LeftyBassist.com

Opinions please!

I was thinking of changing out the nut on my MM SR4 fless. But I have no clue what would be a great replacement. I was thinking of using bone, but again, I have no clue.
I am leaning towards putting on some DR Chromes if that make a difference.

do you have a friend or tech buddy who is able to assist you with this? I ask because it would be great if you had opportunity to check out my favorite nut material for fretless, but have the safety net of swapping out to a bone nut if you ended up not liking it

my preference for a fretless nut is Ebony. I've used Macassar Ebony on most all of my fretless basses from late 2007 onwards, and I love the way it neutralizes the sonic difference between open and fingered strings. Depending on your string type, an Ebony nut won't wear as long as a bone nut - so you'll be replacing it every few years. IMO this added maintainence cost is well worth it

if you find Ebony not to be your thing, or if the added cost of upkeep is unappealing, then a bone nut is my second favotir choice.

I'll admit to not being a fan of brass nuts, or many of the graphite or man-made composite materials. I can't put my finger on exactly why this is, but there's just something that doesn't do it for me

all the best,

R

Unfortunately, I'm all thumbs when it comes to repairs, just ask my wife!! I do have a local tech that I trust and have had great results with, so I'll probably use him.

I find the idea of Maccassar Ebony intriguing and will give that a shot. Any idea where I can source one?

Bone would have probably been my first choice, but I like to try new things so if the M E doesn't work out, what do you recommend in the way of bone? I live in Arizona near a reservation and I could easily find some old coyote or Javelina 'debris' literally lying around if I had to.

FWIW, I have a brass nut on my Ken Smith and I feel it's a big part of it's sound, I wouldn't swap that puppy out for nuthin'.