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Zero Fret ... What Does It Do?
- Thread starter Sternodox
- Start date
IIRC, it's supposed to help make open notes sound more like fretted notes since the string is always resting against a piece of metal.
And eliminates the worry of a poorly cut nut
Why do many reviewers act like it's a super big deal?
There's no best. In practice an open note is different on a bone or synthetic nut than a fretted note and a zero fret is just a fret. Is that a big deal? To some, yes. Is it best? that's subjective. In my observation the reason some players try to avoid open notes is they sound different. But it's also really hard to beat the boom of an open E string. It's just subjective. There's no valid reason for people to address it as a boutique feature but some do. Zero frets have been around forever.
If you are the kind of player who can't abide by the sound of open strings, then zero frets were made for you.
Thank you all for the input. Love learning new stuff.
Rick Turner used to say that he thought the zero fret was a great thing on basses (paraphrasing). But, he said he stopped using it years ago because it was much maligned due to the use by companies building cheap basses and he was tired of fighting the battle.
It seems like I see them used more and more these days and I think that is a good thing, other than E, I hate the sound of open strings.
StewMac has retro fit nuts with zero frets for guitars, probably because they don't care too much about basses (only joking). ZerO Glide Bone Nuts - StewMac
It seems like I see them used more and more these days and I think that is a good thing, other than E, I hate the sound of open strings.
StewMac has retro fit nuts with zero frets for guitars, probably because they don't care too much about basses (only joking). ZerO Glide Bone Nuts - StewMac
It helps to give open string notes the same tone as fretted notes (because it is, in fact, also fretted).
I've considered trying one of these on one of my P basses because I'm not fond of the sound of open bass strings, other than E, either. I don't believe it would be much of a loss to me if my E were fretted too if I did.
It seems to me that if a zero fret suits an individual player's preferences then from an all-around practicality standpoint it makes sense. If I could confirm on one bass that I like how a zero fret setup sounds then I wouldn't hesitate to change that on my other FSOs despite it not being conventional.
Stew Mac does sell unslotted nuts. The potential issue that I see with them is that the nut itself is kind of thin, maybe ok for guitar, not sure how it holds up with slots for bass strings cut into it.
Yeah, I saw that and I agree with the concern about the thinness of the nut. I play flats so that might mitigate that concern but on the other hand, I use high-tension, medium to heavy gauge strings.
It might be fine; there's only one way to find out though. If that were the only problem then I'd probably make a brass replacement for the bone.
I've also read that the zero fret is intended to even out string height (in the event of a poorly leveled/filed nut?) so you do not get an intonation shift while fingering the first fret. (I try to be more polite to my frets!)
Anyhow, I've got a new Sadowsky 5'r without, and a relatively new MTD Kingston 5'r with a zero fret. I see no night and day difference, and any new purchases going forward would give zero weight to it's presence either way. YMMV, but there's just no noticeable difference between open strings with or without, IME.
Anyhow, I've got a new Sadowsky 5'r without, and a relatively new MTD Kingston 5'r with a zero fret. I see no night and day difference, and any new purchases going forward would give zero weight to it's presence either way. YMMV, but there's just no noticeable difference between open strings with or without, IME.
Actually, here's a thread by luthiers here. Jump down to Bruce's thread, about 3-4 posts in from the OP.
Very interesting.
https://www.talkbass.com/threads/why-use-a-zero-fret.1479506/
Very interesting.
https://www.talkbass.com/threads/why-use-a-zero-fret.1479506/
A zero fret setup simply eliminates the need to file nut slots down to a precisely consistent depth completely.
The slots only need to be lower than the zero fret itself and deep enough to accommodate a good string break angle from the zero fret to the tuning machines.
~ Eliminates the need to recut the nut slot when there is a big change in string gage.
It is a feature that makes so much sense but looks so odd on a bass. I had a German Hofner that had one, and I never noticed any difference in tone.
But as a manufacturer, I think it is probably easier to teach someone how to do a decent fret leveling as opposed to cutting nut slots in a blank.
But as a manufacturer, I think it is probably easier to teach someone how to do a decent fret leveling as opposed to cutting nut slots in a blank.
