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Post subject: Considering brass nut but...
Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2011 11:27 pm
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Roadie
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Joined: Fri Aug 10, 2007 7:12 am
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how do you get the slots sized right for string guage? Must be tough to file?


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Post subject: Re: Considering brass nut but...
Posted: Sun Feb 20, 2011 3:10 am
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Rock Star
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Location: Albemarle, NC
There are highly specialized saws & files, called GAUGED SAWS & NUT FILES. The saws rough cut the slot and the files finish them. There are other tools that come in real handy also.

Good ones are pretty expensive and so far as I know there is substitute for the right saws & files in this application. It is somewhat tedious and requires a steadier hand than I have. There is no substitute for experience in slotting and installing a nut or for having the right tools. This is one job you'd be better off paying a tech or luthier who has the right tools and experience to do for you because if you don't know what you are doing you can make a total mess of it. Another option would be purchasing one pre-slotted, but there is no guarantee the slots will be positioned precisely correctly for your particular instrument's string spacing, sized correctly for your favored string size and laid in correctly for your neck radius.

Very fat strings such as nylon tape wound strings can break a stock set up plastic nut and the slots need to be expanded first, in which case you need these same files. The correct tools to properly set up a brass nut for your instrument will cost many times more than what the nut costs. These same files can also be used to slot bridge saddles. But those two applications are about all you could use them for on a bass.

See this page just for the files: http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Nuts,_saddles/Special_tools_for:_Nuts_and_saddles/Gauged_Nut_Slotting_Files.html The saws you would need are here: http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Nuts,_saddles/Special_tools_for:_Nuts_and_saddles/Gauged_Saws.html
And see this page for a link to a video on how to do it: http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Nuts,_saddles/Special_tools_for:_Nuts_and_saddles/Essential_Nut_Making_Tool_Kit.html?tab=Video#details


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Post subject: Re: Considering brass nut but...
Posted: Sun Feb 20, 2011 11:29 pm
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Roadie
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Thanks for the info brotherdave. I would definitely leave it to a pro to cut the nut. I have had a couple nuts broken. Once due to my ignorance, once unexplained. I'd just as soon use brass if it doesn't alter the tone.


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Post subject: Re: Considering brass nut but...
Posted: Mon Feb 21, 2011 7:38 pm
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Rock Star
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Location: Albemarle, NC
john11.2526@gmail.com wrote:
....I'd just as soon use brass if it doesn't alter the tone.


You're welcome. A brass nut adds sustain. You can feel the neck sing more. For some types of things, this is GREAT and for others not so great. Depends on what you are looking for in sustain and upper mids.


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Post subject: Re: Considering brass nut but...
Posted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 10:24 am
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Hobbyist
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Joined: Wed Sep 29, 2010 6:46 am
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Location: Fort Collins, Colorado
I recently had the nut replaced on my P-Bass; had it done by an experienced luthier and he used a bone nut. Cost me $85 for the nut and setup, but well worth it. I would be careful about brass - like Bro Dave said, it will definitely give a distinct tone and sustain, great if that is what you are looking for but hard to take away if not!


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Post subject: Re: Considering brass nut but...
Posted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 11:49 am
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Rock Star
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Location: Albemarle, NC
BHERMAN bone is actually a bit harder than the original plastic "TUSQUE" plastic stuff but seems to break easier as it doesn't give much before breaking. The plastic, as fragile as it is, does give more than bone. I prefer bone but you have to watch your string sizes and not try to fit a .115 string into a .105 slot.


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Post subject: Re: Considering brass nut but...
Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2011 12:23 am
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Aspiring Musician
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Joined: Sat Apr 02, 2011 9:22 am
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Little differrent application but same idea,I bought a Leo Quan B.$@! bridge,not knowing I felt like I was stroking out,I needed for a gig and had no choice to partake in making it happen.
I found a file set at the dollar store it had 5 different triangular mini sized files,5 mimi round ones and a bunch of little picking tools(they looked like dental tools used in a cleanig to press on a bad tooth to gauge nerve sensitivity)soI went at it,first light and slow,then I was just a case of not rushing,checking it every few passes,hard to mess this one up.
With a little bit of confidence things are'nt as tuff as it may originally seemed,SLOW AND STEADY. GoodLuck

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