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Joined: March 2007 Posts: 840
Location: CA | Two questions about nuts - of the type at the top of a guitar neck.
1) Does changing to a bone (or fossil mammoth tusk or Megalodon shark tooth or whatever) - really make a significant difference in sound over the plastic ones most guitars come with?
2) I have an original 1111-4 Ovation that I bought new in 1971. I have always loved almost everything about this guitar except the string spacing. It's too 'narrow' near the nut for my liking and fat fingers. I note that the outside E strings are 'set in' a little on each end of the nut. Would it be possible to have this guitar fitted with a new nut that spaces the strings out a bit more?
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Joined: October 2005 Posts: 4025
Location: Utah | Yes and Yes.
The nut in theory only affects the tone when the string is played open. But it does affect the tone. I like bone nuts best, though Tusq is ok. Cheap plastic is not as clear sounding.
The strings can be spaced somewhat wider. If they are too close to the edge, it is easy to pull it off the edge. I find this especially true of the high E string, though the low E is definitely susceptible too. I set mine a little bit closer to the edge than factory. If you play with a light touch it is less of a problem than if you're mashing chords. |
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Joined: December 2001 Posts: 10581
Location: NJ | I like the bone nuts but the tusc is also very good |
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Joined: May 2011 Posts: 751
Location: Muenster/Germany | On my best guitars I use brass nuts. Thus the open string sounds alike the gripped string and the nut will not wear or break and the strings will move more easily when I tune them. And I believe that physically the string will react different when not too much energy is spent with the deformation of the plastic or bone nut, but that may be too theoretical. I would follow FlySig´s advice to be careful to make the string spacing on the nut too wide.
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Joined: January 2002 Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | 1. It will make a difference if you really believe.
2. yes, make a new nut and stretch it a bit. be sure to use fossilized whale penis. It is much better for the sound
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Joined: May 2008 Posts: 1553
Location: Indiana | Beal - 2019-06-21 3:28 PM 1. It will make a difference if you really believe. 2. yes, make a new nut and stretch it a bit. be sure to use fossilized whale penis. It is much better for the sound LMAO |
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Joined: August 2011 Posts: 887
Location: Always beautiful canyon country of Utah | Fossilized whale penis? I previously read that tissue from Brontosaurus testicles deposited during the Jurassic period was second to none when it came to nuts! |
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Joined: December 2015 Posts: 287
Location: Katmandu | Beal - 2019-06-21 3:28 PM 1. It will make a difference if you really believe. 2. yes, make a new nut and stretch it a bit. be sure to use fossilized whale penis. It is much better for the sound Best ever. |
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Joined: December 2008 Posts: 248
Location: Seattle | Wait..... didn’t Gibson get in trouble for this?
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)
CITES is an international treaty that provides protection for wild animal and plant species in international trade. It is designed to promote the conservation of endangered species while allowing trade in certain wildlife. There are three categories of protection under the treaty. Species listed in Appendix I are threatened with extinction and are or may be affected by trade, therefore commercial trade is strictly prohibited. All of the great whales are listed on Appendix I. |
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Joined: December 2015 Posts: 287
Location: Katmandu | kentrookie - 2019-06-22 9:01 AM Wait..... didn’t Gibson get in trouble for this? Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) CITES is an international treaty that provides protection for wild animal and plant species in international trade. It is designed to promote the conservation of endangered species while allowing trade in certain wildlife. There are three categories of protection under the treaty. Species listed in Appendix I are threatened with extinction and are or may be affected by trade, therefore commercial trade is strictly prohibited. All of the great whales are listed on Appendix I. How do you mean? CITES concerns all guitars with rosewood or other exotic woods on the restricted or forbidden list of the CITES agreement that are being im- or exported irrespective of the make.
Edited by leonardmccoy 2019-06-22 1:44 PM
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Joined: December 2008 Posts: 248
Location: Seattle | In the never ending quest looking for the holy grail of guitar nut solutions no stone will remain unturned.
If we really could get fictional fossilized whale or Brontosaurus parts they just might fall under wild fauna. Just would prefer not to go to federal prison over guitar nuts |
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Joined: March 2002 Posts: 15654
Location: SoCal | Beal - 2019-06-21 1:28 PM
1. It will make a difference if you really believe.
2. yes, make a new nut and stretch it a bit. be sure to use fossilized whale penis. It is much better for the sound
But not to the whale..... |
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