Nut Height- it's Important!

[coolhandjjl]

Last fall, I replaced a worn nut on a used 4003S I bought last year. I was running LaBella DTB's on it, and recently put on some of the new Fender 9050CL's I picked up this spring. The bass was never as easy to play as my new 4003. Harder to hit the frets, harder to find the strings, just hard to play in general. I adjusted the action height, neck relief, yada, yada, yada. I couldn't figure out what was wrong. When I put on the 9050's, it really became a tough animal to tame. I compared it my 4003, and discovered the new nut I bought last fall was a hair too tall. I popped it off, sanded it down a smidge, and viola! It is perfect! I set the action nice and low, virtually no neck relief, and it plays like a dream. Plus, I really like the Fender 9050CL's. Flats with attitude! (Someone mentioned they were the same as D'addario Chromes. Not sure if that's true or not).

So the moral is When all else fails, check your nuts!

[cassius987]

The nuts you buy straight from RIC come a bit high so you can slot them down--now that you've done it I'm not surprised it feels much better.

Plus, I really like the Fender 9050CL's. Flats with attitude! (Someone mentioned they were the same as D'addario Chromes. Not sure if that's true or not).

There's no way they are... To prove it to myself, I took all the flats I have and strung the same bass up with them and recorded the same thing, and they all sound fairly distinct from one another. These have more mids than Chromes, and less high end, to my ear.

[coolhandjjl]

The nuts you buy straight from RIC come a bit high so you can slot them down--now that you've done it I'm not surprised it feels much better.

The thing that tipped me off about the nut was quick visual inspection of the entire nut itself looking taller than the one on my new 4003. I considered deepening each groove, but lacking any good filing tools, it seemed easier to knock it off, and take the whole thing down by rubbing the bottom on some 150 grit I laid on the table, that way the individual grooves stayed precise.

There's no way they are... To prove it to myself, I took all the flats I have and strung the same bass up with them and recorded the same thing, and they all sound fairly distinct from one another. These have more mids than Chromes, and less high end, to my ear.

Thanks for the clarification on the 9050's. I really like them. Makes the Labella DTB's I took off seem too murky and boomy. Are the 9050's round core?

The 4003S I just set up is my 'poor mans' RM 1999. I got some assistance from Dane Wilder again, although not anywhere as intensive of a mod as my 4004 was. Just a few simple changes. Pics and some modification details to follow.