Graph Tech TUSQ Acoustic Guitar Nut, Pre-Slotted for Martin Guitars
This is a Graph Tech TUSQ Original pre-slotted nut designed to fit Martin acoustic guitars with an angled bottom.
What is TUSQ Original?
Graph Tech TUSQ is a man-made ivory comprised of a mix of organic polymers (no petroleum or any animal by-products) which are compressed under high pressure and heat. This material was designed to provide a richer and fuller sound by increasing the harmonics in every note you play. In fact, TUSQ can actually provide up to a 100% increase in harmonic content with particular focus in the mid-high frequency range, as well as a lot more sustain through maximum transfer from the strings to the guitar.
The ‘sound’ of TUSQ has been described as having a ‘bell-like high-end’ with ‘big, open lows’ and making ‘guitars come alive’.
The composition of and the way TUSQ is made mean absolute consistency from piece to piece without any of the usual issues associated which naturally-grown materials such as grains, soft spots, dead spots, or discolouration.
If you’re looking for some testimonials… TUSQ is now installed in the factory by 120+ guitar brands including Fender, Schecter, Epiphone, Ibanez, and Godin.
NB. Whilst many Graph Tech products are intended to be a close fit to specific guitars, each guitar is different so inevitably they may require some minor alterations to their length, height and thickness to ensure a perfect fit for your instrument. Therefore, when deciding which nut is the right one for your guitar, it's important to check the measurements carefully. If in doubt, choose the nut with the closest E-E spacing and go slightly larger on the other measurements as you can always make the nut smaller, but you can't add extra! If you are at all unsure of what item is the right one for your guitar, just give us a call. We'd be happy to help.
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Why is your guitar nut important?
The nut is one of the most important parts of your guitar. It may be surprising that such a small part plays such a vital role in shaping the playability, action and tone and isn't something that should be overlooked. As one of the few points of contact your strings actually make with your guitar, you can start to understand that a poorly fitted nut can play havoc with the tuning, sustain and performance of your instrument.
How do I know if I need to replace my guitar's nut?
It's not unusual for a guitar nut to need changing and there are several factors that can cause this. Through years of playing it can become damaged or chipped. If the damage is around one of the string slots, this will almost certainly cause playability issues. The nut is also subject to a lot of wear and experiences a huge amount of downward pressure from your guitar strings. As a result, strings inevitably wear down the nuts slots. This wear is often uneven and can cause rough or sharp edges and often leads to string breakages. This wear can also create uneven string spacing too.
Your strings move a lot over the nut through those big bends, tremolo use and tuning. This movement also causes wear meaning the slots in your nut can become too low affecting your guitar's action. If the action at the nut is too low, this can cause string buzz around the first few frets.
If you are thinking of changing the gauge of strings you are putting on your guitar, you may wish to consider a new nut to be fitted. The sizing of the string slots should ideally be tailored to the gauge of strings you are using and if the slots are too low or too high you may come across some action and tuning issues.
If you are generally unhappy with your guitar's tone, making a small change such as changing the nut can make a dramatic difference to a guitar's performance.
SKU: PQ-M600-00
Re: Delivery. All orders placed on weekdays before 3:45pm will be despatched that same day. All of our delivery options can be found at checkout or on our delivery page.
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To start a return, please contact us at info@stringsdirect.co.uk.
For further information visit our Returns & refunds page.