Elferink Excalibur with zero fret

[Map0Spread]

I am currently looking at luthier archtops and this forum (and many Youtube videos) made me go towards Elferink guitars.

I am currently looking at an Elferink Excalibur on Reverb, and its got a zero fret, something I had never seen before on a high end archtop.

Anyone has any thought on this? Is it a good/bad thing? Does it affect intonation, tone (open strings), playability, or anything else?

It's also the only Elferink guitar on which I have seen a zero fret...

Other question, is this a fair price for a used Excalibur? Seems a bit high to me, but I might be wrong.

Thanks!

Elferink Excalibur 2016 Sunburst Elferink Excalibur 2016 Sunburst | Reverb

[lesyeuxnoirs]

I would email Frans (Elferink) directly

He is a very nice man and will be able to tell you the history of/logic behind this guitar

My guess is that a customer specifically requested the zero fret; nothing to worry about

If Frans made it, it will be good

it’s not uncommon to have a zero fret on a high-end archtop

Pasquale Grasso has one on his Trenier

The price is high, yes. I imagine a new one would cost the same or less (note that unlike many, Frans has kept his prices reasonable). The seller is probably banking on somebody wanting one now rather than waiting in line

[jads57]

I own a approx 10 year old Elferink Tonemaster and have gigged a lot. Much like a thinner L-5C or Johnny Smith with a floater. Great guitar and a really good guy to deal with!

[Map0Spread]

I wanted to have him build a Tonemaster for me, it really sucks that he doesn't take orders anymore!

Excalibur seems really nice though. I'm hesitating which to choose between a 18 and a 17 inches.

[Alter]

I didn't know he doesn't take orders anymore. Hope all is ok and he's just too busy, he deserves it!

Why have a zero fret on a guitar? Bone nuts last for decades and can be replaced in seconds. As soon as a zero fret gets dented (and it will because it's in use 100% of the time), all playing suffers. It's the worst idea I've seen on guitars, I have a couple of them with zero frets.

[burchyk]

I would not mind a stainless steel zero fret if it is ever so slightly taller than the others. I would not worry about it. If you have the tools and prefer to work on the nut yourself it would be harder to do so, but you probably won't need to for a long time.

[D.G.]

I love a zero fret. Gypsy guitars all have ‘em. There are lots of good reasons for a zero fret, including not having to worry about changing string gauges and having the string buzz or go dull because the nut slot wasn’t filed for the gauge, etc. And if the fret gets too dented, all it takes is getting that one fret replaced.

[Map0Spread]

Thanks for all your answers, very enlightening! And yes, Frans Elferink told me he stopped order just because he's loaded, he will take them again eventually.