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Hi Folks...

Another question... any one have experience with tusq material... the black variety in particular? Good? bad? Stay away?

If the latter, other than ebony (which is too soft i think)... does anyone have a good nut/saddle material that is as good as bone but black?

Best.

G.

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there is nothing wrong with this material. On some under saddle pickups it is a better material to use. I use bone for most nuts and saddles but on
under saddle transducers I like the tusq as it is a very uniform material

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John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it

Thanks John... great to hear.

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I prefer bone over the white Tusq, The TusqXL black is a nice option for a guitar with a tremolo, seems to help with tuning stability. Always use a blank I've never seen any "pre-made" nut that's a good fit, much less a great fit.

Thank you kindly sir!! Good to know.

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Some clarification might be in order. There are actually 3 man-made materials from Graphtech being discussed here. TUSQ is only available in bone colour. TUSQ XL is available in bone or black, and is impregnated with PTFE (i.e., Teflon).

I almost always use bone on my own builds, unless a client is looking for black. On a guitar with a tremolo, I’ll generally use TUSQ XL, for reduced friction across the nut.

For workability, nothing beats bone. Regular TUSQ comes a close second, TUSQ XL third. Graphtech list a large selection of pre-made parts — far more than I can stock. I have nut and saddle slabs of TUSQ XL on my shelf. A few of their premade TUSQ saddles fit 90% of the guitars coming across my bench and are a cost-effective alternative for clients compared to a custom-made saddle from bone.


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yes clarification is needed
Bone is a natural substance and not all bone is created equally. For non amplified acoustics I do prefer bone bone know your sources. When your using Under saddle pick ups this variance can show itself and often the tusq may be a better option on them. I personally stopped using undersaddle transducers years ago and use mostly K&K bridge plate mounted minis.
There are a number of man made options tusq being the industry standard . Martin used to use Mycarta and tusq but use bone . Find what give you the best sound for your ear.
I have used CA and wicked that on the bone before final shaping. It helps to make the gloss up and fill the voids.
I have seen Brass , and carbon fiber used. Agree Bone is my first choice. Also pay attention that the saddle fits well. No matter what you use a sloppy saddle can take away the efficiency of the energy transfer.

_________________
John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it

Well... is a client request for a black saddle and nut... purely aesthetically. I'm just looking for a decent black material to get a particular look.

I agree... bone is best. But i'm on the prowl for something black.

G.

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www.leddingtonguitars.com

Anyone tried Buffalo horn? It's black and I've been thinking about ordering some as I prefer shaping nuts made of bone rather than Tusq XL... cuts too fast for my taste (or abilities).


Pierre
Guitares Torvisse

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Pierre Castonguay

Gee...… ebony seems have worked for the violin family for hundreds of years. I can attest they are easy to make, and they work well on guitars.

As for Tusc - I hate the stuff. I won't stock it, and charge a premium to install it if the client insists. I prefer bone. I have done some work for a local store whose guitars are equipped with NuBone nuts and saddles made by Graphtech. The stuff looks like bone, works just like bone, and even smells like bone when I hit it on the disc sander.

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Where the manufacturer is using the older technology rigid UST's with far fewer sensing elements (e.g., Fishman) or where a pickup has very sparse transducer coverage (e.g., Taylor), mass-market manufacturers likely have some valid concerns with consistency. Small shop builders and repair people have the option be a bit more discriminating on saddle and nut material selection, so like Mr. Pile, we have not found Tusq or other synthetics to be a material much requested, other than by those that take manufacturer rationalizations as ground truth.

For the current generation of USTs characterized by 'many' sensor elements per string and a flexible, woven cover, we have not found any noticeable consistency issue between carefully selected bone and synthetics options, so install bone as standard for the improved wear characteristics and what most patrons see as enhanced un-plugged tone versus manufactured materials.

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Ive used it on several guitars this far and like it . And Im not only a satisfied customer , I am a dealer Also !

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We've always liked bone over all others so much so that even if a client brings us a Tusq pre-made-crap-that-never-fits-right nut or a Tusq blank we won't install it and will offer bone or not take the job.

Now if it has to be black we would make an exception because Tusq in black is the best choice if black is a CTQ (critical to quality Six Sigma speak).

Our bone is specifically sourced from cows that free range and use their legs. Cows that don't smoke or drink and run an average of 24 miles daily wearing Nike shoes and "Just Do it" T-shirts sporting a pic of Colin Kappernick are the only cows good enough for us to slaughter and use their bones.

Kidding of course on some of this....... In reality our bone comes from Chrislin Trading and likely costs way more now, sadly.

You know you can dye bone black

_________________
John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it

I generally use black micarta on guitars and ukes. I believe Martin has used it too, but in white. John would know.

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It's funny how we all have such different opinions. TUSQ is my favorite material tone wise.

I have in my limited experience it works easily but is a good bit softer than normal bone


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Yeah I have and it's very soft, too soft IMO. You know that this is the same material as a tone nail and that's how soft it is. I'll add that when you are done shaping it and polish it up it looks just like black plastic too which is a cheap look. Based on the look and poor longevity I think it's a bad choice too.

Interesting... how?

G.

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www.leddingtonguitars.com

any number of dyes
Feilbings will do a good job

soak it for a few minutes let dry

_________________
John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it

Thanks John...

_________________
www.leddingtonguitars.com

Thanks John...

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www.leddingtonguitars.com

Based on trying to satisfy customers that wished to retain the look of their vintage Style 17 ebony nuts, but have the improved wear resistance of bone...

- Work the nut to completion, including the usual final tweaks and any buffing before dyeing the material.

- Wash the nut in naphtha, then alcohol to remove any wax or other contaminants from buffing or handling...and consider avoiding a machine buff in favor of a utility finish to P800.

- Don't expect the color to penetrate more than a few thousandths, and on denser, less porose bone (the kind we prefer for nuts and saddles), even a long soak in Feilbings or TransTint (our preference for the job) mixed in lacquer thinner may not give more than a surface coating which wipes to reveal a gray - versus black - coloring.

- Dye penetration on bone is highly variable - work with the blanks you have to see if the material will dye to sufficient depth to achieve a wear-resistant surface (capos, fingers, string changes will all provide an opportunity for surface color to wear)...this makes sense to anyone that has tried to dye their own veneer (veneer makers pressure-dye that thin 0.024" and 0.040" wood for good reason).

Worth considering: when trying to replicate the look of an ebony nut on Style 15/17 and Style 18 (WWII era) instruments or something like a Kalamazoo KG-11, we've found that well-selected African blackwood is denser, harder, and more durable than Gabon ebony, and works about as well tonally. For electrics, we reluctantly use black Tusq XL, although we have used a very high density version of Zytel where the owner can tolerate the royal blue color.

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Which Feilbings do you use exactly... i see they have may types? Pro Oil Dye??

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