Zero Frets Are The Best - New Perspectives Music Kit Guitar Part 5

Files and parts are here: newperspective...
Tip Cup: Venmo: @TimSway or www.paypal.me/t...
My Patreon:
/ timsway
My Websites:
www.newperspect...
www.sqwayretool...
www.guineapigta...
www.49cycleclub...
Brands I believe in:
www.vectric.com
www.avidcnc.com
www.thunderlase...
www.totalboat.com
naturalearthpai...
be good,
Tim

[@ultrasignificantfootnote3378]

There is another great advantage of the zero fret, and that it eliminates the nut-problems ( too high, too low ,too wide ) once it is right you never have to change it.

[@murraydavidson2130]

Tim, that was the best (and most convincing - by sound) explanation of the advantages of a zero fret. And just keep ignoring the people who "what about wear and replacing and...."

[@timsway]

I never got that argument. It's as easy to repace a worn zero fret as it is a worn nut (probably easier) and the nut will probably never need replacing - but is still easier to replace than a traditional nut,

[@Utaheyelid]

I use nickel frets for all my necks, but a stainless steel zero fret. Very durable and unlikely to need replacement anytime soon.

[@sgholt]

Everyone should learn how to crown frets, do fret dressing and various other setup tasks....it has it's own rewards. :)

[@cheapskate8656]

Personally I feel it makes no difference to tone at all. I do use zero frets. For me it just makes it easier to always have the exact right string height.

[@grahamnelson4945]

Thanks great information and explanation hat off to you Sir 🎸🎸

[@MisterNiles]

I've been thinking about trying one of those ZerO Glide nuts. I need to read more about them. I can't find any before/after videos. I love my guitars but depending on the tuning, the open strings can sound unpleasantly different and plastic-y.

[@SSRT_JubyDuby8742]

I, like you, have an affinity with zero frets, my dad put one on my 1st 'real' guitar, incorporating it into the already established nut structure so as not to affect the scale. He did this to counter against the G string snagging, I have actively chose them since. Like deployed 👍 😎🎙🎸✅️

[@TheHirade]

I own 24 guitars, but none of them has a zero fret 😢 I would love to have ALL of them with zero fret...

[@FunsongsMusicByPeterRahill]

366th subscriber LIKE; 6,987 posted desktop view (though I did peek once before). I like the ZERO fret approach - agree with and appreciate your explanation and demonstration of why it is 'the best' design. With the same twinge of 'angst' - wondering why more top-of-the-line and 'boutique' guitar brands do not use the zero fret; I also wonder why only Alvarez-Yairi has figured out the advantage of the split bridge. It boggles the mind. A 3rd item - although many DO incorporate it - is having the strings run straight through the nut, with no sharp bend or immediate angle, to connect to the tuning post. Seems simple and logical - yet not all guitar makers make that a priority.

[@timsway]

some of my earlier designs had real funky shaped headstocks that were a nightmare to get the strings seated right. Didn't take long to figure that out, indeed.

[@FunsongsMusicByPeterRahill]

@@timsway This makes me wonder how much improvement and cost would be involved to retro-fit a few of my studio-recording-use guitars with a zero fret. There is good local luthier I can ask... you've got me thinking seriously about it. Thanks again. Cheers!

[@monstroguitars4550]

Now I understand what the zero fret is for, and it makes so much more sense. Thanks

[@MLoerAudio]

This video is nuts! (Badum kissshhh)

[@thenerktwins]

Yay! I found another vegetarian like me who finds bone nuts to be disgusting. 🎉

[@timsway]

Yucko- can't stand it. I avoid leather, too.

[@thenerktwins]

@@timsway Same! I've been vegetarian for about 20 years and do my best to avoid any animal products at all.

[@bigbasil1908]

I know you said you don't use bone because you are vegetarian, but would you use shed deer antler for a guitar nut?

[@timsway]

So the reasons I'm a vegetarian and plentiful, but the first reason is I think all that sh@t is just plain old gross to work with! So even tho yes, I could find bones and antler sustainably in the woods, or technically bones and leather from a slaughterhouse are waste product, thus "reclaimed" or "upcycled", it doesn't mean I want anything to do with it! Yuck! lol

[@bigbasil1908]

@@timsway Ah that's fair enough. I've worked with bone a bit and I find it a cool material to work with as it is easily worked and doesn't have a grain as such. I know in the past before plastics, bone was used on cutlery handles and other stuff (my nan used to have a bunch of knifes and other cutlery that had bone handles). I know some people use horn for guitar nuts but to me horn seems very much like a plastic

[@pakiw2]

I've been cutting a lot of brass/bronze nuts. found myself micro drills, they are a bit fragile, but gets job done. Even factory made nuts are close enough. Because guitars come 48 gauge strings, you like 52s or 46, or you are metalhead and put 62s. First time as strings go in, they cut themselves proper grooves. With bone its kinda both ways. With nut made from metal, you have to file it to size. Idea with filler guages is good, I wanted to try that, never had time order one.

[@bigbasil1908]

I recently bought a long bar of brass to make electric guitar nuts from. I also have a large tin bronze ingot that I could use for making nuts, and another bronze ingot that was apparently from some ornamental statue and I have no idea what it's make up is. Is there any real difference between brass and bronze nuts? I'm guessing bronze will have less friction than brass

[@markfdesimone]

I'm really enjoying your videos, and picking up lots of little insights. You mentioned offhand that you messed up another guitar and I was wondering if you would consider making a video about mistakes you've made and lessons you learned from them. You're really good at verbalized your process without making newbies like me feel dumb.

[@timsway]

cheers. I definitely don't shy away from sharing my mistakes and they are peppered in throughout my body of work. I've never been real good at compilations, like "top 10 mistakes," - or any of the other stuff people do to be successful on youtube, lol. I'll see if I can figure a way to do it. What I can tell you is every point I illustrate in videos such as this is more than likely there because of something I screwed up in the past! haha!

[@markfdesimone]

@@timsway Thanks for replying; you're right, the context behind a mistake & lesson is important, and the stories are better like you're telling em. Thanks for being so candid and open with your work!

[@frodeleirvik]

Brilliant explanation and philosophy of the zero fret. Thanks!

[@mulekickhandmadeguitars8465]

I've been building all my cigar box guitars with zero frets for years now. Easy peasy, no fuss, no muss. Perfect every time.

[@timsway]

exactly

[@FunsongsMusicByPeterRahill]

Okay - you may choose to delete this... but only just today I learned about a relatively inexpensive DIY (or luthier-assisted) conversion thing called "ZerO Glide" nut - for retrofitting any guitar, mandolin, banjo to have the improved tone, as you demonstrated.

[@scottreeves1226]

Hi, Tim. Is the zero fret the same height as the other frets? Intuitively that seems correct, but we're talking about guitars....

[@timsway]

lol. On these guitars, yes. It works the same as if you're fretting any other note on the guitar. Sometimes I use a slightly higher and harder fret, however (especially for things like baritone guitars and lower).

[@rauschguitars]

I used zero frets on my last two builds. It's so much easier to get the setup right, since the nut is only needed for string positioning.

[@timsway]

indeed

[@joeyoungs8426]

I’ve used them on all my electric builds ever since being introduced to them on an old Japanese electric I still have. They just make sense.

[@shawnlennon1947]

im pretty sure jackson nuts are metal. like a hybrid of a first fret and nut.

[@timsway]

I've certainly seen that - and made some that way. Brass works real well.

[@williambartholomew5680]

Peavey did this with some of their guitars and basses in the 70s/80s, the T-series were famous for it. They DO sound identical to the frets as they are the same alloy but the trade off is they wear real fast, nickel nut (or nickel zero nut) will wear out 1.5 to 2 times as fast as the nickel frets 😕

[@nostreamavailable9090]

My dream guitar is a white explorer with black scratchplate and headstock , black hardware and a maple fretboard. Hsh or hh l wouldn’t mind either way and a string through/tune o matic bridge. That’s what l always dreamed of building, but my health is failing so it’s going to stay in my dreams til l go play that stadium tour in the sky I’ll tell cliff and dime you said hello 🙏🏻😆

[@AndrewSamStories]

Thanks for the video. Just to clarify: the zero is exactly the same height as the rest of the frets, right?

[@timsway]

It can be and I think on this one in the video it is, but I usually use a lightly larger fret (like a jumbo on a medium fret build) and when I level and crown them I skip the zero fret.

[@DominusFeles]

Would it work with a zero fret and then a nut made from metal? That would open up some interesting design possibilities 🤓

[@timsway]

the nut can be any material after the zero fret and it won't really effect the sound or playability. Metal nuts are nice without zero frets, too.

[@cheapskate8656]

electric guitar saddles are usually metal. I built a nylon string guitar with brass nut (I call them string guide), zero fret and a brass saddle. So yes you can polish them up for extra bling :)

[@waytospergtherebro]

This is all predicated upon the false assumption that somebody doesn't like the sound of open strings.

[@timsway]

lol! very true! Fortunately, there are still millions of guitars out there for people that prefer the inconsistent sound change of open strings to closed.

[@sapelesteve]

Well done once again Tim! Never knew about that zero fret before now. So, essentially the first fret takes the place of the nut? Or am I missing something here? Hope that all is well... 👍👍🎸🎸

[@timsway]

you got it. first fret begins at the zero fret instead of the nut. the nut just aligns the strings afterwards.

[@manuelpachuca4222]

♍️😃📐⚡️🤘🕊️

[@cameroncampbell2564]

It seems odd to me that the concept of the zero fret is viewed as both an indication of a 'cheap' guitar and also high end. This probably arises from the 60's and 70's. Many Japanese 'cheap' import guitars such as Tiesco, Jedson, Kay and their compatriots had zero frets. At the same time, at least in the UK, both Burns and Shergold used the zero fret across the board (pardon the pun). Used by Hank Marvin and Mike Rutherford amongst others.

[@timsway]

yea, it's a totally superior design, but the snobs can't get past that because inferior builders liked them, too.

[@graysaw]

Hey Tim, what is your go to crown height on a zero fret? My zero fret is .058” and neck frets are .043”. I’m thinking I should be around.065 for my zero? Thoughts?

[@timsway]

I'd have to check the stats on the product I have on hand, but I use a "jumbo" for the zero and mediums for the rest. I don't think that extra .07 is gonna make or break you. If anything it might be too tall? I have also done them with all the same size fret successfully, but it can be a little trickier to get that setup right.

[@graysaw]

@@timsway thx, I bought one of your fret rockers tonight! Very cool

[@sgholt]

I have no problem with zero frets, but could Zager guitars stop sending me 2-3 email ads a day? ;p The zero fret makes all strings sound like fretted notes as opposed to open strings. It never bothered me much either way. YMWV

[@timsway]

I never heard of Zager, yet. My inbox is still safe :)

[@sgholt]

@@timsway Zager Guitars use a zero fret... LOL... they wonlt leave me alone ..arrgh

[@russellzauner]

Oh lord yes. Zero frets RULE.

[@shaunmcdougle]

Excellent explanation!

[@henkehakansson2004]

Good video. What people misses out on nuts - any material - is that if you happen to change string gauges you have to recut or change out the nut completely each time. Not so with zero frets. The following phenomenon I've encountered with all bone nutted guitars especially acoustic steel string and nylon strung guitars, as well as 90 % of Gibson SG's no matter how meticulously setup: 1. Tune up each open string to a tee with an accurate strobe tuner /Peterson or Sonic Reserch or similar. 0 cents deviation on each open string. 2. Now press down the FIRST fret on the - say - G-string to produce a note, a G-sharp BUT DO NOT PLAY IT! 3. Play the adjacent OPEN D-string instead, or open A-string, or open low E-string instead. 4. Read the tuner... 5. Went a little flat didn't it ? At least 1-3 cent if not even more? Now on any guitar with a zero fret, do the same and come back here. It just wont happen. No first fret intonation idiosyncrasies ever. You can also put a capo on the first fret and perform the same trick and it will NOT have the same phenomenon. The pressure on the nut makes all of the nut flex downwards and depending on the glue or wood underneath it will do this less or more. The steel zero fret not. Hence all these smokes and mirrors remedies out there, Earvana nut, BFTS, TrueTemperament yada yada. Cured with zero fret. It should be said that SOME guitars with nuts does not have this problem, like Telecaster where the nut resides on top of hard maple wood etc, and not glued. Zero frets has less friction than any bone, so it would perform better with whammy bar systems even. Don't know why the cheap reputation comes from, when it comes to zero frets. Beats me. On another video which has been removed, the Crimson guitar company one with zero frets, caused a flame debate, for that zero frets wears worse than any nut. Not so at all. It DOES cause small wears and a "natural" slot/grooves but it STAYS there after a while and does not chew deeper into the fret. On the other end of - say - a strat where the bridge saddles are made of the very same kind of steel, never ever had I needed to raise the saddles after strings has chewed down into the saddles, not matter how much whammying. There the tension is even greater due to that the strings makes a sharper break angle down into the block for the trem system. But never ever. It is because the friction is lower. Brian May's guitar (zero fret installed 1966) was subject to severe maintenance in 1998, including fret levelling but the zero fret was deemed not to be changed out. First in 2011 or something when all of it hat to be re-fretted it was needed to be changed out due to that it had turned lower than all the rest of the new frets. That's a pretty long lifespan if you'd ask me. If you make the zero fret out of Stainless Steel it will maybe even outlive you. Or the guitar!

[@AlexKeeley-t8p]

Steinberger GL guitar, I'm so sorry I sold the few I had. I did have 1 redone with stainless Frets and the zero fret was 6100 and the rest of the frets 6150 so this allowed the zero fret to be flied down to index the strings and served as the nut as well. Just a thought ;) peace

[@marksr12]

Just found your channel...so glad! Great video.

[@erickleefeld4883]

Zero-frets get a bad reputation for being cheaper and less labor-intensive to mass produce. In fact, they are not only better for all technical reasons, but you get the extra benefit that they’re also cheaper and less labor-intensive to mass produce.

[@timsway]

100% agree

[@erickleefeld4883]

@@timswayYeah, unless you’re going for something really extra like a locking nut system, I can’t think of any good reason NOT to use a zero-fret on a fretted string instrument. They’re just so obviously the correct technical solution.

[@timsway]

@@erickleefeld4883 I think you could still use a locking nut, too!

[@ZOOTSUITBEATNICK1]

👌

[@bradshannon862]

Thanks! I'm waiting for the glue to set up on my first zero fret CBG right now. I was not sure about the nut/spacer so this video was super helpful!

[@ChainsawRosary]

Have you ever thought about making a speaker cab kit? You could leave the speaker out and flat-pack ship the cab.

[@stubrakon9683]

I like this idea. Reclaimed materials 👍

[@timsway]

I made one small, battery powered amp from reclaimed material that I stick and sell. I considered making it a kit, but I'm still pretty new to making amps and haven't gotten back to it. I do plan (hope) to get in to that side of things again, but it may be a while :) kzbin.info/www/bejne/hZvQf2mjopiUZqc

[@stevepethel6843]

Great demonstration and explanation...now you gotta make all my fretboards with zero fret. I love the fanfret maple you sent and ZERO fret is perfect way to play.

[@erickleefeld4883]

A standard nut has to do two separate jobs, string height and string spacing. A zero-fret setup splits those jobs across two separate components, and letting each one do its own task the best.

[@GeorgePiskopanis]

buzz?

[@timsway]

it's the same as playing any other fretted note on the guitar. as long as it's set up properly there's no buzz.

[@Gatherersmusic]

Great walkthrough of designing the headstock shape and aligning the tuners. Going to be doing this on my build soon so will be using this technique 👍🙂 thanks.

[@Stringsmith]

Good Vid. You can never get lower action on the nut side than with a zero fret.

[@stubrakon9683]

Great video thanks! 👍🤘😃😎

[@nostreamavailable9090]

Hello again Tim from the north west of England, Going slightly off topic here but for some reason, that wood acoustic you showed there looks like something Lindsey Buckingham would play. I can’t put my finger on why but it just does. God bless you and yours mate Best wishes from the uk Jay 🙏🏻🇬🇧❤️🇺🇸

[@Stringsmith]

That was a Rick Turner guitar. Gorgeous.

[@cheapskate8656]

I see a lot of comments here about the height of the zero fret. Tim's responses have been spot on. Grab a guitar and fret a string the the 1st fret, whilst hold that have a look at the string height at the 2nd fret. Thats pretty much what is happening between the zero fret and the 1st fret. Do you get buzz = no. What you get is the perfect string height for most applications. I use zero frets because I like low action. However I often end up making my nuts too low (chasing the perfect action) and have to adjust or remake them. Zero frets give a really good low action without ever being too low.

[@timsway]

that's what got me in to making zero frets; nut setup is a tedious PIA and not only do you have to worry about height, but pinching and buzzing, too.

[@boshi9]

The only problem with that approach is that it wears faster than other frets, and then you end up with buzz on the open strings.

[@cheapskate8656]

@@boshi9 I have not seen any evidence of them wearing faster. If you could point towards some evidence that would be interesting to me. My assumption would be that a steel zero fret would wear more slowly that a bone nut for example. If its a concern just make the zero fret a stainless steel fret.

[@Eeklex]

I’m almost set on doing a zero fret on my first build (5-string electric mandolin). Since I’m doing a Fender style headstock and will almost certainly have to deal with with string trees, it occurs to me I could accomplish both hold-down and lateral string position by replacing the conventional nut, trees, and/or a string retainer (which screams “Cheapo!) with a rosewood or maple or maybe metal block with string holes drilled just a smidge bigger than string diameter-a “string tunnel” behind and below the zero. Probably screwed, not glued, down to withstand upward pressure. Thoughts?

[@timsway]

I've had similar thoughts for sure... go for it!

[@bleigh6562]

Great video again Best explanation of zero fret. You demystify building a guitar and make Sunday morning fun well just past midnight here. Thank you so much.

[@timsway]

awesome. thank you!

[@Rebar77_real]

Never heard of a Zero Fret before, neat!

[@williambartholomew5680]

You did a good job explaining the pros but you omitted the cons. They were really common on cheap guitars decades ago but pretty rare sight today in all realms. The big issue with them is filing it to perfect intonation is more difficult than a normal nut AND it's not really any less risky, just like a normal fret if the crown is wrong intonation will suffer greatly. Also nickel zero frets wear awfully fast and it's replacement means you're refretting it. I don't say it to poop on the concept but it wears considerably faster than the frets, like having a capo on one fret all the time the strings will cut through them faster than they normally would because of the pressure that's higher than a fret with a finger behind it. Also in many cases the zero fret needs to be taller than all the other frets on the neck, something your install should have pointed out to those trying it. No fun installing all frets plus the zero to find out the open notes buzz so get to level and crown all the other frets wether they needed it already to compensate for wear or not haha

[@timsway]

Whole not necessary, it does help to use a stainless fret that's slightly taller for the zero fret. But the intonation stuff is a non issue (for me, at least) as I'm using computer aided machinery to cut the fret slots. while the wear thing is true, it isn't all that big of an issue and faster/easier to replace than a worn nut.

[@michaelb.42112]

Very cool, Tim.

[@scottbrower9052]

You won't use bone because you're a vegetarian? Umm......okay.

[@timsway]

Pretty common attitude among those repulsed by and protesting the meat industry. I avoid leather, too. Even got a custom line of boots made by Carolina once :) We ran a small batch and sold out to like minded people. kzbin.info/www/bejne/nKHNen-alJegq9E

[@HenningHjen]

It is absolutely not ok to let the 0th fret do the nut’s job, it still has the main job carrying the strings, if it is not properly made ir doesn’t work and bend the strings abruptly into 1st position. There should only be a minor load on the 0th fret. Most lutiers make the same mistake here.

[@Elektronijaenis]

When you started placing tuners I immediately thought I've seen similar arrangement somewhere... Check out PRS silver sky. And no... I'm _not_ trying to say you copied it. More like I quess the thought process behind the design must have been similar. I'd say it validates those design choises you did.

[@timsway]

A lot of guitars - including some of mine - require th strings to bend a little after the nut, but it's nice when you can avoid it - and the higher end guitar makers absolutely take the same approach I just did.

[@Elektronijaenis]

Oh yes... And then some stick with the old designs. There are places where tradition is good but it can be a hindrance. One thing you can do for the strings that need to bend is to file a slight curve or sort of tapered widening to the nutslot on the tuner side. This way the string doesn't need to make an abrupt kink where it leaves the nut. This seemed to improve things on one cheap guitar I have that I needed to make a new nut for.

[@timsway]

@@Elektronijaenis indeed - and another place where a zero fret is better: the nut tolerances are less crucial so things like this can be done,.

[@Apathesis0]

My German Hofner had a brass zero fret. It was a piece of junk that wore grooves in it extremely fast.

[@timsway]

that's why people associate zero frets with bad guitars, because so many companies (mostly cheap ones) made them from old school, soft fret material. If you use even just a modern nickel fret (and I usually use one slightly taller than the guitar's) it'll last much longer. SS will last longer than most nuts. Even nuts eventually wear out.

[@Apathesis0]

@@timsway This handmade German Hofner Club 50 was far from cheap. But I'll admit it was probably not made from the best quality metal as it started getting pits and grooves very quickly, and I did not play it a lot. I'd be willing to test out a guitar with a stainless zero fret.

[@change0038]

I started using deer antler instead of bone. Deer shed there antlers naturally so it’s possible to get them without harming the animal.

[@timsway]

As a kid I used to go looking for deer antler in the woods where I lived but never found one. My dog, however, found more than one! lol

[@williambartholomew5680]

Come out to Wisconsin/Minnesota/Michigan and you can have as many as you want, deer over-populate our states (and probably others) resulting in unbelievable car accident counts. On my 18 minute drive to work there's 12 dead deer on the side of the road, half of which have antlers still otherwise you could always take the bones. Cow bones are easy to acquire too but the way we feed them they're softer than you’d find among most other animals. I love my synthetics though 👍

[@timsway]

@@williambartholomew5680 yea, even ethically sourced bone still smells terrible when working it. yuck

[@WowIndescribable]

Check out the Zeroglide nut replacement system from Gold Tone. Any fretted instrument can have a zero fret with NO guitar modification, only nut replacement (with an integrated zero fret).

[@Erichpoethke]

Fret buzz an issue with this?

[@ricos1497]

That's what I wondered. I'm guessing that if the nut is too high that'd be an issue, but once it's fixed once, that should be it for a long time. There should be enough tension in the tuning.

[@Utaheyelid]

No buzz. It’s just like firmly pressing down on any other fret while you play.

[@timsway]

Sometimes when you first carve the nut you'll 'think' the string is making perfect contact with the zero fret but it is actually ringing from the nut and buzzing against the fret or your intonation will be off becasue the string is too long.. Simply carve the nut a little deeper and this problem is gone. Once it's set up, it's good to go! Many builders use a slightly taller fret for the zero fret, too (I do sometimes).

[@sgsax]

I always learn something from your videos. I like that headstock shape. Thanks for sharing!

[@stevenboyer8887]

Tim, I thought the first fret on a zero fret fingerboard was supposed to be higher than the rest of the frets to prevent buzzing. Do you use the same size fret for your zero fret? Thank you, Steve

[@timsway]

sometimes I use a slightly taller one but it is not necessary, just like if you play any other fret on the neck, when set up properly, it will clear the next fret up the line.

[@kaganozmeric9822]

More people should see this video. I have got a Steinberg Spirit bass for more than twenty years, which has come with a zero fret. Long before I was aware of the zero fret debate, I have noticed its pros. When you combine headless design with a zero fret you can have a really low action and the open string tone really convinced me about its virtues. I cannot understand how people can easily believe some urban myths (about the fret wear or cheap guitars only have zero fret). I had asked a couple of luthiers to convert my existing guitars to zero frets and they stubbornly talked against it, they had claimed it would not worth the effort and that a well cut nut is no different from a zero fret. Recently I have started to try my hand in guitar maintenance and repair, and I am working on a project guitar; I am considering to convert the existing nut to a a zero fret. Later I can convert my main bass to zero fret too. Thank you for the detailed explanations

[@timsway]

It is a little tricky to convert a nutted guitar to zero fret and I can understand why a tech might not want to do that and take on that responsibility on a client's guitar, but to disparage the concept is just ignorance. Just because the crappy Hondo you had as a kid had a zero fret doesn't mean zero frets are bad, just Hondos! lol (note: I absolutely LOVED my Hondo SG copy as a kid, so no disrespect, Hondo fans :)

[@kaganozmeric9822]

@@timsway I am a Ric 4001 fiend and Hondo had produced rather fine replicas (minus neck-thru) of them. So it is a legit brand in my opinion

[@rorysstuff5129]

Vegetarian x2 really felt that about the bone nuts hahahaha

[@timsway]

I just had some dental work done where they had to file a little off my tooth. ugh, same smell.

[@rorysstuff5129]

@@timsway a long time ago when I was very young I tried to make a pick from a bone I found. The smell you get from that powder floating all around the house was horrible man, never tried again. I have never tried to me a nut from a bone.

[@tdlvsabs]

tim , i would assume that the zero fret would have to be taller than the first fret in order to do the setup? is that the case? how do you figure that out.

[@timsway]

when you play any not on your guitar, you are playing it against a fret that is the same height as the next one, right? So no. However, many builders (including myself sometimes) use a slightly taller fret there.

[@swiwswiw]

Off topic but I learned about having fun away from cnc. Specifically, the logic of string travel beyond the nut. Drawing it out on the headstock or a 1:1 drawing gives you the limitations and freedom for the ultimate design. Just with a ruler and washers. My favorite part. Thank you!