Matte Resist's Posts - Cigar Box Nation2024-03-29T06:37:41ZMatte Resisthttps://www.cigarboxnation.com/profile/MatteResisthttps://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/364387089?profile=RESIZE_48X48&width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1https://www.cigarboxnation.com/profiles/blog/feed?user=boneshaker&xn_auth=noBuilding a Washtub Basstag:www.cigarboxnation.com,2012-06-10:2592684:BlogPost:11317912012-06-10T15:24:03.000ZMatte Resisthttps://www.cigarboxnation.com/profile/MatteResist
<h1 class="entry-title" style="text-align: center;">Building a Washtub Bass</h1>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span>I built this bass and wrote this whole thing up back in February, but then never posted it. I originally posted it at </span><a href="http://howandsometimeswhy.wordpress.com/2012/06/09/building-a-washtub-bass/">http://howandsometimeswhy.wordpress.com/2012/06/09/building-a-washtub-bass/</a><span> Pretty much everything transferred to this blog except a slide a show with a few…</span></p>
<h1 class="entry-title" style="text-align: center;">Building a Washtub Bass</h1>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span>I built this bass and wrote this whole thing up back in February, but then never posted it. I originally posted it at </span><a href="http://howandsometimeswhy.wordpress.com/2012/06/09/building-a-washtub-bass/">http://howandsometimeswhy.wordpress.com/2012/06/09/building-a-washtub-bass/</a><span> Pretty much everything transferred to this blog except a slide a show with a few more pictures of the build.</span></p>
<p><span> </span></p>
<div class="entry"><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://howandsometimeswhy.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/18-finished-washtub-bass.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-261" title="18-finished washtub bass" src="http://howandsometimeswhy.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/18-finished-washtub-bass.jpg?w=168&h=300" alt="" width="168" height="300"/></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">I’ve been thinking about building a washtub bass for a while. Down the road there are some folks who apparently use washtubs for recycling containers. On my way to work, I’d see them out by their garage next to their garbage can and hope they were going to throw them away. No such luck. I kept checking places that were close to home, but couldn’t find anywhere close to buy a new one either. One day I had to make a last minute run to Stillwater to pick up instruments parts. I was preparing for a craft show, and had neglected to make sure I had enough tuners. I took the trip out there to pick some up, and on my way back noticed a Fleet Farm. I knew they would have washtubs, so I swung back around to check it out.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://howandsometimeswhy.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/1-collection-of-parts.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-244" title="1-collection of parts" src="http://howandsometimeswhy.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/1-collection-of-parts.jpg?w=168&h=300" alt="" width="168" height="300"/></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">I grabbed a 14 gallon galvanized tub. I think they’re actually considered feed tubs, but I’ll be referring to it as a washtub from here on out. Then I headed over to hardware where I grabbed the shortest 3/8″ eye bolt I could find. I got the two largest fender washers I could find, a couple lock washers, and a nylon package of nylon lock nuts. The last thing I grabbed was a 60″ hardwood handle. I knew I had a couple broom handles at home, but I figured I might want something a little longer and a little thicker. I also knew that I had some clothesline at home. I’d purchased it before a camping trip for making a makeshift shade canopy. A tree worked pretty well as a shade canopy, so it had never been used.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://howandsometimeswhy.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/2-drilling-tub.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-245 alignleft" title="2-drilling tub" src="http://howandsometimeswhy.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/2-drilling-tub.jpg?w=168&h=300" alt="" width="168" height="300"/></a><a href="http://howandsometimeswhy.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/4-removing-handle.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-247" title="4-removing handle" src="http://howandsometimeswhy.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/4-removing-handle.jpg?w=168&h=300" alt="" width="168" height="300"/></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">At home the first thing I did was drill a 3/8 inch hole in the center of the bottom of the washtub. I set it on a piece of scrap plywood and drilled from inside the tub. I actually have a Forstner bit that I use strictly for thin metal because it makes a nicer hole than a standard twist bit. Either one will work though.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Next thing I did was take off the handles. Some people cut them off. I just grabbed the handle with a slip joint pliers (what everyone refers to as channel locks) and twisted it out.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Next I installed the eyebolt. It came with a nut which I turned on as far as it would go. Then I put on a lock washer and a large fender washer. I slid it into the hole in the washtub (from the underside) and then put on another large fender washer, a lock washer and then a nylon lock nut. This might be overkill, but for the price a couple extra lock washers I’d rather just make sure that it doesn’t come loose. Don’t skip the fender washers though. They spread the tension over a larger area. Without them, I imagine that nut would eventually work its way through the bottom of the washtub.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-252" title="9-installed eyebolt" src="http://howandsometimeswhy.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/9-installed-eyebolt.jpg?w=300&h=168" alt="" width="300" height="168"/></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Next I got my “neck” ready. First a drilled a 1/4” hole a couple inches from the top of the handle. Next you have to cut a slot in the bottom to slip over the edge of the washtub. You want to make sure that the slot is perpendicular to the hole. I slipped a pencil in the hole and then propped it on a nut to hold the hole horizontal. Then I could cut the slot vertical and everything would be lined up correctly. Again I just eyeballed it. I made two vertical cuts maybe 1/4 inch apart, pretty much just enough to score the wood. Once I had the wood scored, it didn’t matter if I turned the handle to get a better angle for cutting. Starting at each cut, I cut diagonally toward the middle to open up a slot. Once you have it cut, just make sure it fits over the rim of the washtub when it’s turned upside down. You want the slot deep enough that it will stay on the rim, but not so deep that the handle touches the bottom of the washtub.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://howandsometimeswhy.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/10-drilling-handle.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-253 aligncenter" title="10-drilling handle" src="http://howandsometimeswhy.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/10-drilling-handle.jpg?w=300&h=168" alt="" width="300" height="168"/></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://howandsometimeswhy.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/11-leveling-handle.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-254 aligncenter" title="11-leveling handle" src="http://howandsometimeswhy.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/11-leveling-handle.jpg?w=300&h=168" alt="" width="300" height="168"/></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://howandsometimeswhy.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/12-slotting-handle.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-255 aligncenter" title="12-slotting handle" src="http://howandsometimeswhy.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/12-slotting-handle.jpg?w=300&h=168" alt="" width="300" height="168"/></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://howandsometimeswhy.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/14-slotted-handle.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-257 aligncenter" title="14-slotted handle" src="http://howandsometimeswhy.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/14-slotted-handle.jpg?w=300&h=168" alt="" width="300" height="168"/></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">The last thing to do was add the ‘string.’ There’s some debate about what kind of string sounds best. Some folks swear by weedwacker line, some like airline cable or parachute cord. I had cotton clothesline, so I went with that. I tied it to the eyebolt, and then passed it through the hole in the handle. I slipped the slot over the rim and tipped the handle until the string was vertical when pulled taught. I marked where it passed through the handle and then tied a knot there. Actually, I didn’t tie a “knot” because I knew the clothesline would stretch, so I left a loop so it would be easy to untie and retie when it was needed.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://howandsometimeswhy.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/17-attaching-clothesline.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-260" title="17-attaching clothesline" src="http://howandsometimeswhy.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/17-attaching-clothesline.jpg?w=168&h=300" alt="" width="168" height="300"/></a></p>
<div id="gallery-243-1-slideshow" class="slideshow-window" style="text-align: center;"><div class="slideshow-slide"><div class="slideshow-slide-caption"></div>
</div>
</div>
<div id="jp-post-flair" class="sharedaddy sd-like-enabled sd-sharing-enabled"><div class="robots-nocontent sd-block sd-social sd-social-icon-text sd-sharing" style="text-align: center;"></div>
</div>
</div>Converting a Kid’s Electric Guitar into an Amptag:www.cigarboxnation.com,2012-01-29:2592684:BlogPost:9626662012-01-29T07:09:10.000ZMatte Resisthttps://www.cigarboxnation.com/profile/MatteResist
<h2 class="entry-title" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11px;"><strong>Here's a goofy little project me and the kids threw together today. Originally posted at (<a href="http://howandsometimeswhy.wordpress.com/">http://howandsometimeswhy.wordpress.com/</a>)…</strong><br></br></span></h2>
<h2 class="entry-title" style="text-align: center;"></h2>
<h2 class="entry-title" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11px;"><strong>Here's a goofy little project me and the kids threw together today. Originally posted at (<a href="http://howandsometimeswhy.wordpress.com/">http://howandsometimeswhy.wordpress.com/</a>)</strong><br/></span></h2>
<h2 class="entry-title" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://howandsometimeswhy.wordpress.com/2012/01/29/converting-a-kids-guitar-into-an-amp/" title="Permalink to Converting a Kid’s Electric Guitar into an Amp" rel="bookmark">Converting a Kid’s Electric Guitar into an Amp</a></h2>
<div class="post-author" style="text-align: center;"><span class="author vcard">By <a class="url fn n" href="http://howandsometimeswhy.wordpress.com/author/howandsometimeswhy/" title="View all posts by howandsometimeswhy">howandsometimeswhy</a></span></div>
<div class="post-author" style="text-align: center;"><span class="author vcard"><br/></span></div>
<div class="entry"><p style="text-align: center;">Today’s fun little project was converting a kid’s electric guitar into an amplifier. My daughter’s friend got an electric guitar for his birthday, but didn’t have an amp. He did have his old First Act electric guitar which he wanted to trade me for one of the little amps I have sitting around to put into cigar boxes or other containers. It was one of those little electric guitars that have a speaker built into the front of the guitar. It was pretty beat up. 4 of the 6 tuning knobs were missing, and the machines were pretty crapped out too. A couple adjusting screws for the bridge/tailpiece were missing. I said, “You know how your guitar has a speaker? That means it has a built-in amp. So we can use the pieces from your guitar and build an amp.”</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">At first I was thinking we would take the pieces out and put them in a cigar box or something. When we started looking at it I said “Why don’t we just take the neck and tailpiece off, and then the guitar body can be your amp.” So that’s what we did. They grabbed screw drivers and started removing the neck (while I went and grabbed a camera to document their progress)</p>
<div class="mceTemp mceIEcenter" style="text-align: center;"><dl class="wp-caption aligncenter">
<dt class="wp-caption-dt"><a href="http://howandsometimeswhy.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/dsc02497.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-165" title="Removing the neck" src="http://howandsometimeswhy.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/dsc02497.jpg?w=490&h=367" alt="Removing the neck" width="490" height="367"/></a></dt>
<dd class="wp-caption-dd">Removing the neck</dd>
</dl>
</div>
<p style="text-align: center;">Then they removed the tailpiece/bridge.</p>
<div class="mceTemp mceIEcenter" style="text-align: center;"><dl class="wp-caption aligncenter">
<dt class="wp-caption-dt"><a href="http://howandsometimeswhy.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/dsc02498.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-166" title="Removing the tailpiece" src="http://howandsometimeswhy.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/dsc02498.jpg?w=490&h=367" alt="Removing the tailpiece" width="490" height="367"/></a></dt>
<dd class="wp-caption-dd">Removing the tailpiece</dd>
</dl>
</div>
<p style="text-align: center;">They we started uncovering the electronics.</p>
<div class="mceTemp mceIEcenter" style="text-align: center;"><dl class="wp-caption aligncenter">
<dt class="wp-caption-dt"><a href="http://howandsometimeswhy.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/dsc02499.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-167" title="Unpacking the electronics" src="http://howandsometimeswhy.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/dsc02499.jpg?w=490&h=367" alt="Unpacking the electronics" width="490" height="367"/></a></dt>
<dd class="wp-caption-dd">Unpacking the electronics</dd>
</dl>
</div>
<p style="text-align: center;">Here’s where you can kind of start to see the plan coming together. On this guitar you have a magnetic pickup, but instead of just going through a volume pot to the output jack, it also goes to a little amp which is connected to the speaker. If you plug in a cord, a switch in the jack cuts the signal to the on-board amp and sends it to the external amp instead. So our plan was to just switch things around. We wanted to turn the output jack into an input jack. It seemed like the simplest way was just to cut off the magnetic pickup and hook the wires to the jack. So here they are removing the pickup.</p>
<div class="mceTemp mceIEcenter" style="text-align: center;"><dl class="wp-caption aligncenter">
<dt class="wp-caption-dt"><a href="http://howandsometimeswhy.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/dsc02501b.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-168" title="Removing the pickup" src="http://howandsometimeswhy.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/dsc02501b.jpg?w=490&h=235" alt="Removing the pickup" width="490" height="235"/></a></dt>
<dd class="wp-caption-dd">Removing the pickup</dd>
</dl>
</div>
<p style="text-align: center;">Next we stripped the wires, and then hooked up a battery and plugged in a guitar. Esther played her guitar while I touched the stripped wires to the tabs on the jack to make sure we got things hooked up right. I would have originally figured white wire to white wire, and black to black. But I wasn’t taking that switch into account. So once we started hearing Esther’s guitar through the speaker we knew we had it right. Once we had things in the right place, I soldered them up. I usually like to let the kids do pretty much everything. Esther has done soldering on a cigar box guitar she built, but her friend had never soldered before and it was kind of a tricky job for someone who’s never done it before, so he helped hold wires in place while I soldered them.</p>
<div class="mceTemp mceIEcenter" style="text-align: center;"><dl class="wp-caption aligncenter">
<dt class="wp-caption-dt"><a href="http://howandsometimeswhy.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/dsc02505.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-169" title="Soldering the wires" src="http://howandsometimeswhy.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/dsc02505.jpg?w=490&h=367" alt="Soldering the wires" width="490" height="367"/></a></dt>
<dd class="wp-caption-dd">Soldering the wires</dd>
</dl>
</div>
<p style="text-align: center;">From that point on, I let them finish it up themselves. They screwed the back plates back on and tightened up the strap knobs. (We realized that because the amp is battery-powered, if we left the strap knobs on, you could wear the amp.) Below is a quick video of Esther demonstrating the finished product. It’s not the best amp ever, but it will make a nice practice amp for him to use while he’s learning to play his first real decent guitar. (He got a Fender StarCaster) His parents will probably appreciate that it doesn’t get very loud.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><br/><iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/mYJ2RZjNPq8?wmode=opaque" frameborder="0"></iframe>
</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">I got to keep the extra parts. I’ll probably put the neck on a cigar box, after I dress the frets ends (which are sticking out on both sides of the neck and are rather sharp.)</p>
</div>How to Fret a Cigar Box Guitar Necktag:www.cigarboxnation.com,2011-12-06:2592684:BlogPost:9077262011-12-06T08:00:00.000ZMatte Resisthttps://www.cigarboxnation.com/profile/MatteResist
<div class="mceTemp mceIEcenter">(copied from my other blog at <a href="http://howandsometimeswhy.wordpress.com/">http://howandsometimeswhy.wordpress.com/</a>)</div>
<div class="mceTemp mceIEcenter"> </div>
<div class="mceTemp mceIEcenter">This is something I’ve been meaning to write for a while now. Since writing my book, I’ve learned easier ways of fretting instruments and wanted to pass along that information. Recently we went to see…</div>
<div class="mceTemp mceIEcenter">(copied from my other blog at <a href="http://howandsometimeswhy.wordpress.com/">http://howandsometimeswhy.wordpress.com/</a>)</div>
<div class="mceTemp mceIEcenter"> </div>
<div class="mceTemp mceIEcenter">This is something I’ve been meaning to write for a while now. Since writing my book, I’ve learned easier ways of fretting instruments and wanted to pass along that information. Recently we went to see <span style="color: #0000ff;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/The-Calamity-Cubes/92646608641"><span style="color: #0000ff;">The Calamity Cubes!</span></a></span> play and they ended up staying at our house and Brook ended up buying a copy of How & Why. He sent me a message a couple of days ago saying he was almost done with his first cigar box guitar. I told him I knew of an easier way to fret and promised I’d pass along the info (with pictures).</div>
<p>I went out to the garage, but found I’d already fretted everything that was ready. So I found a neck that wasn’t ready, grabbed my son Jed to run the camera, and fretted it anyway. It was mostly ready, but I usually like to stain and/or finish the necks before fretting them. This neck was for an experimental cigar box guitar, so it doesn’t really matter anyway. (Thanks to Jed for being a good sport and helping me track down the tools I couldn’t find after misplacing them during my mad building spree a couple weeks back… and then sticking around the cold garage to take pictures too.)</p>
<p>So the first step is cutting the frets slots in your neck, which I’ve covered in <span style="color: #0000ff;"><a href="http://www.resistinstrumentworks.com/buy-books--plans.html"><span style="color: #0000ff;">How & Why: A Do It Yourself Guide</span></a>.</span> Not much has changed since then. I still haven’t bought a miter box. I’m pretty sure one day I’m really gonna kick myself for that. However, here’s what has changed since I wrote the book. I no longer cut all my frets to length, shape them, and then install them on the neck. Here’s my new method.</p>
<h3>Installing Frets with a 'Fret Hammer'</h3>
<p>First off, I set the tang of a length of fret wire into the fret slot and then tap it in using a fretting hammer. In the picture below, the first two frets were from the beginning of a new piece of fret wire and had nice square ends, so they could be lined up with the edge of the fretboard. However, when you cut the fret with an end nippers, it leaves one side square and one side pointed. You could turn the fret wire around and cut the end square, or you can just hang it off the end of the fretboard a fraction of an inch, then come back and trim it off later. The latter method seems to go faster.</p>
<p>A fretting hammer is about $20 from Steward MacDonald and comes with a plastic head on one side and a brass head on the other. However, you can pick up something similar to that from <a href="http://www.harborfreight.com/soft-face-mallet-39528.html" target="_blank">Harbor Freight</a> for about $6. It comes with a plastic head on one side and a soft rubber head on the other. I’ve always found the rubber side to be too soft to be much good but the plastic is hard enough to tap in frets without marring them. Another option might be covering the end of a regular hammer with thick leather. I’ve never tried this, but it seems like it might work.</p>
<p>Anyway, I start on the side of the neck farthest from me. I tap in that side and work towards myself. Usually it takes 2 – 3 taps. You want to tap hard enough to get the tang all the way into the wood so that the crown is against the fretboard, but not so hard that the fret is slightly indented into the neck.</p>
<div class="mceTemp mceIEcenter"><div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_107" style="width: 500px;"><a href="http://howandsometimeswhy.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/dsc01920.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-107" title="DSC01920" height="275" alt="" src="http://howandsometimeswhy.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/dsc01920.jpg?w=490&h=275" width="490"/></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Tapping in fret with fret hammer</p>
</div>
<p>Once you’ve tapped your fret into place, cut the end flush with the neck using an end nippers. You can buy special fret cutters which are shaped to cut closer to the edge of the fretboard, but they’re 2 or 3 times as expensive as an end nippers from the hardware store, so I go with the end nippers. They’ll cut real close. In fact, if you’re not careful, you’ll sometimes nick the wood.</p>
<div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_108" style="width: 500px;"><a href="http://howandsometimeswhy.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/dsc01921.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-108" title="DSC01921" height="275" alt="" src="http://howandsometimeswhy.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/dsc01921.jpg?w=490&h=275" width="490"/></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Cutting fret to length with end nippers</p>
</div>
<h2>Installing Frets with a Wood Block</h2>
<p>Here’s another method for installing frets. I mostly covered this in the book, but there’s a slight change. Instead of cutting the frets to length and then tapping them in, you can set the fret wire in the slot (with the pointed end hanging off the edge slightly), set a hardwood block on top, and tap it into place. My favorite piece of wood to use is the tapered piece I remove the neck to get it to fit the box. It’s rather thin at one end so it’s just wide enough to cover the fret. The other end is a bit wider for hitting with the hammer. The thin side makes it easier to hit just one fret when they’re getting close together. It also make it less likely that you’ll accidentally hit your fretboard with the edge of your block.</p>
<div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_111" style="width: 500px;"><a href="http://howandsometimeswhy.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/dsc01926.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-111" title="DSC01926" height="275" alt="" src="http://howandsometimeswhy.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/dsc01926.jpg?w=490&h=275" width="490"/></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Pressing fret into slot before positioning wood block</p>
</div>
<div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_110" style="width: 500px;"><a href="http://howandsometimeswhy.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/dsc01925.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-110" title="DSC01925" height="275" alt="" src="http://howandsometimeswhy.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/dsc01925.jpg?w=490&h=275" width="490"/></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Tapping fret in with wood block and claw hammer</p>
</div>
<p>As I mentioned above, it pays to be careful with your wood block. Keep it as vertical as you can to avoid hitting the fretboard and leaving a divot. I’d like to say I did this intentionally to show the “wrong way to do things” but the truth is, I’m just out of practice with this method and got careless.</p>
<div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_112" style="width: 500px;"><a href="http://howandsometimeswhy.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/dsc01928.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-112" title="DSC01928" height="275" alt="" src="http://howandsometimeswhy.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/dsc01928.jpg?w=490&h=275" width="490"/></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Divot caused by not holding wood block straight up and down when hammering</p>
</div>
<p>Here’s what you end up with. All the frets cut flush on one side, and hanging off just a little bit on the other.</p>
<div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_115" style="width: 500px;"><a href="http://howandsometimeswhy.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/dsc01936.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-115" title="DSC01936" height="275" alt="" src="http://howandsometimeswhy.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/dsc01936.jpg?w=490&h=275" width="490"/></a><p class="wp-caption-text">All frets tapped into the neck</p>
</div>
<div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_116" style="width: 500px;"><a href="http://howandsometimeswhy.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/dsc01937.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-116" title="DSC01937" height="275" alt="" src="http://howandsometimeswhy.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/dsc01937.jpg?w=490&h=275" width="490"/></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Frets hang over edge of neck on one side and need to be cut to length.</p>
</div>
<p>Just go down the length of the neck cutting all the frets flush with the edge of the fretboard.</p>
<div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_117" style="width: 500px;"><a href="http://howandsometimeswhy.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/dsc01940.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-117" title="DSC01940" height="275" alt="" src="http://howandsometimeswhy.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/dsc01940.jpg?w=490&h=275" width="490"/></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Cutting all frets flush with edge of neck using end nippers</p>
</div>
<h2>Dressing the Fret Ends</h2>
<p>Now you’ll just need to dress the end of your frets. I find it easiest to do them all at once. If you’re careful, you can do it without damaging the neck or finish. Take a fine metal file and hold it at about a 30 to 45 degree angle to the end of the frets. Then just move it up and down the length of the neck filing an angle on the end of all the frets until the edge of that angle is flush with the edge of the neck.</p>
<div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_118" style="width: 500px;"><a href="http://howandsometimeswhy.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/dsc01942.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-118" title="DSC01942" height="275" alt="" src="http://howandsometimeswhy.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/dsc01942.jpg?w=490&h=275" width="490"/></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Filing fret ends</p>
</div>
<p>This will sometimes leave the tang of the fret protruding a bit from the side of the neck.</p>
<div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_119" style="width: 500px;"><a href="http://howandsometimeswhy.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/dsc01951.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-119" title="DSC01951" height="275" alt="" src="http://howandsometimeswhy.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/dsc01951.jpg?w=490&h=275" width="490"/></a><p class="wp-caption-text">This picture shows (kind of) that the fret tangs are still protruding from side of neck.</p>
</div>
<p>This can be remedied by holding the file almost flat against the neck (angle it just a tiny bit) and filing the end of the fret tangs.</p>
<div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_120" style="width: 500px;"><a href="http://howandsometimeswhy.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/dsc01952.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-120" title="DSC01952" height="275" alt="" src="http://howandsometimeswhy.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/dsc01952.jpg?w=490&h=275" width="490"/></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Filing end of frets</p>
</div>
<p>Now you’ll probably want to round off the end of the frets. I bought a double edge fret file from Steward MacDonald for doing this. Mine will do both narrow and medium frets, which is all I use. It’s kind of expensive at about $39, but it makes things SO easy. I just hold it at an angle to the end of the fret and then round it off with one stroke.</p>
<div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_121" style="width: 500px;"><a href="http://howandsometimeswhy.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/dsc01956.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-121" title="DSC01956" height="275" alt="" src="http://howandsometimeswhy.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/dsc01956.jpg?w=490&h=275" width="490"/></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Rounding end of frets with fret file</p>
</div>
<div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_122" style="width: 500px;"><a href="http://howandsometimeswhy.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/dsc01964.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-122" title="DSC01964" height="275" alt="" src="http://howandsometimeswhy.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/dsc01964.jpg?w=490&h=275" width="490"/></a><p class="wp-caption-text">This shows two frets that have been rounded, and two that still have sharp edges. It also shows the divot I created with a badly aimed wood block.</p>
</div>
<p>If you don’t have the fret file, the ends can be rounded using a 3 sided file. I have never done a whole neck like this, just individual frets that had to be replaced. It works best if you use something to protect the neck. Of course Stewart MacDonald has a special tool for this, but you can also just use a piece of aluminum cut from a soda can. Just lay it next to the fret so you don’t nick the neck with the edge of the file.</p>
<div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_123" style="width: 500px;"><a href="http://howandsometimeswhy.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/dsc01971.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-123" title="DSC01971" height="275" alt="" src="http://howandsometimeswhy.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/dsc01971.jpg?w=490&h=275" width="490"/></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Rounding fret ends with 3 sided file, using piece of can as a guard.</p>
</div>
<p>No matter how you do it, you may want to hit the edge of all the frets with a sanding block when you’re done. Just wrap some fine sandpaper around a piece of wood, hold it at an angle (like you did with the file), and run up and down the edge of the frets a couple times. This will smooth out any file marks.</p>
</div>