Adjustable Brass Nut?

[tbryanh]

I am interested in learning more about Adjustable Brass Nuts such as this one available at allparts.com:
BN-0888-008 Adjustable Brass Nut for GibsonŽ Les PaulŽ
Les Paul Adjustable Brass Nut | Allparts.com

Anybody install one or have advice about it?

[jbltwin1]

Never installed an adjustable one but have done plenty of regular brass ones. A PITA actually, because they are so much harder to file and cut. Great sustain when done though. I have one on my Les Paul actually. Been there for years. The only thing I question is the slots used for the strings and using a screwdriver to adjust and whether or not they get opened up by use. I guess you are really not going to adjust them a bunch, just once and done so maybe that's not an issue. They glue in just like a normal nut.

[soundguruman]

All around, brass nuts are a poor choice.
Guitars with brass nuts don't sound good, overall. The brass grabs the metal string...
Having tried brass, I would not use it again.
The salesman told you it would "increase sustain?" That's a load of bull pockey. Don't fall for it.
all parts has also been a disappointment. Many of their parts don't fit, or thread as advertised...many of the parts are made of cheap materials...
Notice that all parts does not give very clear specs or measurements...about half the parts they said would work, I would have sent right back to them.
They "look like" original parts, but they really don't fit correctly.

A better and superior choice for nuts is bone, ivory, graphite, tusq, Derin nylon etc...any of these sounds much better than brass, and will work much better for a musician.
making and shaping a nut requires skill, knowledge and special tools. You think it's easy? It's not at all.
For starters, buy a set of gauged nut files, for about $70+ dollars. You NEED at least "that!."
If you do not have the above, your home made / shaped nut is likely to turn out a real mess.
Most people are better off hiring a real guitar tech to do it for them --- the right way.

If you insist on using a metal nut, use a good one, like a roller nut or a Kahler nut, which has been carefully designed and machined to work properly.
Avoid Chinese parts, that's all I can say. Gotoh Japan is much better, or the original factory nut is probably better too.

As a guitar player, for many years, I have tried a bunch of suggested parts, and nuts, including brass ones...
And I would never use a metal nut again.
Metal nut sound like doo-doo, IMHO. It tunes like doo-doo...IMHO

Out of all the stuff I tried, Delrin Nylon was by far the best sound, tuning, and durability, by far, no kidding. The reason Gibson installed Delrin nuts on Les Pauls and SGs at the factory, was not an "accident." I would go for Delrin bridge saddles too.

Logically, the adjustable metal nut does wonders for the string height..but what about the sound and intonation? That's where it fails.

[tbryanh]

I think I will use the Black Tusq XL nut.

[soundguruman]

I think I will use the Black Tusq XL nut.

Fossilized mammoth tusk and black water buffalo horn are two that I am anxious to audition...
But it seems that a nut works better in "semi-soft" materials.
Seems like hard materials like metal just don't sound that great.

Another really important aspect is that angle, of the nut slot.
If you don't get it angled just right, the intonation will be all screwy. This is where a lot of nuts go wrong.

For a .010 e string you wanna make a slot 0.11, and you need gauged files to do it.
Electric Light Gauge Hiroshima Files UO Chikyu Nut Files 6 Piece Set | eBay
check out those files.

So, just "a set" of small files is not good enough. Don't think that it is.
It's more difficult to do it right than most people realize.
You need the right tools, and the knowledge.
That's why most players should have an experienced person to do it for them. It will save money, time, and frustration in the long run.

[tbryanh]

The eBay seller looks good. I might attempt doing a nut on a low end guitar.

[soundguruman]

The eBay seller looks good. I might attempt doing a nut on a low end guitar.

One of the best "poor mans" tools for nuts is the Dremil reciprocal saw. It's the "moto-shop."
Link
Dremel Moto Shop 57 2 Series 4 Works with PTO and Side Wheel | eBay
I donno if you can see it, but it has a 4-1/2" side sander wheel.

Cut sand trim and shape nut blanks, it's the cheapest. (you do it by eye, like Michelangelo)
I even used it to make rosewood pickup rings! Back in the day, before my design was copied by Chinese...
There is nothing handier, on a low budget.

Nowdays, the nut is pre shaped. But you still have to trim it / final shape it....you will see.

[tbryanh]

Tiniest bandsaw I've ever seen. Looks like a versitle machine.