my F***ing LP

[parntz145]

I also would go with the graphite over the bone. Stays in tune better. Dont listen to the BS about bone having better tone to it. After you fret a chord it doesnt matter what the nut is made of. I went through this big debate about bone being the best. Graphite works better for tuning issues and if you didnt know what it was made of you wouldnt know the difference between it and bone. I had both.

The string is still vibrating behind were it is being fretted and the vibrations will go back into the neck through the nut. I have changed out way too many nuts from one material to another to believe your BS.

I sat down with my tech and we went back and forth between bone and graphite. If you can hear a tone difference between the 2 of them you have ears better than GOD. I bet if I blind folded you would never be able to tell the difference. Once you press down on a string the nut is out of play. If there is any vibration behind where you are pressing it is miniscule and not going to make a tonal difference. Im not going to argue if it makes you feel better to have bone than thats great. I just know what I heard and ill stick with the graphite for better tuning on my Les Paul. Afterall thats why I took the bone nut off in the first place. Plus you are playing an electric not an acoustic. You have distortion and effects going on.

 

[bste328]

i think i'm gonna go with a tusq one...hope it works, sounds good and that the luthier will do a good job and not ruin the finish

and i will also get this big bends nut sauce!

 

[stratotone]

The string is still vibrating behind were it is being fretted and the vibrations will go back into the neck through the nut. I have changed out way too many nuts from one material to another to believe your BS.

Wow, I'm glad we can disagree in a polite adult manner. I've owned guitars with brass nuts, never really noticed a difference after you hit fretted notes.

Even if you had a TINY tone loss, I'd rather have a graphite nut over bone just because you aren't going to have to worry about lubricating it - it's going to help you stay in tune, and personally, I can hear if a guitar is out of tune a hell of a lot easier than whether or not it has a bone nut.

Pete

 

[luxxtone]

If you really want a super slippery nut....check out the new XL nuts from Tusq. It's much more slippery than even graphite and is self lubricating.. Now they make regular looking Tusq XL nuts too, not just Black Tusq....but it's not on their website yet.

http://www.graphtech.com/products.html?CategoryID=5

 

[parntz145]

Im not saying a bone nut is not good. Its just if you are having tuning problems IMO I think you are better off going with a graphite nut. I had tuning problems on my Les Paul that had a bone nut on it that I had put on by my tech. We went over the problem and decided to try a graphite one instead. As soon as we changed it the problem was resolved. I played a bone nut for years and they are an improvment over the shitty plastic ones that Gibson uses. im just stating that you are not going to hear a tone difference between the bone and the graphite. My tech explained to me that once you push down on a string the nut it out of play. So, unless you are strumming open strings all day there is no difference. If it makes you feel better to use bone than do it. I just think if you upgrade the tuners and use the graphite nut this will reslove the problem.
You can try what I am saying or not. Hope this helps you.

 

[hunter]

you could also try an Earvana, they are supposed to be better in tune across the fret board (I know a luthier who swears by them).

 

[bste328]

If you really want a super slippery nut....check out the new XL nuts from Tusq. It's much more slippery than even graphite and is self lubricating.. Now they make regular looking Tusq XL nuts too, not just Black Tusq....but it's not on their website yet.

http://www.graphtech.com/products.html?CategoryID=5

awesome!!!!

 

[Beret]

I'm sure it's blasphemy to many, but this is precisely the reason I play PRS and Suhr. I need a guitar that will let me play it for half an hour and then strum a clean open chord and not be embarrassed. None of my Les Pauls have ever given me that ability. I guess I've just come to the conclusion that Les Pauls just aren't made for that apparently.

~B

i know a lot of people who has LP has this problem and others not, but with my lp it's gone beyond the point i can't even play it anymore. i swear. it becomes frustrating.

 

[bste328]

I'm sure it's blasphemy to many, but this is precisely the reason I play PRS and Suhr. I need a guitar that will let me play it for half an hour and then strum a clean open chord and not be embarrassed. None of my Les Pauls have ever given me that ability. I guess I've just come to the conclusion that Les Pauls just aren't made for that apparently.

~B

i know a lot of people who has LP has this problem and others not, but with my lp it's gone beyond the point i can't even play it anymore. i swear. it becomes frustrating.

don't misread what i've wrote before...i'm not sayin' gibsons aren't playable...in fact it's my number 1 guitar....and i will be buried with it but i can't stand it doesn't stay in tune...probably it's a problem worth 100$ i was only trying to figure out which 100$ solution will fit my needs the best

needless to say that for a 3000$+ guitar a proper nut would have been appreciated

BTW suhr and prs guitars are awesome and their attention to detail are worth every single penny but if you want a certain sound you need that certain guitar...as are strats suhr prs and whatever

 

[Strat+Marshall]

The string is still vibrating behind were it is being fretted and the vibrations will go back into the neck through the nut. I have changed out way too many nuts from one material to another to believe your BS.

Wow, I'm glad we can disagree in a polite adult manner. I've owned guitars with brass nuts, never really noticed a difference after you hit fretted notes.

Even if you had a TINY tone loss, I'd rather have a graphite nut over bone just because you aren't going to have to worry about lubricating it - it's going to help you stay in tune, and personally, I can hear if a guitar is out of tune a hell of a lot easier than whether or not it has a bone nut.

Pete

If you look back and read carefully, you will clearly see that I was not the first person to say that someone else's opinion was BS. Thanks for your opinion, doesn't change mine or a ton of other luthiers or players. Some people care about the tone of the open strings as well. A properly cut nut will stay in tune regardless of material.

 

[Scumback Speakers]

I'm sure it's blasphemy to many, but this is precisely the reason I play PRS and Suhr. I need a guitar that will let me play it for half an hour and then strum a clean open chord and not be embarrassed. None of my Les Pauls have ever given me that ability. I guess I've just come to the conclusion that Les Pauls just aren't made for that apparently.

~B

I submit that your Les Pauls have the same issue that the OP's does. I bend strings as much (or more) than the next guy. If I can sit in at the local blues jam for an hour plus and not tune up, then I think my Les Paul has done pretty well. Of course, we get back to a properly cut nut, good tuning machines, etc when I say this.

 

[mincy]

Rub some graphite (pencil lead) into the grooves of the nut. It helped for me! It's the benefits of the graphite nut without changing your tone.

Seriously, this works. I've been doing it for years on my LP. Every time I change the strings, I just take a pencil and fill in the slots on the nut. I did change the stock tuners to Schallers, but that was mostly because I dropped the guitar and broke two of the machine heads on the stock ones. The new tuners did help as well though. Regardless, I have no issue with my LP staying in tune. Ever. It's rock solid.

 

[bste328]

trust me mincy i do the same to all my guitars...but when all the graphite of the pencil lead is gone strings start to ping again...it's a useful thing to do when you have a proper and well cut nut...but i don't think it's the solution for every situation...

 

[guitarplayer]

bone nut professionally installed
grover tuners
it's like a new guitar

 

[JDouglee]

I use Jim Foote @ MusicWorks in Lawndale, Ca. 310-379-5194. He's the guy many touring pros take their guitars to in LA, but he's backed up a good week on a setup/nut cut/fret dressing mod/fix, but there's a reason....he's just that good.

I used to bitch and gripe about my Les Pauls (as some of you guys are on this thread) till I took them to Foote. After explaining where all the pinch and pressure points are (and fixing them) I understand why others do.

FYI as far as costs: New bone nut $60 installed...not a lot to pay to fix what Gibson doesn't do right at the factory on all of their guitars.

Interesting, I just got a Les Paul back from Foote, a nut replacement/setup and yup he did some fine work.

 

[stratotone]

If you look back and read carefully, you will clearly see that I was not the first person to say that someone else's opinion was BS. Thanks for your opinion, doesn't change mine or a ton of other luthiers or players. Some people care about the tone of the open strings as well. A properly cut nut will stay in tune regardless of material.

No problem, I'm curious... what special non friction property does a properly cut nut have that would make it frictionless no matter what the material?

Look back and think carefully, because the string has to contact the nut somewhere, and it's going to have some drag/friction... all things being equal, wouldn't a properly cut nut made of a slicker material have less friction on the string than a bone one?

And I'm sure lots of folks care about open string tone, I tend to play above the cowboy chord part of my neck quite a bit. Even tricky advanced chords like an 'F' and his tricky pal, Bb.

Pete

 

[Strat+Marshall]

No problem, I'm curious... what special non friction property does a properly cut nut have that would make it frictionless no matter what the material?

Look back and think carefully, because the string has to contact the nut somewhere, and it's going to have some drag/friction... all things being equal, wouldn't a properly cut nut made of a slicker material have less friction on the string than a bone one?

And I'm sure lots of folks care about open string tone, I tend to play above the cowboy chord part of my neck quite a bit. Even tricky advanced chords like an 'F' and his tricky pal, Bb.

Pete

I made no claims of a frictionless material, way to dodge around the fact that you lack basic comprehension skills. A properly filed bone nut is slick enough to allow the string to slide back and fourth and return to pitch, worst case you run a pencil through the slots. If it still goes out of tune at the nut, it is cut wrong.

Only inferior players use open strings and care what they sound like? Keep going, can't wait to see what you come up with next.

 

[stratotone]

No problem, I'm curious... what special non friction property does a properly cut nut have that would make it frictionless no matter what the material?

Look back and think carefully, because the string has to contact the nut somewhere, and it's going to have some drag/friction... all things being equal, wouldn't a properly cut nut made of a slicker material have less friction on the string than a bone one?

And I'm sure lots of folks care about open string tone, I tend to play above the cowboy chord part of my neck quite a bit. Even tricky advanced chords like an 'F' and his tricky pal, Bb.

Pete

I made no claims of a frictionless material, way to dodge around the fact that you lack basic comprehension skills. A properly filed bone nut is slick enough to allow the string to slide back and fourth and return to pitch, worst case you run a pencil through the slots. If it still goes out of tune at the nut, it is cut wrong.

Only inferior players use open strings and care what they sound like? Keep going, can't wait to see what you come up with next.

Not dodging around at all, you didn't answer the question... again, please do. If two materials had different amounts of friction, the one with less friction would stay in tune better, correct? You're the one claiming that nut material, if properly cut, has no effect on tuning stability. It has to contact the string somewhere, unless you are some sort of Voodoo Luthier.

Stewmac (you have heard of them, yes?) recommends using a lower friction nut than bone for tremolos. Why? BECAUSE THEY STAY IN TUNE BETTER. The fact that you mention a 'worst case' means that they CAN still bind even properly cut. Thanks for proving my point.

What's going to stand out more - the fact that you have a bleached cow bone nut precision cut by diamond files on your guitar for .0005% more tone or the fact that your guitar keeps going out of tune?

Regarding open strings on an electric guitar, typically you're playing enough fretted notes with the open strings that it's not really going to matter that much. It's an electric guitar, if you want to navel-gaze about the effect of fretted note tone by nut construction, there are other places to affect tone in a much more drastic way.

You probably sand the pencil signatures off your bolt on necks for better tone transfer.

Pete

 

['63-Strat]

I think there is a difference in tone between graphite and bone but as said, depending on the player its not a huge difference, and its less of a factor than having graphite saddles for example. Even those probably aren't a huge difference if you listened back to a recording of stock saddles and graphite ones but I couldn't deal with the change back when I was breaking a lot of strings. I think its just one of those things that is gonna bother you or not. If every time you hit a chord/riff with an open string you're feeling like its missing something with a graphite nut than it doesn't really matter if someone else doesn't think its a big deal, it could be enough where its gonna make you frustrated. My 335 is a historic one and its nut wasn't cut right, though I got it used so who knows, had it setup properly and its fine now. I do think at some point being in tune matters more than losing a little tone though.

 

[Beret]

I do think at some point being in tune matters more than losing a little tone though.

Yep, I agree with that. Honestly, a lot of it depends on what you play. If you're playing distorted power chords and single note leads most of the time, being in tune matters a little less.

~B