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Fretting questions....

Posted by Groucho on January 19, 2014 at 10:44am in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion

I'm about to make my first attempt at building a fretted guitar.  I have done some research on how to fret the neck and what tools are necessary, but I have some other questions....

  • If I plan to stain & lacquer the neck, should I do it before hammering in the frets?  Or, can I stain and lacquer over the wires?
  • I'd like to be able to finger fret this guitar as well as play it with a slide.  I am using medium nickel fret wire.  How high above the neck should my strings be?
  • I am using a poplar 1x2 for the neck and a piece of red oak scant for the fret board.  Should I cut my fret lines and hammer the fret wires into the oak scant before gluing the fret board to the neck?  After?
  • Should I sand the fret board before or after cutting the fret lines?

 

Any help you could give me would be greatly appreciated.

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Replies

  • darryl kernaghan January 27, 2014 at 11:31am

    dan sleeps vid is fretting 101 to me,simple and concise,sand prior to cutting,and again after cutting if necessary,once you install the frets it is hard to sand without crossing the grain,as for finish,there are many choises to make,if laquer is your preferred option,i,d use a rag with a suitable reducer between coats to remove it from the frets,but no biggie it won,t last long on metal that hasn,t been etched,1/2 way through your 1st take of innagaddadavida,you frets will be clean,1/2 way through my spelling of innagadadavida i couldn,t stop laughing,hope it helps

    • John Sawyer > darryl kernaghan January 27, 2014 at 6:14pm

      Hey!  Do you have innagadadavida instructions for CBG's?  :-)

       

  • Michael Fred Johnson January 27, 2014 at 9:55am

    Cut your fret slots then run a three square needle file along the slot to relieve the corners then sand.I don't put any finish on fingerboards just sand and then burnish with nylon net (the stuff ballet tutus are made from) you get a great sheen on the timber306229379?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024

  • Groucho January 26, 2014 at 3:10pm

    Thanks for the tips guys. 

  • Dan Sleep January 19, 2014 at 6:14pm

    I did a beginners video a while back. It may help you a bit.

    http://www.cigarboxnation.com/video/how-to-fret-a-neck

    Sand before you fret, sand after you cut the slots. I put the fret board on the neck, then install the fret wire. Just my way of doing it.

  • Bad Finger (Eric) January 19, 2014 at 6:07pm
    First order of business is getting everything dead flat with parallel faces. Clamp evenly after you glue. I would not lacquer the fretboard at all.
  • Piht Bull (Delta Dawg Guitars) January 19, 2014 at 11:32am

    i wouldnt laquer over the frets may cause them to be really uneven and make it harder to get them down , I keep my action really low for playing both finger and slid like just a few mm and i always put frets in after its glued to my neck but i knotch the frets first . And last DO NOT SAND BEFORE GLUEING TO THE Neck . you could get a bevel on the bottom and it wont match up to the neck evenly . . lol But all this is just my opinion and from what i have learned by making countless mistakes and watching any and all luthier videos as i can . 

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