree. The type of bone used for nuts is more like a fibrous yet somewhat brittle hardwood (think hard maple). The nuts are going to be cut in line with the fibers of the bone so the long side of the nut will be with the grain as opposed to against the grain. The density should be pretty consistent throughout.
Mine was poorly slotted plastic OEM nut (I think). Took it from Cort's. Tonewise, I don't really hear a difference. Vibrations, however, I sense that open string sustain better with TUSQ XL from that GraphTech. Plastic: rather dampened, due to vibrating poorly. Tusq: quite loud like how a 10-46 on E standard should sound like (I'm talking about acoustic sound, without the Tele being plugged to the amp). Question is, what defines 'correctly set up nut'. I use that Tusq and installed it myself. I'm not sure I did it correctly LOL
I have an ESP LTD AX-50 and has plastic nut. It works good with 10 - 46 strings. But for a change I switched to 9 - 42 strings and all headache started with intonation. And it needed buffer behind nut even after using graphite for lubrication of nut for keeping a steady intonation in addition to increasing the action all the way high to avoid fret buzz near 1, 2 frets. Any thoughts? Yes, I am switching back to 10 - 46 soon.
Dylan. I a bass player. I don't do six string, but I bought a Strat Player to play slide. Probably in retrospect not the best choice. I put another spring in the wammy gizmo to basically lock that, got 12's (maybe overkill) and reset the saddles so the strings are level, and redid the intonation. That much I could handle. I was wondering if I should replace the nut with a flat one AND can I buy one already made for a.Strat of do I have to get a luthier to create one? OR...I've heard of things to place over the existing nut to raise it a bit and flatten it out. TI wanted it dedicated to slide in Open D and I've learned myself how to set it up...except for the nut thing and you sound like the guy to ask.
