“Just Plain Nuts”

The nut is one of the most important exponents in the overall performance of any guitar…electric or acoustic. A badly worn or poorly made nut can hamper the playability of your guitar as well as the tone and tuning stability.

Nuts are made from a variety of materials including; plastic, bone, micarta, brass and graphite. Bone is usually the number one choice for many guitarists and guitar techs alike, mainly because of the tone. For electric guitars with a vibrato system my personal choice is a nut made from a “low friction” and self lubricating  material such as graphite. (using the vibrato bar dramatically increases the chance of the guitar strings “snagging” at the nut)

The main reason for nut replacement is simply when the old nut is too badly worn, with the string slots carved so deep that the strings tend to “fret out”  or buzz at the first fret. This can sometimes be corrected by gluing a shim (a small piece of material about the thickness of a business card) under the old nut. However if the wear is too severe…a new nut is usually the answer.

A great way to check nut slot depth (and possible wear) is to press down any string down at the 3^rd fret. There should be enough clearance between the string and the 1st fret to slide in a piece of paper…or so. If the string is touching the fret, and you’re experiencing buzzing when you strike the string “open” then a new nut may be in your future.

Making a new nut from scratch is a tall order requiring an experienced guitar tech and about an hour or so of his/her time. The job calls for several special tools such as precision nut slotting files, razor saw, nut seating files, chisels etc.

Another alternative is to see if your guitar is a candidate for a “pre fab” nut. These nuts are manufactured with the width and height predetermined as well the individual nut slots already “roughed in.” If you find one that fits your guitar, installation is quicker and a bit cheaper.