This one is so wide, there's unnecessary drag on the strings as they are tuned. There's over 1/4" of contact surface. Accurate tuning becomes more difficult because of the increased friction across the nut. It's even more of a drag because this one is made of plastic. Won't wear out very fast, though!
Lets have another shot of that ideal nut:
Notice the good bearing surface. Just about 3/16" of contact surface. This one will continue to look great and work well for a long while!
What could be better than a fine bone nut?
Well, a fine mother-of-pearl nut, that's what:
In the 1920s Gibson used mother-of-pearl on their highest model instruments. This mandolin nut not only looks swell, but the extra-hard pearl surface will last a lifetime! You don't often see mother-of-pearl nuts on production instruments because the material is both expensive and difficult to shape.
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