Opinions on Earvana compensated nuts please.

Evan

My recently acquired Telecaster partscaster has a lovely Allparts fat neck, which I like, but the previous owner had it refretted with 6105’s, which I’m having a bit of a problem with. 

They’re fine when I’m playing anywhere below the third fret, but some cowboy chords play horribly sharp, especially the b & g strings. 

I know it’s because I’m using a death grip on the neck and someone will tell me to adjust my technique and I’m trying to do that, but meanwhile I’d like to find a way of mitigating the issue. 

I’m  using 10’s and they’re just right for me on a Tele, though I’d be willing to try 11’s, but apart from that, has anyone here ever tried using a compensated nut? I’ve heard that Earvana compensated nuts can help with this, but I’ve also heard they can introduce different issues themselves. 

Waddayathink? 

JD50

Is the guitar fitted with a 3 or 6 saddle bridge?

WezV

It's likely you can get it a bit better with a bit if attention on the existing nut.   Earvana nuts do what they do well, but shouldn't be used to make up for a nut that already too high

dcg

I've tried both the Earvana and a variety of Callaham compensated saddles, currently favouring the stainless steel versions.  If I had to choose between a good set of compensated saddles with a well cut bone nut versus an Earvana with compensated (or uncompensated) saddles, I'd choose the bone nut and compensated saddles.  Good as the Earvana is in some respects, I found it reduced sustain, and felt rather insubstantial.  Plus, if you favour vintage detail, it doesn't deliver that aesthetic.  Others may disagree!!

victorludorum

I think the Earvana will only help when playing open strings. As soon as you fret a note it takes the nut out of the equation I think.

I have one on my Tele, but i also have a 6 saddle bridge. It does make a difference with open chords, and as far as the aesthetics go, I don't really notice a difference unless you look close up.

SteveRobinson

victorludorum said:

I think the Earvana will only help when playing open strings. As soon as you fret a note it takes the nut out of the equation I think.

No, as the string has a slightly different length when tuned open, it will affect the intonation beyond the nut.

crunchman

Like @WezV ; said, make sure the existing nut is cut well.  If the slots aren't cut deep enough then that will be making things worse.

Having said that, I ended up selling a Custom Shop Tele with enormous frets.  I just couldn't get on with them. 

Lestratcaster

I use one on all my electrics (bar one as it’s a signature and I don’t want to mess with it) and one acoustic. It really improves the in-tune ness esp with open chords on the first 5 frets. Haven’t noticed a decrease in sustain, if anything it adds more. But yeah a proper cut nut is a must.

Evan

I think the nut is ok, but I’ll double check it later. I agree that a compensated nut should be a last resort, so I’ll look into every other possible solution first, but I did have a Les Paul copy with massive frets once that I just had to get rid of, though I’d be reluctantly to do that with this one, because in every other respect it’s a killer guitar. 

As I said beforehand, it’s great to have these big frets when playing higher up the neck, it’s really just open chords, mainly d and a. 

I’m not sure how compensated saddles would help at the nut end of the fretboard (I actually have Gotoh In Tune brass saddles already fitted), but maybe that’s just my ignorance.

Winny_Pooh

Get both a 6 saddle and earvana...I added an earvsna to two Gibsons. Really helped with open chords.

IsambardKentucky

Can’t buy technique. As you’ve noted, develop a lighter touch and save some money

grungebob

Get the nut cut right and it will solve your issue. 

I use a death grip also but with a well cut nut you avoid those issues. 

I do also have Earvana nuts of a few of my guitars and it does make them more musical all over the fretboard 

Seziertisch

I find it fascinating that this is one of the few forums on the internet where people have had mostly overwhelmingly positive experiences with the Earvana nut.

You google it and most discussions on other forums are clogged with people offering opinions on why it shouldn’t/doesn’t do what it claims to do and in fact does the opposite of what it claims. 

On the recommendations of numerous users here I am waiting to get a guitar back from a refret with one installed.

Evan

Lestratcaster said:

I use one on all my electrics (bar one as it’s a signature and I don’t want to mess with it) and one acoustic. It really improves the in-tune ness esp with open chords on the first 5 frets. Haven’t noticed a decrease in sustain, if anything it adds more. But yeah a proper cut nut is a must.

Where did you get a Fender style one from ( I assume by your user name that you’ve got Strats)?

Evan

Seziertisch said:

I find it fascinating that this is one of the few forums on the internet where people have had mostly overwhelmingly positive experiences with the Earvana nut.

You google it and most discussions on other forums are clogged with people offering opinions on why it shouldn’t/doesn’t do what it claims to do and in fact does the opposite of what it claims. 

On the recommendations of numerous users here I am waiting to get a guitar back from a refret with one installed.

I’ll be interested to hear some feedback about that when you get it back.

Evan

I’ve just capo’d at the 3rd fret and checked the gap on the 1st fret and I can just get a piece of paper between the fret and the string - I think it’s just about right.

Rocker

I got an Earvana shelf nut (from @FelineGuitars) fitted to my Epi LP, and it fixed, or as close as possible fixed, a tuning issue on the guitar.  This problem came to light when I got a pre-wired LP wiring (pots, cap & cables) kit from @sixstringsupplies. The replacement loom showed clearly that my low E string, when fretted at the third fret, the G note was very sharp (>3 cents sharp).

I checked the the other strings and my guitar closely corresponded to the chart about Earvana nuts on the FelineGuitars website.  After the installation of the shelf nut, it took me a day or two to mentally accept the more accurate notes played.  And they are more accurate than before as my Peterson StroboStomp clearly shows.  

I checked my other guitars, my CS Strat is a hair sharp on the G note low E string whereas my Tele is over 1 cent sharp when fretting the same note.  To my ears, 1 cent sharp is noticeable, YMMV.  The Tele will probably be upgraded next with an Earvana nut.

I noticed no change in the sustain and cosmetically little difference on my Epi.  Chords and single notes sound much more in tune.  My Anderson has BFTS and chords and notes sound absolutely in tune on that guitar.  The Earvana nut is not quite as accurate as the BFTS but it is very close, easy to fit and totally reversible if you don't like it.  A good guitar tech can make a standard nut work (as on my Strat) so nut replacement is not the only way to achieve chords and notes playing in tune, but it is an easy way to attain this goal.

To finish, if you want your guitar to play in tune, an Earvana nut is the easiest way to achieve this.  Go for it.

tanihhiavlt

I've got an earvana retrofit on my tokai, at the time the standard shelf nut wasn't made for lefties - now it is and I'm considering replacing the old one for the more aesthetically pleasing nut  

I've got a feiten on the Suhr too ... on my tele - I'm just coming up with a tuning that gives me areas of the neck I trust and I'll adopt scales for that  

FelineGuitars

Firstly I would look to make sure you really do have the nut cut as low as it will go without rattle 

We are in South London if you wanted us to take a look and let you try an Earvana equipped guitar

I have nothing but praise for the Earvana 

I accept that some can't take the slightly non stock look, but the sweetness of the tuning gets my vote every time 

The material is the same as Graphtech Tusq so harmonically rich in itself 

It does rely on you cutting the nut accurately for height though and making sure that you haven't left any plastic "swarf" at the front edge of the slot where the nut slot has been filed out

Looks-wise it's not so different and you are not looking at it when you are playing anyway

Evan

Rocker said:

I got an Earvana shelf nut (from @FelineGuitars) fitted to my Epi LP, and it fixed, or as close as possible fixed, a tuning issue on the guitar.  This problem came to light when I got a pre-wired LP wiring (pots, cap & cables) kit from @sixstringsupplies. The replacement loom showed clearly that my low E string, when fretted at the third fret, the G note was very sharp (>3 cents sharp).

I checked the the other strings and my guitar closely corresponded to the chart about Earvana nuts on the FelineGuitars website.  After the installation of the shelf nut, it took me a day or two to mentally accept the more accurate notes played.  And they are more accurate than before as my Peterson StroboStomp clearly shows.  

I checked my other guitars, my CS Strat is a hair sharp on the G note low E string whereas my Tele is over 1 cent sharp when fretting the same note.  To my ears, 1 cent sharp is noticeable, YMMV.  The Tele will probably be upgraded next with an Earvana nut.

I noticed no change in the sustain and cosmetically little difference on my Epi.  Chords and single notes sound much more in tune.  My Anderson has BFTS and chords and notes sound absolutely in tune on that guitar.  The Earvana nut is not quite as accurate as the BFTS but it is very close, easy to fit and totally reversible if you don't like it.  A good guitar tech can make a standard nut work (as on my Strat) so nut replacement is not the only way to achieve chords and notes playing in tune, but it is an easy way to attain this goal.

To finish, if you want your guitar to play in tune, an Earvana nut is the easiest way to achieve this.  Go for it.

That’s helpful feedback, thanks. If all else fails, I’ll probably give it a go.

Evan

FelineGuitars said:

Firstly I would look to make sure you really do have the nut cut as low as it will go without rattle 

We are in South London if you wanted us to take a look and let you try an Earvana equipped guitar

I have nothing but praise for the Earvana 

I accept that some can't take the slightly non stock look, but the sweetness of the tuning gets my vote every time 

The material is the same as Graphtech Tusq so harmonically rich in itself 

It does rely on you cutting the nut accurately for height though and making sure that you haven't left any plastic "swarf" at the front edge of the slot where the nut slot has been filed out

Looks-wise it's not so different and you are not looking at it when you are playing anyway

 I actually ended up on your website (lovely looking guitars, by the way) when I googled “Earvana nut telecaster”, but couldn’t see a 9.5” radius curved Earvana Fender style nut, only the 7.25” one. Do they actually make a 9.5 radius nut? 

As far as I can tell, the nut is cut pretty well and as I said earlier, I can just get a thin piece of paper between the strings and frets, however, I’m no expert.

If I can’t sort this out myself, I may well call on you for help, I’m in West London, so not so far away from you. 

Thanks for the advice.