Locking nut or Black TUSQ XL

[Chriscross]

Hey, I'm building myself a warmoth guitar, and I don't know if I should put on a locking nut or the black TUSQ XL nut. I'm going to use the gotoh/wilkensen 510T-SF1 with a recessed wilkensen rout. I have heard some people use a locking nut with a modern tremolo since it stays in tune well, but I'm not so sure if that will work so well. Please reply! 

 

[dbw]

You definitely do NOT want a locking nut with that bridge.  You only want a locking nut if you have fine tuners or some way to tune at the bridge, otherwise you have no way to tune without getting a wrench and unlocking the nut.

 

[Chriscross]

You definitely do NOT want a locking nut with that bridge.  You only want a locking nut if you have fine tuners or some way to tune at the bridge, otherwise you have no way to tune without getting a wrench and unlocking the nut.

Thanks for the quick reply! I just check Sperzel Trim-Lok Guitar Machines and it states that if you have these, you don't need a locking nut anyway. Is that true? I hear the Sperzel Trim-Lok Guitar Machines are awesome anyways.

 

[rapfohl09]

The reason you wouldnt need the locking nut with those tuners is because the tuners have a lock on them. That way its possible to just unlock the tuner with a turn and tune up then lock back in.

 

[Funky Phil]

Locking tuners work by avoiding the need for multiple wraps around the post.
You only lock or unlock them when changing strings, not when tuning, which is done as normal.
As long as you set the nut up very well, tuning should be very good.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

Locking tuners and locking nuts are for different reasons.  Tuning stability is a side effect of the locking nut and not the intention.  A locking nut has more to do with keeping the strings on the nut during major divebombs.  Like DBW said, a locking nut is useless unless the trem end has fine tuners.  With locking tuners, you could dive bomb and pull back all day long, if it comes out of tune it's due to string stretching and not tuner integrity, but the strings might fall off the nut.