Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by the anonymous pick on May 13, 2015 at 4:53pm

sharpies are  overrated  ,   on  wood  they   can/will    smudge   etc  ..  and also wear   out / off  .  

  a cd  oil  marker   works great  and most  brands    do not  smudge  , and will  last  longer  . 

 and probably  forever  as side  markers  . 

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Permalink Reply by Clarky on May 14, 2015 at 2:17am

Used sharpies myself but as others say they can smudge.  They don't fade with me because I spray lacquer over the whole thing at the end, but it can make the line run if you use too much.  Burning them in is awesome but you are at the mercy of the grain in the wood sometimes so they can look a bit wobbly, I use a t-square to make as straight a line as possible.  

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Permalink Reply by TN Twang on May 14, 2015 at 7:39am

I cut notches as if I were going to mount frets--but without worrying too much about their size. Sometimes I open the tops of the notches a little with a small wood file/rasp. Then woodburn down the bottom of the notch with a fine-tipped burner. Afterwards use a flat sanding block to polish the surface and remove (most of) my sloppy burning scars.

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Permalink Reply by Dale on May 15, 2015 at 7:33am

Is a fretless slider!  My twist is to leave the area under the strings bare, no markings.  On the top of the neck, I measure and make the fret positions.  I these drill 1/16th inch holes at these positions and tap in polished brass round top brads.  The audence can't see these and visually is a great effect, They wonder how you can hit the notes!  When playing, you can see the fret markers and play of of them.   Its comfortable because your posture is better not leaning over the neck to see the face of the neck to see the "frets", and the brads create a small tactile bump you can feel when playing.

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Permalink Reply by T-Gripped on May 16, 2015 at 8:40am

You can also lightly saw the fret in. When you oil it or stain it the color is darker at the cut. I think of it as practice for real fretted instruments.

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Permalink Reply by TN Twang on May 18, 2015 at 2:53am

I started out with that premise, but I was disappointed that the stain didn't make dark enough marks in the cuts--hence the migration to Sharpies, touch-up pens, and, eventually, to wood burning. I DO like to use the shallow cuts to keep the lines straight.

I also cavil at the notion of "real" fretted instruments. I see frets much as I see the Bermuda Grass in my neighbor's yard. It looks nice (part of the time), but it's really an invasive species that I choose to avoid.

NOTE: I've found a selective herbicide that kills the Bermuda when it spreads onto my property, but it appears that frets cannot be eliminated so easily.

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Permalink Reply by JL on November 1, 2016 at 12:18am

Selective herbicide that kills Bermuda but not Fescue?  What What Please?

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Permalink Reply by TN Twang on November 1, 2016 at 5:11pm

Scott's springtime fertilizer with selective herbicide lists bermuda among the noxious weeds that it kills. Worked for me, but I have a deep shade lawn where bermuda doesn't thrive anyway. Otherwise, plant kudzu; it'll choke out the bermuda--guaranteed.

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Permalink Reply by Pascal on May 18, 2015 at 6:59am

i inlayed fretlines with strips of veneer. advise against it, shedloads of work.

http://www.cigarboxnation.com/photo/p18-04-13-08-07-01-1?context=user

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Permalink Reply by TN Twang on May 19, 2015 at 3:31am

Looks nice, but clearly not a quick-and-dirty solution for a low-skill woodworker like me.

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Permalink Reply by John Sawyer on May 19, 2015 at 5:10am

On one of my early builds, I was using a saw and chisel to thin down the neck for the head.  I made one of my cuts too deep, so I pounded in a piece of brass wire to make it look decorative...  but if you're going to the effort of cutting fret markers, why not just fret it?

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Permalink Reply by TN Twang on May 19, 2015 at 6:00am

I'm still struggling with the historical (and esthetic) appropriateness of commercial fret wire.

On the one hand, we can see that Sears & Roebuck offered sets of 18 "German silver" frets for sale around the beginning of the 20th Century. Middle class "craftsmen" would have been able to purchase these, but I doubt that the poor and disenfranchised used Sears catalogs except in their outhouses.

On the other hand, primitive 19th Century American instruments in museums either have no frets or use cleated nails, staples, or wires wrapped around the neck. Even earlier European examples show knotted wet rawhide around the neck where it apparently tightened and hardened to form frets.

NOTE: My latest build was notched as described, but then I glued in pieces of 18-gauge electric fence wire to form what I hope are usable frets. It embodies the spirit of using fencing material, but, of course, electric fences are a TOTAL anachronism! Go figure...

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