Guitar Neck String Nut Options

The string nut is what dictates both the spacing (or pitch) of the strings and their height above the frets. This is a critical component in the action of the instrument. Each string nut must be cut to the specific dimensions of the neck it will be used on.

Guitar Neck String Nut Materials

Materials	Characteristics/Applications	Sound	Workability
Bone	Hard material with a vintage look, must be cut cleanly to keep strings from binding in slots.	Bright and clear, with a detailed sound.	Hard, dense material. Bad-smelling dust.
Brass	Hard material polishes well and looks good with gold hardware. Great sustain for bass and slide guitar playing.	Bright with very good sustain.	Slow-working, dust can clog files, gets hot when power-sanded.
Nickel	Made of the same material as our fretwire (18% hard nickel/silver) so it matches sound & look of frets. Polishes well.	Very bright with excellent articulation and sustain.	Very slow working, gets hot when power-sanded.
Graph Tech TUSQ	A Graph Tech proprietary material which is precision engineered under high pressure and heat. It is specifically formulated to deliver an optimum sonic transfer rate. Stringent production methods create consistent material that is rich in tone and harmonic content. Standard TUSQ will have a slightly brighter sound than the Black TUSQ XL.	Evenly balanced tone.	Easy to cut, less shaping required with pre-molded blanks.
Graph Tech Black TUSQ XL	Black TUSQ XL is a similar material to standard TUSQ but is also Teflon impregnated. Teflon is 500% slipperier than graphite. This is great for use on electric guitars that get tremolo use or have tuning stability issues. It is also great for someone who bends notes often.	Well balanced tone with a bit more warmth.	Easy to cut, less shaping required with pre-molded blanks.
Corian	Hard synthetic material takes a fine finish and is available in large oversized blanks.	Balanced, clear, even sound.	Cuts slowly but evenly.

Precut & Installed Nuts

Precision cut for your specific neck

We have built a system for precision cutting nuts to fit our necks. The cutting and shaping is done by a bench top CNC mill. Every nut is custom cut to the specific neck dimensions with the result being a nearly perfect nut, compensated for fret height, nut width, fingerboard radius, etc. Nuts must be ordered at the same time as the neck to insure compatibility.

Black or White Corian $25.00

Graph Tech TUSQ $30.00

Graph Tech Black TUSQ XL $30.00

Earvana Precut and Installed Nut

Benefits of the Earvana Compensated Nut

No matter how well your guitar is set up, intonation discrepancies will cause certain chords to sound a little "off."

Not any longer!

Earvana patented nut technology solves this issue by compensating each string individually for better intonation. Additional benefits include:

No need to change your frets, bridge, or tuners
Play chords with the same fingerings, but sound better
Available installed on a Warmoth neck
Available retrofit kit for a neck you already own
An inexpensive way to improve your gear and sound

Warmoth offers the Earvana nut slots. This patented technology is designed to improve the sound of your guitar by compensating each string individually for better intonation. Every nut is custom cut on a CNC to the specific neck dimensions, compensated for fret height, nut width, fingerboard radius, and Earvana tuning technology.

Installed nuts must be ordered at the same time as the neck to insure compatibility. This option is only available on straight-neck guitars; it is not available on tiltback guitars or any basses.

Black or White Corian $65.00 installed

Black or White
Graph Tech TUSQ XL $69.00 installed

Installation of the Earvana nut requires widening the nut slot from 1/8" (3mm) to 1/4" (6mm). Therefore, if you wish to change from this nut to a conventional nut, the old slot must be filled in this area. This can be cosmetically unappealing and costly so it's a good idea to be sure that you like the Earvana nut before having a neck set-up for it.

Note: Warmoth also offers a retrofit Earvana nut to replace an existing string nut on Fender or Gibson style guitars. Find them on our hardware page. These are not available for tiltback guitars or any basses. WE only INSTALL the Earvana-prepared Corian and Graph Tech TUSQ XL nuts on Warmoth guitar necks. YOU can INSTALL the retrofit Earvana nut or have it installed by a professional.

LSR Roller Nut

This ingenious nut uses ball bearings to locate the strings and ease their movement across the nut. When used in conjunction with locking tuning machines and moderate tremolo action, tuning issues are significantly reduced when compared to more conventional set-ups.

Installation of the LSR nut requires widening the nut slot towards the first fret to 7/32". Therefore, if you wish to change from this nut to a conventional nut, the old slot must be filled in this area. This can be cosmetically unappealing and costly so it's a good idea to be sure that you like the LSR nut before having a neck set-up for it.

LSR nut installation requires cutting the nut slot wider, towards the 1st fret.

Right hand only
1 11/16" nut width only
Satin chrome only
Recommended for our compound radius necks or necks with fingerboard radius of 9 to 11 inches.
Not available on tiltback necks.
Maximum string gauge per slot:
- 1st string - .024"
- 2nd string - .028"
- 3rd string - .034"
- 4th string - .039"
- 5th string - .048"
- 6th string - .059"

Neck Preparation for the LSR nut - $45.00

We sell the LSR Roller Nut in our Hardware section.

12 String Nut

Drones above

Drones below

12 string nuts can be cut with the drones above or drones below. Most 12 string guitars are strung with the higher octave string on top (drones above) so it is struck first when strummed. Rickenbacker reverses this for their 12 strings and places the higher octave string below (drones below).

Schaller Floyd Rose Locking Nut Prep

Straight Installation

13° Angled Neck Installation

Rear View

The ultimate locking nut secures the strings within the nut. Use in conjunction with a locking bridge for a dive bomb ready system.

These nuts feature a 10" radius. Ideally, the fingerboard radius ideally should be 10" but we have found it to remain functional between 9" and 12".

There are many licensed locking nuts available, all employing the same design principal but not the same dimensions or radius. Warmoth only offers lock nut preparation for the Schaller made nuts.

These nuts are included with both the "Original" and the "Schaller" Floyd Systems and are also sold separately in our Hardware section.

Available on Warmoth Pro construction necks only
We must know the R or L number of your nut

Straight Neck Prep - $45.00
13° Angled Neck Prep - $55.00

Width Dimensions

(Left to Right) - Chrome, Black, Gold

These nuts are easily identified by the "R" number located on the bottom or in the case of left hand nuts it is an "L" number.

Right Hand

R-2 = 1-5/8" Nut-Width
R-3 = 1-11/16" Nut-Width Narrow
R-4 = 1-11/16" Nut-Width Wide
R-5 = 1-3/4" Nut-Width

Left Hand

L-2 = 1-5/8" Nut-Width
L-3 = 1-11/16" Nut-Width Narrow
L-4 = 1-11/16" Nut-Width Wide
L-5 = 1-3/4" Nut-Width

R3 & L3 = 1 11/16" Nut Width Narrow

Essentially, this nut is the 1 11/16" width, but the spread of the strings is pulled in resembling the spread found on a 1 5/8" nut.

Player Tips

R3 & L3 nuts work well with necks that have a 1-11/16" nut width and that are also bound. They are also popular with players wishing for a little more fret margin so as not to bend the strings beyond the fret ends.

Light trem user? Check our the graphite nut or LSR nut
Like to dive bomb? Go locking nut!

Tech Tips

There is a popular misconception that one may buy generic nuts to fit existing necks. If optimum results are expected, this simply is not so. A nut must be cut to specific geometric parameters to function properly and these parameters are dictated by the type of neck it is to be used on and the angle with which the strings break from the nut towards the individual tuners.
For fine adjustments to your nut slots use our File Set NFS8