zero fret?

[jupe123]

i was reading in a magazine about how hassle the nut of a guitar can be and in the end it said "if your guitar has a zero fret, you can cheerfully disregard much of what has been previously said"
so i started thinking and is it possible to put in a zero fret on a guitar that already has a nut?

[stringman]

Are you referring to the fret where the strings are resting after the nut? It wont be possible since the fretboard itself has a particular measurement. It's either change the whole fret board or if the headstock can still accomodate, a luthier can still exend your fretboard going to the headstock direction.

[jupe123]

dang. why doesnt everyone just put in zero frets cause it seems like a much better option than the standard nuts?

[jbarot]

dang. why doesnt everyone just put in zero frets cause it seems like a much better option than the standard nuts?

not necessarily better, just different.  some love it some don't.  you can search the web for pro and cons of having a zero fret guitar.  to me the most obvious drawback is that you can't just adjust the action of the guitar with a zero fret.  since the nut in a zero fret guitar only keeps the strings spaced out correctly.  you can raise the action, but you can't just lower it without refretting the whole neck (or at least the zero fret).   and given the humidity changes here in the PH...

[jupe123]

hmm..i see.. google time