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Topic: What's makes a good nut? (I'm serious) |
Don McClellan
From:
California/Thailand
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Posted 6 Jan 2006 3:47 pm |
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| I'm making a 10 string lap steel and its time to make the nut. Any recomendations? Thanks, Don |
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AJ Azure
From:
Massachusetts, USA * R.I.P.
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Posted 6 Jan 2006 5:04 pm
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So you don't want HowardR's reply? lol  |
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Keith Cordell
From:
San Diego
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Posted 6 Jan 2006 5:14 pm
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| He'll get it, either way... |
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Andy Hinton
From:
Louisiana, USA * R.I.P.
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Posted 6 Jan 2006 5:19 pm
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| The Simplest & best sound IMO is aluminum. The nut on the Steel Gitfiddle is made from a piece of 1 in. aluminum angle, shaped, sized, & notched with flat & 3corner files. Just be sure where you file the notches. Mounted with two #6 by 1/2in. screws. Works perfect. Good luck Andy H. |
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ebb
From:
nj
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Terry Farmer
From:
Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
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Posted 6 Jan 2006 7:01 pm
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| I agree with Andy. |
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Andre Nizzari
From:
Bronx, NY
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Denny Turner
From:
Oahu, Hawaii USA
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Posted 7 Jan 2006 5:43 am
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Studying Zippy's ideologies helps.
Aloha,
DT~
[This message was edited by Denny Turner on 07 January 2006 at 05:44 AM.] |
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Terry Farmer
From:
Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
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Posted 7 Jan 2006 5:47 am
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| Cast aluminum would be better than extruded. It's got to do with the density and resonant quality. That's why Rick Aiello's dustpans are cast and not machined out of a block of aluminum. The cast aluminum resonates better. Jump in here Rick. You can explain it a whole lot better than I can. |
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David Mason
From:
Cambridge, MD, USA
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Posted 7 Jan 2006 5:53 am
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If you decide on a rod (after going through the links), an additional advantage is that you can notch it a few different ways and rotate it, to experiment with different string spacings - I'm using 3/4" brass rod for both bridge and nut for this reason (besides the fact that it's already lying around here...  ) |
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Rick Aiello
From:
Berryville, VA USA
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Posted 7 Jan 2006 9:25 am
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| Quote: |
| What's makes a good nut |
Titanium ...
I'd use it for my cast steels ... but the melting point is a tad high (3135 F) ... 
And after gettin' a flashlight for Christmas ... my wife's subtle way of sayin' I've spent enough $$$ on equipment ...
A vacuum induction furnace is probably out of the question ... as would be the purchase of the charge ... 
Seriously ... I poured Terry a mess of A356 slabs to experiment building bridges/nuts with ...
And then he went out and got himself a job ... 
------------------
Aiello's Cast Steel Guitars
My wife and I don't think alike. She donates money to the homeless and I donate money to the topless! ... R. Dangerfield
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Ricky Davis
From:
Bertram, Texas USA
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Posted 7 Jan 2006 9:28 am
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Tom Morrell; says "Titanium".
I like Titanium; Brass; and Steel. I don't like Aluminum anything..ha.
Ricky |
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Bill Creller
From:
Saginaw, Michigan, USA (deceased)
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Posted 7 Jan 2006 12:20 pm
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| I have used stainless steel a few times, but it's not easy to work with. I used aluminum a couple of times, but changed them to stainless. Rick frypans, the old ones, had chromed brass bridge and nut inserts in the casting. |
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Rick Collins
From:
Claremont , CA USA
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Posted 7 Jan 2006 5:33 pm
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Don, if it's a lap steel, I would build a cradle that will accept a 1/4" or a 5/16" dowel. Make notches in the cradle for the string spacing behind and just below the crown of the proposed dowel. Make the bottom of the cradle about 1/8" thick.
Then you can test anything, by loosening the strings to slide in any type of material you choose and retightening the strings.
I'd make the cradle from regular extruded aluminum. You'd get some resonance from the aluminum; but not much, if you make the bottom of the cradle as thin as possible (1/8" or less). |
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Don McClellan
From:
California/Thailand
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Posted 7 Jan 2006 9:54 pm
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| Thanks everyone, Don |
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Michael Aspinwall
From:
Arizona, USA
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Dan Sawyer
From:
Studio City, California, USA
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Posted 10 Jan 2006 1:11 am
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| Are you maybe asking about the bridge saddle? The nut material won't make much difference unless you are playing open strings. |
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Denny Turner
From:
Oahu, Hawaii USA
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Posted 10 Jan 2006 5:23 am
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| Quote: |
| The nut material won't make much difference unless you are playing open strings. |
Interesting statement. I've always advocated nut integrity as important in the strings / bridge & nut / body tone loop; But I've never seen any tech data about string sound conductance of tones behind the steel & steel-hand blocking, to support that assumption. I suppose for the moment that a nut should provide the best balance of tones between bar'ed and open notes (and I've noticed allot of difference on some Steels I've played). Maybe someone else knows of, or can project, some relative tech data or ideas?[This message was edited by Denny Turner on 10 January 2006 at 05:34 AM.] |
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Ray Minich
From:
Bradford, Pa. Frozen Tundra
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Posted 10 Jan 2006 5:32 am
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| The nut on my homemade lap steel of 1963 was made from a 1/4 section of a 1-1/2" diameter acme threaded stainless steel draw shaft from a gatevalve. |
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Denny Turner
From:
Oahu, Hawaii USA
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Posted 10 Jan 2006 5:48 am
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| Quote: |
| .....a 1/4 section of a 1-1/2" diameter acme threaded stainless steel.... |
Hmmmmm... That's cool. A good choice of thread would afford easy setting & re-setting string spacing. I've also thought that a 1/4 section profile would offer the best bending transition between the nut and tuners, while affording a sharp departure on the business side that seems correct to me ...as well as providing a flat surface for bedding, although threads on a rounded bedding too might make bedding more stable and afford more contact surface, when it seats. Hmmmmmm....... |
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John Bechtel
From:
Nashville, Tennessee, R.I.P.
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Posted 10 Jan 2006 9:17 pm
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Something similar to the Fender Custom or Fender Stringmaster.
------------------
“Big John” Bechtel
’05 D–10 Derby – (6 & 
’65 Re-Issue Fender Twin–Reverb Custom™ 15”
Current Equipment
Newest Steel |
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