Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Littleshovel on October 19, 2016 at 7:22am

Wayfinder - just read the zero fret article and it makes a lot of sense to me.

From the photo in the article it looks like you don't bother notching the fret wire for the strings. Am I correct on that - that the string just sits on the fret wire and is guided by the notches in the nut behind it?   Also, can one use a six string nut and cut it down to use on a 4 string build for the correct distance between the strings?  If making a nut from scratch I assume I should use 3/8", 1/2" or 5/16" distance suggested earlier. You wrote that you also do this for your bridges. do you use the same method as you do making the zero fret nut? I'd love to see a pix of one of your zero fret bridges if you have one just to make sure I understand.

One more question - I promise!  There are a few different bolt sizes on the CB Gitty site.         Do folks have size recommendations for both the bridge and nut?  Was wondering if the threaded rod 8-32 (.164) x 1 1/2 would be better for the nut and one of the bigger ones for bridge? Action and intonation is important to me hence all the question about this topic...

Thanks everyone for your generosity of info and patience with a beginner!

Permalink Reply by Thomas "Duck" Petry on October 19, 2016 at 7:30am

Depends on where you put the bolt.  I tend to set the bolt behind the fingerboard and use 3/8" for the nut with a 1/4" fingerboard and a 1/4" or smaller bolt as the bridge to keep the string height close to the neck.

Permalink Reply by Littleshovel on October 19, 2016 at 7:34am

thanks - that helps!

Permalink Reply by Fomhorach on October 19, 2016 at 9:57am

You don't notch the zero fret. Think of it like a capo. The strings are held in place to stop them moving sideways with a string spacer that falls under the height of the zero. It's there to stop the strings moving sideways only.
You can do the reverse at the bridge too but a normal bridge is less complicated because it's hard to raise and lower a fret. It's easier and sometimes necessary to be able to adjust the bridge to get the right action height. Electric guitars are made this way because they must be able to be changed for player style and string sizes.
Building the bridge to suit your style of string height etc is possible when you can cut the bridge (and it's handy to hold the cuttable bridge in a saddle) and be able to raise and lower it.
Think of the zero fret like a capo that has various benefits acoustically and refinement for playability.

I've used a six string nut before and spaced it out by cutting it for 4 string size. That guitar can switch between a 4 and a 6 string.

There is a material called melamine that is really incredible for bridges and nuts. It's often made into plates, trays and cups etc. A kind of very hard (but very brittle) plastic that can be found in cheap shops. I got a white tray about 12" x 9" from the pound shop (the dollar shop or whatever is equivalent) that will do every bridge and nut for my next 20 builds.

Permalink Reply by Paul Craig on October 19, 2016 at 12:00pm

I've heard that before. The problem is that the string still vibrates past your fingers to the nut and tuners. Since the pickups pickup the vibrations through the entire git, every piece makes a contribution to the git's tone, fingered or not. Bwahahaha

Permalink Reply by Paul Craig on October 19, 2016 at 12:28pm

Zero Frets are for people that can't make nuts or people that don't want to go nuts trying to make one. You can buy a pre-cut and pre-slotted nut from parts places.

Permalink Reply by Thomas "Duck" Petry on October 19, 2016 at 6:04pm

Then again, some of us are just plain nuts.

Permalink Reply by Paul Craig on October 20, 2016 at 9:13am

Or a loose nut holding the git.

Permalink Reply by Paul Craig on October 19, 2016 at 7:59pm

Zero Frets are definitely easier to deal with than cutting a regular nut when it comes to string height, but I prefer the regular Bone nut on my guitars and like the simplicity of using a bolt on my CBG's.

Permalink Reply by Thomas "Duck" Petry on October 20, 2016 at 9:17am

We're all a bit nuts or we wouldn't be doing this stuff.

Permalink Reply by Order99 on October 21, 2016 at 2:44pm

  Well, I can't cut a nut or bridge freehand, so for a 3-string i just lay down the middle string first and make the other two equidistant with the Millimeter side of a ruler. For a 4-string I take a cheap plastic Ukulele nut and a Banjo bridge, hold them up to my blanks and trace with a pencil, make tiny cuts with a small craft saw then deepen with a thin file. When using metal strings I often use threaded rod and adjust to suit as I go, then mark and deepen the ones I decide to make permanent.

 Haven't done a Zero Fret yet, but maybe soon.

Permalink Reply by Littleshovel on October 22, 2016 at 3:06am

Thanks for sharing your process - was thinking of trying the same method!

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