blunderthumbs Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 Hi Guys. My Jaydee is going in to John Diggins after Christmas for a service and I was thinking of having a brass nut fitted whilst it's there. Do you get more sustain or would it make little difference? [attachment=125295:jaydee mk series2 008.jpg] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charic Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 They look nice Other than that, umm... they're hard wearing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dandelion Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 Little difference I would say. A nut should have no effect on a fretted note. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaydentaku Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 I am no expert, but if the frets and the nut were made of cheese, it would sound terrible. if they were made from plastic, yes, terrible. Sound travels best through a dense and rigid material, increasing sustain. Metal therefore is ideal. To me, it stands to reason that a brass nut would improve sustain over a bone, composite or plastic nut. But to a noticeable degree? Is the guy in the audience going to faint in awe at the improvement a brass nut has made to your bands sound? Doubtful. Looks awesome though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leroydiamond Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 On an open note you might notice a difference in sustain, but once you play a fretted note on the instrument the nut is cancelled out, so no difference on a fretted note Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 I'd say the main advantage is that you'll have a hard time breaking a brass nut. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
razze06 Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 I'd say it affects only open string notes. I suppose there would be some sound difference if the string was vibrating off a piece of plastic, bone, or brass. I find that to be true in the sense that open strings on a brass nut sound more like normally fretted ones Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lettsguitars Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 There is actually a very good reason for metal topnuts. When you fret a note on a fretted guitar the point of contact is a metal fret. Metal sounds different to wood or bone. Therefore when you play a string open you would ideally want it to have the same tone as anywhere else on the neck. Metal frets, metal bridge, metal nut. Steel would be ideal but a bitch to manufacture and impossible for the average Jo to setup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 (edited) +1 And for all you custom bass orderers, +1 for a zero fret. Edited December 17, 2012 by chris_b Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bassman7755 Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 [quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1355738635' post='1901902'] +1 for a zero fret. [/quote] +1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acebassmusic Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 Advantage = open notes sound like fretted notes. Disadvantage = they fall off in the cold.... Coat, hat and gloves on....exiting door rapidly.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iconic Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 Synthetic bone (some type of plastic) I would of thought, is a cheaper alternative to brass. ....the Westone I just posted off had a brass nut and so did my Aria SB and they were both [i]very well[/i] built instruments. ....but I wouldn't wish to try filing a brass nut when setting up a bass! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisnameistaken Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 [quote name='Acebassmusic' timestamp='1355739862' post='1901916'] Advantage = open notes sound like fretted notes. [/quote] I've got a Warwick with a brass nut, and open notes do not sound like fretted notes. I think you'd have more luck with a zero fret. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spike Vincent Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 Advantages? None,unless you play open strings all the time. Brass fingers would make a difference but not a brass nut. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noelk27 Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 Always understood the theory underlying use of brass for nut to be to provide a smaller surface area for witness contact and to equalise tone. Yamaha now uses the same alloy for frets as for the nut on its new 1000 and 2000 series basses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 I have never cared about this stuff. Whatever benefits there are of a nut made of unicorn horn will be completely eliminated if the drummer leaves his snare on (which he invariably does) or anyone in the venue speaks (which they invariably do). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr.Dave Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 Another advantage is your Dad can make you one out of an abandoned bog door lock when you're a teenager and when you're still using it at 50 with 1000+ gigs and adventures under your belt and your Dad's not around any more , you realise what a truly precious possession you have !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tauzero Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 I know that there's an ACG out there somewhere with a piezo pickup at the nut. It would be worth seeing what string sounds that actually picks up, as presumably there will be some slight transmission of vibration along the string, even on a fretted note, as the fretting finger isn't a vice (some of my fretting falls short of being a virtue, mind). I suspect that the actual difference in sound is negligible, if not imperceptible. I do like my Just-A-Nut 1s on the Warwicks, though, and have put one on one of the Tsai 5-strings too. If I was having a nut made and the price difference was insignificant, I'd go for brass, but that's just a personal thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big_Stu Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 [quote name='blunderthumbs' timestamp='1355734339' post='1901829'] Hi Guys. My Jaydee is going in to John Diggins after Christmas for a service and I was thinking of having a brass nut fitted whilst it's there. Do you get more sustain or would it make little difference? [/quote] Ask John in advance; he won't try to convince of something he doesn't believe in himself - and might even have one in with one already on it for you to try out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dingus Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 [quote name='Big_Stu' timestamp='1355755925' post='1902215'] Ask John in advance; he won't try to convince of something he doesn't believe in himself - and might even have one in with one already on it for you to try out. [/quote] +1 on this . John Diggins is a master guitar builder up there with the very best and will give you the benefit of his expertise . My own two pence worth would be that brass nuts have certain disadvantages , most notably that they are more susceptible than you might think to being worn down by the abrasion of roundwound strings . Also , they do not in any way make open strings sound more like fretted notes . Open strings tend to sound louder and more prominent anyway , and a brass nut will only accentuate that , if indeeed it makes any difference at all . If you really wanted open strings to sound like fretted notes then you would actually try to make them slightly more muted . Plastic and graphite nuts sound perfectly fine and are easily maintained and replaced , and as others have stated , the nut makes no difference to the sound of the fretted notes . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xilddx Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 [quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1355738635' post='1901902'] +1 And for all you custom bass orderers, +1 for a zero fret. [/quote] I also like zero frets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xilddx Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 [quote name='tauzero' timestamp='1355753573' post='1902172'] [b]I do like my Just-A-Nut 1s on the Warwicks, though[/b], and have put one on one of the Tsai 5-strings too. If I was having a nut made and the price difference was insignificant, I'd go for brass, but that's just a personal thing. [/quote] I find them a nightmarish contraption, Warwick admitted they were a poor design and came up with the JANII which is total sh*t and breaks easily, as well as being very sharp. But the JANIII (especially in brass) is fantastic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charic Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 [quote name='silddx' timestamp='1355758411' post='1902261'] I also like zero frets. [/quote] That would be a fretless then Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xilddx Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 [quote name='charic' timestamp='1355758647' post='1902271'] That would be a fretless then [/quote] Salut! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UncleMeat Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 Interesting, I think the JAN I on my Dolphin is fantastic, I like the screw head type saddles for each string. Easy to adjust and makes experiments with strings and guages a doddle. What didn't you like about it? I prefer brass nuts, they don't break. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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