Earvana nut review

[Patrick from Davis]

I like them.  I also play open chords whenever I can.  So for me, it makes a difference.  As far as the price, yes they cost more, but you can find them for 25 bucks which is quite a bit better than 40.  Also, people will go on about minute details on guitars like the difference between white or cream pick guards.  Sure it makes a difference, and it would cost roughly the same to try both.  I guess my point is, I have never needed to replace one, so I see it as a one time fee.  I also like to try a lot of the products out there to form my own opinion about the validity of statements.  I don't agree with everyone, and that is fine, it's my money to spend.  But back to the point, for what I do they sound good, so I'll buy them.  They don't necessarily help when there is only one note at a time being played, or bent notes, or power chords.  But for open stuff and things that ring out, they sound better to me.
Patrick

 

[elfro89]

Thanks for your review, it's great to have someone as experienced and professional as you tell us why we novice players are wrong to want a component that attempts to fix tuning issues with half decent intonation. I guess it's just the noviceness of my experience, I never knew what I actually wanted all these years was to play out of tune. I now play everything a semi tone higher and god damn. The crowd go wild for that! And my band mates love it toom they all say that it just reeks of musical flavour. Now those pesky diminished chords, which sounded nice and colourful with the earvana, not sound so much more awesome now that they are all out of tune. I can finally play a walking bass line like a true novice fretless bass player - Completely out of tune with myself, and the rest of the band. Damn, if I had known this was the goal of playing years ago, I would have skipped doing a degree in music and just gone straight into your way. I would have been a true success by now.  :hello2:

 

[Jumble Jumble]

A fitting 1337th post, there.

 

[Tony Raven]

I have a near-new Washburn D46 with "the Buzz Feiten Tuning System," basically a compensated nut & a few other tweaks. SRP was like $1,020.

I have an Alvarez 5019 I bought used back in 1995 for $250. The nut was shattered when some jerkoff kicked it over in 1999. I replaced it with a pre-slotted $5 plastic nut.

Both are laminated spruce tops.

While I like the tone of the Washburn, the Alvarez remains my go-to acoustic. The Feiten system might be cool for some, but I honestly hear some notes that ain't dead-on, & the Alvarez is better.

I like the idea of a compensated nut, but I don't see where it's something that can just be dropped into every axe & make things perfect. Like, how can the exact same nut be proper for both an .008 & an .011 set? or for both 24.75" & 25.5" scales? & what about flatwounds or wound thirds?

 

[bagman67]

I like the idea of a compensated nut, but I don't see where it's something that can just be dropped into every axe & make things perfect. Like, how can the exact same nut be proper for both an .008 & an .011 set? or for both 24.75" & 25.5" scales? & what about flatwounds or wound thirds?

Well, as with all things related to Western tunings, the best you can hope for is an approximation that does a better job than other solutions - and you're absolutely right, the compensated nut, by itself, is no more universal a solution than a compensated bridge.  It's just a question of what solution is the right one for you, and your playing style, and your ears - at a price you're willing to pay for it.

 

[swarfrat]

If you're interested, you really need to read The Compensated Nut by Stephen Delft (http://www.mimf.com/nutcomp/)

Basically, Earvana sells a spendy nut that's approximately a couple steps in the right direction for guitars of approximately 25.5" length +/- enough scale length to cover basically 99% of guitars, for the string guages that 80% of folks play, with a reasonable action height. Even in the cases where it's not perfect, it's still closer than an uncompensated nut.

Of particular interest is this picture which I'll directly link, showing "an extreme case of nut compensation - optimised for short scale and heavy-gauge strings, in a dropped open tuning, and with strings set high at the nut to allow playing with slide and fingers."

Basically the compensated nut is compensating for the pitch change resulting from the tension needed to pull the string down to the fret. The taller the action, the fatter the string, the closer to the nut, the more compensation is required. And the effect of moving the nut relative to the frets diminishes as you move further down the neck, but that's ok, because so does the relative effect of having to mash the string down to the fret.

 

[lucky13]

I hadn't written my findings expecting to be attacked saying I was making a judgment call though I can see where some may have taken it that way, but my thoughts about what this sight has become were very accurate, the same old blah blah blah's first to take offense at an opposing point of view to a product sold on the sight, or another watered down oh none of those points are valid especially if they counter buying said product....

I merely stated what I felt was a fact that compensated nuts such as the Earvana I installed seemed to take me further from recreating older blues sounds and licks I was working on rather than bring me closer ...my thought being that if a lick was created using a guitar with perfect temperament then to use a guitar with perfect pitch would have a different effect on the way strings interacted with each other when bent in unison or along with others....(in an effort to get the dissonance created by say Old blues player who used guitars without perfect pitch)

but as usual on this sight a bunch of whack jobs jump on and say my review was antagonistic and I was offending folks, unfortunately I made the mistake of thinking a higher minded more educated folk were now gracing these pages when clearly that is not the case....thus my accurate finding that this sight has deteriorated into an arse kissing contest for the regulars who spend most of their time and money recommending each others services and are not interested in challenging points of view as making an offense to such is the first thing that comes out of those peoples mouths....

first off anyone who uses the word tripe sounds like a redneck hillbilly and second....this is exactly why I dont waste my time reading this sight anymore.....I used to be a fan boy too.....now I just state what I feel is the truth......obviously I have outgrown this sight thanks for helping me to realize it.

Personally I wrote ......I did Not write my review to advise or criticize.... but a bunch of uneducated lame arses always want to make it out that way....sorry I stated my findings many of you are not ready to expand your mind or spend time in thought or discussion...unless of course I want to buy something from you or use your service or kiss your butt.....no thanks.

 

[Surf n Music]

I hadn't written my findings expecting to be attacked saying I was making a judgment call though I can see where some may have taken it that way, but my thoughts about what this sight has become were very accurate, the same old blah blah blah's first to take offense at an opposing point of view to a product sold on the sight, or another watered down oh none of those points are valid especially if they counter buying said product....

I merely stated what I felt was a fact that compensated nuts such as the Earvana I installed seemed to take me further from recreating older blues sounds and licks I was working on rather than bring me closer ...my thought being that if a lick was created using a guitar with perfect temperament then to use a guitar with perfect pitch would have a different effect on the way strings interacted with each other when bent in unison or along with others....(in an effort to get the dissonance created by say Old blues player who used guitars without perfect pitch)

but as usual on this sight a bunch of whack jobs jump on and say my review was antagonistic and I was offending folks, unfortunately I made the mistake of thinking a higher minded more educated folk were now gracing these pages when clearly that is not the case....thus my accurate finding that this sight has deteriorated into an arse kissing contest for the regulars who spend most of their time and money recommending each others services and are not interested in challenging points of view as making an offense to such is the first thing that comes out of those peoples mouths....

first off anyone who uses the word tripe sounds like a redneck hillbilly and second....this is exactly why I dont waste my time reading this sight anymore.....I used to be a fan boy too.....now I just state what I feel is the truth......obviously I have outgrown this sight thanks for helping me to realize it.

Personally I wrote ......I did Not write my review to advise or criticize.... but a bunch of uneducated lame arses always want to make it out that way....sorry I stated my findings many of you are not ready to expand your mind or spend time in thought or discussion...unless of course I want to buy something from you or use your service or kiss your butt.....no thanks.

That is a long good bye note.

 

[elfro89]

Lucky13, I suspect once you follow your own advice then come back and read what you posted in a year or so's time you will probably palm face and cringe at your own choice of words, phrasing and the way upon which you put your point of view across. Your 'review' read more like an 'ode to those who are too novice to agree with me.'

Unlike what you seem to be endorsing with your latest speech, I doubt anyone would need, or want, to go into some kind of crazy critical discourse analysis of the Unofficial Warmoth page. No-one enjoys a good opposing point of view more than me, but you are fooling yourself if what you think you said amounts to some kind of intellectual monument worthy of lasting one hundred lifetimes. My opinion of your review is that it wasn't even worth the amount of attention it actually received, and is probably best placed being lost to lurk among the dark toll area of the forum.

 

[Cagey]

...I did Not write my review to advise or criticize.... but a bunch of uneducated lame arses always want to make it out that way....sorry I stated my findings many of you are not ready to expand your mind or spend time in thought or discussion...unless of course I want to buy something from you or use your service or kiss your butt.....no thanks.

I appreciate that you took the time to write that review. I appreciate all reviews, good, bad or indifferent. There's always something to be learned either about the product, the application, or the writer.

I also appreciate that you're a little off-put by the less-than-overwhelming acceptance of your viewpoints/observations. But, you have to realize that you're not the only person who's ever used one of those parts, nor are you the only opinion that matters. People are going to disagree with you. It's the nature of discussion. At that point, it's up to you to support/defend your conclusions, or listen to the critique and decide if maybe your conclusions are incomplete or in need of review themselves.

Ad hominem attacks are not argument. All it indicates is that you've run out of ammo or the ability to shoot.

If you wanna leave the board, that's fine. We don't need drama queens wasting our time. But, it's your loss. There's a helluva lotta high-end talent around here that I'd hate to miss out on if it were me.

 

[Nightclub Dwight]

So I decided to write a compensated nut master who uses and writes articles on a variety of compensated nuts, because I really want to know does nut compensation change the way certain licks sound that were created using a Standard nut.

Here is the letter I wrote and am awaiting his response:

Did you ever get a response from the nut master?

I have never used an Earvana and appreciate reading about the pros and cons.

 

[Jumble Jumble]

I merely stated what I felt was a fact that compensated nuts such as the Earvana I installed seemed to take me further from recreating older blues sounds and licks I was working on rather than bring me closer ...my thought being that if a lick was created using a guitar with perfect temperament then to use a guitar with perfect pitch would have a different effect on the way strings interacted with each other when bent in unison or along with others....(in an effort to get the dissonance created by say Old blues player who used guitars without perfect pitch)

Well, you also said:

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.

"If you don't agree with me, it's because you're a novice player". That's not "merely stating a fact", it's a pre-emptive dismissal of any opposing views, based on an accusation of lack of experience.

this is exactly why I dont waste my time reading this sight anymore.....I used to be a fan boy too.....now I just state what I feel is the truth......obviously I have outgrown this sight thanks for helping me to realize it.

It's "site", genius. And look at the way you've reacted to people opposing your own viewpoint. Nobody else did anything but respectfully disagree and discuss the pros and cons. You came back with:

the same old blah blah blah's first to take offense at an opposing point of view [bit of irony there]
a bunch of whack jobs
I made the mistake of thinking a higher minded more educated folk were now gracing these pages when clearly that is not the case
this sight has deteriorated into an arse kissing contest
anyone who uses the word tripe sounds like a redneck hillbilly
a bunch of uneducated lame arses
kiss your butt.....no thanks

Gosh, that really is some highly-educated, thoughtful rhetoric. This forum will be so much worse off without that level of intelligence. We'll miss you. Honestly we will. What? I'm serious. Please stay. It would mean so much to us.

 

[Ddbltrbl]

Bye!  :guitarplayer2:

 

[ezas]

So I decided to write a compensated nut master who uses and writes articles on a variety of compensated nuts, because I really want to know does nut compensation change the way certain licks sound that were created using a Standard nut.

Here is the letter I wrote and am awaiting his response:


(QUOTE)

Bunch of stuff deleted -

I also note this because this site is very sterile and controlled by about 5 or 6 of the same multi builders whose opinions are more than watered down in a few area's especially where it relates to old school tone arguments......so my apologies if I find alot of the chat on here dull and boring ...as sadly....this site has become little more than ego brushing and the forum of the mediocre .....nothing matters just buy expensive woods and kiss my experience....sorry my experience was different but at least I gave the reader a true observation not a preconceived dull and lifeless "oh non of that matters" just buy more wood....

bunch of stuff deleted . . .

I came across this thread somewhat by accident, but coincidentally I was thinking about this earlier today so decided to necro post.

While I wouldn't word it the same way, or draw the same conclusions, I share in the above sentiment that the focus on of this board is too narrow and dominated by too few people to make the site as enjoyable as it could be to others. I rarely come here because of it.

If you look you will see that I used to try to participate, asking questions, where I could giving input, but it just got too frustrating and I haven't participated much in years. Other sites are more helpful and more entertaining reading on the topics of guitar building. While this is not a particularly unfriendly site, it's not a particularly friendly site either.

It's a site that has found it's niche, but is the site everything it could, wants to, or was intended to be by it's founder(s) and user base?

I think the 'question' for the interested parties are they happy with what they have, and I think they are since it's a nice little 'club house' for them, or do they want to encourage more participation by more people, within the goals for the site, and how does/is the site working out for Warmoth?

 

[stratamania]

Ezas, the answer is participate more I suppose. Post a thread or two, answer a question to help someone out.

Enter a GOM etc.

It would be great to see more folks actively participating. But the subject of this thread and the way the OP went about it is not especially the way to go about winning friends.

How it works for Warmoth I can't comment but the sites still here and linked to on the main site.

 

[strat714]

As a relative new participant at this site I disagree with the OP. The information I have gotten here has been helpful and freely given in a polite and professional manner. I'm happy that the "blah, blah, blah" has given me new ideas and directions. Carry on!

 

[Cowbell Fever!]

This thread is nuts!

 

[Cagey]

Well, at 8 years old, it's old enough to be a third-grader  :icon_biggrin:

 

[teleme01]

well for my 2 cents,  i have  2 ervana nuts (thats what she said) and i like them,  they come out of the box set for the neck(more pun gigidy gigidy),  i know its 70 dollars but i feel like its money well spent,  sorta like ss frets, there... that was fun