Zero Fret Basses

[5string guy]

I own two Elrick bases (5 strings). all of them have zero fret technology. Im my opinion they play better and have perfect tonality compare to other basses without. I don't see why all basses don't incorporate this as a standard? I know there might be a patents involved but when you drop the money for a bass like an Elrick it is peanuts.
Thoughts?

 

[ajkula66]

Lot of (West) German guitars and basses sported zero frets going back at least to the '60s. Framus was known for those. It was mostly a European thing from what I can gather.

I like the concept myself and don't believe that there are any unexpired patents attached to it. Of course I could be wrong.

Why it didn't stick as a standard ? No idea, but none of the Big Three from the golden age of rock music incorporated it, so that may be a part of the answer.

My $0.02 only...

 

[GretschWretch]

The Magnatone X-10 Hurricane bass has zero frets; the earlier mark VI bass does not. The Valco produced long-scale Supro violin and Taurus basses as well as the National N-850 and Custom-Kraft Bone-Buzzer also have zero frets. Except for the Mark VI, all these are 1966 - 1968 basses.

 

[rockear]

I think in the US the zero fret has had a bit of a stigma attached because a lot of very cheap Asian imports of the '60s and '70s had them. (My Taiwanese K1B, for example.) I agree that they're great and if I was spec'ing a custom bass I would include one.

 

[dtripoli]

Well, that's enlighting, I never knew there was a name for that. I always thought it was a design flaw so they added it to correct a distance problem. Whadda know!

 

[Michedelic]

The Microfret brand of the early 1970’s had zero fret guitars, but the basses instead had adjustable nuts…

Thundermaster Bass (Style 1) Guitars | Fretted Americana Inc.