The Guitar Nut
A common mistake of guitar players and luthiers alike is underestimating the importance and the role of the the guitar nut.
In my career as both a guitar repairman and a luthier, I have seen outstanding nut setups and totally messed up nut setups. The difference can be totally amazing.
The material of the guitar nut plays a very notable role in the final tone of the instrument. For instance there is a huge departure between a quality bone nut and a cheap plastic nut.
There are many articles that you can read on the analysis of the nut from actual construction of the nut to material decisions and the perfect string slot setup.
So you can tell that the guitar nut, that little strip of white plastic or bone plays a notable role in the guitar playing ease and tone. Here is a listing of the guitar nut responsibilities:
String Action or Guitar Playability
The Guitar's Intonation
The Guitar Tone
Ease of Tuning the Guitar
String Age
Now we will examine each of these elements in more detail and find out why this little strip of plastic, bone or ivory is of such importance to the guitar's playing ease and tone production.
Action of the Guitar Strings:
Although this point may seem rather obvious, there is in reality more to it than it seems on the surface. Making minor adjustments to the depth of the string channels in the nut can make an amazing difference in the guitar's ease of playing.
What happens if you go to low with your nut channel adjustments? Yes that is easy to do and you will ruin the nut and have to start all over. What then would be the optimal string groove depth? That subject will have to be covered in another article.
Intonation:
Guitar intonation refers to the proper string length to guitar scale relationship. This is important since the nut has a role in determining the proper scale length. This beginning point of the scale is where the nut and the fretboard join. This is what happens if the nut grooves are filed improperly. The intonation will be thrown off as the guitar string length can fall somewhere 'within' the nut rather than at the outside edge. This will make the guitar impossible to tune and it will sound out of tune when you play it.
Guitar Tone Quality:
The tone quality of the guitar is additionally affected through the nut. This can be proven if you replace a fine classical guitar ivory nut with a plastic nut. The difference is amazing! The strings will be very dead sounding on the plastic nut as compared to alive on the ivory. The open string will be much more lively on the ivory as well.
So materials make a difference in tone quality - we know that. Another important point is to be sure that the nut is properly fit into the guitar neck. If it has full contact and is a nice tight fit, the vibrations of the strings will be more fully transmitted into the guitar neck and the strings will resonate better, thus reaction with the bridge will be improved.
Ease of Guitar Tuning:
This problem is most frequently caused through the improper filing of the string channels or string slots. By far the basic way to accomplish this is by the use of gauged nut files. These files are matched to the string diameters for proper channel widths. String slots should have the following qualities:
String slots ought to be round-bottomed to fit the string contour.
Next, in order to prevent string binding in the guitar nut, each string slot should be slightly wider that each respective string.
Finally, in order to minimize string binding, each string slot should be angled toward it's respective strings tuning machine post.
String Age:
Obviously, if all of the above conditions are met and the string slots are created properly the strings will not be stresses nearly as much at the guitar nut and will age better.
A common mistake of guitar players and luthiers alike is underestimating the importance and the role of the the guitar nut.
In my career as both a guitar repairman and a luthier, I have seen outstanding nut setups and totally messed up nut setups. The difference can be totally amazing.
The material of the guitar nut plays a very notable role in the final tone of the instrument. For instance there is a huge departure between a quality bone nut and a cheap plastic nut.
There are many articles that you can read on the analysis of the nut from actual construction of the nut to material decisions and the perfect string slot setup.
So you can tell that the guitar nut, that little strip of white plastic or bone plays a notable role in the guitar playing ease and tone. Here is a listing of the guitar nut responsibilities:
String Action or Guitar Playability
The Guitar's Intonation
The Guitar Tone
Ease of Tuning the Guitar
String Age
Now we will examine each of these elements in more detail and find out why this little strip of plastic, bone or ivory is of such importance to the guitar's playing ease and tone production.
Action of the Guitar Strings:
Although this point may seem rather obvious, there is in reality more to it than it seems on the surface. Making minor adjustments to the depth of the string channels in the nut can make an amazing difference in the guitar's ease of playing.
What happens if you go to low with your nut channel adjustments? Yes that is easy to do and you will ruin the nut and have to start all over. What then would be the optimal string groove depth? That subject will have to be covered in another article.
Intonation:
Guitar intonation refers to the proper string length to guitar scale relationship. This is important since the nut has a role in determining the proper scale length. This beginning point of the scale is where the nut and the fretboard join. This is what happens if the nut grooves are filed improperly. The intonation will be thrown off as the guitar string length can fall somewhere 'within' the nut rather than at the outside edge. This will make the guitar impossible to tune and it will sound out of tune when you play it.
Guitar Tone Quality:
The tone quality of the guitar is additionally affected through the nut. This can be proven if you replace a fine classical guitar ivory nut with a plastic nut. The difference is amazing! The strings will be very dead sounding on the plastic nut as compared to alive on the ivory. The open string will be much more lively on the ivory as well.
So materials make a difference in tone quality - we know that. Another important point is to be sure that the nut is properly fit into the guitar neck. If it has full contact and is a nice tight fit, the vibrations of the strings will be more fully transmitted into the guitar neck and the strings will resonate better, thus reaction with the bridge will be improved.
Ease of Guitar Tuning:
This problem is most frequently caused through the improper filing of the string channels or string slots. By far the basic way to accomplish this is by the use of gauged nut files. These files are matched to the string diameters for proper channel widths. String slots should have the following qualities:
String slots ought to be round-bottomed to fit the string contour.
Next, in order to prevent string binding in the guitar nut, each string slot should be slightly wider that each respective string.
Finally, in order to minimize string binding, each string slot should be angled toward it's respective strings tuning machine post.
String Age:
Obviously, if all of the above conditions are met and the string slots are created properly the strings will not be stresses nearly as much at the guitar nut and will age better.
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