Brass Nut or Not?

heinpete · Post by **heinpete** » Tue Jul 05, 2005 10:10 am

I wonder whether a brass nut replacement would be beneficial for more twangy sound (...sorry, I play funk on my new 4004Cii...)? Does anybody have some experience to share?

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Tue Jul 05, 2005 10:23 am

a brass nut makes the bass brighter and harsher ... the plastic nut has a more pleasing sound to my ears ... the brass nut was very popular in the 70's ... you don't see them much anymore ...

lars · Post by **lars** » Tue Jul 05, 2005 10:25 am

I'm no expert on brass nuts (or other nuts) but does it really affect the sound at all? Except maybe open strings? When playing fretted positions the strings are limited by the bridge in one end, and by the FRET in the other...

heinpete · Post by **heinpete** » Tue Jul 05, 2005 10:32 am

Hi Lars!

...I suspect it makes quite some difference as one can hear the resonance at the nut even when high frets are played...
...just place your ear there and listen...

beatlefan · Post by **beatlefan** » Tue Jul 05, 2005 2:33 pm

I have a brass nut on my '73 and it DOES make a difference....it has a brighter sound than without it.....

marc61 · Post by **marc61** » Tue Jul 05, 2005 2:40 pm

I had a brass nut that I installed on my first Ric. Gives sustain on open notes and harmonics.

Peter, the CII is great for slap, no?

rickfan60 · Post by **rickfan60** » Tue Jul 05, 2005 4:48 pm

Brass nuts are standard on Alembics. I would not say that Alembics have a harsh tone. Granted, an Alembic nut is a bit more than just a chunk of brass that holds the strings in place.

jps · Post by **jps** » Tue Jul 05, 2005 5:38 pm

I really liked those adjustable Alembic nuts. The only thing that bothered me about the two Alembics I had were that I was always taking them apart to polish the brass parts, the bridges were particularly difficult. Also, they never stayed in tune as the necks constantly moved on them, John Entwistle had the same curse with his which is why he finally went with graphite necks.

heinpete · Post by **heinpete** » Tue Jul 05, 2005 9:00 pm

... so I will try a brass nut!
The polish will stay if you apply "Zappon" laquer, which is a special finish for brass hardware(Mighty Might and Schecter used it on their J- and P-bass PU frames and bridges). Only make sure it does not cover the area where the string sits in.

The Cii is a great slap gear, as it has the perfect height of strings on the body and a sufficient gap between end of neck and neck PU. I will tell more, when the customizing is completed.

rob · Post by **rob** » Tue Jul 05, 2005 10:40 pm

The only reason I have a brass nut on my 4001 is because it was there when I bought the bass used. As for the material used, I don't care too much. As long as the nut is a good nut.

sabbath_of_bass · Post by **sabbath_of_bass** » Tue Jul 05, 2005 11:27 pm

Lars, everything on the bass effects it sound pretty much. The core of your strings... the type of wood you use, all kinds of stuff. That whole wood thing freaked me out when i heard about it. But alot of people well play a guitar/bass without a amp so you can see the natural sound it gives off. I believe the harder the wood the brighter the sound.... not sure. I think the Wal bass site gives all kinds of info on wood and the sound it gives. Sorry for off topicness.

I dont know much about the whole nut thing. What kind of material give off what sound? Like you guys said brass is brighter.

lars · Post by **lars** » Wed Jul 06, 2005 12:00 am

Ok, I have never played basses with brass nut. I was only thinking that a lot of basses were modified during the 1980's with brass nuts and brass bridges. Most of them are now changed back to original configuration.
My opinion is: never do irreversible changes (I know a nut change is reversible) on an instrument. If you don't like it the way it is; Get another bass! Same goes for finishes. Don't strip a black guitar to get natural finish, don't colour paint a natural one either!

sabbath_of_bass · Post by **sabbath_of_bass** » Wed Jul 06, 2005 12:33 am

I agree there. Leave the color whatever color it is. I mean... I guess if its really rare... and a good deal.... but the paint job is horrible....maybe. But I couldnt change a bass color because It wasnt my favorite or something. I think most of mine are stains anyways. Cause most of them are natural grain showing. Alembic and Wal basses are pretty cause of the wood alot of the time. Some wood grains would just be so sad to try to color. But arent most guitars just made at of maple any more? Its not very pretty. I mean flame maple or guilted (sp) maple is pretty. But the color still yet is kinda boring to me.

ricosound · Post by **ricosound** » Wed Jul 06, 2005 2:56 am

What is the difference in theory between a brass nut and a zero fret like the c64s has? I have a brass nut and like the even sustain between fretted and open notes. If you don't like the look, paint the nut black and no one will ever know. There are also chemical oxide treatments that will turn the brass a durable black, I just don't remember what it is.

bobcat · Post by **bobcat** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 4:15 pm

I'm guessing that a zero fret would make the open string sound EXACTLY like if it were a fretted note, whereas the brass nut you've got just makes them sound incredibly similar. If you can't tell the difference, or the difference isn't significant, then it's probably not worth modifying it to put in a zero fret.