NUT Replacment Advice

[bassatnight]

Folks,

For the first time since playing Bass I have managed to break the nut. After putting on some new strings I noticed a crack in the slot for the E string. I literally touched the crack line and it came away in my hands.

I now require a new nut, the Bass is a Fender Jazz Fretless can anyone advise of a high quality replacement, I have seen plastic ones, Brass ones and even chrome I just don't know where to start also what size would I require?

Cheers,

Steve.

Edited December 6, 2010 by bassatnight

[Ou7shined]

My current favourite is the Schaller 2000. They are perfect all over and the top loading system is so convenient (Jon Shuker uses them too).
No doubt a flurry of Badass II's will be along.

[gary mac]

No doubt a flurry of Badass II's will be along.
[/quote]

I do rate the Badass 2, I have one on my jazz, but don't think I would be willing to pay what they are going for these days. So for me it would probably be the gotoh or maybe even a fender original.

[neepheid]

Many quality alternatives exist. Assuming you're replacing a 5 screw Fender bridge - as well as the Schaller 2000 (also the Schaller 3D should fit a 5 hole Fender), other direct replacements include the Gotoh 201, the Hipshot A-style (Fender mount) and of course the Badass II.

[LawrenceH]

[quote name='bassatnight' post='1048227' date='Dec 5 2010, 02:03 PM']Folks,

For the first time since playing Bass I have managed to break the bridge. After putting on some new strings I noticed a crack in the slot for the E string. I literally touched the crack line and it came away in my hands.

I now require a new Bridge, the Bass is a Fender Jazz Fretless can anyone advise of a high quality replacement, I have seen plastic ones, Brass ones and even chrome I just don't know where to start also what size would I require?

Cheers,

Steve.[/quote]

Stupid question maybe, but do you mean bridge or do you mean nut? I've never seen a plastic bridge for electric bass, and even the Fender bent-bit-of-tin bridge would be pretty hard to break by cracking the saddles!

[henry norton]

[quote name='LawrenceH' post='1048281' date='Dec 5 2010, 03:59 PM']Stupid question maybe, but do you mean bridge or do you mean nut? I've never seen a plastic bridge for electric bass, and even the Fender bent-bit-of-tin bridge would be pretty hard to break by cracking the saddles![/quote]
Sounds like a 'nut' question rather than a 'bridge' one although you can indeed get plastic bridge saddles like the original phenolic '51 Precisions. If it's the nut you need to replace there's loads of different materials - brass (goes green after a few years, harder to work than bone) , polished stainless (bloody hard work to shape but looks good and lasts well), bone (easy to work and looks OK but smells a bit when you're working it and goes a bit grey and greasy looking over the years), ivory (looks good, ages well, easy to work but hugely un-pc and so far as I know, pretty much unobtainable), Graphite impregnated resin (OK to work, slippery but usually black), corian (man made, easy enough to work, very white, doesn't smell when you work it and it's what I usually use), A load of other specialist nuts like 'Tusq' that are meant to transform the sound of your instrument, improve your love life, enlarge your p........ , you get the drift, but for anything up to 25 quid as opposed to a couple of quid for bone or corian (or a couple of years suspended sentence if you're caught using uncertified ivory).

Does this help or have you really broken a saddle on your bbot bridge???

[bassatnight]

Apologies folks, I had just been talking about Gotoh Bridges and still had this in my mind I guess, but I of course meant nut!

Edited December 6, 2010 by bassatnight

[Paul S]

Might be worth having a word with your local techie guy. The nut broke on my Jaguar in the same place as yours has and, when my regular guy took it to replace it he ended up repairing it with epoxy. I think he said it was horn. Cost me £15.

[bassatnight]

Cheers for the advise, I could do with finding a local experienced techie or bass master living local to me, just moved here and don't know anyone least of all a fellow bassist.
Anyone in the Ely, Cambs area who could have a look for me? I do great tea and cakes! Or a cold beer and crisps if you would prefer!