Roller nuts: is anybody here using them? Opinions?

[zorrow]

I do a lot of extreme bends when playing, including behind-the-nut and behind-the-bridge bends. I'm thus thinking about installing roller nuts in my guitars --already have roller saddles on the bridge, but I want more! Does anyone here have some experience with roller nuts? Some advices to share?

TIA!

[jaberwock]

I have an LSR roller nut on my old, Jeff Beck, Strat, and it works just fine; it does need to be removed, cleaned and lightly lubricated occasionally . Tonally the guitar sounds great, but I've never tried it with a different nut.

You are limited to the string gauges you can use with it however.

Jaberwock

[RobB]

Don't you play mostly Dean/Hamer V's? IMO it would be folly to install a roller nut on non-trem guitars.

Firstly, nut width and string spacing are considerations. It's unlikely you'll find a pre-made roller nuts that match the dimensions of your guitars.

Second, the string-break angle from the nut to tuners is not appropriate for roller nuts. The LSR nuts are designed for Fender headstocks, with a straight line from break point to tuner. Your Deans, especially, won't play well with a roller nut. The radius of the roller nut will probably not match the flatter fretboard radii of your guitars, too.

Third, you would have to shim the dead air from the back of the nut to the truss rod cover, as well as from below. Pain in the ass and will look like merde.

Gently stretch the hell outta your strings before playing. Make sure the string slots are cut properly. Take a small dash of graphite and mix it in with a small blob of Big Bend's Nut Sauce and use a toothpick for the string slots on nut/bridge saddles. If it ain't working after all that, then you'll have to leave it to the Gods.

[zorrow]

Yeah, I hear you Rob! I've been using the Big Bend's Nut Sauce for a while already. I guess I should leave it there then. Thanks a lot for the comments!

[Thundernotes]

You mean one of these?:

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Bridges,_tailp...ictures#details

Personally, I use the graph-tech saddles and never break strings. I'm a little gentler, perhaps.

[Hamer95USA]

You mean one of these?:

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Bridges,_tailp...ictures#details

Personally, I use the graph-tech saddles and never break strings. I'm a little gentler, perhaps.

Hey Thundernotes,

That's a Schaller roller bridge, not a roller nut. This is a roller nut:LSR roller nut

George