Happy summer everyone…can you believe how fast the year is going by???
So, this month, we are looking at neck stuff…first off, the nut. I mean, the one on your guitar, not the one playing it (direct reference to me). Plastic, bone, brass, tusk, artificial whatever…which is best. More importantly, the zero fret.
I think we are all pretty familiar with the range of products on the market to replace an old, broken or worn nut on your stringed instrument. Cheap instruments typically have plastic nuts and those are pretty easy to come by if you want to replace them. Of course you can move up to a range of man-made products like those offered by Graphtech (see the Solo website), or you can move up to real bone or tusk (which typically you have to fit and slot yourself….not for the meek tech…it takes some practice and experience (but also available on the Solo website). Then of course there are the weirdo nuts like brass (see Stevie Ray Vaughn and several bass players) or Earvana and Buzz Feiten. They all act different from each other and sound different from each other and offer varying degrees of difficulty in installing and slotting. They also make claims to varying degrees of intonation improvement. That is not the focus this month….a lot of the different products are based on personal preference.
But what about the zero fret? Not quite so popular, and perhaps not even that well known anymore. Back in the 50’s 60’s and 70’s there were Euro companies like Vox, Hofner and Selmer that sold guitars using the zero fret, and even Gretsch in the US used this method for a while as well. So rather than using the nut for string height and spacing, the nut was only used for spacing and cut lower so the string actually rested on a fret in the zero position. Theory was better control of height, better intonation etc. Not that I am a bench mark for anything, but on acoustic I have used a capo before the first fret for years (which mimics a zero fret setup) because I find my guitars play better and keep better tuning and intonation. Anyway, it’s a subject that can be argued by many people, builders and techs.
If you are interested in this science however, look it up on the net (there are tons of articles) or perhaps take a look at the new products at Solo Guitars. We are now stocking Zero Glide products which offer a unique solution to re-nutting your stringed instrument. Simply print out the sizing guide to select the correct product and remove the old nut carefully. Clean up the slot and make sure everything is solid (not cracked or chipped) and install the new Zero Glide nut. These come with an extra slot at the front into which you will install the correct height fret (supplied). Check out the website at www.goldtonemusicgroup.com/zeroglide or come in and talk to one of our sales associates. As long as you are comfortable in installing a new nut, you should have no issue, but if you aren’t, always go to your trusted tech! The Zero Glide is a patented product and the science behind it has a history within the guitar world that goes back many many years. Zero Glide has a nut for virtually any stringed instrument that uses frets. Check them out at www.sologuitars.com or drop on by to look at these and many more interesting products!
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