Tech: Guitar extension nut

Subject: Tech: Where can I find one ?
From: GUEST,Deuglawn
Date: 03 Jul 05 - 05:25 PM

I have been searching the music shops of my area for some time now, without success, seeking some patent high nut with which to temporarily convert a guitar for dobro-style playing. Can they be bought ? in south of Ireland ?

Subject: RE: Tech: Where can I find one ?
From: Peace
Date: 03 Jul 05 - 05:35 PM

There is one available on e-bay

Google

"guitar extension nut", ireland

If it is gone by the time you get there, the name for them is 'guitar extension nut' and there is a place in the US to order by mail. Cost should be about $10 or 6 Euros.

Subject: RE: Tech: Where can I find one ?
From: GUEST,A Friend
Date: 03 Jul 05 - 05:46 PM

Welcome back Sir!

Subject: RE: Tech: Where can I find one ?
From: GUEST,Deuglawn
Date: 03 Jul 05 - 05:51 PM

Thank you Peace for info.
Guest a Friend, Do I know you sir !

Subject: RE: Tech: Where can I find one ?
From: GUEST,A Friend
Date: 03 Jul 05 - 06:04 PM

Deuglawn,

I unfortunately do not know you Sir and my comment was for Mr. Peace who hasn't posted in a bit.

Good luck with your quest.

By the way, one of my goals in life is to make one trip to my ancestral Ireland to hear some of that fine fiddle music.

Regards.

Subject: RE: Tech: Where can I find one ?
From: Leadfingers
Date: 03 Jul 05 - 06:42 PM

Wild Willy Barrett (Not a bad muso in any ones's book) uses a four inch nail pushed under the strings on the first fret to convert what looks like a load of junk (BUT WORKS) into a Slide/Bottle-neck guitar !!

Subject: RE: Tech: Where can I find one ?
From: Kaleea
Date: 04 Jul 05 - 01:25 AM

In the olden days when I was a youngin' (God, I sound old!) I saw fellers loosen their strings & shove a yellow pencil under the strings right next to the nut, retune it & set in a twangin'. The yellow pencil tends to work better than a round one cause it has flat sides on it & will usually stay put. I knew a carpenter who used a 3 sided carpenter's pencil that way, too. He put grooves in the top pointy edge for each of the strings. Talk about groovey!

Subject: RE: Tech: Where can I find one ?
From: reggie miles
Date: 04 Jul 05 - 01:34 AM

I have a friend who has tried to use one of these on his resophonic lap guitar without much success. His guitar lost tone and volume on some of the strings. It was probably due to the fact that simply raising the nut via that temporary means dampens the vibration on some or all of the strings. He consulted me with regard to this lack of tone and volume. I talked to him about getting a permanently attached raised nut installed on the guitar. He couldn't be happier with the results. Of course, his goal was to primarily play that lap style with this particular guitar. Your needs may not be so well defined. Perhaps you're just interested in trying it for a while to see if you'd enjoy it or maybe you just enjoy exploring different playing approaches. If you find it engaging enough to continue with, you might consider having a permanent raised nut installed on your guitar. You'll definitely be able to hear the difference.

Have fun!

Subject: RE: Tech: Where can I find one ?
From: Peace
Date: 04 Jul 05 - 01:40 AM

Keep in mind also that when one plays dobro the hand that holds the bottle neck (or whatever) damps the strings on the nut side of the hand. The guitar is set up so that at fret 12 the string is 'cut in half', thus halving the string and so doubling the rate of vibration, hence providing an octave. So, in short, any place you halve the string will create the octave, so the placement of the nut in relation to the 12th fret (or any of the others) is not crucial. It then becomes relativistic as to where one finds the various chords (notes) on the string.

Subject: RE: Tech: Where can I find one ?
From: Peace
Date: 04 Jul 05 - 01:44 AM

Didn't mean to get all pedantic (and if you knew all this stuff, my apologies). In essence, the bottle neck becomes a moving 'nut'. That's it from me. Luck to ya.

Subject: RE: Tech: Where can I find one ?
From: Peace
Date: 04 Jul 05 - 02:09 AM

And it seems I am confusing two instruments. Disregard all I said.

Subject: RE: Tech: Where can I find one ?
From: GUEST,Deuglawn
Date: 07 Jul 05 - 05:56 PM

Overwhel med am I, good sirs all. I do remember reading something about using a pencil in an old Pete Seeger instruction manual on the Guitar, many years ago.
Many thanks Peace for your advise and good wishes.
I hope you make it over here before too long Friend.
The four inch nail might be a BRIDGE too far Leadfingers!?
I'm afraid I only have a RED pencil Kaleea and I am determined to persevere with that instead , OK? (It 's an HB mind you?)
I've been "at it" for an evening or so as I recuperate from a little surgery and , I believe, it may be possible for me to get something resembling that dobro sound ("make it whine Merle !")using that device
I seem to get lots of difficult technical problems all the time and another one is getting a good connection to the Internet.
Thanks again 'Catters

Subject: RE: Tech: Where can I find one ?
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 07 Jul 05 - 07:06 PM

I got mine from Stewart-McDonald. Cheap, and it works jes' fine.