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Thread: Nutty Idea?

  1. #1
    Forum Member Jonnda's Avatar
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    Nutty Idea?

    THe guitar I made is in need for a new nut, and though I got a standard issue cheap plastic blank that will take at the very least 15 minutes to properly fit to my guitar... my brother gave me an idea.

    for about $1.50 I can buy a Tagua Nut, which has been called "vegetable ivory". It is the same color as ivory and reportably about as hard, but it grows on a palm tree. One website said that it is 2.5 on a scale of mineral hardness. On average they are about the size of an egg.

    Anyway, my brother thought it would be cool to have a nut on a guitar- really be a nut, or at least made out of one. I thought it would be a cheap material that I could get maybe 5 or more strat nut blanks out of, which is good because I'll need the practice to get one right.


    Any thoughts on using this material, or is it just a nutty idea?
    "The other Shaltanac's joopleberry shrub is always a more mauvy shade of pinky-russet."

    "there's NOTHING WRONG with a live penguin, but...I expected a hamburger!"

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    Re: Nutty Idea?

    Get a Earvana nut from Warmoth guitars, and hear what you have never heard before, a guitar fully in tune!! top to bottom.
    I put one in my 2 octave neck on my fender that was drivin me nuts to point that after one afternoon of endless string gauge changes and intonation set ups with the strobmeter, it was summer time and and I was so close to chucking the axe out the open window!
    I got the new nut, and its been nothing but love ever since!

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    Forum Member curtisstetka's Avatar
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    Re: Nutty Idea?

    I'm a firm believer in the Earvana nut as well.

    To address the original post, I think making a nut out of a nut is a fantastic idea. I wouldn't have the first clue how to do that though. Good luck!
    s'all goof.

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    Forum Member Wilko's Avatar
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    Re: Nutty Idea?

    Go 'head and give it a shot.

    You may want to get an old one that has dried very well. Hardness is not all that matters.

    If you get a good bone nut blank and you tap it, or hit two of them together, they ring. If that nut nut rings, it will be good.

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    Forum Member NeoFauve's Avatar
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    Re: Nutty Idea?

    In other words, tap your nuts together?


    http://home.att.net/~rspragg/scrmshaw.html
    "Well, I used to be disgusted, now I try to be amused..."
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    Forum Member Jonnda's Avatar
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    Re: Nutty Idea?

    Quote Originally Posted by NeoFauve View Post
    In other words, tap your nuts together?


    http://home.att.net/~rspragg/scrmshaw.html


    Good one!
    "The other Shaltanac's joopleberry shrub is always a more mauvy shade of pinky-russet."

    "there's NOTHING WRONG with a live penguin, but...I expected a hamburger!"

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    Forum Member Jonnda's Avatar
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    Re: Nutty Idea?

    As for Earvana, I don't doubt they are a wonderful invention. But they also cost $30+. I currently have $20- in the bank. A tagua nut costs 1.50 (shipping cost still unknown). But I also have files, tools, and access to information on how to make parts like a guitar nut. So I figure learning how to make certain guitar parts could save some cash and give me something else to do to relax.
    "The other Shaltanac's joopleberry shrub is always a more mauvy shade of pinky-russet."

    "there's NOTHING WRONG with a live penguin, but...I expected a hamburger!"

  8. #8
    Forum Member curt1lp's Avatar
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    Re: Nutty Idea?

    A bone blank is within your price range. I would go with the bone blank.

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    Forum Member chuckocaster's Avatar
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    Re: Nutty Idea?

    throw caution to the wind and DOOOOO EEET! some of my best ideas and findings came from "making it happen." there are probably better routes to go, but i like your idea. try it, if it doesn't work, scrap it and do something else.

    best of luck man!
    "don't worry, i'm a professional!"

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    Re: Nutty Idea?

    I think it's a cool idea. What about a lignum vitae nut?

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    Forum Member djinn1973's Avatar
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    Re: Nutty Idea?

    Yeah, do it!
    Your brothers "make a nut out of a nut" idea is all kinds of cool... Besides you can always do the cheap plastic nut if (for some reason) the nut nut doesn't work.

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    Re: Nutty Idea?

    Those pics make me want some scrimshaw control knobs.
    "I haven't slept for ten days...because that would be too long." -- Mitch Hedberg

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    Forum Member toobalicious's Avatar
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    Re: Nutty Idea?

    FWIW, that material IS very hard. youve seen this stuff before, even though you might not hav eknown it. in central america, stuff made out of tagua is everywhere, especially jewelery and what-not kind of stuff. i suspect it would make a very good guitar nut. however, ill bet it is a real bear to work.
    a

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    Re: Nutty Idea?

    Quote Originally Posted by djinn1973 View Post
    Yeah, do it!
    Your brothers "make a nut out of a nut" idea is all kinds of cool... Besides you can always do the cheap plastic nut if (for some reason) the nut nut doesn't work.
    A "nut nut"- lol
    Why do you think they call it a nut?

  15. #15
    Forum Member Jonnda's Avatar
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    Re: Nutty Idea?

    I've sent the order in to the company that sells the tagua nuts. I hope i can pull this off.
    "The other Shaltanac's joopleberry shrub is always a more mauvy shade of pinky-russet."

    "there's NOTHING WRONG with a live penguin, but...I expected a hamburger!"

  16. #16
    Forum Member djinn1973's Avatar
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    Re: Nutty Idea?

    Quote Originally Posted by 71818 View Post
    A "nut nut"- lol
    Why do you think they call it a nut?
    LOL my hand to god, I never really thought about it...

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    Re: Nutty Idea?

    So, once upon a time, all nuts were nut nuts?
    "I haven't slept for ten days...because that would be too long." -- Mitch Hedberg

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    Forum Member melody's Avatar
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    Re: Nutty Idea?

    Sometimes you feel like a nut sometimes you don't...
    Last edited by melody; 03-08-2008 at 07:29 PM.

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    Re: Nutty Idea?

    Quote Originally Posted by elicross View Post
    So, once upon a time, all nuts were nut nuts?
    Evidently, some still are

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    Forum Member FrankJohnson's Avatar
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    Re: Nutty Idea?

    I have a countertop guy near me that lets me get scraps of Corian. You should see if you have one locally to make practice blanks. It is a good material to use also.

    Email me your address and I will send you a nut blank. I have 3 left and wanted to save a few for "just in case". Or check with a local guy in your area.
    Kenny Belmont
    >:^{I)>

  21. #21
    Forum Member Jonnda's Avatar
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    Re: Nutty Idea?

    Quote Originally Posted by FrankJohnson View Post
    I have a countertop guy near me that lets me get scraps of Corian. You should see if you have one locally to make practice blanks. It is a good material to use also.

    Email me your address and I will send you a nut blank. I have 3 left and wanted to save a few for "just in case". Or check with a local guy in your area.
    Thanks frank, I sent you an email.
    "The other Shaltanac's joopleberry shrub is always a more mauvy shade of pinky-russet."

    "there's NOTHING WRONG with a live penguin, but...I expected a hamburger!"

  22. #22
    Forum Member Jonnda's Avatar
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    Re: Nutty Idea?

    A couple pictures of one of the rough cut nut blanks I've made for my new Kingston/Teisco.



    I still need string slot files, but I thought that it's about time i just bit the bullet as it were and cut/carve some blanks. The only downside of using Tagua nut so far is that they have a pithy soft and hollow center and there are a few cracks in the one i got that I have to work around. A strat nut would be easier because it's a thinner slice (about 1/8") and therefore more likely to miss the imperfections. An acoustic style or teisco style nut (at about 1/4" in hight and width) is a bit more difficult to find a solid area wide enough. This is why I've decided to make the first blank from the first slice off the nut, because there are fewer obsticals, how ever the thickness at the ends of this blank are affected. However, when the nut is finished I don't think that the slight loss of material will affect the nut's funtionality. I have plenty of nut left, espeacally for making fender style nuts, but I don't know how many more nut blanks the size of the one pictured that i can make.

    One of the first things that popped into my head when cutting this stuff was that it smelled a bit like toast, popcorn (no butter), and a hint of sweet coconut, when the band saw blade would start to burn the nut flesh. This is a HUGE improvement over the smell of cutting mammoth tusk, old eliphant ivory (my dad has some old ivory from when he grew up as a missonary kid and it was leagle), or bone.

    Anyway, I'll try to finished this nut as soon as I can and let y'all know what I think.
    Last edited by Jonnda; 10-16-2008 at 01:45 PM.
    "The other Shaltanac's joopleberry shrub is always a more mauvy shade of pinky-russet."

    "there's NOTHING WRONG with a live penguin, but...I expected a hamburger!"

  23. #23
    Forum Member frank thomson's Avatar
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    Re: Nutty Idea?

    Quote Originally Posted by curtisstetka View Post
    I'm a firm believer in the Earvana nut as well.
    To address the original post, I think making a nut out of a nut is a fantastic idea. I wouldn't have the first clue how to do that though. Good luck!
    yep. i have one that CS put on and it's the bees'knees

    ...amazing what a tele-in-tune sounds like
    Imanidiot.

  24. #24
    Forum Member Jonnda's Avatar
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    Re: Nutty Idea?

    I don't doubt the Earvana nut, but it would cost me about half of I paid for the teisco to get one. Maybe I'll get or make one someday, but for now I'll be happy with learning to carve nuts. : )
    "The other Shaltanac's joopleberry shrub is always a more mauvy shade of pinky-russet."

    "there's NOTHING WRONG with a live penguin, but...I expected a hamburger!"

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