Acoustic 'TUSQ' nutz?

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Hi Guild people

What's your opinion on the 'TUSQ' nuts - are they as good as they say?


I bought a wonderful Guild 'True American' DC 5E NT in New York in 1994

It's played over a 1000 gigs with me


I'm thinking of changing the nut – does anybody know if it would have been fitted with 'TUSQ' nut at the factory in 1994?



many thanks,

John
 

GardMan

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I'm thinking of changing the nut – does anybody know if it would have been fitted with 'TUSQ' nut at the factory in 1994?
First, welcome to LTG!

I doubt your Guild would have come from the factory with a Tusq nut. Altho' Graphtech has been around for some time, I am not sure when Tusq material was introduced. I would guess that your Guild came with a nut made of Corian, or other synthetic material.
 

adorshki

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Hi JohnnyO welcome aboard!

Micarta is what Hans Moust (our guru for all things Guild, having written a book about their first 25 years and having a second volume in process) mentioned many years ago.

From the Wiki link:
"Micarta industrial laminate sheet is a hard, dense material made by applying heat and pressure to layers of prepreg. These layers of laminations are usually of cellulose paper, cotton fabrics, synthetic yarn fabrics, glass fabrics, or unwoven fabrics. When heat and pressure are applied to the layers, a chemical reaction (polymerization) transforms the layers into a high-pressure thermosetting industrial laminated plastic.

I suspect for guitar nut application it's the paper & resin formulation.

I got improved tone when I had bone nut/saddle installed on my D25, can't give any opinion on Tusq.
In previous conversations about the relative merits of nut and saddle materials, a caveat about going to bone is possible inconsistencies in density causing poor transmission of vibration to the UST, or just a top in general.
While I wouldn't worry about that with Tusq, it does explain why Micarta was suitable as a volume production material for Guild: consistency at a reasonable cost.

Is there a reason you're only asking about the nut? Did you already replace the saddle?
 

AcornHouse

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Go with bone. There's a lot of hype about the consistency of the various plastic nut materials, but in the end, they just aren't as hard as bone, or give as good a sound. (IMHO, as always)
 

dreadnut

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I love my Tusq bridge pins with abalone inlay. Perfect fit and they look great!

3iIS99Y.jpg
 

Westerly Wood

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Hi Guild people

What's your opinion on the 'TUSQ' nuts - are they as good as they say?


I bought a wonderful Guild 'True American' DC 5E NT in New York in 1994

It's played over a 1000 gigs with me


I'm thinking of changing the nut – does anybody know if it would have been fitted with 'TUSQ' nut at the factory in 1994?



many thanks,

John

great story John, I bet that guitar sounds awesome!
 

Coop47

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I just had a TUSQ nut installed on my F512. I think an unfinished bone nut looks better, but I think TUSQ is less prone to grab strings as you're tuning. I suspect bone gives more sustain, but I can't tell that much of a difference.

My biggest concerns with nut replacements are string spacing and getting the fitting and slot depth correct. The installer is usually far more important than the material.
 

stormin1155

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Hi Johnny! Welcome to the forum. Coop is absolutely right... how your nut is cut is more important than what it's made of. Bone, Tusq, Corian, Micarta... all suitable material. I doubt that you will hear a difference between what's on it now and going to bone or Tusq. Some claim they can, but they must have better ears than me. The biggest advantage of Tusq IMO is with tuning stability... the material is quite slippery. But bone, if cut right can work just as well. I'm a bit of a traditionalist, and prefer bone on my acoustics. I have Tusq (or some other graphite-infused material) on some of my electrics that have tremolos, and they seem to provide better tuning stability. My preferred material for saddles is bone as well.
 

cutrofiano

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My biggest concerns with nut replacements are string spacing and getting the fitting and slot depth correct...
Plus, if you are pefectionist, the fit of the nut in the slot and towards the fretboard.
It took me about 15 attempts to nail it:

F-150%20R%20CE%20nut%20low%20E.JPG


Look at your guitars and you might understand what I'm talking about.
Cannot remember how many times I had been that close and then, just one little file's cut too much, and it's all spoiled...

Moritz
 
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docfishr

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I have used all of the above mentioned materials, seeking the best (to my ears) sound. And the difference between bone and synthetics is slight but noticeable. I find bone to have more clarity and sustain acoustically. The consistency is sometimes an issue as bone can differ somewhat even from the same supplier. I like to drop the bone on a smooth granite counter top. If it rings I use it, if it clacks I loose it. All of the synthetics clack.

Interestingly, when I cut bone blanks from cow femur that my dogs have chewed on and left around so they have baked in the sun and been washed in the rain for a few years, they always ring. Plus they polish to a deep shine and sound great!

P.S. A friend just brought me a Crafter guitar and wanted the "plastic saddle and nut replaced with bone. When I removed the existing saddle, it turned out to be TUSQ, not plastic. So I did my little drop test and compared it to bone. I was quite surprised to find the TUSQ actually had more of a ringing sound than bone. Surprised because the TUSQ sands and cuts easier than bone and the saddle had worn grooves from all 6 strings in one year's time. Those factors suggest the material is softer than bone. But it sure do ring good!
Go figure.
 
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swiveltung

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Hi Johnny! Welcome to the forum. Coop is absolutely right... how your nut is cut is more important than what it's made of. Bone, Tusq, Corian, Micarta... all suitable material. I doubt that you will hear a difference between what's on it now and going to bone or Tusq. Some claim they can, but they must have better ears than me. The biggest advantage of Tusq IMO is with tuning stability... the material is quite slippery. But bone, if cut right can work just as well. I'm a bit of a traditionalist, and prefer bone on my acoustics. I have Tusq (or some other graphite-infused material) on some of my electrics that have tremolos, and they seem to provide better tuning stability. My preferred material for saddles is bone as well.

^^^ This.
 
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