I bought a CBG for christmas and the neck has to frets or markings.
I would like to add them.
The distance along the neck to strings widens as it gets closer to the body.
I have attached a pic of the neck.
Im not going to try inlay any frets into the neck as i dont want to risk messing it up by not getting them level and square ect...
I had a idea that i could either brand marks along side of the neck as to where the frets should be...
or i thought i could brand across the neck and burn lines where the frets should sit.
I imagine this could look quite cool if i get it right.
Does anyone know if this would damage the sound when i press aginst the branded lines ? ?
If the action is high enough (looks like it is), you can laminate a new thin fretboard. You can do the saw cuts before gluing it on, then trim it to fit before installing the frets. Be sure to center it when you glue it. To keep the board from creeping, drive a couple of tiny nails into the neck and snip the heads, leaving a sharp nub. When you clamp the board to the neck, the nails will bite in and keep it in place.
I used old bike spokes, I filled flats on each sides so that they where about 35thou just under 1mm thick, which was the width of my tenon saw. My saw is mounted in a mitre block. I used a spot of rapid araldite to fixed them in place. Once they were set i filled them flush to the neck side and added a 45 degree chamfer.
I did guess the depth of cut but it didn't matter to me if some where a bit deep as I was using glue to set them so the glue would take up any gaps.
The hardest part,in my opinion, is getting the frets square with the neck. You said the thexk is tapered. It will take some very careful measuring and cutting to get them square. I always mark and cut the fret slots before I taper the neck and/or fret board.
If was me , I think I'd leave that neck on there while you build a new neck.Its not all that hard.Make sure you build the new neck the same size so it fits your box, then add the frets .That way,if you screw up the fret installation, your old neck is still on there and ready to play.
It makes it easier to make those cuts ( stress) on the new neck if you know you can still play if you screw up LOL
That can be done Tommy. I see you are in the UK, and tho that's no issue, you might get some replies based on US information. JuJu or Roosterman here might be able to tell you where the best local resources are for frets -- besides ebay.
All in all, the first thing you would want to do is to determine the scale -- the inside distance from the nut to the bridge. I will assume you know what they are (if not, do ask!) It should be somewhere around 23" - 25"+. There are fret calculators which can give the fret distance measurements and some even produce a template to cut by. You will need a fret saw which would be somewhere in the .020" thickness range. Again, all the measurements are US so you might have to convert to metric.
The hardest parts are 1) getting the frets square to the neck 2) level after installation and 3) finishing the edges. If the fretboard and neck were finished (pained, stained, sealed) then this might be an issue.
One idea is to send it back to the person who made it (or whom you bought it from) and see if they can install the frets.
Replies
I had a idea that i could either brand marks along side of the neck as to where the frets should be...
or i thought i could brand across the neck and burn lines where the frets should sit.
I imagine this could look quite cool if i get it right.
Does anyone know if this would damage the sound when i press aginst the branded lines ? ?
That should be relatively simple to do, or undo if you are unhappy with the results.
I did guess the depth of cut but it didn't matter to me if some where a bit deep as I was using glue to set them so the glue would take up any gaps.
Thanx for ur advice guys.
It makes it easier to make those cuts ( stress) on the new neck if you know you can still play if you screw up LOL
All in all, the first thing you would want to do is to determine the scale -- the inside distance from the nut to the bridge. I will assume you know what they are (if not, do ask!) It should be somewhere around 23" - 25"+. There are fret calculators which can give the fret distance measurements and some even produce a template to cut by. You will need a fret saw which would be somewhere in the .020" thickness range. Again, all the measurements are US so you might have to convert to metric.
The hardest parts are 1) getting the frets square to the neck 2) level after installation and 3) finishing the edges. If the fretboard and neck were finished (pained, stained, sealed) then this might be an issue.
One idea is to send it back to the person who made it (or whom you bought it from) and see if they can install the frets.
Even better ;-) -- Make one yourself!
Cheers
-WY