Nut Materials - PRS Rules of Tone w/ Paul Reed Smith

Here is a video about the beginnings of our theories and experiential understanding of nut materials. As we said in the Rules of Tone segment on our Phase III Tuners: every part of a guitar has an effect on its overall tone. The nut is no exception. Some things are pretty obvious...the nut should not "grab" the strings, for example. What may not seem so obvious, is the importance and impact the selection of nut material can have. The nut material should always add to the resonance of the guitar. To exaggerate it and boil it down to the bone, almost anyone will admit that a guitar with a silicone rubber nut will sound different than a guitar with a steel nut. It is definitely an important piece of the puzzle.
For more on the Rules of Tone, visit www.prsguitars....

[@JackelKarlos]

10 years on & this still seems great advice. Thanks for the video.

[@isaiahknoot8997]

I just watched Paul play with his nuts. lol

[@SArthur221]

and he was recording it an showing everyone. some people's fantasies

[@christopherhickman3579]

Amazing

[@marksc1929]

Isaiah Knoot ....awesome 😎

[@bradsims7089]

You just put a smile on a slightly immature person's face 6 years later. I hope you're having a great day.

[@jeffwickermusic134]

I have to admit, I was thinking exactly the same thing! Lol! 😎👍🎸

[@SHEMAMAN]

Thanks Paul. Every Prs I've had, including the Indonesian ones have had excellent tuning stability, tone and longevity. That's because, as you've noted, everything on the guitar contributes to the end result. Even big household named guitar companies don't obsess like prs do, and that's why we still prefer your product much of the time. Cheers.

[@ramencurry6672]

Most nuts from reputable guitars are good. I have guitars with bone, Tusq, micarta and high quality plastic nuts. All are good and the differences are subtle to the point it doesn’t really matter

[@bikerjon8934]

1:38 "We spend a lot of time here at PRS playing around with nuts" Paul Reed Smith

[@DanGoodShotHD]

"We spend a lot of time here playing with nuts." -P.R.S.

[@seerattan]

These comments always come from noob players.

[@DanGoodShotHD]

@@seerattan Wow. Not one for humor huh?? Albeit a little childish. I'll give you that. No, you couldn't be more mistaken. But ok. My turn to make a baseless assumption off just a couple words. Looks like we have one of those virtuoso's who think because they play guitar mildly proficient their shit don't stink and are a god amongst men. An ego so over-inflated they have a hard time fitting through doorways and body odor that can clear a room. That's about dime a dozen. Look, I don't know you. Nor will I presume too. Think of this as an exercise on why we don't make ridiculous, baseless judgements off a couple of words on a website or how to come off like a complete ass in 7 words or less. You choose.

[@angusorvid8840]

@@seerattan I've been playing for almost forty years and I find this hysterical!

[@seerattan]

@@DanGoodShotHD nice poem.

[@hanskung3278]

That's what she said.

[@ronaskew]

I had hoped to hear a discussion about “how” the nut could affect the sound.

[@CthulhuOO7]

2:52 is the final word. I also build guitars from scratch. Every single part of it matters, but if that whole package sounds great acoustically, then it will sound killer electrified.

[@rockhard2654]

WRONG, TOTALLY TOTALLY WRONG SUPER INCREDIBLY WRONG

[@jaym5190]

once you fret a string doesn't that make the nut irrelevant?

[@herbertplanter2108]

It's a holistic system, not just your fingers (but a massive % for sure!) nut and bridge are integral, they are what's suspending the strings afterall... Remember, the electronics are only amplifying what's already there (still a massive part of it though). The strings do actually vibrate behind the nut even when you fret notes, the ringing sound can actually be quite audible on a (poorly setup in particular) electric guitar once amplified (very high pitched ping sound). This is the exact reason people invented fret-wraps! (Or just tie some hair elastic around it) Try it for yourself - it can make a huge difference to how clean your notes ring out.

[@ronaskew]

PRS says the tailpiece makes a difference, even after the string has been stopped by the bridge; ditto for the tuner pegs.

[@DougHinVA]

@JTheGuitarPlayer common sense... pickups and the settings of volume and tone pots are MUCH more important than the nut. Saddles, to some degree, but pickups and electronics are the BIG factor.

[@krisitantobias]

I love your question good point..

[@thebutton7932]

@@DougHinVA you dont know what you're talking about

[@DetroitDogTrainer]

I love my PRS! Thanks to everyone that had a hand in it and thanks, Paul, for all the info you have shared.

[@mrfester42]

I've been playing guitar for over 40 years and have ZeroGlide nuts installed in three of my instruments so far and they make a world of difference in intonation, tuning stability (I don't re-tune nearly as as often as before) and sustain and clarity.

[@BrandonLinderman]

he moves his face and at times sounds exactly like Michael Keaton lol

[@karlhenrikarendt]

agree!

[@buggzo]

Michael Nutton

[@Skykingsound]

Nailed it. I was trying to put my finger on what this was reminding me of.

[@voornaam3191]

You look like somebody you are looking like. Duh. What a useless comment. He also has a body, including a head he can move. What is wrong with you? Even you have similar habbits. So what?! Never ever compare people! That is a crazy thing to do. Don't you know any wisdom, yet? Too young, I guess?

[@AverageHuman7026]

@@voornaam3191 you sound like a very angry and negative person.

[@alext8828]

Aren't we hearing the table? Do this on a granite countertop. Question: With your finger fretting a string, how important could the nut be? The vibrating part of the string is trapped between the fret and the saddle.

[@jhorsty]

I have always enjoyed the PRS take on modern guitar manufacturing.His views are always candid and upfront which I find refreshing.Great product,my favorite brand of guitar.

[@JazzBear]

I owned a luthier shop for a number of years. I primarily worked on Violins. But I also play guitar. And I was a chemistry/physics major. My experience and my education both say that the but material makes a considerable difference. A lot of it has to do with the acoustical principal of how sound travels at different speeds dependent on the medium. And there is the principal of how sound transfers from one medium to another when you change materials. It’s an interesting study to say the least. In the end, I have to agree with Mr. Smith that the material makes a notable difference. For what it’s worth, my final lab project, in physics, to graduate was dealing with acoustics and wood as a medium.

[@DougHinVA]

GM.... did you learn to proofread as a chemistry and physics major in college?

[@xthexadvantagex]

So what’s the best nut

[@Coach_Brian]

@@DougHinVA jesus christ... it's an obvious typo, and quite possibly an "autocorrect" typo at that...Give him a break. Moreover, he didn't say he was an expert in grammar.

[@TheloniousBosch]

So in my field, acoustic properties of different substances are key. To make a long story short, I wonder about “acoustic matching layers” in nut/bridge materials. The layer closest to the wood of the neck/fretboard is made from the same material, then layers are put on top with slightly more rigid and dense materials until you get to the steel/nickel/bronze whatever of the string. The idea is that sound passes more easily through gradual changes in transmission speed than a sudden interface that is wildly different. If you *want* the instrument to vibrate more with the strings, you want to transmit those vibrations as efficiently as possible, and getting from steel to wood might benefit from multiple layers that gradually meet. Now that I think about it, bone was a clever single matching later to put between metal and wood. Rigidity and transmission speed is probably somewhere near the middle of the two. There are other consideration like how would you adhere the layers together and would that adhesion layer completely ruin the “ramp” of transmisson speed you are trying to create. If I ever have the time and can figure out a good set of materials to test with, I may give it a shot. Woods to plastics, plastic to bone, bone to tusq, tusq to metal might make for a decent starting point with existing nut materials.

[@mikereynolds3294]

Arunav Sanyal Exactly my thoughts........nut material should only make a difference on open strings. Someone tell me if that theory is wrong.

[@heyjarrod]

Maybe I missed it, did he say what kind of material they use at PRS?

[@doctadre1]

I can really attest to their development of a resonant material. When I had to change the nut on my 1990 custom 24, I found that the replacement nut had such a musical and clear ring to it when hitting my work bench than the old plastic one that I was replacing!! Love your innovation PRS!

[@greendragon2471]

What's the replacement but made out of?

[@aussie_philosopher8079]

Glad this video was put up . I been certain for a long time that anything that touches the string and aids in the process of transferring vibration has a big impact on tone

[@howabouthetruth2157]

AMEN!!! I am speaking directly about the FACT that the very best way to choose an electric guitar, is get in a quiet room and play them unplugged. The guitar that has the nicest tone, resonates & sustains the best unplugged will DEFINITELY be the best sounding guitar when plugged in. Pickups & hardware can be swapped any time. This is the #1 piece of advice I tell students of electric guitar. A long time ago, when I finally figured out this fact when shopping for electric guitars, I must have played 50+ Les Paul Standards, both new & used, all over central Florida. I took my time & was into my 2nd week of shopping. I had it narrowed down to 4 different instruments, with all 4 of them being new. And then it happened. I was in the process of choosing the best 1 of the 4. They were spread among 4 different stores in 2 counties. I was playing one of them ( unplugged of course, like I had from the beginning of this mission ) when I noticed a used Les Paul Standard behind the counter almost hidden from view. The dealer said it wasn't for sale "yet" because the pickups were shot and the tuners needed replaced as well. After continuous badgering, I finally talked him into letting me try it. Thankfully, the strings still had some life left in them. I tuned it, and as soon as I strummed a chord, we all just looked at each other in amazement!!! I then played only a few more, and then a few licks with some bends. SOLD!!! That used Les Paul was absolute magic!!! I forget what I put in the neck now, but I put a Seymour Duncan '59 in the lead position & new Grovers. That damn guitar was the sweetest sounding & best sustaining Les Paul in central Florida.........and every guitarist for the next 7 years agreed. Every time I hear these morons saying "wood doesn't affect tone"......I just want to kick them in the nuts.

[@catsven1973]

Amen

[@johncarlonagulada6855]

Where's the guitar now?

[@franrayjr]

I have always done this unplugged first and just listen to everything , was kinda like being validated hearing him say that. Lol

[@VadimAMalyshev]

Simple and clear. My deep respect!

[@uprightboy]

Thanks for taking time to post this. Agreed!

[@SheriffMayorTV]

Just made a elk bone nut out of curiosity to replace my plastic one. I could be crazy, but It really does seem to change the tone acoustic ly.

[@charlesflint9048]

Hi Paul, I am awaiting delivery of my first PRS guitar and appreciate seeing the depth of thinking that goes into these guitars.

[@archangelmichael7]

Sir Paul, I really love your guitars. I have a PRS SE Custom 24 25th anniversary. I wish you would make a PRS SE Santana with 24 frets. I will wait for that day to come. Thank you for making quality instruments, it makes an aspiring musician, like me, happy.. More power to you and to your staff. God bless Sir Paul. A fan of yours from the Philippines. Based in Washington DC..

[@Alfalfa_Male]

But didn't 1959 Les Paul - the holy grail and ultimate standard of electric guitar tone - use nylon nuts? I know that Paul right there is playing with a bone nut, some sort of graphite nut, and two others that I have no clue about, but something tells me that nylon nuts are not gonna have a nice ring and ping if you drop them, yet they are the standard on original 1959 Les Paul standards. So what gives?

[@tylergavin4757]

+coquio It doesn't really matter. Gibson used the materials they had available then. Tone comes from your hands and the pickups, to some extent. That is why all guitar players sound the same no matter what guitar they are playing. Now, of course Tusq, bone, graphite, etc make great nuts, but I don't think it is right to say it is the key to great tone.

[@mrfester42]

+Tyler Gavin Nobody said they are they key. Certainly Paul Smith didn't say that in this video.

[@Jshortca]

But Paul is part of the establishment and you're so cool if you call bullshit on everything the establishment says.

[@mrfester42]

What establishment? Why would you say that anyway? Is it because he owns a business?

[@bandit7498]

Tyler Gavin Doesn’t mean it’s the sole key to your individual tone. But to say it doesn’t make a difference is silly. For instance, you wouldn’t just go into a store and buy any old ax because regardless of what you play you’re going to sound like you, right? So you try different guitars and each of them sound different. You still hear your fingers, but you don’t quite hear the tone that’s in your head until you find that perfect fiddle that lets YOUR tone ring through. All that being said every piece on the guitar makes a difference in the instrument’s sound. From there it’s up to you to find the right combination of those parts that makes it easier to sound like you. You may have a Les Paul Custom that to your ears sounds a little too bright, because by design they’re a little brighter than a Standard. So you might swap out that plastic nut for a bone nut and maybe it gets closer to the tone you’re looking for. Eddie Van Halen says tone is in your fingers, and that’s true. But the right tools makes it easier to bring that tone out.

[@robertovaquerobazan9824]

I can't believe that PRS allow all the bad comments caused for the flaws to stay in tune in their SE models. The black tusq XL nut only cost $13.00 dollars tops, and a new PRS Custom SE costs arround $799.00 dollars and the difference this nut makes is incredible, I did the change my self and Its like magic, even with abusive use of the trem, the Guitar now stays in tune, I felt in love again with my PRS Custom SE 22 Thanks to black tusq XL.

[@keithfy8]

Interesting debate. Being a retired design engineer and an early learning centre guitarist my thoughts on nut material would be to use an acetal homopolymer (Delrin trade name) This is one of the more expensive engineering plastics that is used typically for bearings and gear wheels. Strings would slide over it like running through butter. It is hard, wear resistant easy to machine(file), does not creep or absorb water and makes a funny little ringing noise when you drop it on a hard surface. Just a guess though. :-)

[@CommViewer]

I'm no engineer but I have to agree with you...Delrin is used by a number of flute makers because of its hardness...its used instead of hardwoods like ebony and rosewood.

[@DougHinVA]

...then get a patents for Delrin guitar nuts and retire early!

[@guitarpop]

You can't patent a pre-existing object just because you are using a different, pre-existing material.

[@guitarfreakstyle2]

Brown Paw My favorite guitar picks are made of Delrin. The Dunlop Stubbys. Love those picks.

[@letsgooo1637]

those prs videos are such gold.

[@MRxr400]

I admire how the amount of passion/thorough testing over many years shows when you pick up a PRS. I only have an SE single cut, loaded with Seymour JB and 59'rs, and it's a beast of a guitar for the price. I prefer cheaper guitars to play in a pub rock cover band, though don't like to sacrifice the enjoyment of playing the instrument, and my SE plays/ sounds killer.

[@bobbennett790]

Why did the company choose to use PPS on the Zach Myers 2021+ ? did you find that plastic was better than graphite, bone or other material? I would like to see ya drop that on the table! Even though the Zach Myers sounds good.

[@axemurderbambi2995]

What wood is that table made of?

[@hang-sangitch]

The PRS angelus custom is one of the most beautiful sounding guitars i've ever played. It was in rose morris on denmark street in london. Fantastic sound module string box

[@SidBonkers51]

Once you hold a string or strings down on a fret does the nut still make any difference to the tone and if so how and why? Genuine question, as I dont spend much time playing cowboy chords or open strings.

[@jsonkody]

amazing, thx - I was curious if PRS thout about this and what material the nut is. I am impressed by the attention to detail.

[@jeffgerndt2813]

I love your philosophy, all the elements add up!

[@fredgonzalez6619]

Thank you so much Paul for that! Can you please tell me what kind of nut Carlos Santana prefers on his guitars?

[@jimjimm2134]

I know this is a 3 year old video now but I do believe the nut makes a big difference, I have a 2014 Gibson SG and from the USA factory the nut sucked, it was set too high, way too high and it was their TekToid PLEK System nut, I just changed it out to a graph tech tusq self lube nut. I didn't have to do any slot work and I use 10 46 not 9 46's, the guitar stays in tune a lot longer and the sustain is more than double of the stock nut and that is stretching G at the 9th fret not an open string so yeah I agree with Paul a nut makes a huge difference.

[@ramencurry6672]

It’s intentionally set too high for many Gibsons. That’s common for many Gibsons. Nothing wrong with that. Some players want that for slide guitar. If not it’s an easy fix for most service men.

[@stevenordstedt2535]

Can I buy one of your Bass guitar nuts for my Fender American Jazz?

[@outdoorwhistler537]

I just bought a new cu24 that has realy bad buzzing on the g and d, but only with open string, every fret sounds perfect.. I changed to 9s from the factory 10s but even before that they were buzzing , adj the springs and relief, the guitar plays amazing with a capo on the last fret. (I've been doing setups and floating trems for over 20 years, so I know what should be buzz free, i have to put huge relief to stop the buzzing, so the action was super highabove the 12th fret. I'm now sure the nut is cut too low on those strings, surprised it left the factory like that. So should i shim the nut and recut the other 4 slots deeper or can you guys send me a new precut nut? pretty frustrated for such an expensive guitar, other than that i love it, but its a huge problem

[@Soliturna]

Please look into the nut of many SE's coming out of the factory. My Paul Alllender has major tuning issues

[@Artcore103]

What do people think of the (black) tusq xl nuts? I just put one on my low/mid range RG and so far I'm pretty happy but i need to spend some more time with it. It has aftermarket pickups so now i just need new pots/switch, some insultin insulation, and a new bridge.

[@MisterTee]

I agree 100% and that is something I would never presume to debate. The thing is that the the nuts he is using there, the bone, the graph tech, the bone and his companies nut could all be the right nut depending on the other variables on the instrument. There is no right answer to one element in a much larger picture

[@ferna182]

You can agree or disagree with Paul but god damn the guy has a passion for what he does. I can hear him all day talk about guitar building. This is what makes the difference between PRS and other corporations... The guy in charge is actually really passionate about the product he makes.

[@phallystorm]

I just acquired a 2008 PRS CE 22, and the Low E, and A nut slots are worn a bit deep. I just bought 2 PRS USA replacement nuts for the CE 22 model. Is there any modification in installing them ? or is just as simple as removing the old one, and lightly gluing the new nut on the nut shelf butted up against the Rosewood fret board slab end? I know I can fill in the slots with bone nut dust, and some super glue, but I am curious as to whether, or not the PRS replacement nuts drop right in with no slot filing. Thanks for any help.

[@prsguitars]

Email us! [e-mail] one of our Customer Service reps will help you figure out how to get your guitar up and running.

[@goshiki59]

I would love to hear your thoughts on brass nuts.....

[@coolchetang]

With this much concern for everything, wonder what's his opinion about strings going straight behind the nut to the tuners, which they don't in PRS.

[@marions.120]

One of my guitar techs put a bone nut on one of my LP’s and it never sounded the same, too pingy. I’m going to change it myself. The guitar is very old and has Tim Shaw pickups, it’s getting changed to see if I can find the old sound?

[@RH-vl2wy]

So have you run those sounds through a tuner? Does your guitar make a chord or a note when you rap on it? You know, kind of like tuning A drum? What is your tolerance for frequency? What is your resonance frequency for your guitar? Some of you are going to think I’m nuts but that’s ok.... my point is to explore for the note and /or chord.... could we get better control when the wood body vibrates more perfectly with the frequency of the coil in the pick ups? And the pro and cons of taking different part and tuning them out of phase? Yes , I can ask a multitude of questions!!!!

[@ALtheDoctorWho]

Say Paul I have one of your PRS Custom guitars and I am very Happy with it. It is my favorite guitar.I would like to get one with a pocket relief underneath the tremolo.Maybe a Floyd rose type set up But I don't want a heavy tone robbing bar. which one would you consider using ? I'd Like one with range like the rose. Thanks Paul you make a fine instrument c];-D

[@russellmusictv4403]

Who prefers Tusq over bone? Big difference in increased harmonic content and richness? Increased sustain?

[@zillathegorilla]

Just curious when you guys are trying to hone in on something like nut material, do you just go by trial and error, or do you use analytical techniques like DoE to help you pick the "right" design?

[@MikeWong398]

do you use the same quality materials for the nuts on korean SE's?

[@erickleefeld4883]

Here's my rule for nut materials: Use a zero-fret! Then the nut exists only to be a string spacing guide, and the open strings and manually fretted notes will all have the same tone.

[@skobedigatch207]

Eric Kleefeld what is a zero fret ?

[@Nym1a]

@@skobedigatch207 Its a fret in the place where the nut would originally sit. My Sandberg Bass has one, and there is also a nut behind it (towards the tuning pegs) to keep the strings in place sideways. Look it up on google for pictures and stuff! :)

[@thedevilinthecircuit1414]

No, that is a huge misconception about a nut behind a zero fret. The nut is far more than a string spacing guide. The bottoms of the string slots in the nut have to allow a little string downforce over the zero fret; not too much, in fact. About the same downforce your finger applies when fretting a note. This misunderstanding is why so many guitars with zero frets are fiddly to tune, and also why zero frets wear prematurely due to excessive friction from the strings.

[@rodparker4514]

Should we try all three nuts on a guitar to find that tone ?Why is there not one best material ?

[@909sickle]

I've seen several demonstrations of the same guitar with different nut/saddle materials and the differences are less than if you turn the microphone an inch or pluck a different part of the string.

[@Codename-B]

Why would I glue the nut? the nut slot and nut sould be carved perfectly to be seamlessly fitted and holding together.

[@thunderstein5041]

10+ years ago, I bought a Gibson Les Paul Tribute. It sounded like shit, largely because it had a cheap plastic nut. Then, I stumbled upon Paul's video and decided to give his advice a try. I went to my guitar tech, gave him a blank mammoth nut, and it turned out to be the best decision I've ever made. Thank you, Paul!

[@brendanlucero8585]

Does the bone nut come in black?

[@12south31]

Serious question here. Does the materials used in the nut only affect 6 notes in total? Those six notes being each open string, so general tuning E A D G B E? As soon as you fret a note/chord, the nut comes out of play. OR, even when fretting there is still vibrations travelling to the nut thru the string. My guess would be a bit of both. When fretting, 99 percent of the vibration ends in the string at that point and you are only hearing the sound at the fret itself. 1 percent of the vibration still travels thru the string to the nut and makes no audible difference. I'd love to hear some actual data on whether the nut makes any difference in sound whatsoever when anything other than an open string/strings are played.

[@bluefrog231]

picks are microphones ? so I can talk or sing into a pu and it would amplifie my voice ? BTW I like PRS guitars

[@Davefender100]

So when you barr a chord how does the nut have any effect on the sound, is it not then out of the equation, I think its more important the saddle on an acoustic is either bone or tusq

[@dimitrimalgogne865]

Even with barred chords, the guitar will not react the same depending on nut material. Saddles and nut are equally important.

[@pastorkev777]

@@dimitrimalgogne865 the saddle is way more important. Once the string is fretted a nuts impact is reduced to continual resonance to the headstock and back and tuning stability. The funny things about materials, is sometimes cheaper things sound better. Yet it is all subjective.

[@dimitrimalgogne865]

@Pastorkev777 in my experience, when you Hit a chord on a strat for exemple. If you have a soft nut material you loose a lot of frequencies on the sound and stiffness (or reactivity) in the strings. If you have a bone nut for example, the lutherie of you guitar comes to life: tone is more precise, full sounding in comparison. Only my point of view..

[@dimitrimalgogne865]

If you don't believe me, compare a metal locking nut and a cheap plastic one. Night and day.

[@orestesdd]

So what's the best material to use for nuts?

[@guitar19971]

orestesdd As with anything to do with guitars there is no "Best" material. Just ones that react and sound differently.

[@jameshoskins8902]

Ivory

[@larrydj549]

They say my RG120 has a plastic nut but it sounds metallic like that bright sounding black one. And I definitely hear it in the tone Sir

[@9wenwilson210]

Just got a 2018 SE, so impressed w build tone - thanks !!!!

[@mailvilla]

05/02/2020: What doesSE letters mean? I heard it was Student Edition, so I returned the brand new PRS. I do not want any guitar advertising Student Edition, even if it was very expensive guitar. So, what does SE mean?

[@NathanLemmon]

Student Edition

[@johnsimms3957]

Well which do like best? Bone?

[@Iazzaboyce]

I had to watch this again to see if I was right the first time - I was - there is zero information in this video.

[@vishyoutubevideos]

does nut material matter on fretted strings?

[@markd4768]

Okay , so what material do you use on PRs guitars? After all this blah blah blah!!!!

[@rmg471]

Mark D it’s graphite infused with brass.

[@juliansedor7101]

Often bone. It dpends what you get. The SE guitars use a special material.

[@TheForce_Productions]

Cheap plastic like Fender! 😁

[@Pengkui]

trade secret

[@dustinpomeroy8817]

The bones of dead musicians

[@KSETONMTL]

A great video to reference. My two cents after playing for 40 years and experimenting with every part and making my own guitars from scratch including carving fretboards and cutting the scale by hand... is this: the tuning machines affect the tone because they translate vibration into the neck and hence the body. Changing a tailpiece has the same effect, yet both of these are after the nut and bridge. The note about fretting negating the nut are just short sighted, simply because you’ve forgotten the transferring the string vibration into the wood. However, controlling that vibration to produce a tone or sound result, is an art, it’s called ‘tuning’ from a luthiers point of view. A nylon nut and bridge saddles will vibrate less than brass, and the resulting sound, or tone, may actually be what you the player want to hear. On the flip-side, using titanium for the hardest possible material will for certain sound vastly different, whether open string or fretted, because of the amount of vibration that is increased into the wood.. It’s not hype, it’s just plain physics, it’s not that complicated really. The question becomes then, when-this, then-that for creating a sound, and how refined you want to focus that sound. A maple neck definitely has sharper intonation than a mahogany neck, but depending on what you’re trying to hear might not be ideal... for you. Same with a nut... how much vibration are you wanting to transmit back into the neck?

[@AllenPinchloaf]

So is bone the best nut material?

[@MisterTee]

Thanks for the reply. Greatly appreciated. I completely agree with what you said (though I didnt say that a softer nut should be used as an EQ mechanism) but my point was simply that that loud ping, being indicative of the nut's properties, would be greatly mitigated by the material it is being attached to. Thus hardness and durability is the logical focus of a nut material...not its acoustical properties when not attached to the guitar.

[@rockriff8889]

I think his choice of scale length, was the one major difference in sound and playability of his fine guitars... 25" is the bench mark for me..

[@Dad-Gad]

My limited edition SE Standard is the most beautiful guitar I've ever played .

[@williardbillmore5713]

The function of a nut is to space the strings apart evenly. ZERO FRET IS WHERE IT"SAT BABY!

[@liamdowling14]

can anyone help me out?, my acoustic sounds a bit too bright for my liking, sounds nice but i'd rather a bit of a warmer tone. could changing the nut and saddle help with this?, if so what should i use?. bone, horn, wood, a combo of any of them?. thanks.

[@jameskrys5286]

Yes, it makes a difference on six notes, the open ones. Once a string is pressed against a fret the nut material doesn't matter, but the bridge saddles do on every note. If you want every note to sound the same, make the nut out of the same material as the frets.

[@benchinho]

or a zero fret... don´t know why most manufacturers don´t do it...

[@ramencurry6672]

I’m all for a well crafted quality nut. In my opinion, it can be any material as long as it matches well with your rig.

[@bikerpastor71]

A TRUE innovator. I charish my PRS guitars. I am looking forward to the day when I can afford another one.

[@uMc81]

...then why you put on the cheapest plastic nut on your SE guitars? (which are badly cut aswell, nut-binding on the G-string) now i have to bring it to a store and replace it -.-

[@juanffigueroa4979]

Great video,wow straight from the owners month,thanks again.

[@alastair6356]

I have a PRS Angelus with a bone nut it is tremendous the sustain and tone is superb. They not only sound great guitars they look great to.👍😊

[@albertogarcia1386]

I changed y guitar nut on my strat to a graphite one and I have notice very much change on the tone, I think it lost some of the high end from the guitar. I prefer the bone nut I had before.

[@joelcarvin7435]

Prs..... I will be trying your acoustic real soon. Heard so much about prs build quality.

[@fanoboss]

what about locking nuts vs more traditional nut material ?

[@chzzyg2698]

I wonder if this has anything to do with why my PRS Bernie Marsden sounds almost twice as loud, acoustically, than any of my other solid body guitar's. Ironically, it's also the first time I bought a guitar based solely off of what it sounded like unplugged, and it's been in my ever-rotating top three favorite guitars for years now.

[@golds04]

Have to be equal mass no?

[@thehandseesall]

So how about actually fitting those four nuts to the same guitar and playing the same thing with the same settings so that we can here them in relation to each other?

[@prsguitars]

ThieleM, this isn't Paul, but I *believe* Paul's philosophy is that a string should be allowed to do it's job the best that it can; that nothing should detract from a string vibrating at it's full potential. That means a nut, tuners, bridge and bridge saddles should all drain as little energy away from the string as possible. I don't think he'd advise putting a softer nut on a bright guitar to EQ it.

[@clammaster4]

As much as we love to see paul and co. playing with nuts, we wanna hear em on the guitar

[@rccarsandmusic2641]

As an owner of 3 PRS CUSTOM 24, I have to say they are great guitars.

[@51MontyPython]

Well, you said that hardness is the 'logical focus' of a nut material. Not sure what you mean by that unless it's to say that a harder material is more desirable, as it would be more conducive to producing the most vibration, and therefore more ideal. Or did you mean that it's not necessarily the hardest material that produces the most optimal tone, but simply one that compliments the tone woods better, in which case a softer material may be more suited?

[@Tech875O]

I just purchased a PRS SE Custom 24 Sunburst and the nut is horrible. My strings are constantly going out of tune, and the nut is super sharp on the corners. I'm likely going to be purchasing a Graph Tech Tusq XL to replace it.

[@19501960]

Congratulations, you make great sounding guitars mr. PRS. My own measure of an electric is just what you comment on, play it acoustically any buzzing weird harmonics and rings show up, a lot of the time they prove to be nut issues.

[@foesfly3047]

What I know for sure is this. I play my PRS Custom 22 better and more easily than my Music Man Petrucci Family Reserve, Les Paul Standard or Custom USA Fender Strat. Thank you Paul, for an excellent guitar.

[@ronoc931]

First one dropped bone, second plastic, third prs nut, fourth was a graph tech to my ears that's what I'm hearing. On a side note I'm a proud owner of a modified se custom 24 and would highly recommend the se line, personally I'm not a fan of the s2 line, but that's just because there different sounding, Paul keep making great guitars bud :-)

[@chrisbardolph]

For those saying the nut only affects open strings - I once played a bass that had an A string that wasn't getting enough angle over the nut. The open string was completely dead sounding - AND - so were all the fretted notes up the neck. As soon as I put a string guide on to fix the angle, the open string, as well as all the fretted notes, completely changed. I realize I'm talking about angle and not nut material, but my point is, when you fret a note you don't discard the physics of the length of string between the headstock and the point of fretting.

[@davidnika446]

But the length of string between the headstock and the point where the string is fretted is not vibrating. On fretted notes, the frets take over the function of the nut. Only the portion of string between where the string is fretted and the saddle vibrates.

[@chrisbardolph]

The portion between the fret and the bridge saddle is the main vibrating portion and is responsible for the pitch of the note we hear. The other portion of the string might not be directly what we're hearing, but I'm saying it does still have an effect on the physics of the string. The string's vibration doesn't come to a dead halt at the fret. Take an upright bass for example: there's a considerable length of string between the bridge and the tailpiece. If you clamp something around that portion of the string and hinder the vibration, it affects the acoustics of the instrument. And back to guitar - even on fretted notes, if the break angle over the nut is too shallow the note will be completely dead, so something is still going on in the "unused" part of the string. Otherwise the nut angle would be completely irrelevant during fretted notes, but if you test it out it absolutely matters.

[@davidnika446]

***** Well, I could be wrong, but I would think that the difference would be much, much greater on an upright bass than something like an electric guitar with pickups. My guess is that any difference in tone would be very tiny. But then, I have changed my mind when I least expected to from time to time.

[@chrisbardolph]

That would be my guess too - probably quite small, but I'm just saying that I've had things surprise me. My bass's nut angle affecting the fretted notes was a surprise. And having been in the repair business for the past several years, we've seen lots of different guitars come in the door. And even on electrics, the different constructions and woods and materials can have some dramatic effects on the unplugged tone. And then you plug a guitar into an amp, and the acoustic properties you heard with the instrument unplugged come right through the amp. Now, I can't specifically say "lacquer sounds like this, maple tops sound like this, etc..." but I've found that there are a lot of factors in an instrument's acoustic tone, and the acoustic tone transfers right into its electric sound - more than just the pickups. Anyway, I don't mean to ramble, I just like this stuff.

[@davidnika446]

***** Naw, you weren't rambling...and I like stuff too! So, here's a theory: As the height of the nut changes, the angle of the string between the nut and fretboard changes. Also, the angle from the spot where the string is pressed against the fret, and the fret itself changes. And this could change the mechanics of fretting a note...thus possibly changing the note. Plausible? Maybe we should call Myth-busters!

[@mapleleafedge]

this video triggered my ASMR

[@Maxx61]

Employees at most big box retailer music stores always seem perplexed when I tell them I'm not interested in plugging in the electric guitar that I want to try. I walk it over to the acoustic room to play it. For those new to guitar playing, if you listen to the instrument unplugged, you'll get a much greater insight into the resonant properties of what you're holding in your hands. I've never failed basing an electric guitar decision on the unplugged test. If it sounds amazing without a cable, it's going to sound even better amplified. On a final note, Paul is absolutely correct that anything that touches those strings is going to have an effect on the overall tone of the instrument. As soon as you start creating shortcuts, you're compromising with the gift of resonance mother nature gave you with that specific wood in your hands.

[@Bluesruse]

The acoustic charasteristics of an electrical guitar do not transfer well when the sound is amplified, even moreso when distortion and effects are introduced. What matters much more to me, is that the guitar feels right, and is set up correctly. When it comes to the nut, for example, I don't really care what material the nut is. To me what matters more is that the nut is compensated and filed specifically for the string gauges I'm using. If a luthier asks me what materials I want, I'm gona say full mahogany body and neck, with an ebony fretboard, and a bone nut, but I probably couldn't tell the difference, at least through an amp, if he actually put a tusq nut and a maple neck. What I 'prefer' is mostly just imaginary and subjective to the guitars I've liked the most, and probably not so much of the tonal characteristics of the materials, but the specs and workmanship of my fav guitars (that just so happen to be mahogany).

[@Maxx61]

@@BluesruseI agree that a heavily distorted amp is going to reduce any differences between one guitar and another. At that point that specific wood becomes less of a factor but on the other hand, I've owned more than a thousand guitars over the years and a guitar that sounded spectacular when unplugged remained spectacular when amplified. However, a guitar that sounded somewhat muffled with inferior wood continued to sound that way when amplified until the distortion was raised to a level which masked that inferiority. I agree completely that the feel of the instrument is so much more important than specific woods. The way the neck is carved, the fret work, a properly carved nut...all of which is revealed without a cable in sight.

[@mattmartinez7135]

Maybe next, Paul will start working on a glue for the nut that will improve the tone as well lol jokes

[@heavymetal11]

I am with you on nut, saddles, springs, wood affect the tones. I have tried a few prs at shops and i am impressed by the smoothness and quality of the neck, good playability and undeniable great tones. , neck to neck comparison to other same price range guitars , prs are in my opinion, unbeatable. Prs offers very beautiful color and themes on the guitar body and i absolutely love them. But till today i have not own any of it. Well, sorry but i just dun like the headstock+ body shape. The fender body type with short and broad headstock just dun gel. So is the les paul body too.

[@stevelundgren2938]

I totally agree with the idea of the importance of the acoustic qualities of a solid body electric guitar. To the point that I have bought at least one guitar in the past without ever plugging it in. I pulled it out of the case held it up and played one note. I could hear and feel that this guitar had the right stuff acoustically. I still love that guitar. Others I have plugged into an amp before purchase just to see if the electronics worked. But if a solid body electric guitar doesn't have the desired acoustic qualities unplugged, I don't waste my time with it.