Zero Nuts why?

[David Hutson]

What is the reason or purpose of the zero fret? This is the same guitar I have mentioned on here with bridge issues, this same Conn F20 guitar has a zero fret and I am not finding any like it, I found some models of classical Conn's with the zero fret but not the F 20.

[Jason Rodgers]

The zero fret becomes the string termination, with the nut becoming just a string spacing guide. Some people (myself, included) like a zero fret for the following reasons:
- No fuss with cutting nut slots to set action at this end of the guitar. It sets the action as if it were a fretted string, and should immediately be "optimum" (or close). In other words, the clearance over 0 to 1 is similar as 1 to 2, 2 to 3, etc. To give a little more wiggle room, some people dress frets 1 and up, and then install the zero untouched.
- Since the string terminates on a fret, the open string tone sounds like any other fretted pitch.
- On an electric instrument, where a non-metallic bridge/saddle/tailpiece is used, the zero fret ties all strings together for grounding. For example, I use Graphtech saddles, and I only need a ground wire contacting the first string (ball end at the string-through retainer).

[Barry Daniels]

There is tons of stuff in the library on zero frets.

[Todd Stock]

I use'm for customers with nut allergies, but after dealing with setting up the sculpted nut slots on Somoygis and Kostals, I may be developing an allergic response of my own.

Nut compensation gets a little tougher, but most luthiers do not compensate the nut for individual strings, anyway. IME, a guitar that shows significantly different tone between fretted and open strings for multiple players has other issues, such as poorly coupled frets (set'm wet in hide...no air spaces), excessively low frets, poorly shaped fret crowns, etc.