↳ Guitar accessories and luthier supplies for sale.↳ Archives of past "Classical Guitars for Sale".↳ Historical Background to Classical Guitar pieces.↳ Classical guitar recording and amplification.↳ Ergonomics and Posture for Classical Guitarists.↳ Search for classical guitar sheet music.↳ Use of nails in playing the classical guitar.↳ Archives of Public Space and its subforums.↳ How to Participate in the Delcamp Classical Guitar Forum.That's the client, so give them what they expect rather than giving them a reason to reject! The average classical player doesn't seem to like it. Little difference if any except on open strings. I've used bone, ivory, walrus, tagua nut, brazilian rosewood, etc. I'm doing a small A Amati baroque at the moment and will use ivory nut & saddle. Although Baroque violins seemed to use ivory lots. There's probably no good reason to use a different material. "Either that or it's just one of those traditional ways of doing it that works well enough that nobody cares enough to change. "If I had to bet my money on it, I'd bet that the choice of ebony over bone is for tonal reasons, not one of efficiency."īad bet - classical violin almost always played stopped. " Heck, if efficiency is the goal, why not just built the violin without a scroll, or just drill round holes instead of using f-holes? Who needs purfling for that matter?" Amazing how fast one can be if only doing tops or garlands or whatever! Production violins wouldn't take 200 hours - more like 40. If the violin takes 200 hours to make, what's another 1/2 hour for a bone nut?" Handmade musical instruments are inherently inefficient to make. "But back to the main point: Why don't violins use bone? It's true you can argue that ebony is faster, and therefore cheaper. The copper wraps and straight gut were no better. Ebony nuts have been around a long time, so the fact that the aluminum might get torn from bone cannot be considered relevant, atleast historically." "The aluminum on the violin strings is a pretty recent phenomenon. Either that or it's just one of those traditional ways of doing it that works well enough that nobody cares enough to change. If I had to bet my money on it, I'd bet that the choice of ebony over bone is for tonal reasons, not one of efficiency. If the violin takes 200 hours to make, what's another 1/2 hour for a bone nut? Heck, if efficiency is the goal, why not just built the violin without a scroll, or just drill round holes instead of using f-holes? Who needs purfling for that matter? I've had bone nut slots tear the edges of new nylon strings, but this was my fault, not the fault of the material.īut back to the main point: Why don't violins use bone? It's true you can argue that ebony is faster, and therefore cheaper. If the string gets torn by the nut material then it's because it's catching a sharp edge the hardness of bone is alone not enough to damage the string. Ebony nuts have been around a long time, so the fact that the aluminum might get torn from bone cannot be considered relevant, atleast historically. The aluminum on the violin strings is a pretty recent phenomenon. I would still prefer an experienced luthier's opinion. Understandably, he will promote the perceived benefits of bone and ivory. His business, of course, the that of making custom nuts, saddles and pins from bone or ivory. Bone, Elephant and Walrus have different densities, but ALL within a spectrum that is OPTIMUM for guitar usage. The trick is to get a material that has the "optimum" density so the resonation gets to the top of the guitar at a frequency that vibrates it most effectively. If this were the case, we'd all have brass, ceramic or iron saddles. The material and construction of the saddle, as well as the bridge pins have a significant effect on how the vibration of the string is transmitted to the top of the guitar, and if used, how an undersaddle transducer (UST) receives a signal from the saddle for amplified playing.Ī LOT of people ask about the density and porosity of these materials as compared to the plastic materials such as Tusq or Micarta….and if “denser is better.” Density of the material alone is not a controlling factor. Often overlooked in terms of the sound your acoustic guitar produces, the saddle plays a vital role in this regard.
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