Bone Nut Vs Plastic Nut Options

[Cosmin Lupu]

My PRS Mike Mushok FINALLY arrived back home after going through a general setup at the luthier/ guitar tech.

At my friend and band mate's advice, I asked the tech to install a bone nut instead of the plastic nut that was initially found on the guitar. In the mean time I have read a lot of reviews and it seems that the sound is significantly improved by that little nut. Incredible huh?

It seems that if the nut is made out of bone, not only are the strings less prone to cut through it but as I said above, the sound is better, having more clarity and fullness. I am excited to try a recording with the guitar and compare it with the recording I did last year with it for the PRS demo.

Have you guys ever had any experience in this particular issue? Were you able to feel/ tell any difference?

Cosmin

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[AK Rich]

I've installed a few Bone nuts, you can notice the difference. As bone is more 'dense' than plastic it transfers a better vibration through the neck to add to the natural resonance of the guitar. This is also why Brass ones are used too!!

Would an Ivory nut have similar characteristics as a bone nut I wonder?

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[Sensible Jones]

Would an Ivory nut have similar characteristics as a bone nut I wonder?

They do indeed, in fact very early Guitars/Lutes etc had Ivory ones.

I've also heard about tusq nuts - I HOPE they are not made out of ivory, as I would be very much against killing elephants for having their tusks on my guitar...

No they're not actually Ivory, it's a composite material that is hard like Bone or Ivory and has the same kind of properties.

Fear not, no living Tusq animals were harmed in the making of these nuts!!

this may be dumb but how do the steel locking nuts of floyd roses compare? i imaginge they would transfer most of the sound through the neck.

Not dumb at all and a very valid question! They do transfer a lot of resonance through the neck, BUT because the bridge end is free floating it loses at that end.
The idea of these replacements is to help increase tone and sustain therefore they're meant for fixed bridge guitars.

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