zero fret and the G string

[RJVB]

Hi,

To owners of a guitar with a zero fret: how quickly does it score/wear under the G string, and how important is the wear on the G string itself?

I've installed a ZeroGlid zero fret this summer, and it already has a nice mark under the G string but and the TI Spectrum G string (phosphor? bronze, 0.024" gauge) is already showing signs of the winding wearing through or at least separating. I'm not used to that kind of wear on PB strings!

[JSanta]

Hi,

To owners of a guitar with a zero fret: how quickly does it score/wear under the G string, and how important is the wear on the G string itself?

I've installed a ZeroGlid zero fret this summer, and it already has a nice mark under the G string but and the TI Spectrum G string (phosphor? bronze, 0.024" gauge) is already showing signs of the winding wearing through or at least separating. I'm not used to that kind of wear on PB strings!

The zero fret on my Gaffiero Busato copy is Evo Gold, I play the guitar a couple of hours a day and it still looks brand new. My other Gaffiero just has what I believe is just nickel for the zero fret, constant play for two years and still looks new. Sounds like the material you have is too soft or perhaps doesn't play nicely with the alloy of your strings.

[John A.]

I’ve had my Gitane D500 for about 3 years. I don’t see any wear at all on the zero fret.

[RJVB]

Yet I do believe that the frets included with the ZeroGlide are standard fret material; they certainly look that way. Maybe the nut slot has been cut too deep (basically flush to the fretboard from what I can tell? In this aspect there is of course a different between a ZeroGlide that has the nut right up against the 0fret, and "full zero fret designs" where the nut usually is at some short distance from the fret (from what I've seen).

What about wear to the string itself? I'm guessing that pulling the string over the fret at too much of an angle will be the equivalent of fretting with too much pressure and cause excessive wrap wear?

[sgosnell]

I've seen no wear on the ZeroGlide frets on mine, nor excess wear to the G string. I don't use brass or bronze strings often, though. Monel would seem to be a tougher material. Excessive wear on both the fret and string is not something I've ever seen. But string wear is easy enough to deal with by just changing the strings every few months, or more often if necessary.

[RJVB]

Strange then. Not that I'd call what I've seen on the fret "excessive wear"; it's comparable to the scoring you'll find on a (nu)bone acoustic guitar saddle.

I've had to discard a few Plectrum G strings already due to fret wear from the 2nd and 3rd frets so I wasn't surprised that one wore through on the zero fret. But this is the 1st PB wound string that's showing signs of not living much longer. I should probably find spare ball end to shift it just a tad.

[Jonathan0996]

As Jerry Reed said, I don't wear one.

[John A.]

Yet I do believe that the frets included with the ZeroGlide are standard fret material; they certainly look that way. Maybe the nut slot has been cut too deep (basically flush to the fretboard from what I can tell? In this aspect there is of course a different between a ZeroGlide that has the nut right up against the 0fret, and "full zero fret designs" where the nut usually is at some short distance from the fret (from what I've seen).

What about wear to the string itself? I'm guessing that pulling the string over the fret at too much of an angle will be the equivalent of fretting with too much pressure and cause excessive wrap wear?

On my GJ style guitar the strings go dead and need changing before they show wear in the windings. I can’t speak to your zero glide concerns because I’ve never used one. But a few months out of a set of round wound strings on a guitar that gets regular use seems like reasonable longevity to me. I would just change the strings and not worry about it as long as the guitar sounds and plays OK.