Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

4003 ain't collecting much dust, but a fair amount of grime.

Looks like a cool gig, Scott! Where was that?

Looks like he's Rockin' the Casbah.....

Yeah, it was an interesting cultural mix... In Garden Grove yesterday.

I'm in the bizarre habit of taking a shot of my bass right before a gig. I like this pic I took tonite.

s4001 wrote:I'm in the bizarre habit of taking a shot of my bass right before a gig. I like this pic I took tonite.

Do you have a brass nut on your FG V63 4001?

heinpete wrote:

s4001 wrote:I'm in the bizarre habit of taking a shot of my bass right before a gig. I like this pic I took tonite.

Do you have a brass nut on your FG V63 4001?

Dunno. I don't have a V63





..that's the '68 that had a brass nut on it when I got it.

s4001 wrote:

heinpete wrote:

s4001 wrote:I'm in the bizarre habit of taking a shot of my bass right before a gig. I like this pic I took tonite.

Do you have a brass nut on your FG V63 4001?

Dunno. I don't have a V63





..that's the '68 that had a brass nut on it when I got it.

Well, it looks so new, I thought it being a V63!?
Do you hear a difference to the standard nut (if you have a way to compare?)?

heinpete wrote:

s4001 wrote:

heinpete wrote:
Well, it looks so new, I thought it being a V63!?
Do you hear a difference to the standard nut (if you have a way to compare?)?

TBH, this thing had been thru the wringer when I got it. The frets were chewed almost gone, the fretboard was separating and it had that nut. I had the fretboard fixed and I had him put jumbo frets in it - so I've never had it in a 'natural' state to begin with. Plus the magnets were degaussed so I had Lindy Fralin rebuild the pup. The short answer is I don't hear anything unexpected in the open notes - so I guess I wouldn't be a endorser of brass nuts.

Brass nuts do two things:

1. Add some sustain to open notes; and
2. Add some mass to the headstock end.

As to #1, neck-through Ricks already have excellent sustain, so a brass nut likely wouldn't add much in that department. You might notice more difference in a bass with a bolt-on neck.

As to #2, a brass nut might change the resonance frequencies of the neck, much in the way that swapping out tuners can change headstock mass and the adjustments have, at least at times, helped to sort out dead spots and other similar issues. My recollection is that going to lighter tuners has helped some folks in that department, so the brass nut may not be a help. But, if you added a brass tailpiece, a brass nut may help to counterbalance the resonance in a case such as that.

I guess what I'm saying is that brass nuts have their uses; it's just likely that you're not in a situation where you benefit from one.

From a recent performance last week...

Nice picture ilker! I really like your signature.

Sweeeet, nice shirt too

Jetglo Rocks, Ilker!