Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Ron "Oily" Sprague on December 30, 2014 at 12:32am

Nope, this will not be a problem. There are numerous examples here of using screws as fret markers. I personally think it is a great look, besides holding the fretboard on.

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Permalink Reply by Tom T on December 30, 2014 at 1:13am

I use straight slotted brass screws as markers and they look very rustic and somehow correct for the CBG.

You can still find straight slotted screws (instead of phillips head) on line.

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Permalink Reply by Randy S. Bretz on December 30, 2014 at 1:44am

I used screws to attach the fretboard on my washboard harp build because I made another fretboard with standard guitar fretting on [ the one that's on now has dulci fretting ] that way their interchangeable. 25" scale length works for both !   

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Permalink Reply by Daryl Essenmacher on April 13, 2017 at 3:37pm

I really like this look. Did you put the screws in before you glued the fretboard to the neck?

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Permalink Reply by Swamp Dawg on December 30, 2014 at 6:46am

Thanks all for your input.  I hope to get this puppy strung up tonight and have a listen to it.  Then decide all the extra details I'll put into it.

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Permalink Reply by David McQueen on December 30, 2014 at 2:31pm

I use brass flat head, countersunk screws as fret markers. They work fine.... But....

1. Pre-drill the holes

2. Pre-fit the screws using the same size/thread steel screws, including the countersink.

The brass is great in that it does not corrode, but if you do not do as above, you will snap the screws off in the fret board and I can tell you from experience, they are no fun to get out.

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Permalink Reply by John on April 13, 2017 at 4:07pm

I've seen some that REALLY look good. Good luck! 

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Permalink Reply by Moritz Voegeli on April 13, 2017 at 8:13pm

I fully agree with David McQueen: don't use force when you drill the screws into the fretboard, use your fingers tips only, not the wrist, and predrill with a thicker drill if necessary. I prefer stainless steel torx screws, to minimize the risk of slipping off the screw head with the screwdriver, but even these screws you can get broken. And once the head is broken, there are no simple remedies to get the screw out of the neck or fretboard.

90° countersinks for sinking countersunk head screws differ for metal and wood: for metal typically they have four cutting edges, for wood six, which yields a cleaner result in splitty wood like rosewood.

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Permalink Reply by Timothy Hunter on April 13, 2017 at 9:54pm

there is a way to remove the broken screw. they are called easy-outs

http://www.ebay.com/bhp/easy-out

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Permalink Reply by Moritz Voegeli on April 13, 2017 at 11:06pm

Trying to screw fine brass screws into hard wood without correct predrill and using force, you risk to turn the head off the screw, and in this case an «easy-out» will not help you. StewMac sells a Guitar Screw Rescue Kit for exorbitant $65, but this works only for the delicate screws used to fix the tuners and not for the screw sizes used for fret markers. So my best advice is to follow David McQueen's recommendations.

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Permalink Reply by Ron "Oily" Sprague on April 14, 2017 at 4:33am

Also, soaping your screw can prevent binding while inserting into yer pre-drilled hole.

That sounded surprisingly dirty...

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Permalink Reply by Titch the Clown on April 15, 2017 at 1:58pm

The best looking use of screws i saw was by Ken Timms on his pallet uke where he screwed the screws in from the side and ran the wood through his drum sander resulting in the full length of the screws being visible across the width of the fret board.

http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/showthread.php?46202-Something-...

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