(Note: While I went the DIY route-which involved trimming and filing the zero fret and shaping and fitting the new, pre-slotted bone nut-I’d recommend having a professional handle your conversion, for a clean look.To install the Zero Glide® nut system, you will need the following: So, using guidelines on Zero Glide’s website, I measured the nut width and string spacing on a Seagull S6 dreadnought-style guitar that we often use as a test bed here at AG, and ordered a pre-cut nut. I’ve played many instruments with zero frets, and when they’re set up well, I’ve found them to be effective. The Zero Glide replacement nut ($30, direct) is an easily reversible and non-permanent retrofit for guitarists who may want to explore these benefits on a favorite guitar. A properly set up guitar with a zero fret can have excellent intonation and buttery action, and some players claim that fretted and open notes sound more alike and sustain longer. But, given that players no less discerning about tone than Chet Atkins and Django Reinhardt favored zero fret-equipped guitars, they might be worth reconsidering.Ī zero fret removes some setup burden off of a standard nut by placing a fret where the front of the nut normally is, reducing the nut’s role to regulating string-to-string spacing. These guitars were often riddled with problems, and the zero fret became a visual cue for a guitar to avoid. M any guitarists associate instruments with zero frets with the cheap import guitars made in the ’60s and ’70s.

Zero glide nut installation