Omaha, Nebraska
The nut and saddle are the first and last points of contact between your strings and your instrument. The material matters. Hand-cut bone or fossilized mammoth, fitted to your specific instrument from raw stock.
The Material
Most guitars ship with plastic nuts and saddles, which is a cost decision. Bone transmits vibration with greater clarity, better sustain, and a more defined low end. It also wears more slowly and files cleanly to exact dimensions.
Hand-selected for density and grain consistency. Unbleached bone retains its natural oils, which contribute to tone and longevity. Each blank is inspected before cutting, and not every piece qualifies.
Sourced during the yearly Siberian thaw. Sonically similar to bone but with greater clarity in the lows and a far more interesting grain pattern. Exceptionally stable. No two pieces are alike, and each is tens of thousands of years old.
Have your own blank? Hippo tooth, antler, synthetic bone, we'll work with it. Customer material requires extra care: there is no second blank if something goes wrong. We proceed accordingly.
The Process
A proper nut is cut from raw material to the exact width, height, and string spacing of your instrument, accounting for the neck's actual dimensions and the player's string gauge.
String slots are cut to depth one at a time, with the guitar strung and in tune at each stage. The goal is the lowest possible action at the nut without buzz, and that target is different for every instrument and every player.
Saddles are cut and compensated for accurate intonation, set to the actual string lengths your instrument requires.
Omaha, Nebraska
Tell us about your instrument and which material you have in mind. Most nut and saddle work is completed same day or next day. Prefer to talk it through? Call (402) 317-6942.