I just made my first guitar with a zero fret, and I'll have to agree with Waddy that it gives the absolute perfect string height on every string. I dont know how many more guitars that I will build with a zero fret, but I have to admit that I like it! I used a piece of wide saddle (bone) for the nut as the only purpose it serves is a string spacer anyway. It didnt seem to affect the volume or tone of the guitar at all. It sure does play easy though.

I could see where this would be a real time saver, especially on a 12 string guitar.

[QUOTE=donh] [QUOTE=JohnAbercrombie]Are any 'famous' builders using zero frets?[/QUOTE]

Harvey Leach uses them.  They work justfine!

Standard fret, zero position, nothing fancy, just good guitar work.

[/QUOTE]

Joe Veillette also uses them.

Jody,

I have worked on several. From that experience decided that I didn't want to use a Zero fret system. Why? because:

1) I believe it interfers with some of the energy transfer into the neck. Not the zero fret itself, but the still present nut that acts as a string guide. I think most people who use ZF don't consider the effect of having the nut hug the strings behind it. Alone without a nut it would probably be more efficient...but you must still use the nut and that is where I think it kills some of the energy. too many points of contact.

2) Because the fret can vary in height and width, you don't have a medium by which all strings come off the very edge like you do with a properly back filed nut. Instead you have a rounded top which strings of differing dimension are rolling over. It would also make installing the Buzz Feiten Tuning System more difficult as you don't have that exact measurement of where the string is coming off of the nut. but rather a string comming off a fret somewhere between this and that distance. I put BFTS on all my guitars.

3) To me it just seems like a "cheaper" "quicky" way to go. Fast setup/manufacture. You see the ZF on almost every cheapo brand guitar. We all know the reason for that...it's quick, cheap, and you don't need a skilled laborer to make a proper nut. All you need is some one to pound in a metal fret and slot whatever is behind it that resembles a nut.

My points above can be argued either way as can many things in lutherie, but they are the reasons why I don't use it or like it. Now I know there are well known, well respected, luthiers that do utilize the ZF and I am sure they take the time to do it right. I guess for me it's just something that just reminds me of all those bad guitars I tried to play as a kid. I think a lot of people probably still feel that way...rightly or wrongly...