Zero Glide nut on a Starfire Bass?

[lungimsam]

Anyone used one of these on their basses? How did it work out.
Looks like I would have to get the blank version one to custom cut the slots to fit.
Here is the "bass" nut. Won't fit a Starfire but apparently fits a Ric bass perfectly. Just as an example.

ZS-18 Slotted Replacement Nut for Basses

The Zero Glide Replacement Nut System borrows the "zero fret" concept to reduce string contact in the nut by up to 93%, increasing tuning stability, playability, and open string tone. It only takes a few minutes to install with absolutely no permanent alteration to your instrument. For Bass.Also...

goldtonemusicgroup.com

 

[fronobulax]

Solves a problem I don't know I have

 

[Minnesota Flats]

I'm kinda with Frono on this one. Product claims to be "the ultimate solution" to which problem?

I would see a possible advantage (no string binding at the nut) on a guitar with a wang bar.

 

[lungimsam]

They say: "reduces contact between the string and the nut by 93% for greatly increased tuning stability by allowing the string to return to its original pitch following bends or aggressive playing techniques. An added benefit: open-string tone becomes the same as fretted-string tone"

But those are not the reasons I am interested.
The nut on my Starfire I filed a little too low so I want to replace it and thought this might be nice for a replacement. Just another type of nut that is all.
I try different kinds and guages of strings frequently so this would help me to not have to file the nut slots every time since the string lays on the zero fret and not on the nut.

 

[Minnesota Flats]

Well, if you wind up installing one, let us know how you like it.

 

[lungimsam]

After comparing their sizing chart, nothing they make will fit a Starfire bass. Oh well. Maybe some day.

 

[lungimsam]

Since zero glide doesn't make a nut dimension that works with a Starfire 1.5" nut bass (but their frets will work!!) I figured I'd try with some leftover Starfire nuts I have, filing them myself. I am going to use the leftover zero glide frets from their bass nut set I used on my Ric bass (That one worked great on the Ric bass so far. Was virtually a drop in replacement).
I am just putting the process here for fun and in case anyone in the future wants to do it for their Starfire, not that anyone would.
Step one:
Take old extra leftover-that-I-no-longer-use Starfire nut and file a shelf for the fret and another for the tang, which gets sandwiched between nut and end of fingerboard (the bass nut pictured below). Note that the zero glide fret has a short end and a long end. The long end lays on the fingerboard. Short end goes on the fret bevel/shelf (pic below). The trick is that the top shelf must be exact same height as the fingerboard top edge. Even a little lower and it won't work, as I discovered here. On to the next nut in the drawer! I will purposely file that one too high and then trim it down ever so slowly to get it right this time. But in these pics of the bungled nut, you can see the idea of filing the shelves for the zero glide fret top and the tang. Their tangs have no barbs, of course.
The other two guitar nut shots (with black headstock) below are from their website, which illustrates the idea further.

 

[Nuuska]

Excellent

When nut slots are wide enough - then any gauge string will work without any further adjustment.

 

[lungimsam]

Yes, but in my case...I usually wind up filing the slots too low at some point. That's why I have a couple extra Starfire nuts left over from years past. And, oddly, even with the slots were too low, I always felt the nut action was too high on this bass. Odd phenomenon, as my other basses don't have that feeling. Curious how it will feel after the zero glide is on. Hopefully I won't overdo it this time.

With the zero glide you can just file slots that are over wide a little and too low is ok since the strings rest on the fret anyway.

 

[lungimsam]

Filed the second nut well. But I think I need the super jumbo .058” stainless fret they sell. The jumbo .051” leftover fret I have is not as tall as the Starfire’s frets. The E and A and D clear well but the g buzzes so looks like I need their .058” taller fret. Will update when I put it in there.

 

[lungimsam]

Finally! Let me say, stainless fret ends are hard to file by hand without a fret vice.
Being as the strings now only pass through the nut slots and lay on the zero fret, my “nut “action is as low as possible and no open string buzz. I have just a bit of daylight between 1st fret top and bottom of strings when I depress the strings at the 3rd fret, which is the standard good clearance for “nut height”, they say. Like, a sheet of paper or less could fit in there. The zero glide fret radius is 12” so it matches the fretboard radius of the Starfires perfectly.
Also, my fretted notes are in the correct intonation now. They were always a little sharp at the 3rd fret with a standard nut, even when filed at the right height. But with the zero fret the fretted note intonation is really good now. I don’t know why that is but I like it. I am using .030mm neck relief and 3/32 action at 12th fret low e string and 2/32 at g string. Just have to smooth the fret ends a touch more.
So if you ever wanted to do it you can file your nut like I did and use their stainless .058” super jumbo zero glide fret. The regular .051” jumbo is too low for the big Starfire frets.
Getting the nut shaped right was alotta hand filing but it was a fun project, taking it slow and enjoying it like doing a puzzle.
Of course, there is no need for a zero fret since regular nuts work fine but I just wanted one since it worked out so well on my Ric bass and I thought it would be fun to put one on the Starfire, since I needed a new nut anyway. Maybe one day Zero Glide will make a 1.5” version that will fit the Starfires. Praise the Lord this worked so well!!”.