Hello all! Newbie over here working on my third build which will be my first fretted neck. Super happy with my neck shape and fret board and was just wondering... In y'alls experience, are there any pros and cons to the order of cutting and installing the frets and staining the neck and board? Intuition tells me to fret first, stain second. Just figured I'd ask to see what y'all have to say on the matter. Thanks.
You need to be a member of Cigar Box Nation to add comments!
Replies
When Posting, you might need to switch to the HTML Editor to make it show up-I certainly have to...
Well, if I stain and coat first, then I have to clean the slots, and run the risk of scuffing the finish while dressing the frets.
I personally do all of my fretting and dressing on the raw wood, stain and coat the whole thing, let it harden for several days...then use 800 or better grit directly on the frets and Final Polish the entire board with Magic Eraser, then wet sand with a light kitchen sponge. After that (because I live near the coast and Salt Air is a thing, I lightly clear coat board and frets together...
Can't wait to see your build!