Nuts arn't just for Christmas

[deepbass5]

 

High Guys n Gals

 

Just thought it worth asking what material you are Nuts about at the thin end of your finger board. 

 

I,  like most of you have experienced most types of bass nut materials on many different basses over time.

 

Bone was favoured by luthiers and still is by many.  Mass production saw us given a hard Nylon material by the likes of Fender,  some of these were changed after market with Brass nuts.  Some manufacturers started out with brass nuts.  

 

Warwick introduced us to Bell Brass frets, and adjust a nut. I, II, III   Are you happy with your strings and ultimately your tone balancing on two little screws?

 

I have liked all the basses i have had with a Zero fret, and a string guide only nut. It seems a logical long term solution. The open string will sound the same as all other frets, a subject always for debate when other materials are used. 

 

We have also seen Graphite nuts and Mamouth TUSK  the list goes on,  and Now :-

 

Having just purchased a Sadowsky bass with Tedur nut, I am thinking , what the hell is TEDUR, interesting that that German Sadowsky's by Warwick use this too but in the Just-A-nut III format, where Roger in NYC is keeping his TEDUR firmly routed to the wood ? 

 

Any thoughts on your NUTS ?

 

Below is what i found out about TEDUR.

 

 

A low thermal expansion coefficient that is comparable to aluminum as well as high rigidity mean that TEDUR® is highly suitable as a replacement for metal. Aluminum has already been replaced by TEDUR® in many applications, such as a mounting frame for driver assistance cameras. The camera lens bracket must have a high level of dimensional stability and rigidity, so that the lens is not affected by driving or due to warping. However, TEDUR® is useful as more than just a replacement for metal.

Its excellent hydrolysis and chemical resistance, even at high temperatures, are the basis for using TEDUR® in cooling systems, for example in pump components, pump valves or extruded pipes. Cooling circuits, in particular, are becoming ever more important due to e-mobility and the increasing demands placed on materials. Especially with regard to battery cooling, there are much higher requirements compared to a standard combustion engine. While the relatively robust power units previously needed to be cooled mainly when in driving mode, power storage units are more sensitive to increased temperatures and must be cooled both when in driving mode (unloading) and also during charging. Materials used in the cooling circuit are therefore exposed to loads for significantly longer periods, and must be replaced by more resistant materials. The long-lasting resistance of TEDUR® is therefore important so that extruded pipes, pumps and valves continue to function reliably even after many years of use.

 

Over to you for comment.

 

[itu]

https://www.campusplastics.com/campus/en/datasheet/TEDUR+L+9107-1/MOCOM+Compounds+GmbH+%26+Co.+KG/5/91e531bc 

 

Polymer that has 40 % glass fibre. Injection moldable. Cheap material, but the mold will cost quite some. Most likely easy to machine. 

[TimR]

Plastic. 

 

That's the only information I have on mine. It's been OK for 25 years, so probably not nylon. 

[deepbass5]

I did have a Streamer broad neck many years back, with a Just -A-Nut III that i upgraded it to,  I am just wondering now If Warwick have always used TEDUR to make their nuts, and Sadowsky have adopted this on their basses but in white to simulate Bone. Does anybody know if Warwick nuts have always been TEDUR or is this new to Sadowsky Metro's.  

[BassTool]

Brass on all of mine, usually home made apart from my '98 Warwick Thumb and my CB fretless. See my BlazerRay and Vigier Passion threads in Build Diaries 👍🏼

 

 

 

 

 

[NancyJohnson]

I honestly have no idea.  I saw a video a few days back where a chap was manufacturing nuts out of wooly mammoth bones/tusks, which (apparently) you can buy in Alaska - I  thought this was pretty cool (no pun intended).

 

Arguably the nicest nut I've had was on a Warwick Streamer...it was one of those brass adjustable ones that made tweaking a dream:

[deepbass5]

I am now researching and answering my own post 😄

 

Warwick Just A Nut III for 4-string Basses, Plastic

The current Just-A-Nut III is the most progressive design yet for a part that is so essential to the playability and sound transmission of the instrument.
We have discovered Tedur, a polymer strengthened with fiberglass, whose outstanding abilities to transmit vibration was proven in laboratory tests, which then became the basis for further tests revealing that Tedur is extraordinarily resistant against breakage and wear. With that, Tedur has fulfilled all the expectations we’ve placed on a modern nut.

 

 

[BlueMoon]

If I have to work on one and replace it, I would normally choose brass as the substitute nut. Obviously, if its a vintage instrument then probably bone.

[Dan Dare]

Material is less important than how well a nut is cut and fitted. My '72 J bass is still on its original and none the worse. Perhaps if I used rounds and constantly cranked the tension up and down, it would wear, but I don't and it doesn't.

[itu]

4 hours ago, deepbass5 said:

We have discovered Tedur, a polymer strengthened with fiberglass... Tedur is extraordinarily resistant against breakage and wear. 

Glass (or carbon) fibres make the material tough. The fibres tie the polymer together (and the other way around). Practically many polymers (like polyamide, PA) containing lots of fibres are very tough. Most of them are also injection moldable, depending on fibre length (from ball to fibres to long fibres) and machinery. 

 

Here's a product that is made of PA that includes tens of percents of fibres. These were built from metal earlier, and are in a hard place: M. Cipollini et al. have pushed far over 2 bhp through similar pedals, and cleats. 

 

https://www.lookcycle.com/us-en/products/pedals/road/comfort/keo-classic-3 

 

P. S. Because of fibres (especially glass) these polymers (plastics) are not that easy to recycle. 

[Norris]

The guitars I've built myself, bone. The guitars & basses I've bought? Not a clue without looking, and certainly nothing I'd lose sleep over though

[tauzero]

My Warwicks and two Antoniotsais - Just-A-Nut I. I've got a couple of zero fret instruments. Most of them are nylon. I'm about to try to make a brass nut for one.

[Bolo]

Just-a-nut 3 on my custom bass that has bell brass frets. It also has the Warwick 2 part brass bridge.

 

Other basses I would prefer to have a zero fret, but usually I leave everything original and won't change the hardware on my basses, the Spector Euro and MM are stock.

If I don't like how it sounds, I don't buy that instrument.

Edited 15 hours ago by Bolo

[deepbass5]

9 hours ago, tauzero said:

I've got a couple of zero fret instruments. Most of them are nylon. I'm about to try to make a brass nut for one.

 

I'm just wondering why you would alter a zero fret design, as it is the zero fret that is setting the string height and is same material as all other frets, The nylon string guide is just that, any plastic material will do just to keep the strings in line over the zero fret.  The only reason I changed one on my Status Electro was allowing for different coated strings of larger diameter than the current slots. So made a new guide out of i nice piece of Yew i had, which complemented the body and fret-board. but the zero fret stayed. 

[deepbass5]

9 hours ago, tauzero said:

I've got a couple of zero fret instruments. Most of them are nylon. I'm about to try to make a brass nut for one.

 

I have re read your post so my original comments now removed are not valid, thought you were referring to the nylon guide on a zero fretted bass. what a difference that full stop makes   🤫 

[Bassassin]

Logically, a brass, or other metal nut would seem to make sense for tonal consistency, unless your frets are either plastic or bone. But then - I don't understand why every bass or guitar doesn't have a zero-fret, and the nut simply acts as a string guide.

 

I suspect tradition is the answer, and is also why bits of dead animal still get glued onto stringed instruments.

[Cliff Edge]

Brass nut on my 72 jazz fitted many moons ago replaced the broken original. Graphite bridge saddles on that too. Brass nut and bridge saddles on the Aria makes a nice noise. Plastic nut on the Ibanez SR and probably just plastic on the Stingray too.