ABM 6220 Webster Nut ST Style

I have installed this brass nut on two Stratocasters and one Telecaster. It makes adjusting the string action very easy, because the height can now be easily adjusted up and down both at the nut and at the bridge. In combination with the truss rod it is possible to set an extremely low action, without the risk of filing the string slots too low, because with this adjustable nut, if you screw it down too low, just lift the buzzing string off the screw, unscrew it a quarter turn or two, drop the string back and voila, the buzzing disappears. The installation takes some time though, there is a lot of paring and filing of the nut slot in the neck to get a perfect fit, and of course the drilling of six small holes mentioned by other reviewers. Nothing really difficult, but it takes time if you want to do it well. The nut itself needs some work too, it is bulky and has sharp edges. File the edges and corners down a bit and round it with fine sand paper, then polish it using chrome polish and it will shine and feel comfortable to the hand. The tone and sustain is really fine, i hear no difference to a bone nut. A perfectly adjusted guitar is fun and inspiring to play, the feel is as important as the sound. I also installed a similar (same brand, other model) brass nut on an acoustic, where it was a drop in replacement for the original nut, with no filing or paring. I will buy this product again.

I've had to modify the end of the neck to make this item fit (plus mark up and drill 6 holes) to accommodate the individual screws as they go down. The whole point about this item is to be able to install it with enough adjustment room to start low enough and then go lower. I can't see any way of using it therefore without doing the modifications above. This is ok for me (I do guitar set ups and put this on te neck of a guitar I'm building) but will be beyond the average player.

On top of that I'm looking for such a low action at the 1st fret (0.3mm typically) that it is almost impossible to install this in such a way as to ensure that height ends up half way on the screw setting (to allow for some up and some down). Right now I am just hoping I've installed it low enough - but I'm only going to find out when I finished the guitar body and installed the neck onto it. Still - I'm hopeful.

But the point here is that IF it doesn't work out for me then the above modification means an unusable neck (due to having to cut an extra step into the fingerboard surface to get this item low enough above the fretboard.

So I can't exactly recommend at this point and will come back and update - but despite all the above I'm happy to be trying it out as it *may* be an interesting solution to a MAJOR set up/intonation problem found on nearly all guitars :-)

UPDATE: I came back to the neck I'd installed this nut on a year later only to realise I'd put it in back to front. Duh. But even when I turned it round the right way I could see that when fitted it STILL wouldn't give me the low 1st fret action I require on my guitars. Since the low 1st fret action is one of the most important parts of my setups I couldn't see the point of installing something that gave me less control than before so I shelved it and reverted to a workable bone nut instead.

Do I recommend...not exactly.

I guess I thought I was linking in a dream land and thought that this nut would fit perfectly to my tokai strat, I was wrong. The saddle was way too high and the screws protruding from the other end did not allow enough adjustments to be made. So either I would have had to file the guitar for better fit or the brass metal, I decided to sell this for someone else. Also the screw ends are very narrow and would probably need some filing and adjustments to be made at least for the lower strings.