Locking Nuts – Screws or Bolts?
Using Locking nuts with bolts will give a long life neck. From experience we know that using screws on the locking nuts system, will destroy the neck in few years, therefore we never use locking nuts with screws. This kind of locking nut system will keep your instrument in tune. More you can change the locking nut as many times as you want without destroing the neck.
It looks like no one is really thinking good enough or most manufacturers are NOT guitar players or have no idea about physics – or don’t want to hear about this issue.
What am I talking about?
When you have a guitar with locking nuts in tune the normal tension for a D’Addario 0.09-0.42 string set – for example
E – 13.1 Lbs – 5.95 Kg
B – 11.0 Lbs – 4.99 Kg
G – 14.7 Lbs – 6.67 Kg
D – 14.7 Lbs – 6.67 Kg
A – 14.8 Lbs – 6.71 Kg
E – 13.8 Lbs – 6.26 Kg
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82.10 Lbs or 37.24 Kg for a 440Hz tuning
If the Locking Nut is clamped You will have zero force on int IF you do not temper with the tremolo system. Now you have to options:
A. you dive in with the whamy bar to lower the pitch.
B. you go up with the whamy bar to raise the pitch
In either way you will alter the tension in the NUTS.
In case A – You will lower the tension on the strings from the tremolo to the nut and you will mentain the tension of 82.10 Lbs or 37.24 Kg from the NUTS to the Machine heads.
In case B – You will raise the tension on the string from the whamy bar to the NUTS and you will mentain or – maybe increase the tension on strings from the NUTS to the Machine Heads.
Tha means that your Locking NUTS will tend to always go left and right IF you are using screws – in time will get worn out and it will move more and more…
If on the other hand you will use BOLTS and your wholes are through the neck all the way your neck will have a longer life since you can tighten the bolts to maximum all the time without ruining the neck at all.
One other advantage is that you can change the Locking Nuts as many times as you want. since you do not need to make bigger wholes in the neck to fit the “new” screws.
Therefore we always use ONLY Locking Nuts from Schaller with bolts and NOT screws.
If you want to say thank you for this info… ;o) You are welcome.