Zero fret a good idea?

Glaw343

Hi everyone, I'm going to be having an acoustic guitar made and I really need to make sure I get the perfect spec, does anyone have any experience with zero frets? if so what do you think of them? I love the sound you get when you capo up (even on the first fret) so I imagine that having the zero fret would give you that sort of brighter tone than a regular bone nut? I've heard about the zero glide nut which seem like a pretty easy way to try it out, if anybody could share their experience with zero frets that would be really appreciated, cheers

Corvus

I've had a few and not really a fan for a few reasons -
They 'nick' quickly, I've replaced some with stainless and still within a month the strings are eating into them. Done this for myself and others, an acoustic I've had for donkeys admittedly has had a few swaps. Matters less on an acoustic than say an electric with a trem, but still.
The fixed height to me is a compromise vs slotting a top nut where you can home in on the ideal slot for each string individually. Some makers (and me) use a zero fret that's slightly taller than the other frets, which gives the lowest action and mimics a slotted nut but is still a compromise to some extent.
I don't think I've ever had or played a guitar and thought this would sound better for a zero nut, at least ones with good bone nuts (bone isn't all the same consistency & tone). Likewise the ones I've had with zeros I've never really thought there was an outstanding open string tone difference. Might be one there, but just never leapt out at me sort of thing.

Some of the above might matter less to you or not at all of course. I do like the look of them on the right guitars though, just not very keen on living with them.

Glaw343

Thanks for the answer mate i would imagine that a tremolo equipped guitar would essentially act like a saw on the fret, would you say they wear quicker than bone nuts on an acoustic?

Corvus

No worries, I'm sure there's people who like them so hey.. A fair lot of people on the Gretsch forum like them. I'd say they wear or at least get nicked faster, mine have nicked up quickly, non-trem electrics and my acoustic, and good bone is hard but polishes up nice & slippery. I've had my acoustic since the 80s so it's not tragic, though I have replaced the zero I think 3 times. It's a quick & easy job at least.

Glaw343

great, cheers, I won't discount it yet then

ChrisMusic

Vigier use a hardened zero fret on their electric guitars, works brilliantly.  It is a drop in replaceable part too, so easy maintenance.

"Type of nut: Teflon nut + hardened zero fret technology"
they also use carbon reinforced necks with no truss rod, supremely stable
"Neck Type: Bolt-on featuring the 10/90 System (10% carbon with 90% of wood)"
http://www.vigierguitars.com

guitargeek62

**Necro-bump**

I've long been intrigued by zero frets and stumbled upon these earlier in StewMac's catalogue, they seem like a neat idea and one that I'll probably give a try soon but I'd love to hear if anyone here already has??

https://www.goldtonemusicgroup.com/zeroglide/catalog.php?cat=guitar




ZeroGlide Commercial **The Ultimate Nut Solution** - ZeroGlide.com

GuyBoden

The tone on a zero fret sounds more similar to fretted notes, due to the fret material. Where bone, plastic etc nuts have a different sound, to my ears. I rarely if ever use open strings because of this fact.

But yes, zero frets must wear and would be a pain to replace.

Glaw343

I ultimately went with a zero fret on my acoustic and I couldn't be happier, it really bothers me when an acoustic guitar has a conventional nut now as the sound is far more consistent and there is significantly greater clarity to the open strings. Some things to consider though if you're going to be having one. I would not reccomend them for guitars with a tremolo as the strings will essentially turn into a saw (look at the gibson 2015 guitars with the brass nut for an idea of what I mean) stainless steel will also wear but i would consider it the only option for a tremolo equipped guitar. You also you need to think about the distance between the zero fret and the nut, a string will inevitably Start to eat a notch into a zero fret which can cause pinging sounds when bending strings which is incredibly annoying, this issue can be overcome by using a properly designed zero fret with a nut that is properly cut for the gauge of strings you're using. If you keep the distance between the zero fret and the nut as small as posssible then you'll find that you don't really get any pinging (provided you have a decent amount of angle at the headstock to give proper pressure over the zero fret. Too much and you'll wear the zero fret out early, too little and you'll have pinging issues and just an all around miserable time (look at the brian may guitars for an incredibly poorly designed zero fret) on the subject of replacing them, they're probably easier to replace than making a new nut too as generally a new nut will correspond with a fret dress anyway. Easiest thing would be to have a metal nut but I tend to hate the way they look and it's a fairly miserable time making them.

Supportact

I have a zero fret on a Fylde acoustic (i think they use zero frets on most/all their acoustics but i could be wrong about that). It's fine, and has never caused any problems for me. I wouldn't reject a guitar because of the zero fret, if I liked it in general. Although I wouldn't specifically seek one out either. 

Roland

My first real guitar had a zero fret, and I’ve loved them ever since. Same tone on open and fretted notes. No buzzing or tuning problems as a result of worn or poorly cut nuts. No need to recut the nut if you change string gauge. OK, you can’t have Earvana compensation, but I’ll sacrifice that for all the other benefits. 

As long as you avoid nickle silver frets you’re not going to get notching in normal usage. If you do then it’s an easy repair.