by Brian Evans » Fri Jul 07, 2017 5:28 pm
Just thought I would post and ask for feedback. I made two guitars with ebony nuts - I really like the black appearance of ebony. The ebony used was quite old - probably 20 - 50 years cut, and in small pieces (I got it from a knife maker who used it for handles). Both were set up normally with the bare clearance over the first fret when fretted at third fret, and both lost clearance after around 12 - 18 months. The second, third and fourth strings would buzz out on the first fret. All I can really do is replace with bone, for long term reliability, yet I know that ebony has been a useful nut material for centuries. Any ideas? Frankly, I wonder if the fretboard swelled or something equally mysterious. Rosewood on one, birdseye maple (which has proven to be a really unstable choice, I have dressed the unbound fret ends at least 6 times) on the other.