Pearl vs. bone

[banjo1]

What is the feeling of you builders and players alike.

What is the tone and volume difference between bone and pearl in a mandolin nut.

[evanreilly]

I am going to toss in my favorite material: Fossil Ivory.
In my experience, it is the best of the lot!

[Paul Hostetter]

This one again. Too much of the FI I have encountered over the years has the consistency of blackboard chalk. Bad sound, temporary usefulness. It's not all like that, but enough is to make me avoid it. Bone is generally harder and more reliable. It's the standard for good reason. Pearl is a lot of work, but visually quite lovely, and arguably a hair better practically speaking. Real ivory is a bit too soft and rubbery. Great for gut and nylon strings, not so good for steel.

[f5loar]

Ole Lloyd seemed to prefer pearl nuts. Worked for him should work for others.

[Paul Hostetter]

Actually, pearl nuts were a feature of all the top-of-the-line Gibsons before young Lloyd signed on. Pre-Loar model 4 instruments (F-4, TB-4, L-4, etc.) had pearl nuts. When the model 5 line was initiated, the 4s went to bone nuts and the 5s got to have the pearl nuts.

[generankin]

Mr. Gerhardt put a pearl nut in my Custom Deluxe Phoenix: <http://obyank.fotopic.net/c594002_25.html>

[Bernie Daniel]

OK I do realize that this string is 8 years old -- but it is one that seemed close to the question at hand (the question I had at hand that is)!

I bought a collection of shell pieces a while back on eBay and last night I selected a piece of MOP and made a new nut for an F-style mandolin that was fitted with a bone nut.

The MOP was difficult material to work with but eventually I did come up with a pearl nut with dimensions very close to the original bone nut.

When I tuned the mandolin up it does have (perhaps) a bit more projection or volume now but the sound also (especially the A & E courses) is also decidedly more "harsh". Its hard to explain but is sounds more raw and "jarring" and is not all that pleasing to the ear (at least my ear).

For this mandolin at least this exercise has not been a success. I'm going to try filing a bit on the nut slots to see if there is a issue there but I am thinking later today the bone nut goes back in.

I've heard people come done on both sides of the pearl versus bone nut am I correct in thinking the effects will be different with different mandolins? That is MOP will improve some but not others relative to bone?

[sunburst]

Bernie, what else did you change? Strings perhaps? String height (at either end)? Anything else? My point is, if anything else was changed, it may not be the nut material that is making the difference that you hear.

My feelings:
Pearl - Difficult to work, chips somewhat easily, sounds fine, looks more or less shiny, depending on angle of cut.
Bone - Easier to work, doesn't chip easily, sounds fine, has a warm color and natural gloss when buffed.

So the choice is between two materials that both sound fine but look different. One is harder to work with than the other, so the choice comes down to which look we prefer, and if we like the look of pearl better, is it worth the extra work?

[Bernie Daniel]

Bernie, what else did you change? Strings perhaps? String height (at either end)? Anything else? My point is, if anything else was changed, it may not be the nut material that is making the difference that you hear.

My feelings:
Pearl - Difficult to work, chips somewhat easily, sounds fine, looks more or less shiny, depending on angle of cut.
Bone - Easier to work, doesn't chip easily, sounds fine, has a warm color and natural gloss when buffed.

So the choice is between two materials that both sound fine but look different. One is harder to work with than the other, so the choice comes down to which look we prefer, and if we like the look of pearl better, is it worth the extra work?

Thanks for the thoughts!

Answering your last question first - NO!

The pearl was really hard to shape and it was close to total frustration trying to make a small indent to start filing. On bone I use a scalpel to make a small indent in the piece so I can start filing the groove. For the MOP I ended up locking the file in position with two small metal clamps that put on each side of where I wanted the notch.

I tried to change nothing (or as little as possible) in terms of the set up. The strings were new and I just loosened them and pushed them back to the side while I made the pearl nut.

On the sound -- I don't hear the harshness as much right now as the strings have worn in from 5 - 6 hours of playing so maybe some of it was new strings and the pearl nut brought out the "new string tanginess" more than bone? Or more likely my ears have adapted to the sound?

Anyway it was my first and last experience with MOP nuts.

[mandroid]

Pearls are little round things, unless cultured around something inserted in the Oyster.

Oysters are not gregarious,
never heard of someone being Oysterously obnoxious,

[Bernie Daniel]

Pearls are little round things, unless cultured around something inserted in the Oyster...

But is not the mother of a pearl a pearl? Just wondering.

[Mike Bunting]

Pearls are little round things, unless cultured around something inserted in the Oyster.

Oysters are not gregarious,
never heard of someone being Oysterously obnoxious,

Oysterously boisterous perhaps?

[Phil Goodson]

I've got mandolins with bone, MOP, and FI.
I can't hear any difference that can't be accounted for by other factors.
They just need to be done well.