Newbie Fretting Problems!

First post I believe! :wink:

I'm building a guitar for my Year 12 Design project, so far it's all gone fairly smoothly thank god! I think I can attribute that to the massive amount of great info here :mrgreen:

So anyway, I fretted my guitar yesterday. I tried tapping them in at each end, but it ended up making the ends pop out each time I hit the other end... It seems that the tangs were stripping the slots slightly so they wouldn't seat properly. I think when I recut the slots deeper it may have widened them too. I figured out another technique that worked some what better for the rest of the frets, but a lot of them have done this:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7216/7305962760_70b125133a.jpg



If I drop some super glue down the slot, then hold the fret down by hand do you guys think that'll sort it out? I can push them to a better depth with my fingers but the technology department has run out of super glue :roll: (my teachers gonna go buy some this weekend). I'll also fill the fret ends later which should hold them in place even more I guess?

Cheers for helping a newbie to this whole guitar building thing :grin: . It certainly makes school way more fun!

(btw, I'll be posting a proper build thread once I'm closer to the finish line)

Did you radius the frets before you put them in? Usually people bend the frets a bit so they are slightly more curved than the radius of the board; that way the ends don't pop up.

I bought the frets from a custom builder here in NZ, along with the fretboard, and he might not have done that. I also bought them 2-3 months ago, so they probably have straightened themselves out a bit...

EDIT:

By that I mean he did radius the frets, but possibly not to a slightly small radius.

There must be something in the water in Christchurch! (Apart from the silt and sewerage, but they're working on that :wink:)

If you made the neck and you still have a template for it, you could try this (http://www.tdpri.com/forum/2011-tdpri-tele-build-challenge/263780-kwerks-2011-tdpri-build-challenge-thread-6.html#post3230363) approach.

I would suggest cutting yourself a new "template" before you do this. Not a good idea to go screwing stuff into templates you want to use again. Also, because you have already carved the neck, you'd need to use some kind of belt or velcro setup as a clamp.

Fashion yourself a fret caul out of something that comes as close as possible to the radius
and then, put glue in the slot, seat the frets and hold them down until dry. Your slots
do seem a smidgeon wide, btw.

I would pull those frets and try to expand the tangs.
You don't have to make this (http://www.frets.com/FretsPages/Luthier/Technique/Guitar/Frets/D35Refret/D35refret4.html#tool) tool, but it will give you an idea of what I'm talking about.

If I drop some super glue down the slot, then hold the fret down by hand do you guys think that'll sort it out?

I would clamp it instead of using my hands, but yes, that will sort it fine. I've seen entire fret jobs done by grinding off the tangs and using super glue (you do this so as not to impart backbend to a neck when you're replacing vintage frets with smaller tangs). Works quite well.

http://www.tdpri.com/telephoto/data/1218/medium/2012_Challenge_117.jpg

I use this technique for fretting. works for me and didn't cost a dime.
The caul is made from a piece of scrap aluminum.

the chuck is empty and I make sure it is open all the way so the three little jaws are retracted up into the chuck and stay out of the way.

If I drop some super glue down the slot, then hold the fret down by hand do you guys think that'll sort it out? I can push them to a better depth with my fingers but the technology department has run out of super glue :roll: (my teachers gonna go buy some this weekend). I'll also fill the fret ends later which should hold them in place even more I guess?

Cheers for helping a newbie to this whole guitar building thing :grin: . It certainly makes school way more fun!

(btw, I'll be posting a proper build thread once I'm closer to the finish line)
I think superglue mixed with some wood dust should sort it out.
Make sure you put some masking tape or something on your fingers to prevent gluing them to the neck (:shock:) when you hold the fret ends down.

There must be something in the water in Christchurch! (Apart from the silt and sewerage, but they're working on that :wink:)

If you made the neck and you still have a template for it, you could try this (http://www.tdpri.com/forum/2011-tdpri-tele-build-challenge/263780-kwerks-2011-tdpri-build-challenge-thread-6.html#post3230363) approach.

I would suggest cutting yourself a new "template" before you do this. Not a good idea to go screwing stuff into templates you want to use again. Also, because you have already carved the neck, you'd need to use some kind of belt or velcro setup as a clamp.

Hey Kwerk!

No way did I throw out my templates :mrgreen: it's a 4 day weekend for me, so I'll try that on Tuesday! I also still have the jig I used to hold the neck while I was radiusing the fret board, so that should do the trick! I had a feeling keeping it would help me down the track...

Thanks everyone for your help!

Welcome to the forum, Limoooooo (hope I've got the right number of o's in there). That's a nice looking neck. Once you get those pesky fret ends clamped down, it'll be schweeeet !

Welcome to the forum, Limoooooo (hope I've got the right number of o's in there). That's a nice looking neck. Once you get those pesky fret ends clamped down, it'll be schweeeet !

You can just call me Liam! Less o's to worry about :wink:

Thanks! It's one of the best feelings each time I can tick something off my plan. Kinda hard to believe this just starting out as a couple of planks of wood and a parcel from Stewmac :lol:

OK, Liam, I'll do that! Less anxiety than all those O's :oops:.

It is a great feeling. In my case, having just finished the Challenge last month, and having done several guitar building steps for the first time, what truly rocked me was that here I was, going from step to step, starting something, making a goof and having to fix it, then going on to the next thing, then suddenly, and truly unexpectedly--HEY, I'm done! (Of course, you're never really done, there is always some tweaking, or just a little better setup you COULD work on), but you know when you get to that point.

Keep us posted on your build.

Rick

Glued the frets in today :mrgreen: ! There are still about 2 or 3 ends that aren't ideal, but I've done all I can.

I used a modified version of Kwerk's jig. I had to put the clamping pressure right where. The piping I used was too soft so it didn't have enough resistance to press the frets down. I ended up using some strips of MDF which strangely worked well, but I ended up denting one fret somewhat badly. It was around the 20th fret D string area so hopefully it won't be too noticeable :lol: :oops:

Overall the frets in general aren't seated as deeply as I'd like either. The funny thing is the frets I had trouble hammering are doing better than the others now :?: But this is a learning experience and I can only get better the more I do this! :grin:

The frets glued:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8003/7155258681_01a5f2fe77_c.jpg

The dent (doesn't look as severe in the photo):

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7071/7340460390_78c1df6fb7_c.jpg

I also went to the courier to pick up a couple of packages after school... :mrgreen:

Gotta love than red and white tape!
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8147/7340461070_265425b65f_c_d.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7219/7155257723_eb995022fe_c.jpg

If all goes to plan, all I need to do is order a humbucker now! I'm getting one custom wound for the same price as getting an SD or Dimarzio :cool:

Oh and before I forget! The neck so far. Made from a NZ native timber called Tawa. It's kind in between maple and mahogany (or so I was told). Close to finishing it! :

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7227/7340459154_7f7f95c05a_c.jpg

Thanks for the help guys! Like I said before there'll be a build thread coming later this year, and probably a few more like this :lol:

I really gotta make my posts shorter...

I would think you would have gotten better results using epoxy to glue the frets in. It doesnt dry as fast, so you have a longer working time, plus it fills gaps better.

Dan Erlewine used to grind the tangs off the frets and did epoxy glue in fret jobs exclusively. He later changed and started doing a hybrid tap-in/glue-in fretjob.

The tawa looks good! I've been wanting to give it a try.

Looks like all the frets in the shot you showed there need more hammering. If you've already pumped them full of CA you'll have no choice, unfortunately, other than pulling them and recutting the slots. They really do have to sit down hard on the fretboard. You shouldn't even be able to put a piece of paper under them.

I used fibreglass tent poles when I set up my jig, because they needed to be hard. Steel rod or tube would also do the trick, or even dowel would be better than plastic tube.

I would think you would have gotten better results using epoxy to glue the frets in. It doesnt dry as fast, so you have a longer working time, plus it fills gaps better.

Dan Erlewine used to grind the tangs off the frets and did epoxy glue in fret jobs exclusively. He later changed and started doing a hybrid tap-in/glue-in fretjob.

The problem wasn't really the drying time, but getting the right amount of pressure without damaging the board or neck. I think next time I'll try fretting before shaping, so clamping will be much more straight forward :) . Next time I'll also try and just completely avoid this altogether :lol:

The tawa looks good! I've been wanting to give it a try.

Looks like all the frets in the shot you showed there need more hammering. If you've already pumped them full of CA you'll have no choice, unfortunately, other than pulling them and recutting the slots. They really do have to sit down hard on the fretboard. You shouldn't even be able to put a piece of paper under them.

I used fibreglass tent poles when I set up my jig, because they needed to be hard. Steel rod or tube would also do the trick, or even dowel would be better than plastic tube.

Crap... I hammered them all in as far as they would go (and the was still depth in the slots). How bad will this get in the future? With the CA in there will they still pop out eventually?

They probably won't move at all with the CA in there, but you'll have difficulty levelling them, particularly the bent one. I'd seriously consider replacing the 19th (the bent one) and the 20th. No 21 needs a good tap in the middle too, and no 18 needs a slight tap at around the b-string area. I can't tell how the others look from the wide shot of the neck, but certainly from the closeup the frets could do with more work.

They probably won't move at all with the CA in there, but you'll have difficulty levelling them, particularly the bent one. I'd seriously consider replacing the 19th (the bent one) and the 20th. No 21 needs a good tap in the middle too, and no 18 needs a slight tap at around the b-string area. I can't tell how the others look from the wide shot of the neck, but certainly from the closeup the frets could do with more work.

Cheers! Tomorrow I'll see what I can do. Without the help of people at TDPRI I'd be well and truly screwed!


The tawa looks good! I've been wanting to give it a try.


It's nice wood! The neck itself has some flaming going on too which was a bonus!

A good fretting trick is to use a cut (not torn) corner of a piece of paper, like a Post-It note, (not the sticky end) and when you think you've got the fret hammered or pressed in, try to run a corner of the piece of paper under the fret, and slide it from one edge to the other, on both sides of the fret. If it will go under the fret (you'll see just the corner disappear under the fret), the fret needs to be in deeper.

The dented fret will definitely be a problem for you trying to level your frets. It's possible, but unlikely that you might--just might--get away with leveling the rest of them to a useable, but not good, point if they are all consistently high.

But it will be ugly, and won't play up to its potential. The dented fret needs pulling and replacing, and if you want a guitar that you will enjoy playing, unfortunately, you probably need to re-fret.

I know it's a PITA, but you've built a really nice looking neck that deserves your best efforts. If you get in a hurry now and give it short shrift, your guitar will always have that stigma hanging over it. On the other hand, the time you take now will quickly be forgotten, and you'll have a really fine neck that will be a joy to play, and something you won't have to make excuses for.

I agree. This is a good opportunity to learn how to RE-fret.



...

But it will be ugly, and won't play up to its potential. The dented fret needs pulling and replacing, and if you want a guitar that you will enjoy playing, unfortunately, you probably need to re-fret.

I know it's a PITA, but you've built a really nice looking neck that deserves your best efforts. If you get in a hurry now and give it short shrift, your guitar will always have that stigma hanging over it. On the other hand, the time you take now will quickly be forgotten, and you'll have a really fine neck that will be a joy to play, and something you won't have to make excuses for.

A good fretting trick is to use a cut (not torn) corner of a piece of paper, like a Post-It note, (not the sticky end) and when you think you've got the fret hammered or pressed in, try to run a corner of the piece of paper under the fret, and slide it from one edge to the other, on both sides of the fret. If it will go under the fret (you'll see just the corner disappear under the fret), the fret needs to be in deeper.

The dented fret will definitely be a problem for you trying to level your frets. It's possible, but unlikely that you might--just might--get away with leveling the rest of them to a useable, but not good, point if they are all consistently high.

But it will be ugly, and won't play up to its potential. The dented fret needs pulling and replacing, and if you want a guitar that you will enjoy playing, unfortunately, you probably need to re-fret.

I know it's a PITA, but you've built a really nice looking neck that deserves your best efforts. If you get in a hurry now and give it short shrift, your guitar will always have that stigma hanging over it. On the other hand, the time you take now will quickly be forgotten, and you'll have a really fine neck that will be a joy to play, and something you won't have to make excuses for.

Well, I've got a lot of time to think about this. Snow day yesterday and schools closed again today. I don't have Design tomorrow whether schools open or not :roll:

My teacher makes jewellery in his spare time so he has a set of nippers pretty much identical to SM's fret puller. Add another 2 dozen soldering irons for the electronics class I don't think pulling should be an issue?

If I pull the frets, how do you propose I fret it 2nd time round? Since the slots would be wider, I'm guessing it would be wise to make a press like motor_city_tele has done, and glue them in?

So...

I need to have the neck completed by the end of the month to be on time. Which means I have 3 (school) weeks to pull the frets, make a press, refret, cut the nut slot, finish with tru-oil, and level/crown. It seems reasonable! Might take some lunch breaks and after school sessions in the workshop though :mrgreen:

Thanks everyone for pushing me in the right direction! Having a deadline and marks looming over this project makes everything slightly more stressful when something goes wrong :lol:

From your prior experience, I'd say the single most important thing is to make sure your fret wire is pre-bent to a radius the same as or slightly smaller than your fretboard.

You can make one of the "3-wheel" fret benders a lot of guys use, based on the Terry Downs plans (no longer on his website:cry:) or simply use a slot in a board that's wide enough so the fret tang can pass through, and pull the wire through the slot, and it will curl. Here's a link to a thread one of the good guys here posted about how to do this simple, no-cost bender:

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/tele-home-depot/189595-no-cost-fretwire-bender.html

It might take a couple of passes, and a little experience to get the right radius, but if you'll take a compass and strike the radius you're looking for in actual size on a large piece of paper, you can compare your bent fretwire to the drawn radius and see how close you're getting.

After you get the frets out, use your saw to be sure the grooves don't have any residual crud in there, and use a piece of paper or something, to make sure each groove is deep enough to accept the full depth of the fret tangs, all the way across.

If I pull the frets, how do you propose I fret it 2nd time round? Since the slots would be wider, I'm guessing it would be wise to make a press like motor_city_tele has done, and glue them in?

You should be able to tap in the frets readily, with a padded or plastic hammer. You don't need a press, just make a couple of cauls like Motor City Tele shows in his post, and use padded clamps like Irwin Quick-Clamps, or use some scrap wood on the underside of your neck to pad it. This is just to hold the frets down securely until the CA glue dries, and not to push the frets in. Pad the underside of your neck, and be sure its well supported, when you tap the frets in.

One caution: your teacher's nippers may look like the fret puller ones, but there is an important difference: the fret pullers have been ground on the outside, so that the sharp edge that does the cutting, instead of being two Vee's that come together, now have the outside half of the Vee ground off, so the nippers can grab flush with a flat surface (like a fretboard). You may need to grind some nippers in this way to get a grip on your frets to pull them. On the other hand, if they're high enough, and you heat the frets to loosen the CA glue, you may be able to use unmodified nips.

Be sure to work in a well-ventilated area, preferably with a fan blowing to disperse and dilute the CA glue vapors that will come out when you heat the frets. Also be careful not to overheat the frets and char your beautiful neck !

Do you have to do all your work at the school? If you could take the neck home in the evenings, and borrow the nippers, you could pull the frets in the evening and be ready for the next operation at school the following day.

Liam, even if you can't take work home, you have plenty of time, plan carefully, work steadily, and you'll do fine.

You should be able to tap in the frets readily, with a padded or plastic hammer. You don't need a press, just make a couple of cauls like Motor City Tele shows in his post, and use padded clamps like Irwin Quick-Clamps, or use some scrap wood on the underside of your neck to pad it. This is just to hold the frets down securely until the CA glue dries, and not to push the frets in. Pad the underside of your neck, and be sure its well supported, when you tap the frets in.

The problem I had last time was although I was absolutely sure the slots were deep enough, I still could couldn't get them hammered till they were flush. That's why I'm thinking a press could be better; plus I don't have to much around with clamps only to find out the glue has already set :roll: I'll quadruple check this time and use a craft knife to get as much crud out as possible whatever method I use to get the frets in there.

One caution: your teacher's nippers may look like the fret puller ones, but there is an important difference: the fret pullers have been ground on the outside, so that the sharp edge that does the cutting, instead of being two Vee's that come together, now have the outside half of the Vee ground off, so the nippers can grab flush with a flat surface (like a fretboard). You may need to grind some nippers in this way to get a grip on your frets to pull them. On the other hand, if they're high enough, and you heat the frets to loosen the CA glue, you may be able to use unmodified nips.

The nippers flush cut so that's fine! I'm pretty sure most frets would have enough room anyway...

SM says to use the walking technique to pull them. Are you able to elaborate on what that means? :lol:

Do you have to do all your work at the school? If you could take the neck home in the evenings, and borrow the nippers, you could pull the frets in the evening and be ready for the next operation at school the following day.

Liam, even if you can't take work home, you have plenty of time, plan carefully, work steadily, and you'll do fine.

Thank you for that mindblowing-ly logical idea! :oops: :mrgreen:

Thanks for all the help!

When you hammer the frets, what's supporting the back of the neck? If there isn't something solid there, your hammering may not be as effective.

Also, I know a lot of people glue frets in, but I really feel like you should try for a mechanical fit like I mentioned above.

The problem I had last time was although I was absolutely sure the slots were deep enough, I still could couldn't get them hammered till they were flush.

Did you radius the frets before you put them in? Usually people bend the frets a bit so they are slightly more curved than the radius of the board; that way the ends don't pop up.

ditto- more curved than the radius of the board, more curved than the radius of the board.
Super Glue alone will not last.

Hi Limoooooooo, Excellent work so far on the neck - cool project, you're doing great.

Emoney's suggestion is a goodey for a re-fret.

Fashion yourself a fret caul out of something that comes as close as possible to the radius
and then, put glue in the slot, seat the frets and hold them down until dry. Your slots
do seem a smidgeon wide, btw.

However if you are struggling to get a caul and clamps together this possible solution is worth a try (or used in conjunction with emoney's suggestion).

Firstly, I believe 'walking out' refers to carefully levering from side to side off the fret board to release the frets. This could be pretty damaging to the wood if the frets are wedged in hard. If you find you have to lever off the fretboard (at last resort) to bring up the frets, make sure you have a something solid underneath to spread the load point like a piece of sheet stainless steel (kitchen spatula may work here, but be careful).

When you have the frets out, have a look at the slots and you'll notice the tang exit points. Don't worry too much if there are small bits of wood that lift with the frets, you can give them a sand and they'll be covered by the new frets. If there are large wood pulls you can glue them down first before sanding smooth. Once you establish the tang exit points, make sure your new fret wire tangs DON'T go back into those same points. Make new entry points for your new fret wire tangs and in that way you will seat the tangs into fresh wood and have a better seating. If you have made sure that the slots are deep enough and the wire is over radiused, you should be be sweet.

...

However if you are struggling to get a caul and clamps together this possible solution is worth a try (or used in conjunction with emoney's suggestion).

...



If I use a drill press to press them in and the glue sets within a few seconds, I should be sweet then?

If I use a drill press to press them in and the glue sets within a few seconds, I should be sweet then?

Yes. if, due to lack of equipment you cannot clamp all of the frets down in position with a long caul (eg long fretboard radius sanding block) and clamps, then this will be a suitable alternative.

Over radius the fret wire, adequately deepen the fret slots, drill press and caul the frets into position with different tang points and hold until glue sets... you should be sweet.

Just be careful with the press not to use too much pressure (you'll get the feel for it after a couple of frets). All good

Thanks for posting this - its one more thing for me to avoid when I do my neck this summer!

Thanks for posting this - its one more thing for me to avoid when I do my neck this summer!

Glad I could help..? :lol:

Im in the process of fretting my first neck as well and having some of the same issues. My question is about the CA glue and what kind of result can I expect when I finish my neck. I put a drop of glue in the fret slot on each end. I then pressed the fret into the slot. Some of the frets pushed out a little glue on each end. I tried to wipe off as much as I could but you can still see it. I plan on spraying with lacquer. Will this cause a discolor?
JB

So today I pulled some of the frets! After a pretty long break since seeing my work (snowed in all last week) I found it didn't look half as bad as I remember :lol: I ended up pulling 11 of 22 frets. I used the soldering iron trick with some small pliers almost identical to the fret pullers StewMac sells. It all went fairly smoothly, with only 3 frets causing a small amount of tearout. Nothing sawdust and glue cant fix!

I found this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlTbblPN2nc) video very useful, and I followed exactly the same method, apart from the fact my iron didn't have a groove filed in the tip. Luckily the soldering iron I used had a dent in it that roughly contoured to the fret crown :cool: . It also didn't get anywhere near as hot as the one in the video did, but I'm not complaining. It means I didn't have any (visible) nasty CA fumes to avoid!

So here' a pic of most of the frets I pulled (When my fret wire arrives I may decide to pull the rest if my results are that much better)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7213/7360320622_0e71d103dd_c.jpg

After exchanging emails with a NZ luthier (who sold me the neck/fretboard wood and fret wire), he mentioned that fret pressing actually works much better on woods like tawa. If only I'd known that before :roll: You rarely figure out how to do something right the first time I suppose :mrgreen:

He also mentioned that when your pressing frets, you shouldn't ever bend the frets as severely as you would when your hammering. You really shouldn't even need to bend them at all. That got me thinking...

So I got my last few bits of fretwire, a clamp, and my wooden radius block and went wild. Here's what happened:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7232/7360319934_ccb06562c7_c.jpg

What's that?! 2 nearly perfectly seated frets?! They just need a light hammer on the ends and a wick of CA and I'll be laughing! It looks like I won't be needing to make any brass cauls now! I don't think I will even need to put glue in the slots till after they're pressed. Hopefully the rest of my slots are in good enough knick for this to work :lol:

FYI, I made sure the tangs didn't go in the old exit points and I pressed each fret separately.

I'm missing out on a double period of Design tomorrow because of a physics field trip which is a PITA... But as long as my fret wire arrives before Friday I should have a completely (and nicely) fretted neck by the end of the week :mrgreen:

Liam--
Sorry for missing your earlier question. "Walking" the frets out means working them out slowly from one end to the other, instead of grabbing one end and just pulling it out with brute force. Looks like you've already mastered the art of fret pulling, though.

Also impressed with the test run you posted the photo of. I have not heard the advice your NZ luthier gave you about different radii (or none at all) for varying fret installation techniques, and cannot think of a rationale for it, BUT--and it's a big BUT--if it works, it's right, and if you've had success following his advice, that's what I'd advise you to do.

If the fretwire you ordered is the same as that which you've already installed, and you're sure about the frets you're leaving in, I wouldn't pull them. But if its different fretwire (wouldn't hurt to measure with a caliper, if you have access to one), you'll probably need to completely re-fret.

Glad things are turning around for you--those two in the picture look pretty good.

Im in the process of fretting my first neck as well and having some of the same issues. My question is about the CA glue and what kind of result can I expect when I finish my neck. I put a drop of glue in the fret slot on each end. I then pressed the fret into the slot. Some of the frets pushed out a little glue on each end. I tried to wipe off as much as I could but you can still see it. I plan on spraying with lacquer. Will this cause a discolor?
JB

By the time you file the ends of the frets, do the finish sanding on them and the edge of your fretboard, and "clean up" the fret ends and side of the fretboard with very fine abrasive, most of the CA glue on the surface will be gone, but if a prominent stain still shows, I'd touch it up with some very fine sandpaper until it's pretty well gone. Rule of thumb is that if you can see it on the raw wood, you'll see it through clear lacquer. (Actually, you'll see MORE--scratches, rough spots, etc--through lacquer.)

Liam--
Sorry for missing your earlier question. "Walking" the frets out means working them out slowly from one end to the other, instead of grabbing one end and just pulling it out with brute force. Looks like you've already mastered the art of fret pulling, though.

Also impressed with the test run you posted the photo of. I have not heard the advice your NZ luthier gave you about different radii (or none at all) for varying fret installation techniques, and cannot think of a rationale for it, BUT--and it's a big BUT--if it works, it's right, and if you've had success following his advice, that's what I'd advise you to do.

If the fretwire you ordered is the same as that which you've already installed, and you're sure about the frets you're leaving in, I wouldn't pull them. But if its different fretwire (wouldn't hurt to measure with a caliper, if you have access to one), you'll probably need to completely re-fret.

Glad things are turning around for you--those two in the picture look pretty good.

Good! That's what I did :mrgreen:

...I have not heard the advice your NZ luthier gave you about different radii (or none at all)...

Oops! That was a mistake on my end. You shouldn't need to OVERbend them at all when pressing! I guess when your hammering over bending helps prevent the ends popping out, but when your pressing you shouldn't have to worry because even pressure is applied to the length of the fret.

The fret wire is definitely the same :)

Thanks :smile:

Awesome effort - good job dude!

Making mistakes can be really positive. They help you learn so much. I bet you'll be itching to build another soon. Good stuff!

Awesome effort - good job dude!

Making mistakes can be really positive. They help you learn so much. I bet you'll be itching to build another soon. Good stuff!

I'm already planning on my build next year :mrgreen:

Jazzmaster with TV Jones filtertrons and a bigsby if I can afford it :cool:

I'm already planning on my build next year :mrgreen:

Jazzmaster with TV Jones filtertrons and a bigsby if I can afford it :cool:



Ahh, the Gretsch guy just jumped up in me and said, "NOW, yer talkin!" :razz::mrgreen::cool:

"Oops! That was a mistake on my end. You shouldn't need to OVERbend them at all when pressing! I guess when your hammering over bending helps prevent the ends popping out, but when your pressing you shouldn't have to worry because even pressure is applied to the length of the fret."

Gotcha. Makes a bit more sense that way!

I'm already planning on my build next year :mrgreen:

Jazzmaster with TV Jones filtertrons and a bigsby if I can afford it :cool:

Does your school have a CNC? If so check out vintage65's challenge thread. (http://www.tdpri.com/forum/2012-tdpri-tele-build-challenge/317920-vintage65s-2012-challenge-build-thread-completed-2.html#post4057320)

A CNC with public school funding? I wish :lol:

Nice save man, lots of kiwis on this forum!!

Have you checked out www.nzguitars.com ?

Stew Mac's book on fretting is really a great book. I read it cover to cover many times and my fretwork turned out the most flawless I have ever played on.:
http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Books,_plans/Building_and_repair:_Fretting/Fret_Work_Step-By-Step.html

Alot of great information free online is there too such as on this link:
http://www.stewmac.com/freeinfo/Fretting.html

I bent my frets in just a bit of a smaller circle than the radius so the ends started first then pressed them with the right radius caul on my drill press. I would change nothing next time. Check out those links. Great stuff. Stewart Macdonald tools rock!!

Nice save man, lots of kiwis on this forum!!

Have you checked out www.nzguitars.com ?

Cheers! There do seem to be quite a few of us here! It must be all that kiwi ingenuity making us great guitar builders :lol: I've been on NZGuitars a few times!

And thanks Toriginal. I've looked at quite a few StewMac guides and they do have some handy tips hidden away!