Jump to content
Why become a member? ×

Brass nuts


barrycreed
 Share

Recommended Posts

I have a squier bronco bass, and will hopefully get my hands on an Epi EB0 over the next few months as well.

I have all the obvious mods in mind, pickup, bridge, wiring etc, but also looking at whether it's worth upgrading the nuts?

I've seen a few modded Epis for sale with brass or aluminium nuts and you can buy ready made Epi ones online.

In any case, worth upgrading the nuts on these two models? I assume stock nuts are plastic, and not sure if it would make a whole lot of difference either way.

I had a Dano guitar with an aluminium (I think) nut, and I liked it. Pretty resonant guitar for a "cheap" guitar.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not sure it'll do much except the open notes.  I hear brass makes it sound more like a fretted note, which I guess makes sense. Aluminium I'd have thought would dump more of the string energy into the neck, but I think the consensus is that the difference will be minimal.  I'd be interested to see how it goes if you do. I think it's one of those things that individually don't make a lot of difference but cumulatively make a bass feel good.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 27/10/2020 at 14:09, barrycreed said:

I'll keep the brass nuts to the cold weather and myself then. Bone nut it is!

Have you considered a tusq nut Barry?

I ask only because bone, being organic, has variable density throughout, meaning the response can vary across the nut.

Ibanez use tusq for their higher-end models. It’s a bit like carbon fibre, but uniformly denser, and is pre-impregnated with graphite so it’s permanently lubricated.

Graph-Tech make & supply them to different sizes & configurations for most neck widths.

Just a thought...

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I used to have a Japanese-made ESP Horizon guitar that had a woven-graphite nut. It was incredibly cool, totally unlike any other graphite nut I have seen. Just multiple densely packed laminates of woven carbon fibre, well lubricated and smooth, and the open strings rang with a beautiful clarity. I've never seen another one like it. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, LeftyJ said:

I used to have a Japanese-made ESP Horizon guitar that had a woven-graphite nut. It was incredibly cool, totally unlike any other graphite nut I have seen. Just multiple densely packed laminates of woven carbon fibre, well lubricated and smooth, and the open strings rang with a beautiful clarity. I've never seen another one like it. 

So maybe graphite might be a better option?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, barrycreed said:

So maybe graphite might be a better option?

It may well be. I guess it comes down to personal preference. I’ve not seen a single negative review of tusq nuts. That said, I have an 80s Westone bass with a brass nut, and I love the nut/strings/pup combination. On the flip side of that, I once read: “If brass was any good for nuts, it would be used on violins.”

I guess maybe try one of each, idk. Hope you find what you’re looking for.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, LowMoFo said:

I once read: “If brass was any good for nuts, it would be used on violins.”

Don't violins mostly have wooden nuts? Makes sense on a fretless instrument, since it matches the tone of the fingerboard. The fretless Sandberg Bullet 5 I once owned had a rosewood nut too for this reason. 

Edited by LeftyJ
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 29/10/2020 at 03:01, LowMoFo said:

Have you considered a tusq nut Barry?

I ask only because bone, being organic, has variable density throughout, meaning the response can vary across the nut.

Ibanez use tusq for their higher-end models. It’s a bit like carbon fibre, but uniformly denser, and is pre-impregnated with graphite so it’s permanently lubricated.

Graph-Tech make & supply them to different sizes & configurations for most neck widths.

Just a thought...

No I had not considered one but would have no problem trying one.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...