Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Has anybody tried brass nuts on Ric basses? I'm looking at these SBC nuts:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AxeMasters-SL ... 2a2ca3698c

I'm guessing that a brass nut will make a Ric even brighter?

GT

Oh yeah, that was quite the rage back in the '70s & '80s. I put one on my '74 4001. In all honesty, I couldn't really tell much difference.

If you think about it, the only thing it could change would be open strings. When you press a string at a fret, the string is vibrating between the bridge saddle and the fret/finger. The nut material at that point won't matter at all. In fact, the nut could be completely missing...

From my experience: strings tend to bind more easily in a brass nut, and the tonal difference is only noticeable when playing open strings. I think the standard Bakelite nut is pretty great; if I couldn't go with Bakelite I might go with Corian for durability and density.

I'm not 100% certain, but I feel like one if Joshua Chandler's basses had a brass nut ... or maybe it was someone else at the Colorado confluence.

DriftSpace wrote:
I'm not 100% certain, but I feel like one if Joshua Chandler's basses had a brass nut ... or maybe it was someone else at the Colorado confluence.

One of his basses had a deer antler nut......

As do two of my 3 Ricks. The third has the standard RIC nut. I have had other basses with the brass nuts,and always swapped them for bone,mostly at the insistence of my luthier. I don't notice any huge difference,but the open strings sound quite crisp and full with the bone-ish material.

I've got a brass nut on my 4001.
Like said above, it only influences the open strings.
It will also add weight to your headstock, not sure though how much the influence of this could be.

A friend of mine has one on a nice '76. It keeps turning a nasty green color though.

Know what you mean - I used to own a Jaydee Supernatural fretless (S/N 0001, as it happens) where ALL the fittings were brass. It looked great if I could only keep up with the cleaning!
Ash

Ashgray wrote:Know what you mean - I used to own a Jaydee Supernatural fretless (S/N 0001, as it happens) where ALL the fittings were brass. It looked great if I could only keep up with the cleaning!

Jaydee_1.jpg

Ash

Bet you wished you had that baby now Ash!

I'd love to find that one...

I am actually considering putting a brass nut on my 4004Cii. Not for tone or anything, I just think if it were polished and gold plated it would look good along with the rest of the gold hardware...

wints wrote:

Ashgray wrote:Know what you mean - I used to own a Jaydee Supernatural fretless (S/N 0001, as it happens) where ALL the fittings were brass. It looked great if I could only keep up with the cleaning!

Jaydee_1.jpg

Ash

Bet you wished you had that baby now Ash!

I'd love to find that one...

Apart from the weight that was the only thing I didn't like about my custom Alembic. I hate cleaning stuff and the brass was a pain.

I had a couple of Jaydees. The first had Saturn inlays and tailpiece, the works, but the neck was so unstable and it really didn't sound very good. The second was great but weighed a ton so only stayed a week.

I fondly recall my monthly Brasso sessions with the two Alembics I had in the '90s.