Talk:Zero fret

Floyd Rose
Isin't a floyd rose style tremolo installed as a zero fret?

I don't think a guitar with a zero fret can acually use a floyd rose. Because the fret zero will become unusable.


 * The locking nut of a Floyd Rose tremolo is installed in place of the nut. It seems as though you could install one on a guitar with a zero fret while keeping the zero fret, although my guess is that the strings would rattle excessively on the zero fret when you dump the tremolo.  Proper installation of the locking nut would depend on how much headstock material is available, since you have to route a flat spot for the locking nut; if you route too much off, the headstock will become too weak.  Furthermore, the general style of guitars that have zero frets are not the style of guitar most often converted to take a Floyd Rose.  Most guitars with zero frets are either hollow or semi-hollow archtops or older cheapos, and on every one of these instruments that I've seen, a top-mounted tremolo, such as the Bigsby-style tremolo, is a more viable option.  Anderson guitars typically come with a Strat-style tremolo, and Micro-Frets instruments had their own kind of top-mounted tremolo.  JSC ltd 16:20, 18 June 2007 (UTC)


 * DUH? I've got a strat-style guitar with a FLoyd Rose, a nut and a zero fret. The FR doesn't align the strings accurately enough on its own,the slots are way too wide. The Floyd Rose clamp is fitted on two pillars about 10mm behind the nut. Works fine. Stub Mandrel (talk) 21:15, 5 November 2019 (UTC)

open string same tone as fretted ??
I corrected the assertion that a zero fret allows the tone of a fretted note to be the same as an open note. People who say this must never have played an instrument with a zero fret! It's simply not at all true. The finger or capo on the string makes a huge difference, far bigger than the difference between fret and nut.

criticism of the article
There are problems with the way the article is written, in the first paragraph it needs to be noted that it refers to a change in the neck of a guitar, banjo or bass and not it is not refering to what you often see in tablature when it says 0 (meaning open string), we may need a disambiguous page- discuss.

We need a visual aid to help people visualise what a zero fret looks like to help dismiss any confusion with tablature.

I will add a section mentioning that one of the main problems with playing with an open string is that often it creates a sound that vibrates too much and sounds too different from the fretted strings, non guitarists will not know about this and the article is intended for use by everyone.

We need to mention a few musicians who use zero fret instruments. --Mikeoman 10:18, 22 July 2007 (UTC)

Citation on the note about Steinberger.
Never tried putting in a citation before, I've probably broken some rule, but it's better than a blatantly unnecessary "citation needed" so if anybody knows how we can make this better than my fix, go for it. Ben Kehoe (talk) 00:23, 8 October 2010 (UTC)

The zero fret is primarily used to reduce production costs.
Where does that come from? The Zero Fret was invented to actually make open strings sound the same as a string you press down. The people who first used it, like Hauser, definitely did not aim for a lower production cost, but a higher quality of sound.

And what about that stuff that the tone is subjective? Tone actually can be precisely measured, and the zero fret has definite advantages over a normal nut.

http://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Datei:Obersattel.jpg&filetimestamp=20110218143800

http://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Datei:Nullbund.jpg&filetimestamp=20110218143730

This article needs more than just improvement. Right now it just judging the zero fret to be "not doing anything" and "to make the guitar cheaper" --95.88.156.189 (talk) 10:59, 2 February 2012 (UTC)


 * I agree. In most cases, using a zero fret actually increases production costs. I say this as a luthier myself! Emma dusepo (talk) 12:28, 9 May 2012 (UTC)


 * I removed this part. Unsourced and disputed is enough of a reason, but i also read around the web a bit. Sorry i saved the edit before putting a summary. "alyosha" (talk) 08:02, 11 August 2016 (UTC)

Zero Fret Height
Since each string makes its way from the bridge to the nut at a shallow angle, does the zero fret sit above the other frets, or is it just in line with them?Longinus876 (talk) 16:21, 12 June 2012 (UTC)

Answer: both sytems are in use. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.80.93.225 (talk) 17:40, 19 July 2015 (UTC)

Unknown Manufacturer as prime example of zero fret users
Compared to well-known, long-term guitar builders like Gretsch, Kay, Selmer, Höfner, Mosrite or Framus, putting some small-scale business bass guitar manufacturer on top of that list, does not make sense but rather conveys the notion that this is an example of poor wikipedia advertisement.

Uweka (talk) 11:01, 10 March 2013 (UTC)

last section is incorrect
The last section states "A partial solution is to apply nut corrections by reducing the distance from the nut to fret one for a small amount and then re-tune the now shorter string. That procedure lowers the tuning of all the other notes on the complete string and compromises have to be found. It may no longer be feasible to tune the open string to its base tone." This IS a good solution. Upon reducing the distance between the nut and the first fret, the total string length is thus reduced. This requires only retuning the string to the original pitch. Because the string is now under slightly less tension, the upper frets will fall into exact pitch. This is done w/ compensated nuts, or an adjustable bridge. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Longinus876 (talk • contribs) 01:40, 18 July 2016 (UTC)

Views on Zero Fret Height
A zero fret doesn't make strings more likely to buzz; if they don't buzz when fretted at the first fret, they won't buzz on the zero fret. The main advantage of a zero fret is that it means there is no need to do any work on the nut; I would say about 50% of my guitars have needed the nut recutting to achieve good intonation on the first few frets. Carefully set up any good guitar should be able to achieve accurate intonation here whether zero fret or not. The only exception I have found is a ukelele where the break angle of the nylon strings was enough to lift them making the open strings flat relative to the first fret etc. even with a heavily modified nut. Stub Mandrel (talk) 21:10, 5 November 2019 (UTC)