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Per customer request, we are now proud to offer stainless steel Zero Glide frets! These frets basically do not wear out. This means they require no maintenance and never need to be replaced. Not only that, the stainless frets improve performance for tuning and bends. These frets are specially designed with an offset tang for our Zero Glide nut system. Comes in a pack of 3.
Available in Medium (.038"), Jumbo (.051"), and Super Jumbo (.058"), or an assorted pack of each size.
I purchased a '97 Squier Vista MusicMaster Bass locally. The stock plastic nut needed replacing or filing. I had already pulled the nut off of the MusicMaster and had all measurements noted before replacing the stock nut temporarily. The Zero Glide ZS-17F Precision Bass Precision Bass model specs matched up with the MusicMaster specs. Cool. After my Zero Glide arrived I pulled the stock nut and lightly sanded the nut slot on the fretboard with fine sandpaper to remove any debris or adhesive residue used on the stock nut. Next I slid the Zero Glide nut onto the fretboard. Nice snug fit. The width of the Zero Glide was perfect. My next step was to make sure that the top / flat surface of the nut was flush with the fretboard. This is crucial to allowing the fret to seat correctly on both the fretboard and the zero fret nut. On my MusicMaster this required a very thin shim under the Zero Glide nut. Once the nut was seated properly it was just a matter of selecting which of the fret sizes provided is required for the instrument. In my case this was the longest installation step time-wise. Once you have selected the proper fret, mark the fret and cut with the proper tool. Examine the cut end of the and correct any imperfections due to cutting on the tang of the fret by filing. A small bench top vise with padded jaws and high quality file makes this step a snap. Installation time in my case : - shimming me the nut, less than 10 minutes - selecting the correct fret size, 45 minutes - all filing on the fret ends and top corners of the nut, less than 15 minutes I'm very pleased with the results. The open string notes sound like fretted notes of course, and I was able to achieve noticeably lower action without fret buzz after a setup. I'm especially pleased with the improved note definition of the open E and A strings. I did not check the intonation with the stock nut on the 1st five or so frets before I installed the Zero Glide, but the intonation is fine on the lower frets. My order was processed and shipped promptly and Gold Tone customer service is excellent. Thanks for a great product !
An inexperienced guitar tech worked on the nut of my Guild M75 Aristocrat electric and I ended up with a "sitar" sound on my high E string and a dead G string and bad intonation. A friend recommended Zero Glide and that company recommended this particular nut.
Installation was not particularly difficult for a handy guy, but took two hours and involved sanding nearly 1/8 inch off the bottom of the new nut and 1/16th plus off each side while being careful to keep it even. The video on the company website helps. Once fitted correctly you decide how big of a 'zero fret' you want. There are four of different sizes in the package. I tried them all and found that the smaller ones provide very low action at the nut (which is nice), but require a higher action up the neck to clear the first fret where the strings can rattle. I ended up using the largest fret provided as it allowed me low action where I need it. Once you have it figured out you trim the zero fret to length and glue it
I bought the mandolin version and fitted it to my Gibson. There's a lot of extra material to remove, but the result was great. Easier tuning (the old nut had tight slots for the A strings), better intonation. Later I used one of the extra frets in the package to fix a tenor guitar. For that, I simply filed the necessary ledges in the existing nut and widened the string slots. It would be nice if Stew-Mac would also sell the offset tang frets separately, for retrofitting to an existing nut.
I had a Zero Glide Zero Fret Nut installed on my 68 Epiphone SG Clone by the luthier who does ALL of my guitar work Scott Thompson at String Craft - here in Memphis . 1st off I have to say that this guitar is one of my go-to guitars the others being my 1964 handmade Mosrite Celebrity Prototype and an early 80 s Mexican Telecaster. Upon getting my guitar back with the new Zero Glide installed I plugged it into my 65 Blackface Deluxe Reverb with a JBL D120f and I was IMMEDIATELY blow away by the improvement in the TONE of this guitar... It was pretty good before BUT now it is piano like ... The tone blew me away not to mention the improvement in ACTION... You see I am a BIG proponent of Zero Frets due to my Mosrite which is the standard by which I judge all others but I was not ready for the massive improvement that was realized by the installation of the Zero Glide Zero Fret Nut on this guitar. I have used this guitar now on a couple of gigs and am STILL blown away. OH tun
I wrote another review about Zero Glide and my Gold Tone OB 150 banjo. As many already know the Zero Glide Nut is standard equipment on the OB 150 banjo. Gold Tone has this nut on other instruments too. I like this nut system for a lot of reasons. I installed a Zero Glide nut on my Martin D custom and I even installed a Zero Glide on my Washburn M3SWK F body mandolin. Those stock plastic nuts on many of the entry level pro instruments just does not cut it. You are cheating yourself and your audience out of a lot of tone and sweetness that ears should be hearing. The Zero Glide nut does a world of wonders for my instruments. Do yourself a favor and get one on your axe. You may love it. I know I do. I am addicted to Zero Glide.
