Attaching a Fret Board
by Kevan Geier
| Stuff you'll need: | •C-Clamps (at least 3) They can be purchased at Home Depot for about $2 each. |
| •Zip Ties. This is mainly a personal thing, but they're handy around the rest of the house too. | |
| •Wood Shims. These are mainly used for shimming doors and the like, but work good for a lot of guitar projects. They're nice and thin and cut easily. About $2 for a bag of 20. | |
| •Dikes. These are only for trimming the ends on the zip ties and for removing them when all is said and done. | |
| •Wood Glue. Don't get super-glue, or anything else. Get a really nice bottle of GOOD wood glue. (For all you Harmony Central writers, Elmers White is NOT good wood glue. Save that for your construction paper projects with Ms. Wilson after recess.) | |
| •Masking Tape. The wider the better. Use it liberally. | |
| •Sanding sponge. I love these things. Most come with two grits (one on each side). Get a medium grit one. | |
| •Scotchbrite pad. I love these things too. It will smooth out wood, but leave it rough enough for a good glue-to-wood stick factor. |
Some notes prior to getting started
This project is a bit different than a standard fretboard removal. How?
1. I didn't need to save the "under the nut" section of rosewood from the vine inlayed neck...because it was going on a guitar with a standard nut already attached.
2. I removed the entire vine fretboard, INCLUDING the under-the-nut section. I will add a chunk of rosewood to the S-series neck after I apply the fretboard. This will be nice because instead of shimming, I can lightly sand under the nut for perfect height and keep some of that wood tone.
3. The little bit of "extra" wood at the end of the fretboard on the JEM necks (underneath to support those last few frets) will be removed and attached on the new neck. I'll use a Dremel cutting tool AFTER the swap is complete and attach it. A tiny bit of maple filler may be used to get the length correct.
Prior to getting going, I'd like to mention that it's a good idea to tape up the headstock and/or any other parts of the guitar that will be visible when complete. You might ding it or have a zip tie edge slip and scrape the edge, or a clamp move and slide across the back of the neck....it's just for your own piece of mind. I didn't tape the headstock this time purely because it's the example today. Do yourself a favor and waste the tape. It's inexpensive, but the value is immeasurable.
Go get your fretboard. While supporting the face of it (BARELY any pressure at all), sand it down with the sanding sponge. Be sure to "curl up" the sides of the sponge. Otherwise, you'll have rounded inner-edges on your fretboard. That would be bad. You need a fairly rough surface on the bottom of the board. You want the glue to have some nooks and crannies to get into to adhere; smooth isn't so good in this case. Don't go above 400 grit. Sand the face of the neck too. Don't forget to curl the sponge a bit so you don't dull the edges of the neck. Run the Scotchbrite pad over it a few times as well.
Note: As tempting as it is, don't pull the truss rod out. More than likely, it's glued or seated in there. Just leave it UN-tightened and in the channel. Please. Thank you.
Now that the board and neck are prepped, let's do a dry run. Get your shims, clamps, and that roll of tape. Lay the neck face down on your T-shirt. Run two (or three, or four, or ten) strips of tape down the ENTIRE length of the back of the neck. This keeps glue, sweat, clamps, shims, etc. from actually touching the back of the neck. You can tape the back of the headstock too; just in case.
Now, let's get to making that "sandwich".
Flip the neck over. Go get the fretboard. Place the fretboard on the neck in it's main position. Place a shim on the top of the fretboard. Now, get another shim, and add it directly opposite the top shim onto the back of the neck. Grab a healthy strip of masking tape, and tape this "sandwich" together. If you're looking at it from the side, it should go (top to bottom): -Shim -Fretboard -Neck -Shim ...and there should be a piece of tape holding this all together for inspection.
I use the shims to work together- they're triangular shape helps when you want to "overlap" them and apply pressure over a large area. Utilize that option on the TOP section of the board only. On the back of the neck, try to just use them singly- they flex better around the curve of the neck, head joint, heel joint, etc., and there's less chance of denting because of too much pressure from the clamp. If you're so inclined, break the shims in half and only use the thinnest part on the back of the neck. This will get you a nice curve, and lower your chances of denting the back.
Grab your C-clamps and space them appropriately/evenly along the length of the neck. You don't need to measure and get exact distances; just use your eyes. Set the first clamp in place and make sure it's snugging up the "sandwich" we've created. DO NOT tighten the clamps at this point; you only want them tight enough so that the C-clamps don't slip off if you lift the neck up. Don't go any tighter...yet. Just get the approximate size needed, and give it a half-turn more to snug it up. You're still only testing now. Go down the neck and snug up the other parts of the "sandwich".
Measure twice; cut once.
Now that we've got a nice looking hero sandwich going, grab a handful of zip ties. These are just that little bit extra so you can sleep that night. I usually place a zip tie every 2 frets, and one specifically for the nut area. They're not as good as 10 more clamps, but...they're cheap and can do a lot in a tiny space. Count out as many as you need, and grab a few extra just in case. Keep them close by (back pocket).
Remember your placement of the shims along the board and the back of the neck. Remove the clamps and the tape holding your "sandwich" together. Go get your wood glue.
Now, for this, you're gonna have to work quickly because glue is drying while you're getting things together. If you've prepared your shims and clamps, this shouldn't take very long. Lay the neck flat on your work surface. Spread a nice bead of glue around the edges, the inside, along the trussrod, and specifically, at the base of the nut and the end of the neck. Use your finger to smear it around and get a nice full area of coverage. Don't leave any wood bare- it should all have some glue on it. Take your fretboard (no glue on the back of the fretboard; you can if you want, but it'll just get squeezed out) and place it about 1/2" away from the nut. Put the shims back in their places (top and bottom), and "snug up" the clamp closest to the nut- Not too tight- we're gonna slide the fretboard up- and do the zip ties and other clamps in a minute...
With the clamps BARELY on, push (with your fingers/hand) the fretboard toward the nut. This should spread the glue under the board (covering possible missed spots) and get you a nice solid grip at the nut. Some glue may squeeze out from the sides and top of the nut area- just remove it with your finger for now (we can clean it up later).
Ok- so your board is on, and snuggled up against the nut. Make sure it's ALIGNED! This is SO important. You can line it up with your eyes, or use the edge of your fingernail to see if they match up. You'll be sanding the edges a little later on, but for now, get the board lined up as best you can.
Yank the zip ties from your back pocket and attach them (evenly, every 2 or 3 frets) between the clamps. Try to get the locking part of the tie under a section of shim; away from back or edge of the neck, or the face of the fretboard- they're pretty tough and can dent wood. Be careful. Also, I use a zip tie right at the nut area. The first shim is "backed away" enough for me to get a tie under there, and I can put the locking part on top of the shim (on the back of the neck) for safety.
This one I consider very important. Get the zip ties nice and tight, but only by hand! DO NOT use pliers or anything else to get them tighter. You can, however, use the dykes to nip off the stringy ends what will, in time, poke you where you don't want to be poked. Plus, I think it looks more professional. LOL
When you're sure it's aligned, get to clamping.
With the clamps, I usually start at the nut end, and work my way down, but it really doesn't matter. What does matter is that you don't clamp TOO hard. This is a tough one to describe, but just get the clamps on "good and tight". If you're denting the shims, you might be a bit heavy on the hand...and can back them off a touch. If a shim falls out when you pick up the neck, go tighter. When you see glue squeezing out the sides, you're on the right track. Try to use your best judgement on how "tight" tight really is.
Continually check the board alignment as you tighten each clamp.
You're glued. Let it sit at the VERY LEAST overnight (8-10 hours) and let that glue dry. I like for my neck to sit for 2-3 DAYS before I do anything else to it. I want that glue to be good and dry. The longer it sits, the drier it gets.
I think that's enough for now.