The nut is a small strip of
ivory, bone, plastic, graphite, or other
medium-hard material that braces the
strings
at the joint where the headstock
meets the fretboard.
It is grooved to hold the strings
in place, and it is one of the endpoints
of the strings' tension (the other being
the saddle of the bridge).
The nut also helps determine the action
-- the distance between the fretboard
and the strings.The
nut's quality can greatly depend on
the material used.
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