What's on your workbench right now?

[antisymmetric]

I had the bridge plate laser cut from stainless steel.
Saddle is aluminium, shaped by hand.

I bet this thing rings like a bell. What's the scale length on this beauty?
Love the overall look/ colour combo on the other one too. Inspiring stuff as always.

It sounds great. I have another base plate, and I might try a wood saddle for that one.
Both of the guitars have a 23.3” scale. It’s my favourite scale by far.

Can I ask how you arrived at that as your fave? Curious as I'm doing a build with a 22.7" scale (will put up some pics pretty soon)- pretty much an arbitrary decision based on having an already-slotted 25.5" board that I could cut the first 2 frets off, and *stands back* "yeah, that looks about right against the body..."

[Toots]

I bet this thing rings like a bell. What's the scale length on this beauty?
Love the overall look/ colour combo on the other one too. Inspiring stuff as always.

It sounds great. I have another base plate, and I might try a wood saddle for that one.
Both of the guitars have a 23.3” scale. It’s my favourite scale by far.

Can I ask how you arrived at that as your fave? Curious as I'm doing a build with a 22.7" scale (will put up some pics pretty soon)- pretty much an arbitrary decision based on having an already-slotted 25.5" board that I could cut the first 2 frets off, and *stands back* "yeah, that looks about right against the body..."

I wanted something a little shorter, cut a fret of a 24.75” fretboard and loved it. People seem to like it.

Oh, I want pictures of that 22.7! I’ve been thinking of trying a shorter neck, for a couple of reasons. Either a 22” scale with 21 frets or 23.3” with 19 frets.

[antisymmetric]

I’ve been thinking of trying a shorter neck, for a couple of reasons. Either a 22” scale with 21 frets or 23.3” with 19 frets.

I'm reaching dizzying heights of shortness with this one- 22.7" and 17 frets! + zero fret makes 18, but that could be considered cheating....

[Toots]

I’ve been thinking of trying a shorter neck, for a couple of reasons. Either a 22” scale with 21 frets or 23.3” with 19 frets.

I'm reaching dizzying heights of shortness with this one- 22.7" and 17 frets! + zero fret makes 18, but that could be considered cheating....

That is so cool. I really wanna see it now!
I’m actually making my first zero fret neck myself. A guy requested it for his gretsch styled guitar. Maybe I like it and stick to it.

[Shadoweclipse13]

I see that on some guitars, and have never played one. Is there an advantage to the zero fret, or a particular reason for them?

[antisymmetric]

I've been coming around to them through restoring a few of my guitars that have them. I've come to like the aesthetic, plus the fact that you have the more consistent tone of another fret instead of a nut (although I go for stainless for the zero- much harder, not so easy for the string to cut into it. That annoying "ping" you can get when bending strings over a worn zero fret will be a thing of the past hopefully), it just seems to make sense to me. Plus the fact that you have much more freedom in choosing nut materials, you can go all out on crazy plastics or whatever, since the nut really just becomes a spacer. Wish I'd thought to do one on my Teisco 12.

[Shadoweclipse13]

I've been coming around to them through restoring a few of my guitars that have them. I've come to like the aesthetic, plus the fact that you have the more consistent tone of another fret instead of a nut (although I go for stainless for the zero- much harder, not so easy for the string to cut into it. That annoying "ping" you can get when bending strings over a worn zero fret will be a thing of the past hopefully), it just seems to make sense to me. Plus the fact that you have much more freedom in choosing nut materials, you can go all out on crazy plastics or whatever, since the nut really just becomes a spacer. Wish I'd thought to do one on my Teisco 12.

I guess my question is of the physics of the whole thing. So the strings are resting on the fret? Wouldn't adding a zero fret, a few millimeters closer to the bridge change the scale?

[timtam]

The strings rest on the zero fret, the edge of which is where the edge of a regular nut would be. So the physics are the same. The Zeroglide system allows you to put one on almost any guitar.
https://goldtonemusicgroup.com/zeroglide/
But they're a bit fiddly to fit on Fender style necks because the nut is narrow. Easier on wider Gibson ones.

[Toots]

I've been coming around to them through restoring a few of my guitars that have them. I've come to like the aesthetic, plus the fact that you have the more consistent tone of another fret instead of a nut (although I go for stainless for the zero- much harder, not so easy for the string to cut into it. That annoying "ping" you can get when bending strings over a worn zero fret will be a thing of the past hopefully), it just seems to make sense to me. Plus the fact that you have much more freedom in choosing nut materials, you can go all out on crazy plastics or whatever, since the nut really just becomes a spacer. Wish I'd thought to do one on my Teisco 12.

I guess my question is of the physics of the whole thing. So the strings are resting on the fret? Wouldn't adding a zero fret, a few millimeters closer to the bridge change the scale?

It would, but that’s not how it’s done.
The fret is placed in the same location as a nut would be.
The nut on a zero fret board is placed a little further away from the bridge, and is just a spacer.

[Shadoweclipse13]

It would, but that’s not how it’s done.
The fret is placed in the same location as a nut would be.
The nut on a zero fret board is placed a little further away from the bridge, and is just a spacer.

Ah. That makes sense. I didn't know that. So the nut is just for string spacing and keeping them evenly spaced across the frets then?

[SuperAxe]

It would, but that’s not how it’s done.
The fret is placed in the same location as a nut would be.
The nut on a zero fret board is placed a little further away from the bridge, and is just a spacer.

Ah. That makes sense. I didn't know that. So the nut is just for string spacing and keeping them evenly spaced across the frets then?

Yes, so the slots can be cut a bit larger than the string size so it will never stick in the slot. I leave about 5 mm of fretboard after the zero fret so that when pushing the fret in, that last bit of fretboard doesn't break off or cracks....

Here a closeup of one i did recently. Some people let the nut stick up really high and cut very wide slots... I like to see more of a "real" nut appearance even though that is just for cosmetics.

[Shadoweclipse13]

That makes a lot of sense. I think a few other builders do like you do with an extended fretboard. I think that's what caused the confusion for me, seeing fretboard between the zero fret and the nut. Made me think the nut was still acting like a nut.

Also, the color on that headstock of yours is gorgeous!!

[SuperAxe]

Also, the color on that headstock of yours is gorgeous!!

Thanks, amazing what can be achieved with a bit of food colouring from the supermarket.

Technically no longer on the workbench, came off it last year.....

[Shadoweclipse13]

VERY nice! I love the color, and the poles on the pickups are really cool too!

[oid]

Technically no longer on the workbench, came off it last year.....

That is a great looking guitar. What is the size? Is it based on something or original? That smaller body looks very comfortable.

I never liked zero frets due to the strings wearing notches into them necessitating fret work or replacement of the zero fret, but a stainless steel zero fret would solve that nicely. I may have to reconsider my stance on them.