Sorry about the new thread. Was hoping to post this in someone elses thread but I can't find it. The one where a member had made his own nut, done a very nice job and posted a great photo collage?
Anyway, submitted here for the critique of all is my Buffalo Horn nut, installed on Maple Jumbo by Gitano.
I'm only showing the side view because I would like discussion on the taper on top side toward tuners. I have thought it best to taper this section so that contact area of nut with strings is reduced - felt this allows strings to slide more freely when tuning? Obviously, if slot impinges on string, it will not respond to tuning quickly and may not play properly. My sense is to minimize this by reducing contact area within limits? Also, I removed as much excess nut as possible, so that strings ride on top of nut as opposed to passing thru nut.
What say the Masters?
Bought this guitar in ebay for $78 plus reasonable shipping - easily a $300 guitar by quality. Tuners are smooth everything on the guitar is superbly made. I replaced nut and saddle with horn and bone, added heavy gauge strings and also added saddle strap buttons. The guitar holds tune excellently.
I don't think it makes a huge difference but the general rule is - the more contact area the better. The string should ride along the whole slope of the nut slot before heading to the tuner post. The logic is that the slots will wear less with more bearing contact and as long as the bottom of the slots are round and smooth then friction won't be an issue for tuning.
"I file the string slot at an angle that's halfway between the plane of the fingerboard and that of the peghead. That way, the string will rest in the entire length of the nut, and will bear right at the front edge as it exits toward the bridge. This is important stuff, because the string would buzz and play out of tune if it didn't bear on the front edge of the nut. I want the string to bear evenly through the length of the slot so that the nut won't wear out prematurely from friction as the string is tuned.
The shape of bottom of the slot is important, too. It should be rounded like the cross section of the string, and just wide enough so the string draws through it smoothly. If the slot were too tight, or V-shaped, the string would be pinched, tuning would be a nightmare, and the nut would wear out quickly" - Frank Ford
Regular Fretter
Nut Profile
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