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Does anyone have experience with, or thoughts about using a zero fret?

Mike Collins (Selmer-Maccaferri Mike Collins) is a big proponent of them. His reasoning is that it keeps the tone consistent all the way up the neck and there's no weird intonation between the nut and the first couple frets. That's a pretty good argument for their use, IMO.

OTOH, most guitars don't have 'em and that'll make them harder to sell. There might also be some other issues that I don't know of. Maybe compensated nuts have significant benefit even without having to account for nut-height string sharpening?

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Bob Garrish
Former Canonized Purveyor of Fine CNC Luthier Services

I did a zero fret on the Selmer copy I build after the...... Mike Collins plans.
Works great on this type of guitar no nut height issues. But I wonder how it works and sounds on a "normal" steelstring.

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Used one on my first one (000), my teacher said it evened out the open string sound with fretted notes, compared to having a nut, which it does. Also is considerably quicker than making a nut (especially at 20-24 guitars/year which he made) and easier to replace if needed.
I quite like the difference in sound (tonally and volume) as it adds to the "pallette" for a player, and have used a (compensated) nut for the last 3 (OM) guitars.
Nice Selmer by the way, cool.

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

I had a similar question that was answered in this post:
viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=26475
I have done 2 now both with a zero fret, works for me, they are a bit easier, the sound more even, especially for those who use a capo often. I don't know when I will get started on #3, but it will have a zero fret. I did multi scale on both, only 3/8 (first)and 1/4(second) difference on the bass and treble scale lengths, but it does make it sorta like a compensated nut with a skewed zero fret. I installed and leveled the zero after the others were in, trying to leave it just a touch higher, in the end, they both got level with others.
I think you get a bit of a fudge factor since there is a non critical distance from zero to the nut, for we beginners, it can help.
Rob

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Zero frets are the "accepted practice" on Selmer style guitars. Maccaferri originally used them and then Selmer in the originals. As far as I know, so does nearly everyone who builds them since. My Selmer knockoff has never given me a problem with the zero fret.

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Chuck Kish

A couple of points

If this fret is dressed at the same height as the other frets on the board it eliminates the nut from the action part of the equation, and now fretted notes and open strings resonate across the same material.
A nut or string spacer still has to be used in either headless or headstocked construction to separate the strings.

Also on the point of removing the nut from the action equation I use a capo to tell if the nut is too high (for my playing) ie if action is improved (lowered for my preference) by installing the capo slots must be cut deeper, so the capo is a must have in the tool kit.


Steve