Zero Fret: Pros and Cons?

iDavid

iDavid

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What do you all think about a fret on a uke?

I heard it makes it easier to fret at the first position.
 
iDavid said:
What do you all think about a fret on a uke?

I heard it makes it easier to fret at the first position.
Click to expand...

Hmm..I don't understand the question ...do you mean a fret directly under the nut ...is that a zero fret ? I have two mandolins built like that ..(Sorry that's just to get a reference picture in my head....one is bloody awful at first fret ...one is sweet ...both Ozarks) ...but is that what we are talking about ? A wire fret under the nut ?
 
The zero fret on my Fluke tenor indeed has no con: I have possibly flawless intonation up and down the fretboard and great low-action playability.
 
I'm with Andy. The zero fret on the Flukes works great, on both of the ones I have.
 
I have a zero fret on a couple of well-crafted customs. It allows me to change string makers and sizes without changing my nut slots.
These use a slightly larger fret at the zero fret. Not sure that they need to do that.
 
I don't build with a zero fret, the main reason is that all the strings are the same height above the first fret. I like to get the smaller strings closer to the first fret and the larger diameter strings just a bit higher. It also depends on the brand of strings used, diameters vary depending on the brand and it is much easier to set the action using a nut. I also don't like the look of a zero fret, just a personal preference.
 
Doc_J said:
I have a zero fret on a couple of well-crafted customs. It allows me to change string makers and sizes without changing my nut slots.
These use a slightly larger fret at the zero fret. Not sure that they need to do that.
Click to expand...

agree but intonation and the amount strings oscillate could be different so it makes it more difficult for an average person to fix it. With a nut, it's cheap and easy to do. I have lowered the action on my zero fret with a crowning file but don't have the skills to replace it if I go to low. Secondly, in theory the zero fret shouldn't be higher than any other fret but some luthiers make it higher so that there is no buzz. I think mine was higher cuz when I played the 2nd fret, there was less tension.
 
iDavid said:
Can you add a zero fret to an existing uke?
Click to expand...

No. A 0-fret fretboard is longer than one without a zero fret. In cases where a 0-fret is used the 0-fret is where the nut would be on regular fret board, plus you still have a nut to guide the strings.

Here's a picture.
zero fret.jpg
 
I am under the impression a zero fret allows an open note to sound more like a fretted one. There is a tonal difference to me.
 
I'll add as a pro that my stubby fingers have a little more room where they're not scraping against the nut when playing first position chords. I'm a big fan functionally, medium fan aesthetically.
 
I have a couple of customs with a zero fret, but I'm not a big fan of them. I think that when I play I glance down without really looking just to orient my fingers, it's quite automatic. The zero fret has a tendency to throw me off. My mind registers it as the first fret and I mis-position my fingers.
 
wldpilot said:
I am under the impression a zero fret allows an open note to sound more like a fretted one. There is a tonal difference to me.
Click to expand...

An open note is an open note. It doesn't make any difference whether it's resting on the nut or the zero fret.
 
I hear all the time that the zero fret helps with intonation. I have trouble believing it. Why? I've played and owned ukuleles with excellent intonation with a conventional nut.
 
UncleMoon said:
An open note is an open note. It doesn't make any difference whether it's resting on the nut or the zero fret.
Click to expand...

Ah but it does make a difference. It's very slight, but it is there, even on the very best instruments. I'm always skeptical, but I do hear the difference between the open and fretted notes on a conventional nut ukulele, when I'm playing. Not so with the zero fret.
That being said, does that tiny distinction matter? Probably almost never, and only for the most particular listener.
 
stevepetergal said:
Ah but it does make a difference. It's very slight, but it is there, even on the very best instruments. I'm always skeptical, but I do hear the difference between the open and fretted notes on a conventional nut ukulele, when I'm playing. Not so with the zero fret.
That being said, does that tiny distinction matter? Probably almost never, and only for the most particular listener.
Click to expand...

That is the problem with one's perception, it can't be proven. We can believe anything we want to believe, fact or fiction. In a double blind listening test, I doubt one could pick out a zero fret sound from a nut setup sound. As for better intonation with a zero fret, not possible.
 
iDavid said:
Can you add a zero fret to an existing uke?
Click to expand...

Yes you can. Here are a couple of photos of custom conversions. There's also at least one company making conversion kits.
Looking at these photos, seems like a converted instrument would be much harder (impossible?) to level the frets as precisely as you can with an instrument that came with the zero fret, where you can remove the nut to do it. Isn't this one of the things you're looking for with the zero fret?

zero.jpgzero fret.jpg
 
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