Earvana Drop in nut for warmoth neck (whats your thoughts?)

[RU36]

Earvana now has a compensating nut that drops in on a regular nut slot (on an angled headstock) with no modification to the fretboard.
This one is much cooler than the original Earvana IMO becuase it does not have the ugly screws on the top.
Its a 12 inch radius so if you have a 10-16 compound radius you would have to file the bottom of the nut a bit but that shouldn't be a big deal.
Here is the link from the Earvana site http://www.earvana.com/Gibson_dropin.htm

This is what I wonder about,
A) will scale length screw up how well it works?
I have seen this nut on 25.5 and 24.75 scale guitars so I am assuming its cool.

B) will down tuning to E Flat standard screw it up or negate the compensation effect?
The FAQ section on the Earvana site claims its works in e flat as well but I was wondering if anyone has had first had experience with alternate tunings using this nut.
FAQ LINK http://www.earvana.com/faq.htm

C) on the FAQ section of the Earvana site it says you shouldn't file the bottom of the nut, I don't really understand why.
It claims the the nut is flexible to some degree to adapt to a slightly different radius but I would rather file the bottom just a hair to make it a 10 inch radius and a perfect fit.
Has anyone out there used this on a 10-16 radius neck?
Did you file in the bottom curve a bit to make it a 10 inch radius or did you leave it at the stock 12inch radius on the bottom and file the slots to make it a 10 inch radius?


I have a neck on the way and will be trying this set up so I can let you know after that but I sure would like to hear some feed back before I try it.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

I think this has been brought up before but I don't remeber the details and/or if W responded.  Per your questions,

A.)  There is a difference between the scales, but keep in mind it's a compensating nut and for it to compensate well on one it will still be better on the wrong scale than the standard straight nut.  Also, many necks are multi scale.  Whether intentional or not, very few have all the frets spaced perfectly down the neck for the appropriate scale.  I can't imagine a nut replacement could ever solve this.

B.)  It shouldn't matter once the neck and bridge have been readjusted/re-intonated for the different string tension and/or string gauge.  Afterall, it's still the same scale length.

c.)  Don't know.

 

[RU36]

B.)  It shouldn't matter once the neck and bridge have been readjusted/re-intonated for the different string tension and/or string gauge.  Afterall, it's still the same scale length.

That is what I was thinking as well. That once you adjust the saddles it do the intonation it should be the same.

Also I emailed the Earvana tech support and they replied that it works just as well on the 25.5 scale as the 24.75 so that answers that.

The good new is that there is no mod needed for the nut slot like the old ones so if it sucks you can ditch it with no risk and minimal investment.

 

[tfarny]

I have one, but I'm refinishing my headstock so haven't used it yet. It looks a lot better than the old one, but the bottom is a 10" radius and warmoths have a flat bottom slot, so there's an air space under the center of the nut. On the other hand, the nut hangs over the fretboard a but, stabilizing it hopefully. It feels like corian, and I needed a fair bit of filing work to get it in proper shape. Mixed feelings about the whole thing, we'll see how it plays in the end.

 

[mayfly]

I've got one on one guitar.  It's nice, and certain chords are more in tune (B Minor for example), but I'm not really missing it on my other guitars.

 

[RU36]

I have one, but I'm refinishing my headstock so haven't used it yet. It looks a lot better than the old one, but the bottom is a 10" radius and warmoths have a flat bottom slot, so there's an air space under the center of the nut. On the other hand, the nut hangs over the fretboard a but, stabilizing it hopefully. It feels like corian, and I needed a fair bit of filing work to get it in proper shape. Mixed feelings about the whole thing, we'll see how it plays in the end.

I didn't know the warmoth angled head stocks had a flat bottom nut slot.
I have always did the lazy mans move and payed for the nut install.

If you file the bottom flat to get rid of the airspace, will the shelf part that overhangs onto the fretboard stop the bottom of the nut from seating on the flat nut slot?

 

[kboman]

Hey they're back! I was going to order one of those but their site has been down for over a week. Now I can't afford it, hehe!

And STD is right, it won't solve the multiscale issue (which was brought up on this forum a year ago or something and really surprised me) - but to me basically anything is better than a standard uncompensated nut. I will be doing a video comparison when I get it!

 

[tfarny]

Mine is on a tele headstock, not angled. But all warmoth necks I've seen have a flat bottom slot - maybe the total vintage has a radiused slot, I dunno.
There isn't enough material there to file it all the way down to flat, I was able to file it a bit flatter.

 

[RU36]

Mine is on a tele headstock, not angled. But all warmoth necks I've seen have a flat bottom slot - maybe the total vintage has a radiused slot, I dunno.
There isn't enough material there to file it all the way down to flat, I was able to file it a bit flatter.

Got it.
The one I was looking at was the Gibson style one.

 

[RU36]

So I emailed the inventor directly and asked him a few questions, here is the response.
RU36:
Hello.
I have a guitar with a angled Headstock and a 42mm nut width.
I want to buy the ESP 42mm OEM Shelf Nut and install it but I have one question before I order.
Will this work the same with a 25.5 scale length?

All the ESP’s with this nut seem to be Gibson 24.75 scale length.

Thanks for your time.

Richard LoJacono:
Hi
Yes, it will work fine.


RU36:
Thanks for your reply!

I have one more question.
On the drop in style gibson nut it is a 12 inch radius. My neck on my guitar is a 10 inch radius.

If I sand down the bottom of the nut slightly to form it to that radius will it be ok?

Thanks again for your time.



Richard LoJacono:
Hi
Yes, you should be able to make it work.


So even though they are brief  answers at least they are answers

 

[jay4321]

I mean it should work, just not optimally. You'd still see the effects of compensation but that extra 3/4" scale should throw the math off very slightly but the compensation wouldn't be quite as precise. Provided I'm not mistaken, that's something that he should probably mention.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

I mean it should work, just not optimally. You'd still see the effects of compensation but that extra 3/4" scale should throw the math off very slightly but the compensation wouldn't be quite as precise. Provided I'm not mistaken, that's something that he should probably mention.

Exactly.  It's probably designed for one scale in particular, but the fractions of the difference involved to compensate 3/4" between differing scale lengths are on the Eric Johnson ear sensitivity level.

 

[jay4321]

Well I'm having one put on my Epi LP and as soon as I get a neck for my Warmoth LP one will go on that also, so you could always wait a couple months until I can report back

 

[jay4321]

But I expect the change on the Gibson scale LP to be a big improvement in particular. A couple of those strings are just a pain intonation-wise up near the nut

 

[Patrick from Davis]

I have one on my Les Paul.  I makes the open chords nicer.  I now notice when I am playing with or with out one when playing the open chords.  It just makes it "Shimmer" in tune a bit more.  I am slowly replacing all of my guitars nuts with them, but it is not a huge concern.  As far as the 10 inch 12 inch radius thing, it is very hard to tell.  Once you get the bottom of the nut filed so the bottom of the shelf lies on the fret board on the high and low string side, that was really all I did.  I actually forgot that it was a different radius.  I didn't notice any issues with it since installing it so, I forgot about them.  Anyways, go to this link for pictures

http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=12131.0

Patrick

 

[jay4321]

Got my Epi back, results are as expected. 90% of the value is in the cowboys chords area, and those big AC/DC chords ring out nice and clean. MIssion accomplished. Those Earvanas are pretty much standard for me at this point, though from here on out I'd rather just go with the drop-ins rather than Warmoth doing it so I can leave the channels normally sized.

 

[RU36]

Awesome.
I am going the same route.
The drop in nut in case I want to ditch it later is always a better bet the notching out the fretboard.

 

[Cagey]

Got my Epi back, results are as expected. 90% of the value is in the cowboys chords area, and those big AC/DC chords ring out nice and clean. MIssion accomplished.

That's exactly what I thought would happen, if anything at all. I have one coming on a neck that's on order now, and it's quite a premium to pay for a few notches in some plastic so I sorta resented it. But, I suppose I have to try it or I can't talk about it. Normally, I put an LSR nut on, which also comes at a premium, but at least I know what I'm getting with those and it's tangible. It's too bad you can't get compensated LSR nuts. That would be the ultimate.

 

[RU36]

My theory is that if there is an actual improvement in tone and intonation then its worth the price.
I look at it this way.
Sure its $40 and a regular graph tech nut is only about $6.
$40 isn't much when you divide it buy how many days you will get use out of the thing.
And every time you play a open D chord it will perform better.

 

[dale]

I have a couple of guitars with them.  I do not really notice enough difference to make a difference really.