This is my second shot trying the Earvana nut I had tried it out a few years back and again thought I would see if I could get that perfect intonation across the board we all hope for.....
First... does it give you perfect intonation across the board ? ....as far as pitch perfect: probably about as close as you can get.
Second ... Is that a good thing ? If your an acoustic player I would say absolutely don't hesitate, chording in the low end is very nice, especially if you like using lots of open string chords and inversion across the neck.....
If your a lead player and you like alot of electric style blues....not so much..... I found that while it does Flatten things out as Earvana claims...that is about the most perfect description of why I dont like it one bit....sure every note is there but by Flattening the notes out they have also taken away the sweet spots on the instrument....
I found where as before I had installed the Earvana nut I would anticipate going into certain licks and passages on the neck for their dissonant quality and the way specific notes would play against others to create a sweet flavor and tone especially when bending notes up to other notes....with the Earvana that Magic is gone......yes probably pitch perfect notes across the board or as close as you can get, but at the loss of the Electric guitars character and sweetness.
Yes I expect there will be those that chime in and say oh I have the Earvana nut and love it, (I was one of those a few years back)...but Im suspecting those will be the novice players who spend far less intimate time with each guitar they play and with a less lead heavy toned style which is where the Earvana sucks the bag to put it short and true.
Now I know why I never hear or see pro players using the Earvana nut, unless your a Steve Vai type detail obsessed fanatic who dosn't use a natural guitar /amp tone but relies on a thinned out effects driven type of lead sound the benefits of the Earvana nut are way over hyped.....I prefer to hear the character and tone of the amp and guitar and the magic that comes from the fingers and strings created by the players style.....
Like digital the Earvana nut is a blessing and a curse, perfect pitch cool, the whole band is finally in tune....unfortunately the guitar sounds better being less than perfect...just as analogue sounds better for capturing the sound and feel of a live experience even though digital smooths it all out and makes the recording perfect (theoretically) thus the Earvana Nut.
I didn't write this to knock Earvana but to inform those contemplating it, and give a true review of the product from a tube amp, lead guitar players perspective, even though its a relatively painless experience if you just like to experiment as I do.
Which comes down to the bottom line, Warmoth without a doubt makes arguably the best necks on the planet especially if you choose the standard nut install option, they have it honed to a perfect science (or as perfect as can be expected) I say this because the sweet tone I got out of my neck before the Earvana makes me wonder why I even wanted to try it to begin with, as for pure blues heavy lead tones the Warmoth standard nut is a thing of beauty, I know because my ears tell me so....the Earvana nut....Not so much, not even close.
First... does it give you perfect intonation across the board ? ....as far as pitch perfect: probably about as close as you can get.
Second ... Is that a good thing ? If your an acoustic player I would say absolutely don't hesitate, chording in the low end is very nice, especially if you like using lots of open string chords and inversion across the neck.....
If your a lead player and you like alot of electric style blues....not so much..... I found that while it does Flatten things out as Earvana claims...that is about the most perfect description of why I dont like it one bit....sure every note is there but by Flattening the notes out they have also taken away the sweet spots on the instrument....
I found where as before I had installed the Earvana nut I would anticipate going into certain licks and passages on the neck for their dissonant quality and the way specific notes would play against others to create a sweet flavor and tone especially when bending notes up to other notes....with the Earvana that Magic is gone......yes probably pitch perfect notes across the board or as close as you can get, but at the loss of the Electric guitars character and sweetness.
Yes I expect there will be those that chime in and say oh I have the Earvana nut and love it, (I was one of those a few years back)...but Im suspecting those will be the novice players who spend far less intimate time with each guitar they play and with a less lead heavy toned style which is where the Earvana sucks the bag to put it short and true.
Now I know why I never hear or see pro players using the Earvana nut, unless your a Steve Vai type detail obsessed fanatic who dosn't use a natural guitar /amp tone but relies on a thinned out effects driven type of lead sound the benefits of the Earvana nut are way over hyped.....I prefer to hear the character and tone of the amp and guitar and the magic that comes from the fingers and strings created by the players style.....
Like digital the Earvana nut is a blessing and a curse, perfect pitch cool, the whole band is finally in tune....unfortunately the guitar sounds better being less than perfect...just as analogue sounds better for capturing the sound and feel of a live experience even though digital smooths it all out and makes the recording perfect (theoretically) thus the Earvana Nut.
I didn't write this to knock Earvana but to inform those contemplating it, and give a true review of the product from a tube amp, lead guitar players perspective, even though its a relatively painless experience if you just like to experiment as I do.
Which comes down to the bottom line, Warmoth without a doubt makes arguably the best necks on the planet especially if you choose the standard nut install option, they have it honed to a perfect science (or as perfect as can be expected) I say this because the sweet tone I got out of my neck before the Earvana makes me wonder why I even wanted to try it to begin with, as for pure blues heavy lead tones the Warmoth standard nut is a thing of beauty, I know because my ears tell me so....the Earvana nut....Not so much, not even close.
. Yes I am an experienced guitarist with 4 released albums and hundreds of gigs under my belt. Radio airplay as well. Sadly, I don't hear what you mean.
