Buffalo horn for nuts?

[Texecaster]

Hello all,

Has anyone used buffalo horn for nuts??
A mate wants all black hardware and nut on a tele I am building him.
I found these:
(link removed)

Anyone have any experience with it, good or bad?

I looked into the black Tusq nut, but too many negative comments for me.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Cheers.

 

[Billm]

It's not as hard as cowbone. You could probably cut and shape it, then saturate it with thin CA glue to toughen it up.

 

[Colt W. Knight]

It makes tough pistol grips and knife scales. But I have never used it on a guitar.

 

[Vizcaster]

LMI sells black horn blanks that they confirmed by email are water buffalo horn. I used the material for an acoustic saddle and was disappointed. it's soft and almost rubbery. My equivalent to "tone-tapping" this material is to drop a nut or saddle blank on a piece of granite and listen for the tinkle. Tusq is very bright, bone is bright, and this horn material just makes a thud.

The tone on the guitar was very "warm" because it lost all the bright trebles. Probably the last thing I'd look to use on a Telecaster.

If you want a black nut, you'd probably be okay with a black nylon nut. They're used on some Epiphone models.

Don't know what it is you don't like about black Tusq. Tusq in general is a synthetic ivory material is very hard and bright sounding. Did you find black tusq to be any different?

 

[gagidlof]

I used it for a bass build, and I agree it is quite soft. Tone was great on the bass but I would be hesitant on a Tele. I like the idea of soaking it in CA.

 

[tvvoodoo]

Get some black corian. you could borrow a sample from home despot

 

[Texecaster]

Don't know what it is you don't like about black Tusq. Tusq in general is a synthetic ivory material is very hard and bright sounding. Did you find black tusq to be any different?

I have not used Tusq myself yet, but I have read a few things about it being quite soft. Also, the stewmac ones have hollow sections in them and I have heard of people revealing these hollows when cutting a nut.


I will give one a go and see how it turns out. My mate plays with very light extra bright strings. So he doesn't want to lose ANY sparkle.

Looks like the buffalo bone is out.

Thanks guys.

Cheers.

 

[jefrs]

I imagine buffalo is a bit like cattle horn, it can be quite thin in places.
I assume the OP refers to American bison rather than water buffalo(?) - both are cattle horn.
I have used ramshorn, probably harder than buffalo, this is a bit fibrous compared to bone.
Horn is a modified hair, like our fingernails. Whereas antler is a modified bone.
I have used stag antler and it works rather well, it has more grain than cattle bone and is not as dense - it is grown and shed each year.
There is bone and there is bone. The best seems to come from a fully mature animal, the bone is more dense and less porous. There is a grain, select the piece. I have a preference for unbleached bone because it has more fats left in it which act as a natural lubricant.
Other materials for the nut include brass, aluminium, boxwood, plastic (various incl "graphite" and synthetic bone).
The nut is a bearing to support the string. Its density or hardness has little relationship to its sound qualities - aluminium is softer than brass but sounds brighter. The nut has to have certain physical properties: a soft plastic or rubber nut would not work very well; hard wooden nuts (or saddles) are surprisingly effective.