Nut raiser?

[SoloBill]

Hi all,
Any tips on suitability of nut raisers?
Am I looking for bone/brass/steel/, shape etc?
Also where to get one?

I have seen only one on ebay and I didn't understand the logic that it didn't mark the fingerboard or headstock, not did it seem to be the right size as the seller specifically said that it was suitable for modern narrow nut widths.

Or should I just look for a higher nut and swap as necessary?
TIA,
Bill

[Bill Stig]

Hi Bill,
I bought a nut raiser from frets:
www.frets.co.uk/

I've also bought one from Ebay, which was advertised as being made by National Resophonic, though I couldn't verify that. Both are steel and work well on a cheap Chinese acoustic and haven't left any marks. If you're going to be taking it on and off I'd say it was the way to go.

the other Bill

[SoloBill]

Thanks Bill,
I've ordered a steel one off ebay that at least looked like it was engineered for the job.

Some of them just look like a small piece of angle iron and none of the ones I've seen advertised say anything about what string gauge they are intended for which I think is odd. I also think it's a little odd for us to buy a guitar with a bone nut then cover it with a steel one.

Would it not be better to slip a spacer under the existing nut?

However, I'm a beginner at the whole business, so I'm obviously missing something!
Bill

[mikelevey]

Bill
I have one of the steel ones from e-bay & it does raise the strings quite successfully. You have to watch the strings if you mix your slide playing with normal chord positions i(n whatever tuning). Thicker strings such as the MMs or Martin Bluegrass become hard to press down as the strings are raised so high.
I abandoned the nut & worked harder at my bottleneck position. A good slide player should be able to play on any action no matter how low without sounding like a railtrack but it does take a lot of practice.
Mike

[Michael Messer]

Nut raisers are not as good as fitting a high bone nut, but they are an easy quick-fit solution. They are not designed for various string gauges because they just have narrow grooves for the strings to rest on. As I said, they are not perfect, but they are easy. They became popular in the 20s & 30s when the Hawaiian guitar craze swept across the world and guitar manufacturers sold acoustic guitars that you could easily convert to a Hawaiian guitar. They were also popular in those times with Dobro & National guitar owners who owned round neck guitars and wanted to play Hawaiian steel. It was a more naive time and people were less knowledgeable about stuff like bone nuts and hand-made strings and slides. If the local music store or mail-order catalogue recommended a nut raiser - a nut raiser is what you bought!

I used to own a 1931 round-neck style 4 presentation National Tricone. It was one of the most beautiful instruments National ever built. It was built as a leaving present for the quality controller at the National factory, Harry Watson. When I got the guitar it had never been touched or re-strung since Harry owned and played it, and guess what - it was fitted with a cheapo nut raiser because Harry played Hawaiian steel guitar.

Shine On
Michael

[steverino]

Here is a link to a U.S. Patent that describes the most commonly encountered type of nut raiser:

www.google.com/patents?id=2-dKAAAAEBAJ&printsec=drawing&zoom=4&dq=1599184#PPA1,M1

[SoloBill]

Thanks Severino,
That is exactly the kind I have just bought! Good to have a copy of the 1922 patent for it. It seemed to me, rightly or wrongly, 'better' than the ones that look like a simple bent piece of metal with six equally sized grooves cut into it.

Bill

[Michael Messer]

It does look like a better engineered piece of kit, but I don't think it makes any difference. The pressure from the strings makes everything work properly. No kind of nut raising gadget is as good as a properly fitted high bone nut.

Shine On
Michael

[toom]

Having given up on playing my Simon & Patrick 12 string because of fretting problems, I've fitted a metal raiser, fitted Martin light strings and it now plays perfectly as a 6 string guitar.

I spent a couple of hours on Sunday playing Steamboat Gwine Round De Bend, and it sounded good. It's like having a brand new guitar.

The fitted raised bone nut sounds a better option though, and I might get a quote from one of my local shops.

[Michael Messer]

....new life into an unused guitar....good stuff!

The bone nut properly cut & fitted is the better option. It will not be a bright as the sound you get from the metal nut raiser, so if you want that brightness fit a brass nut.

Shine On
Michael.