What is the best nut for Fender Stratocaster? We know the right answer.
Nut keeps strings at the correct height above the fretboard and helps control actions at the fretboard top. Moreover, the nut also ensures that the strings are spaced properly and evenly. A guitar nut may not seem an essential component for newbies, but you can better know about this crucial component when discussing with experts of guitar parts.
It is important to know that you can easily replace the factory-installed guitar nut with the new ones. In this article, we have compiled the best nut for Fender Stratocaster for your convenience so you can get the one and enjoy playing guitar without hassle.
The 4 Best Nuts for Fender Stratocaster
| Image | Model | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Graph Tech PQL-5010-00 Nut (Top Pick) | Check Price |
 | Fender LSR Roller Nut (Close Runner-Up) | Check Price |
 | Fender Stratocaster Brass Nut | Check Price |
 | Fender Melamine Stratocaster Nut | Check Price |
Graph Tech PQL-5010-00 Nut (Editor’s Choice)
PQL-5010-00 nut sounds amazingly well and astonishes people all across the world. This man-made component is one of the crucial guitar components you need when you seek quality tone. You can hear bell-like crystal clear sound with high end and big open lows.
Along with this, you can experience an appreciable increase in overall sustain. TUSQ is made from superior quality polymer that is formed by high levels of pressure and heat. This high-quality guitar nut is made from TUSQ, and unlike natural materials like ivory and bone, it is consistent from piece to piece. Undoubtedly, TUSQ is the best synthetic material available on the market, and it easily cuts and files amazingly.
The PQL-5010-00 fits perfectly in Fender-style electric guitars with slots of 1/8”. For quick and straightforward install, it is pre-slotted. TUSQ XL is made from a similar material as TUSQ and infused with PTFE which is slippery than graphite for almost five times. TUSQ XL features all the advantages of TUSQ and brings out guitar harmonics while improving tuning performance drastically.
TUSQ XL is consistent, and each piece offers harmonically rich tones without the issues related to natural materials and without any dead spots. In addition, this nut is simple to install, and all the nuts have somewhat extra height and length for ensuring the right fit to your instrument.
You can also sand the nut end and bottom for height adjustment and ensure a flush fit. These are designed and manufactured by Graph Tech Guitar Labs, the largest nut manufacturer across the globe.
With this material, you get a perfect upgrade of your stock nut. You can easily bend strings without any issues. If you have no problem with plastic material, then this guitar nut is excellent for tuning stability.
Fender LSR Roller Nut
Fender is an American icon founded in southern California, and the brand has influenced guitarists across the globe. From newbie to famous artists, the Fender has impressed everyone, making the company a global leader in guitar gear and amps.
Leo Fender created his first electric guitar nearly seven decades ago. Since then, the company has encompassed a range of innovative digital experiences that power fuel musical expression and serve guitarists on every stage.
Fender LSR Roller nut helps the guitar to stay in better tune by reducing friction. However, you need to modify the guitar neck if you want to replace a Corian or standard-size bone nut. The package features instructions along with good specifications and dimensions.
Moreover, you can take help from videos to get the nut installed. It offers all the tonal benefits and makes you amazed with the tonal difference. You can also take assistance from a local shop for the installation process. However, if you have done this before, then you can easily install this nut. Then, replacing the nut is easy.
Fender Stratocaster Brass Nut
Fender Stratocaster brass nut is a high-quality nut that helps open notes sound. It is made for guitars with 9.5inches radius fingerboards. Spacing and positioning are a breeze with pre-slotted grooves. However, sometimes filing and shaping modification is needed for ensuring adequate performance and fit.
This brass nut will enhance volume and presence significantly. In addition, you can get high frequencies when compared with synthetic and bone nuts.
The increased tonal range will impress you. Also, you may need to sand and file the brass for shaping. You can take help from videos for nut installation. This mate well with Mexican and American made Teles and Strats. The product plays and looks terrific.
When you are looking for an easy upgrade to the cheap guitar nuts, you can consider these high-quality yet affordable guitar nuts. The product description gives you information about size and fit. The nut gives the proper string spacing and fits accurately.
Fender Melamine Stratocaster Nut
Fender Melamine Stratocaster nut is pre-slotted, making the installation easy. This nut is made from high-quality material and designed for most vintage and modern electric guitars. You will be impressed by these high-quality melamine string nuts. This is a high-quality nut, and you will be fortunate to purchase it. The fit is adequate and tightens the strings perfectly.
Fender’s history dates back to 1946, and since then, it has transformed music all across the world. It works well with every genre like western and country, rock and roll, rhythm, jazz, blues, and a lot more. Fender melamine Stratocaster nuts are used by everyone across the world, ranging from novice to hobbyists.
The process involved in making this nut made Fender a famous name and also a cultural icon. When considering guitar instruments, the company visions to be the champion across the world. It meets the expectations of guitarists across the world.
People are fond of unique tones that too at affordable cost. You can easily replace the nut on your guitar as they are easy to install. This particular nut is adequate for fender Stratocaster. It offers impressive sound, and many Fender guitar owners report that their instrument now sounds excellent because of this guitar nut. When you want the best guitar nut for better tuning stability, then you can consider this nut.
How to Choose Guitar Nut?
There are certain things to prioritize when you want to choose the best guitar nut, they are:
Type of Guitar
Some nuts are made for acoustic guitars, while some are designed for electric ones. So you must get the nut according to your guitar type. Also, check the pre-made slots to indicate that the nut is made for four strings or six-string guitars.
Material
Tone quality widely depends on the type of material your nut is made of. Moreover, the cost of the nut and its durability also depends on the material of the nut. Cheap plastic nuts are low cost, and you get a bright tone too, but sound properties offered by these nuts are pale when compared with other materials. Durability is also an issue with cheap plastic nuts.
High-quality plastic is popularly known as the Fake Bone guitar nuts. Under these categories, materials like Corian, Micarta, and TUSQ are offered. These may sound good to some ears while not to others. This is because they made it appear like bone, and people also claim that it sounds good.
Bone is considered the best nut material. However, people who prefer other materials also consider it a superior choice. It offers fantastic sustains and resonance, and it is durable too. Moreover, you will get better tuning, and looks fantastic.
Metal means brass, usually though nuts are also made of titanium or steel. It is incredibly durable and gets a clean tone. Fossil Ivory means that it comes from the elephants, but no one approves it. You get terrific tonal qualities that resemble bone with great sustain and resonance. The tone is bright and hard, as well as impressive. An ebony nut is terrific, and it is wood, so it is softer than other materials.
Graphite offers reliable tuning stability and gets some tremolo effects. It gives low friction and is self-lubricating too. The main problem with graphite nuts is that they are not long-lasting as bone ones. So do not think of cheap graphite because you get excellent benefits with premium graphite.
Installation
You have to ensure that you are getting the right size and type of nut. This is because it eases the installation process, and you can replace a stock nut without any hassle. You only have to take care of the measurements while getting the new guitar nut.
So, The Best Nut for Stratocaster Is…
The guitar nut drastically impacts guitar tone though it is one of the small components on your instrument, and it is commonly underrated. You only have to make sure that you get the right guitar nut size to fit accurately.
The material and shape of the nut impact the performance and tone of your guitar, as well as playability. Needless to say that you must think which nut is best for your Fender Stratocaster.
We have gathered the best nuts for Fender Stratocaster, and our favorite from the list is Graph Tech PQL-5010-00 Nut, as it is made of high-quality material and ensures the right fit.