I’d recently covered the news in a previous post that ABM are discontinuing their Roller Nuts. At the time, I was unsure what exact changes they would be making. Since then, some details have emerged that they are addressing two aspects/issues; the plating and the roller saddles.

The roller nuts will now come in polished bell brass rather than the finishes currently on offer; Chrome, Gold and Black. The reason is that ABM can never be sure how much plating is attached to each part; the small variance in thickness results in a different tone for each nut. To avoid this completely, ABM are just removing the plating altogether. The polished brass will make a nice finish and should suit most applications.

The issue with the roller saddles is that lighter gauge strings tend to slip off when played aggressively. This isn’t an issue I’ve personally come across before but there is plenty of talk online about the problem especially with the Fender LSR. There’s no details yet as to the exact saddle changes but at least we know they are addressing the problem.

All of the points above suggest that the Roller Nut is being upgraded rather than redesigned. Unfortunately, this does mean that it is unlikely they will address the installation problems I mentioned previously. Although there will be those who are prepared to make the fretboard alteration needed, I still feel many guitarists will be put off from fitting one of these roller nuts, despite the benefits.

If we still have some left, you can find the ABM Roller Nuts HERE

A Zero Glide Nut is a possible alternative for the roller nuts; they’re a copy of the zero fret concept. You can view them HERE