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Since I've been on this board, I have read about tons of you guys replacing the quot;nutquot; of the guitar with different ones, graphite seems to be one of the most popular.

How does a better quot;nutquot; improve the sound of the guitar? Does it help it stay in tune better?

Thanks.

The nut affects the tone and resonance of the guitar. A good nut will improve resonance and slightly colour the tone. A bad nut will resonate poorly and muffle the sound of the strings.

Different nut materials resonate differently, and there is really no quot;perfectquot; nut material. Graphite has a very even response and resonates very well, which is why it is popular as an after-market mod. Bone resonates well too, and sounds a bit less mellow than graphite. Brass has excellent resonance, but tends to sound very bright. Corian is a synthetic material that is very similar to bone. There are other nut materials, but those are the most common.

A badly cut nut, regardless of type, can cause poor intonation, and may also cause strings to break.

Hope that helps you understand the importance of the nut.

Thanks a lot, yes, that does answer my question!

No wonder I chew up so many strings on my squiers, they have real el cheapo plastic nuts.

Not to mention any trem use with a bad nut will cause instant tuning nightmares!

Another thing about a poorly cut nut, or an unlubricated nut is that strings will bind in the nut. Have you ever been tuning your guitar and heard a *ping*? That's the string binding in the nut and then loosening.

You might see where this can be an issue when you're playing, increase the tension on the strings, such as bending the string or even hitting hard, and it won't go back to pitch without binding in the nut.

I've seen nuts with a v-style slot in them, as well as a u-style slot. Assuming the depth and pitch/angle of the slot is OK, which is a better design?

That's another reason why the graphite or teflon/graphite nuts are popular.
They are self lubricating.
Thus lessens the chance of string binding.

One other thing. Have your nut cut properly to the guage strings you are using.
If you nut is cut for 9's and you switch to 10s, the 10s will bind in the nut.

Kent

although I prefer bone nuts, I still think the most important thing is to have the nut cut accurately, because that's critical to how well the guitar plays.

I was in GC last night, and 90% of the guitars in the store needed to have the nuts cut better. All my guitars have had at least a little nutwork.....all of them except for 1 PRS.


Originally Posted by Curlyalthough I prefer bone nuts, I still think the most important thing is to have the nut cut accurately, because that's critical to how well the guitar plays.

A well cut nut will fix alot of problems.

A well cut nut that's maintained well (cleaned and lubed) works as well as any other system on its best day.

geez, if you dont pay attention to the thread you can get confused, and scared away with all the nut-cutting-talk

hehehecof cof castration cof cofhehe just a lil' joke

When I use the trem on my strats (all three) some of the strings tend to go sharp. Could this be because of both of these reasons?

yes

What would you lube a nut with.

Sorry.

Is there a way to tell whether it is a bad cut or whether it just needs a lube job? I'm going to GC later and will buy some lube but some pre-trip advice would be cool.

Pencil lead will lubricate as well as anything. It's just graphite, and that is the most common lubricant. There is a product called quot;Nut Saucequot; that lots of guys rave about.

On almost any guitar that is mass produced, you can count on the nut being cut incorrectly in some manner. Getting a new nut cut from a quality blank, slotted to your guage strings and height cut for your guitar will only cost $20-30 from an experienced luthier. Well worth the $$.

That's cool. One of the guitars has a custom nut, but the other two are Fender factory nuts. Thanks. I'll get on it.

Another thing about a poorly cut nut, or an unlubricated nut is that strings will bind in the nut. Have you ever been tuning your guitar and heard a *ping*? That's the string binding in the nut and then loosening.

Thats what wrong with my epi les paul and y it might be snapping my 10
Where can u get new nuts do they need to be made for u?

The nut affects tone only on open strings. When you're fretting a note, it won't have any signficant effect on tone.

But it is crucial to have the nut cut right -- the pinching of the string as it slides back and forth does create major tuning problems (and in minor keys too).

One mod that I make on the nuts of my guitars to improve action and playability without risking any fret buzz is to cut the nut slots as deep as they will go without any buzzing on the first fret. You can have the action set medium to medium-high on the bridge side but the deeper nut slots will make it feel lower -- because it is lower on one side.


Originally Posted by James RockThats what wrong with my epi les paul and y it might be snapping my 10
Where can u get new nuts do they need to be made for u?

You can get them at stewmac.com, or a guitar tech might have some already. The nut should be cut specifically for your guitar, if you don't know how to do it I would just have a guitar tech do it for you.