Nuts and tails

[wsugai]

It seems obvious why a particular kind of nut makes a difference in sound when you pluck an open string, but why would it make any kind of a difference when you are plucking a stopped string?

Even more curious, why would a particular kind of tailpiece make a difference in sound when the strings are all stopped by the saddle?

[Mandolin Mick]

That's why the old guitars like Gretsch and my Hofner Bass have a "zero fret", to keep the strings from resting on the nut. Everything on an instrument effects the tone.

[Big Joe]

Because everything on the instrument affects the outcome. Nothing more complicated than that. Even the frets you chose can alter the end result. The cut, size, and fit of the bridge, the tuners and even the tuner buttons can affect tone. A musical instrument is the sum of all its parts, how they are made, and the way they are assembled and not much more.

[Tim2723]

It's fair to say that everything affects the sound, but frankly, the answer borders on magic. In truth, I don't think we can easily make a reliable scientific evaluation, since the act of observing changes the conditions. In order to replace the nut, you end up replacing the strings, or at least re-seating the old strings. And maybe something about the bridge has changed in the process as well. So to make a change you actually make more than one change. You can never truly isolate the variables, so you end up with mystical sounding answers like 'everything changes everything', and that's about where it normally ends.

I share your frustration that these things sound counter-intuitive and illogical, sometimes even absurd and ridiculous. But the mass of experience suggests that there is truth in it, even if there is no irrefutable evidence or explanation. A lot of people will tell you that these things really do happen, but seldom can you walk away with a very satisfying 'why'.

I've had a number of conversations that go like this:

"I changed to a bone nut and the tone of my mandolin improved across the board."

"Why did that happen?"

"Everything affects the tone."

"What exactly did you do?"

"I had my guy make a new bone nut. He installed it, cleaned six months of crud off the soundboard, fixed a small misalignment of the tailpiece, put on new strings from a brand I've been meaning to try, and corrected the intonation by moving the bridge."

"So the nut made the big difference?"

"Absolutely! No doubt about it."

Now, make no mistake. There are countless people who have experienced these changes and believe in them wholeheartedly. I will not dispute them at all. Even Big Joe Vest, whose knowledge and experience is legendary, and whose credentials are beyond reproach, can give no better answer than "everything on the instrument affects the outcome".