The Zero Glide Replacement Nut System borrows the "zero fret" concept to reduce string contact in the nut by up to 93%, increasing tuning stability, playability, and open string tone. It only takes a few minutes to install with absolutely no permanent alteration to your instrument. For Bass.
Also available in Black Delrin.
I play fingerstyle guitar. My favorite guitar is a Gretsch 5420 Electromatic . For some reason the designers at Gretsch moved away from the zero fret. When You string up with 10's or 9's I guess it probably doesn't matter much because the first position will be easy with light gauge strings. My touch and style of playing requires .012's. With heavier strings while the 5420 is beautiful to see and hear the first position was challenging to play. I installed the zero glide following the instructions in the package and to my amazing pleasure the 5420 played like my '66 Nashville used to. I couldn't be happier. Thanks to the people that designed this product. The tone is great the tuning is improved and the first position action is second to none.
I m impressed with this. Easy to install. I m not a luthiar but I have refretted a few guitars and made some nuts and saddles. This is a pretty incredible system. I was going to cut a new nut for an acoustic guitar I just bought. I tested it and it was not sliding perfectly through the nut even though there was no ping while tuning. The way I test a nut is to strike a note then smack the string between the nut and the machine heads. behind the nut I put a tuner on the head stock so I can watch the note go up and come back. It simulates a good bend and you can watch the quality of the nut you have on the guitar. Most guitars will stick at about 6 to 10 cents above the tuned note unless you have a really well cut nut. At least the wound strings will....steel strings will usually drop back to the tuned note if the nut is decent . The nut I had on this guitar was pretty good....no pings while tuning yet it would still catch occasionally which effected tuning.
I recently custom installed a ZerO Glide on my 40 year old 12 string guitar and it really has done the business. There has been a marked improvement in volume and sustain tuning is much smoother and the intonation is spot on.
The bone nut was easy to install. I sanded the length and depth with a table sander. The instructions are complete and easy to follow. Four zero frets of different sizes are included in the banjo kit--you try the smallest and work your way up until you have no open string buzz. Use medium viscosity cyanoacrylate (available from Stewmac) so you have time to set the nut and fret properly. I'm pleased with the results, improved tone, and hammer-ons and pull-offs are more defined.
Great product, Makes a lot of difference in sound and play ability. To say nothing of staying in tune. I put one on a Ovation Legend made in 1972. The guitar always sounded good but was a little tough to play. This made a world of difference. It is now amazing. I have a friend who can't keep his hands off of it. He likes it better than his Rainsong.