Nut materials
| Material | Tuning stability | Open-string tone | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bone | Excellent if slotted well | Bright, woody | Traditional. Cuts cleanly; slightly variable density |
| Tusq / synthetic ivory (Graph Tech) | Excellent | Similar to bone | Very consistent; the modern factory standard |
| Black Tusq XL / graphite-impregnated | Excellent — self-lubricating | Slightly darker than bone | Great for tremolo guitars; reduces string binding |
| Brass | Very good | Bright, ringing, with extra sustain on open strings | Heavier; some players love or hate the tone |
| Plastic (cheap, factory blanks) | Mediocre — often poorly cut | Dull | Common upgrade target on budget guitars |
| Locking nut (Floyd Rose-style) | Excellent | n/a (clamped) | Required for double-locking trems; needs allen key for tuning fine adjustment |
| Roller / zero-fret + roller string-trees | Excellent | Like a fretted note — very even | Eliminates the open-vs-fretted tone difference |
For most non-tremolo guitars, bone or Tusq is the practical answer. For a tremolo guitar, graphite-impregnated nuts or a locking system make tuning much easier to keep.
Nut width
Measured across the nut at the fretboard. Affects how chord shapes feel under the hand — especially fingerstyle and barre chords.
| Width | Decimal | Feel | Common on |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 5/8″ | 1.625″ | Tight, fast; less room between strings | Vintage Fender |
| 1 11/16″ | 1.6875″ | Modern Fender default | Most modern Strats & Teles |
| 1 11/16″ | 1.6875″ | Standard for Gibson | Les Paul, SG, ES‑335 |
| 1 3/4″ | 1.75″ | Fingerstyle-friendly; more space between strings | Acoustics, classical, some boutique electrics |
| 1 7/8″ & up | 1.875″+ | Very wide; slows fast playing | Classical, some 7/8-string guitars |
Slot depth & action
How deep each string sits in its slot determines the height of the open string above the frets. Set wrong, the guitar will:
- Slots too high: first-position chords feel stiff and play sharp because you have to press the string down farther than you do above the 1st fret.
- Slots too low: open strings buzz against the first fret.
- Slots too wide: strings move side-to-side under bends, then bind on release — tuning drifts.
- Slots not lubricated: strings stick under bends or trem use, then settle slightly off pitch.
The classic check: capo at the third fret, then look at the string clearance over the first fret. If it’s about as much as the clearance above the second fret with no capo, the slot height is right.
Common nut problems & fixes
- “Pingggg” sound when bending or tuning — the string is binding in its slot. Lubricate (graphite from a pencil, or Big Bends Nut Sauce) or have the slot widened.
- String pops out of slot — slot is too wide or shallow. Replace nut.
- Open strings sound dead — slot is too low at the back edge. The string is buzzing on the slot, not vibrating cleanly.
- First-fret intonation is sharp — slots are too high. A pro re-cut is cheap and transformative.