Nuts of steel (what do you run your strings over?)

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Nuts of steel (what do you run your strings over?)

Post by Reg18 »

Having long been a believer in bone nuts (most of my guitars get switched to them)
My recently purchased 70s Tele has a brass nut.
From my reading it was very common “upgrade” in the 70s, but then slowly disappeared again.
This is my first experience with a brass nut and I kinda like it, the guitar rings out really nicely on open strings and seems to have a bit more zing/harmonics to the overall sound.
Is it time to revisit the brass nut? Or was there good reasons it disappeared?
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Re: Nuts of steel (what do you run your strings over?)

Post by codedog »

Is it trick of photography or are those slots quite wide? Do you run heavy gauge strings on this one?

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Re: Nuts of steel (what do you run your strings over?)

Post by Reg18 »

codedog wrote: Wed Dec 14, 2022 8:51 am Is it trick of photography or are those slots quite wide? Do you run heavy gauge strings on this one?
Its still got the stings it came with, feel like standard 10s maybe. Seems ok so far, no dead notes or major buzzing.

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Re: Nuts of steel (what do you run your strings over?)

Post by NippleWrestler »

I wonder if brass was phased out from mass production for being harder on tools or taking longer to get to the right shape? Or maybe it's prohibitively expensive when you need 100,000 of the thing? Supply issues? There's a hundred things that can influence what factories use from year to year.

Interestingly, the guitar I have coming in the mail also has a brass nut, it's from 1983.

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Re: Nuts of steel (what do you run your strings over?)

Post by calling card »

I've read of aluminium being used. Only about 13 years ago when I entered the worldwide build a Tele for $100 challenge. There was a professional luthier built a thin line, he added aluminium nut partly experimental reasons. He was quite impressed by it's performance albeit in a very small way.
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Re: Nuts of steel (what do you run your strings over?)

Post by Delayman »

I really like the zero fret idea which is different again, I like the idea of open and fretted notes not sounding so different. Don't own a guitar with on but I want to.
They keep telling me tone is in the fingers, but I have yet to see a "look at my fingers" thread.
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Re: Nuts of steel (what do you run your strings over?)

Post by Starfire »

I quite like the aluminium(?) nut on a Danelectro, but it’s just one component of the Dano sound. And if you tune down half a step, say, and put a capo on the first fret, open chords definitely have a bit more ring to them. But whether it’s worth changing bone for metal, I’m not sure. The difference is probably moot once you kick some overdrive on anyway.

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Re: Nuts of steel (what do you run your strings over?)

Post by jeremyb »

Delayman wrote: Wed Dec 14, 2022 10:03 am I really like the zero fret idea which is different again, I like the idea of open and fretted notes not sounding so different. Don't own a guitar with on but I want to.
I like it too as nut slot height doesn't become an issue if you're changing gauges etc... the nuts only there to make sure the spacing is correct, dunno why more guitars don't have them!
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Re: Nuts of steel (what do you run your strings over?)

Post by murky »

Careful. Brass nuts are a gateway to scalloped fretboards and harmonic minor.

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Re: Nuts of steel (what do you run your strings over?)

Post by jeremyb »

Regwie Malmsteen is that you???
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Re: Nuts of steel (what do you run your strings over?)

Post by robthemac »

My '81 LR-10 has a brass nut. Looks cool. Don't think it sounds any different.
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Re: Nuts of steel (what do you run your strings over?)

Post by StrummersOfThunder »

robthemac wrote: Wed Dec 14, 2022 8:41 pm My '81 LR-10 has a brass nut. Looks cool. Don't think it sounds any different.
Well,it's only ever going to help with open notes right ?

Does look cool

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Re: Nuts of steel (what do you run your strings over?)

Post by Reg18 »

I need to do some tests, although I’m not planning on switching all my guitars over to brass I think I’ve decided to leave the current brass nut in the Tele as it’s sounding great. Still curious as to the pros and cons though and why it stopped being poplar after the 70s.

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Re: Nuts of steel (what do you run your strings over?)

Post by Bg »

I had a brass nut on a tokai tele but it didn't sway me one way or other, I too have bone on most of my guitars just because it gives me something to do on those long winter nights.
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