Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

When I changed the material of the nut material on my 360/12 from micarta to bone it made a noticable differenc. The bone is really too tinny. After adjusting the amplifier for more bass response the tone is perfect. I had no idea the maerial change would make that much difference. I thought I should warn you.

You hear this "difference" only with open chords, right?

IIRC the stock nut is bakelite, not micarta. But I can't imagine a bone nut sounding tinny, on a RIC or anything else. I've played a couple that had a bone nut and definitely did not sound tinny. And of course if there were a difference it would only be on open notes.

It seems to be more distinct with the open strings and chords. A couple of things happened during the nut changeout, including neck straightening and action reset. Maybe I have the strings too close to the pickups. I'll try leveling out the tones on my Vox amp. The strings are not hitting the pickups. Initially, I tried to make the nut out of ebony, but if you're not real careful you chip the wood between the string pairs. Arrrgh. Micarta, or phenolic resin plastic material is more forgiving. I think I like where it's at right now and I'll fix the tone with the amp settings.

Micarta is Bakelite. However, Micarta comes in many varieties and generally also has a filler such as linen or glass threads. But unfilled Micarta (a trademark) is Bakelite phenolic resin.

Hey wait a minute... Bakelite comes from Bakelite trees! I read it here on this forum!