Are you thinking about what components you’d have on your dream Les Paul? You’ve gone through what woods you’ll be using, what type of pickups, what bridge, and probably what tuning machines will do the best job. But have you given much thought to the humble old nut?
Nuts on guitars are not exciting, pickups are exciting, tonewoods are exciting, even cool knobs can be exciting. But a well-crafted nut made from the material that produces the exact tone you want can be a game-changer in a Les Paul guitar build.
So, let’s take a look at some of the best nuts for Les Paul builds and find the perfect nut for your dream Les Paul, whether you've decided to build it from scratch or are just looking for a high-quality replacement nut, starting with the most basic and traditional, the…
Guyker 42/43*6mm Bone Nut for LP Electric Guitars
Going for the classic Les Paul design in your build? Then you’ll need to use a quality bone nut.
This premium, yet surprisingly affordable bone nut allows effective transmission of the string vibration to give you the warm, well-balanced tone you crave and a little extra sustain. It’s available in either 42mm or 43mm to perfectly fit your build. Plus the durability of natural bone means you won’t be swapping it out for many years to come, if ever!
Next, let’s take a look at the…
Guyker 43mm Adjustable Stainless Steel Nut for LP Guitars
I personally love the warmth of bone nuts, but sometimes you need a little extra bite and sharpness, and the solid stainless steel construction of this nut gives you exactly that.
The metal construction and brushed chrome finish ensure superb durability regardless of how aggressively you play. And the adjustable screws give you precise control of the height of each string.
Now, let’s move on to brass and the…
Guyker Pre-Slotted Brass Nut for 6-String Electric Guitar For LP
Brass nuts will give your guitar a brighter airier sound than either bone or stainless steel. This is advantageous if you’re building a Les Paul, which can easily end up sounding a little dark. However, if you’re planning on building a Telecaster sometime in the future, maybe a bone nut would relax the sharpness of the tone a little.
This quality brass nut features the simple nut design you’d expect to see on a Les Paul headstock but adds the golden shimmer of brass. This makes it the perfect choice if you are using tuning machines with a gold finish.
Or, if you like you love bending strings, especially lower on the fretboard, go for the…
Guyker Height Adjustable 43mm Brass Roller Guitar Nut Replacement for LP Style Electric Guitars
This premium-quality roller nut has been specially designed to reduce the friction exerted on the strings at the nut, this means that they won't get “stuck” when bending, which can easily affect the stability of your guitars tuning.
The two-piece design allows for adjustability and the all-brass construction gives you the bright tone you are looking for and the peace of mind that the highly durable material will last a lifetime
And finally, moving on to Titanium, let’s start with something basic, the…
Guyker Titanium Alloy Guitar Nut For LP
Titanium is a fantastic metal choice for guitar nuts due to it being tough, lightweight, and extremely corrosion resistant. If your guitar is experiencing neck-diving issues, titanium is the perfect nut option along with some lightweight aluminum tuning machines.
This nut is about as basic as they come, but that has the advantage of maintaining the classic look of a Les Paul headstock while still offering the many benefits of a titanium nut. As with the bone nut I started with, it is available in either 42mm or 43mm to perfectly match your project.
Or, if you need more adjustability, how about the…
Guyker Adjustable Bell Nut for LP Electric Guitars
This titanium nut features a fairly basic two-part design that offers a high level of adjustment.
Precision manufactured for optimal string spacing and fidelity, this high-quality titanium nut is made to last and will provide superior sound quality well into the future. Plus, as mentioned, the adjustable screws allow for adjustments to each individual string so that you can easily finely tune your guitar's playability.
If you love the design but prefer Brass, no problem, get yourself the brass version.
Or the…
Guyker Guitar Nut Height Adjustable Bell Titanium Nuts Replacement for LP Style Guitar
This bridge gives the same level of adjustment as the one I just covered but has a more complex design, which I personally prefer.
The high-density titanium produces clarity in every note you play while allowing for quick and easy tuning and perfect intonation. While the lightweight design means that your headstock will never drag you down.
It comes pre-slotted with handy string location grooves that make spacing and positioning a breeze when you’re doing the final string slot filing.
Wrapping it Up
We’ve come to the end of my look at seven of the best aftermarket Les Paul nuts you can buy, and you should now have a much clearer idea of the right choice for your guitar. Plus, nuts are relatively simple to swap out, so if, for whatever reason, you are not 100% happy with your choice, changing it for another will be easy enough.
If you need any more recommendations for guitar parts to build the Les Paul of your dreams, then the Best Guitar Parts to Build a Les Paul and the Best Pickups for a Les Paul Build are well worth a look.
Plus, if you're looking for more general advice on all aspects of Lutherie, the various YouTube Guitar Modification and Building channels are definitely worth checking out. They are packed with excellent info that will make any guitar build more successful and far less frustrating. The 10 Best Online Resources for Learning to Build and Modify Guitars is also worth a look for lots of great tips and info for a hassle-free guitar build.
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