Brass nut on an acoustic guitar?

[keith_h]

Now that I have added some instrument wall hangers to my music room I have brought out some guitars that rarely got played due being out of site, out of mind. With that I have found my acoustic guitar needs a new nut to raise a couple of the strings buzzing on the first fret. While I can replace it with a new bone nut it came to mind that the guitar might be a candidate for an adjustable brass nut. I've never run across an acoustic with a brass nut and am not sure if this would be a good idea. I also have no idea of what to expect for any change in sound but suspect it will be brighter.
 
If any of the folks hear have done/tried it I would like to get their opinions before I go off and order the parts.

[gtrguy]

I have an old 12 string made with brass frets and they sound great. They have also worn surprisingly little.

[bigredbass]

IIRC, back in the day, some of the Daion box guitars had them, I'm sure there's been more.  Wouldn't know about transplanting an Alembic nut on an acoustic, but it would be easy enough to fab a 'regular' brass nut and install it without glue and see how it sounds, then glue it if you dig it.  Personally I wouldn't expect a big change in tone, but what do I know . . . . Seems like a lot of primo boxes spec a bone nut, but in this day and age, I wonder, would that freak out a vegan?
 
(Message edited by bigredbass on March 14, 2015)

[StephenR]

The only time you would hear a change in sound will be when you play an open string... once you fret a note it takes the nut out of the sonic equation since the string is no longer vibrating behind your finger(s.

[keith_h]

Joey - No vegan issues here. I have a bone nut on the guitar as it currently sits. I'm mainly looking at potential time savings and reducing frustration. Filing the nut, setting the guitar back up, take the nut off, filing the nut, and so on only find out at the next season change my perfect set up isn't so perfect is the type of thing that drives me nuts. It would also allow for more flexibility when I decide to change string types or gauges.  
 
I'm thinking about taking your suggestion and making a test nut. I've made brass replacement parts and saddles for bridges over the years so a nut should be pretty straight forward. In fact I don't think it would take much to make it adjustable. I just need to set up the metal working vice on my work bench. If it works out I would take the guitar to my luthier to have him route a permanent slot for the base plate.
 
Stephen - Good point on the nut only being in effect on open strings. Thanks for bringing it up.
 
Keith
 
(Message edited by keith_h on March 14, 2015)

[lbpesq]

The Daion Caribou and Gazelle series acoustics came with brass nuts and saddles.  I agree with Stephen that the nut is out of the equation as soon as you fret, but then again, one does tend to play a lot more open strings on an acoustic than an electric (at least I do).  
 
On anther note:
 
What, you never heard of vegan bone nuts?  They come from animals that died of old age with their animal family and friends in attendance while sage burned and hanging crystals spread dancing beams of light upon the gathering that was doused with patchouli oil.  
 
Bill, tgo

[tncaveman]

I prefer free-range bone nuts.
 
 Stephen
 
PS. Bill . It's your fault for that one.

[peoplechipper]

Easiest solution would be a shim under the old nut, but if you're set on replacing I would go with bone...I can't say exactly why, but my bones say bone...Tony.

[keith_h]

Tony - I'm set on replacing the nut. I didn't install the current nut but from looking at it the person that did the work miscut the slots for the G and high E strings. The rest are ok and have the good spacing to the first fret. I haven't played the guitar in years and don't recall if there was a problem after I got it back or if it has developed over time. I suspect it was marginal when I had the work done in a different part of the country and it became a problem with the move to a more humid climate. I've got the tools to do the work so it isn't a big deal for me to slot a new one.  
 
Keith

[edwardofhuncote]

There's a synthetic product called Tusq that's the closest thing to actual bone/ivory nut that I've run across. And believe it or not, never having used it before, I tried it at the request of a good friend and coworker who is a vegan. Hey, I don't care personally, but it's a big world... her guitar needed a nut, and I just like to get along. =)
 
Re: brass nut, I've done a couple. IMO, it's a lot more trouble to make, in exchange for not a necessarily desirable effect on an acoustic guitar... just my .02