Nut thickness

[Jcolvin]

Merry Christmas!

I'm nearing the end of a build, and it is time to make the nut. I have a few 1/8" bone saddle blanks on hand but no nut blanks. So I started thinking. What if I made a nut from a 1/8" saddle blank? I did some research and found most manufacturer's nuts are about 1/4" thick +/- a hair. I did find that fender electric guitars nuts are 1/8" thick. So it has been done. But does anyone here know how making a 1/8" thick bone nut for an acoustic might effect tone, tuning, playing feel, or anything at all? Thanks to all of you!

Josh

[tippie53]

try it and let us know what happens
I would glue 2 pc together and make it 1/4 wide

[MaineGeezer]

I can come up with several theories but in fact it would all be complete BS because I don't actually know anything.

I can theorize for instance that the nut is made wide for stability. The saddle is held in a slot and can't tip, but the nut is less securely held. Another theory, the saddle is supposed to vibrate with the strings, whereas the function of the nut is to solidly fix the end of the strings, hence more mass is desirable. Whether either or both of those ideas are worth anything, have no idea.

[naccoachbob]

I'd do what John said or spend the money for a full sized actual nut. The good thing about going thin is that you can later make it wider.

[Danl8]

I'd do what John said or spend the money for a full sized actual nut. The good thing about going thin is that you can later make it wider.

+1 on this.

A 1/8th" thick nut would be an interesting experiment. Some makers have used a zero fret as the length stop relegating the nut behind to keeping the strings sorted. Most of the sound of an instrument is produced by fret-stopped strings anyhow. If 1/8th didn't sound right then easy enuf to re-cut for a traditional size. I have glued two ivory piano veneers for a saddle, and can't hear a difference compared to a regular single piece saddle.

[Diane Kauffmds]

It seems to me, that as long as the nut is positioned at 0 fret and has the proper break angle, that gluing 2 pieces to make the 1/4" width would work. I used the superglue/baking soda trick to fill in an area of a nut on an old guitar, which had been cut too deeply for the strings. The presence of the glue/baking soda, had no effect on the intonation or acoustics, so I would think that gluing these 2 pieces together would work fine. Let us know what you decide and how it works out.

[Jcolvin]

Well, since I sanded through the finish on the back of the body, I gave myself a little time to delay, and so I ordered a normal sized nut. I still am curious what it would do, however the more I think about it, the more negative things come to mind than positive, such as my guess is it would make for a thinner sound, as there may be more 'deadening' vibration of the strings above the nut. Anyways, sorry for the tease!

[Diane Kauffmds]

I think you made a wise choice. Personally, it would have driven me crazy to know that the nut was glued together on my otherwise nicely made guitar, even if it didn't affect acoustics. I always consider using a shimmed or glued part as a temporary fix until a replacement can be obtained, but that's my personal quirk. I'm a little OCD about guitar mechanics.