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  #1  
Old 10-24-2020, 02:57 PM
Wellington Wellington is offline
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Default Has Anyone Here Had a Zero Fret Installed?

My dad's old Epiphone FT-145 has a zero fret, I've always loved it, such low action at the nut but never seems to have fret buzz, and he keeps an overall very low action. I can't seem to get away with an action that low at the nut on my guitars, anyway I like zero frets and have often considered having one installed. Has anyone had one installed here? I know stwemac sells a system for it.
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Old 10-24-2020, 03:15 PM
merlin666 merlin666 is offline
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Not sure if this is easy. You would have to move the nut so it can be installed where the nut is to maintain scale.
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Old 10-24-2020, 03:34 PM
1neeto 1neeto is offline
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Just get a guitar with zero fret. I wouldn’t mess with trying to install a zero fret because it obviously involves more than just installing a fret in front of the nut.
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Old 10-24-2020, 03:48 PM
Wellington Wellington is offline
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https://www.stewmac.com/luthier-tool...lide-nuts.html
Not very invasive with this system, not sure if it would be worth it.
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  #5  
Old 10-24-2020, 03:57 PM
Gcunplugged Gcunplugged is offline
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Yes, I installed one using the ZeroGlide kit and love it.

The hardest part is getting the old nut off (mine was glued on). Biggest challenge is if the veneer on the head stock is forming a 3rd side to the slot where the nut sits. If so, from what I’ve read, the nut needs to slide out to the side.

Once you have the old nut off and the slot cleaned up, putting the ZeroGlide on is easy. You sand the bottom of the supplied nut to reduce height until the zero fret can rest on the fretboard.

But if you’re just after low action, it would be a lot easier to lower the string slots in the existing nut.

Hope that helps,
Gary
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Old 10-24-2020, 03:58 PM
Russ C Russ C is offline
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Yes, just get the nut cut right - same result for your action and a heck of a lot easier/cheaper.
I would consider getting rid of a zero fret.
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  #7  
Old 10-24-2020, 07:24 PM
mirwa mirwa is offline
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I cut my own nut blanks and modify them into a zero nut, not hard, not invasive



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  #8  
Old 10-25-2020, 12:30 AM
1neeto 1neeto is offline
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Default Has Anyone Here Had a Zero Fret Installed?

Any tonal advantages for zero fret? Nut material becomes irrelevant, and open notes will sound like fretted notes. Am I wrong?

And I do have a zero fret 12 string by the way.
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Old 10-25-2020, 07:30 AM
jpmist jpmist is offline
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I cut my own nut blanks and modify them into a zero nut, not hard, not invasive

Genius! Wish I had the tools I'd give it a try. . .
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Old 10-25-2020, 09:48 AM
stanron stanron is offline
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Every time you use a capo you have a zero fret. I've never heard anyone complain about that. Not having a zero fret is just a money and time saving device. Having a non zero fret nut means you can have a compensated nut, but that's not something I want or believe in.

Having said all that I've never converted a non zero fret guitar to a zero fret guitar. I've built a few instruments, all with zero frets, but I've never done a conversion.
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  #11  
Old 10-25-2020, 10:38 AM
charles Tauber charles Tauber is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by stanron View Post
Not having a zero fret is just a money and time saving device.
That raises the interesting question of the history of a zero fret. The violin family instruments, and some of their precursors, don't have frets. Hence, having a zero fret in a non-fretted instrument wouldn't come up. The earliest European instruments with frets - viola da gamba, lutes, etc. - also didn't have zero frets.

That raises the question of when was the first zero fret used and why? Since fretted instruments traditionally did not use a zero fret, the use of a zero fret is the break with tradition, the new kid on the block, as it were. Maccafferi guitars, from the 1930's, had zero frets as did Gretsch guitars in the '50's. A quick internet search doesn't provide a clear answer of who first used one, when or why. Zero frets have been used by many makers since then, often on inexpensive, lower quality instruments.
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Old 10-25-2020, 11:09 AM
CarolD CarolD is offline
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This is so interesting. I just noticed a guitar that had a fret about 1/4 inch away from the nut and wondered what it was there for. I was going to ask the forum here but I think I found my answer! Anyone ever do a before/after sound clip?
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  #13  
Old 10-25-2020, 11:32 AM
printer2 printer2 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jpmist View Post
I cut my own nut blanks and modify them into a zero nut, not hard, not invasive

Genius! Wish I had the tools I'd give it a try. . .
A razor saw, a needle file and some patience.
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  #14  
Old 10-25-2020, 12:28 PM
nickv6 nickv6 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by charles Tauber View Post
That raises the interesting question of the history of a zero fret. The violin family instruments, and some of their precursors, don't have frets. Hence, having a zero fret in a non-fretted instrument wouldn't come up. The earliest European instruments with frets - viola da gamba, lutes, etc. - also didn't have zero frets.

That raises the question of when was the first zero fret used and why? Since fretted instruments traditionally did not use a zero fret, the use of a zero fret is the break with tradition, the new kid on the block, as it were. Maccafferi guitars, from the 1930's, had zero frets as did Gretsch guitars in the '50's. A quick internet search doesn't provide a clear answer of who first used one, when or why. Zero frets have been used by many makers since then, often on inexpensive, lower quality instruments.
I was told many years ago that a zero fret was cheaper....easy to get the right height on the neck and as the nut becomes just a string spacer, no skill needed to get it set up properly.
This would align with Maccaferri's stated aim that ordinary workmen could assemble his guitars, no specialist craftsmen required. Burns guitars in the 60's (electric guitars) applied the same reasoning I'm told.
But for me (a Maccy player) one of the huge advantages is tone. On a guitar with no zero fret, first position chords are tonally all over the place. (Mind you I can see that some would argue that's a great thing) With a zero fret the tone is the same for each string....which is also, I believe, why a a tune can sound so much better finger picked with a capo. The tone is so even.
When I had a guitar made for me I had no hesitation at all in specifying a zero fret.
Just my thoughts, I'm not claiming encyclopedic knowledge.
Nick
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  #15  
Old 10-25-2020, 12:52 PM
charles Tauber charles Tauber is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nickv6 View Post
I was told many years ago that a zero fret was cheaper....easy to get the right height on the neck and as the nut becomes just a string spacer, no skill needed to get it set up properly.
A quick internet search yields contradictory opinions. Some say it is more difficult to properly install a zero fret.


Quote:
But for me (a Maccy player) one of the huge advantages is tone.
Thanks for sharing your experience.

I've never made a guitar with a zero fret. It might be interesting to fit one I've made with a zero fret to see what, if any, difference it makes.
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