ShortScale.org

ok.
i have seen this done a few different ways.
the most common is binding(duh) but then there are few ways to bind, i.e. gibson vs fender style binding.
and then there is the way of which only a machince can produce. altho if done well, it looks and feels nice.
the way im doing it, is the same way alot of manufactures do it, except with really nice tools and robotic arms for limbs.

so anyway.
these are the tools i will be using.

this is the tang of the fret(the part that sticks into the wood)


first off i have to clip the ends with my clippers.

this gets the bulk of it off but i have to use a mini table vise to file it done the rest of the way.


once i get this done for both sides i set myself up to glue, pound in and clamp tightly.



this is the shit right here.
this stuff is why gibson does cool inlays on ebony fretboards, its a pure dust(no paper particals or whatever else that cause it to turn grey/brown)

all you do is drop some super glue in the ends of the frets, mash it with dust and put another lil bit on top of that, let it dry and sand.



and the finished blind fret end.

That neck is looking awesome.
Same with the fret job, thanks for this.

When you say dust, you're talking about actual dust, as in the dirt in the world that makes you sneeze?

sawdust, really super fine sawdust.
probly has some additives in it, you can get it at most craft/woodorking stores.

Oh.

That makes sense, haha.

Yeah, I thought he was talking about PCP.

That's some really high-quality work there. I can't wait to see James' guitar all finished.

Funkyfresh. James' neck is coming along.

I love this sort of attention to detail. I think it looks super classy when you look down the side of the fretboard and can't see the frets. Obviously it doesn't suit all guitars but for this it's going to be great.

Wood dowel side dots make me want to do the Offset drool emoticon.

its pretty time consuming but it works out pretty decently just becuz once i get a fret clamped and glued in, i can start shaping the next fret, and by the time that one is done, its time to take off the clamp and do it all over.
i got 4 done last night, took me about 45 mins, so a lil over 10 mins per fret.
after working tonight i can probly get another 6 in before i need to crash to be up in time.
i won't lie, this is probly one of the more fun parts becuz i get to play a game of "hide the fret ends" and try to make it look really good.
im sure by the last fret it will start to feel annoying(repetition)

I bet the first time you play a neck you fretted is a great feeling.

How many frets is this going to be? 22?

Is there still going to be a zero fret? I can't remember if you said anything about it or not.

Is there any chance of the fret rising at the end and it being a problem because there's no tang there for it to bite the wood?

bachus, no, its set in with super glue, its hard to show but basically once i set in the glue, it gets rubbed into the fret slot and fills any space and binds the fret with the fretboard.
there is a zero fret, i glued in the peice for it about.... 2 hours ago.
im going to put a jumbo fret in ther but level it just the same.
the first time i fretted a neck worked on it and played it was my telecaster and i was ecstactic becuz it was so fucking perfect it could be as low as i wanted or as high as i wanted without any problems.
but... to get that it takes alot of patience and careful attention, i ended up pulling the 3rd fret out today becuz it was not seated properly(probly due to dust/ small bits of reisdue.
but now its looking ace.
im up to the 8th fret with frets ready until the 14th.
if i can get the camera working again i will take some more shots.

robert(original) wrote:bachus, no, its set in with super glue, its hard to show but basically once i set in the glue, it gets rubbed into the fret slot and fills any space and binds the fret with the fretboard.

Fair enough. Sorry if that seemed like a jibe at how you're doing this, it's just in my head, tang plus glue is going to be more solid than glue minus tang, or something, but then I suppose there's not a whole lot of force 'pulling' the fret out, like.

its a good question tho.
in reality there is about 1-2 mms of "no tang" area on the fret.

this is a neat thread. i learned alot.

robert(original) wrote:its a good question tho.
in reality there is about 1-2 mms of "no tang" area on the fret.

Right!!!!!

I thought there was abotu four or five. I suppose I must be getting my scaling wrong looking at the picture.

i plan on having at least 4 mms of overhang on each fret end.
each fret has to be cut for the fet it is going in, thus part of the time consuming part.
normally i just leave about 1-2 mms of over hang on each side, glue, pound, and clamp, and its good to go.

That makes a lot of sense too.

It's funny how you miss elementary things like this when all you see is photos, and you have to sort ofhave to fill in the bits in between with your imagination. Like, if I was in your shop watching you do this, i doubt that any of this would even have crossed my mind.

I read a review of a guitar recently where none of the frets were straight. The thinking was that it was impossible to intonate an acoustic correctly, so this guy did it by ear and with a tuner, and laid the fret according wo where it ought to go. I can't for the life of me remember who it was, and googling "wonky guitar fret acoustic" isn't giving the right results. Interesting though.

that sounds like the fan fret idea.
basically the guitar is a bastard instrument and even electric intonation is not 100 correct.
to be honest the compensated neck is the most accurate tuning and intonation that you can get.
if i remember correctly my teacher told me. "the guitar is and english instrument with spanish tuning"
making it a sort of bastardized stick of rawk tonez.

This wasn't fan fret, though. The frets weren't straight. I'm still trying to find a photo, but the magazine's at my house, and I'm at my girlfriend's, so I have no idea what the name of the luthier is. Might have been Larrivee, but i can't see it on their website.

Something like this?