Zero Fret?

Adey · July 2020

Does anyone have anything good to say about them?

Any recommendations for a retrofit one?

ICBM · July 2020

They give a more consistent sound between open and fretted strings, can reduce friction and tuning issues, and wear less than a nut.

But you can’t retro-fit one to a guitar with a standard nut, without a lot of work - you would need to extend the fingerboard slightly.

ThePrettyDamned · July 2020

ICBM said:

They give a more consistent sound between open and fretted strings, can reduce friction and tuning issues, and wear less than a nut.

But you can’t retro-fit one to a guitar with a standard nut, without a lot of work - you would need to extend the fingerboard slightly.

With this in mind, how would a stainless steel nut work versus a stainless steel zero fret with stainless frets?

I imagine there will be difference in tone though the increased mass of the nut.

SteveRobinson · July 2020

ICBM said:

But you can’t retro-fit one to a guitar with a standard nut, without a lot of work - you would need to extend the fingerboard slightly.

Stewmac sells these "Zero Glide" retrofit nuts with a built-in zero fret
https://www.stewmac.com/luthier-tools-and-supplies/materials-and-supplies/nuts-and-saddles/zero-glide-nuts.html

ICBM · July 2020

ThePrettyDamned said:

With this in mind, how would a stainless steel nut work versus a stainless steel zero fret with stainless frets?

I imagine there will be difference in tone though the increased mass of the nut.

I think it's the hardness of the material that matters rather than the mass. It would be an absolute nightmare to cut, as well - you'd probably need a new set of nut files afterwards...

SteveRobinson said:

Now *that’s* clever

.

AdamHarkusBlog · July 2020

Feels a bit 'scratchy' to me when bending.

They look ugly.

Not necessary if the nut is cut well.

ICBM · July 2020

AdamHarkusBlog said:

Feels a bit 'scratchy' to me when bending.

Many are not crowned and polished properly, which will do that. If they are then they actually have less friction than a normal nut.

octatonic · July 2020

Adey said:

Does anyone have anything good to say about them?

It is how I try to live my life.

WezV · July 2020

One key benefit is consistent string height at the "nut"

However, it can be short lived as the zero fret wears down and things start getting buzzy.

I often use stainless for the zero, or go for a slightly higher fret if not

Adey · July 2020

There is company called Zero Glide who do a very similar product to the Stewmac one - needs no mods to your guitar and can easily be switched back to stock.

Edit - I see that Zero Glide is also the Stewmac name (as above) so looks to be the same item

Philly_Q · July 2020

Funnily enough, I was watching a couple of YouTube clips about zero frets this week. This guy from Highline Guitars fits an asymmetric zero fret made by a company called Sintoms in Belarus. Because the top of the fret is off-centre and sits really close to the nut you can (just about) use it in conjunction with a regular nut.

I looked at the Sintoms website but it's not very informative (and looks like it was last updated in about 1997):

http://sintoms.com/Home.htm

Anyway, here's the Highline guy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5QcmXvnQw0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmwC1c-s_t8

Roland · July 2020

Adey said:

Does anyone have anything good to say about them?
Any recommendations for a retrofit one?

Yes. I love zero frets. Consistent sound. Ideal string height. No binding in the nut. You just need to use stainless steel or EVO Gold fret wire

fretmeister · July 2020

Best basses I’ve owned have all had them. Marleaux, Status, Sandberg etc.

thegummy · July 2020

SteveRobinson said:

ICBM said:

But you can’t retro-fit one to a guitar with a standard nut, without a lot of work - you would need to extend the fingerboard slightly.

Stewmac sells these "Zero Glide" retrofit nuts with a built-in zero fret
https://www.stewmac.com/luthier-tools-and-supplies/materials-and-supplies/nuts-and-saddles/zero-glide-nuts.html

I saw this advertised and was very interested as I've been needing a nut filed down for ages but can't get it done due to the pandemic but when I read some product reviews of it there's a lot of negative ones saying it breaks easily, it isn't as "plug n play" as it makes out (i.e. needs modified to fit properly) and some people saying bending and vibrato make the strings slide up and down in the slots - the last one is what really put me off.

Kittyfrisk · July 2020

fretmeister said:

Best basses I’ve owned have all had them. Marleaux, Status, Sandberg etc.

Yeah, those totally rubbish Vigiers use them too

thegummy · July 2020

Adey said:

There is company called Zero Glide who do a very similar product to the Stewmac one - needs no mods to your guitar and can easily be switched back to stock.
Edit - I see that Zero Glide is also the Stewmac name (as above) so looks to be the same item

Have you used the zero glide?

thegummy · July 2020

WezV said:

One key benefit is consistent string height at the "nut"

However, it can be short lived as the zero fret wears down and things start getting buzzy.

I often use stainless for the zero, or go for a slightly higher fret if not

Would I be right in guessing that a plastic or bone nut would wear down faster than a zero fret but be a lot easier to replace?

When I first saw the idea of a zero fret I thought it made so much sense and wondered why they're not ubiquitous or at least more common. I think one of the downsides was along those lines.

Handsome_Chris · July 2020

thegummy said:

Would I be right in guessing that a plastic or bone nut would wear down faster than a zero fret but be a lot easier to replace?

IIRC, I replaced the zero fret on one of my guitars in about five minutes. That was including the time it took to remove the strings.

Adey · July 2020

thegummy said:

Adey said:

There is company called Zero Glide who do a very similar product to the Stewmac one - needs no mods to your guitar and can easily be switched back to stock.
Edit - I see that Zero Glide is also the Stewmac name (as above) so looks to be the same item

Have you used the zero glide?

No. I haven't used one. I am thinking of getting one though to see how if I like it. Not too expensive either.

thegummy · July 2020

Handsome_Chris said:

thegummy said:

Would I be right in guessing that a plastic or bone nut would wear down faster than a zero fret but be a lot easier to replace?

IIRC, I replaced the zero fret on one of my guitars in about five minutes. That was including the time it took to remove the strings.

Any idea what the downside to zero-frets is?

I thought I remember asking this on here once and there was a reason but maybe it's just one of these things that never took off because it wasn't on the original 50s models.

Adey said:

No. I haven't used one. I am thinking of getting one though to see how if I like it. Not too expensive either.

I'm tempted to get one on a gamble and hope it's good.

Heard reports of it being fragile so I'll be very careful with it. Heard reports of it having sharp edges and needing modified to fit properly so will need to find those out. I just hope the strings moving in the slots during bends isn't a problem.

I can't find any figures for the number of units sold; there's always the thing where people who are unhappy with a product are many times more likely to leave a negative review than people who are happy with it are going to leave any review so if it's sold thousands the few bad reviews are nothing.

If you do get one, let us know how you get on if possible; I'll do the same if I decide to take the gamble.

Adey · July 2020

I had a look at the fitting instructions and you do need to fettle it. But that would be entirely understandable for something like this.

I can imagine that the technically unskilled might try fitting one with no level of expertise or skill and then say it was rubbish.

Being "reasonably" proficient at practical skills I'm hoping to be able to do a fairly decent job of it though.

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