Telecaster neck question

Hey, I got a slight question/problem with my telecaster neck. The string keeps jumping out of the white plastic thing toward the neck. Firstly what the hell is this piece called and secondly, do I need a new one??

Cheerio

Jon

It's called the "nut." You may need to replace it, or it could be that the nut needs a good cleaning, and a slight deepening of the channel for that string. It's also possible that an overall setup of the guitar by a good technician will solve the issue.

Historically the nut was made of bone, and in the 70s it became all the rage to install a brass nut on your guitar...you're probably right to identify yours as being made of plastic.

Thank you so much, couldnt think for the life of me what it was called.