psw Posted February 6, 2005 Report Share Posted February 6, 2005 Hi Not very active in this part of the forum. When I've finished my sustainer project in the electronics section, I'm going to need a bit of a show pony for it. Since it's a radical device, I thought a reverse headstock strat type. As it happens I've got a "Legend" (made by aria) lefty strat that needs attention. It has a standard oriental (a little narrow for me at the nut end) but quite good maple neck with a rosewood board. Of course it only has 21 frets. I'd like to make it 22 or even angle some kind of extention, angled on the treble and perhaps angle the pickups to match like the bridge pickup. Anyway, been a Gibson man for most of my playing, I'm now hooked on the strats, but I miss that extra fret and what kind of radical guitar these day's doesn't have at least 22! The kind of players who may be interested in this thing probably won't touch any less than that! So what do you guys think...I've got some passable rosewood (probably fake)from some broken classical necks I found oneday...is it possible to make a fretboard extention to add a couple of frets? Anyone done it before, it seems an obvious mod? psw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metalcarver Posted February 6, 2005 Report Share Posted February 6, 2005 If you take a look at the 22 fret bolt on necks, there is an over hang past the heel that holds the 22nd fret. That is, the fretboard overhangs the main part of the neck at the heel. Starting from scratch it'd be no problem but as a retrofit kinda sounds like a headache. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikbojerik Posted February 6, 2005 Report Share Posted February 6, 2005 Bend up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
selmac Posted February 6, 2005 Report Share Posted February 6, 2005 id just add rosewood onto the body of the guitar and fret that. id do like a U around the neck pocket or some kind of bracing out of rosewood and than cut out a section of the pickguard and do that so its a 20 whatever fret instrument using a 21 fret neck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jay5 Posted February 7, 2005 Report Share Posted February 7, 2005 id just add rosewood onto the body of the guitar and fret that. id do like a U around the neck pocket or some kind of bracing out of rosewood and than cut out a section of the pickguard and do that so its a 20 whatever fret instrument using a 21 fret neck That wont work. You're going to be over pickup routs. Youre also gonna have trouble cutting the new fret slots accurately within the existing scale. Getting the new frets to sit level with the old ones is also somthing you will have to overcome. Realisticly I think the best way to do this is to either make a new fretboard with 22 slots or, if you have enough material behind the 20th fret, add a single fret to the existing board. If it were me and I really wanted that extra fret I would do a new fretboard. If you get one pre-slotted and radiused it shouldnt be a huge undertaking. Either way, I think that 21 frets is really all you can expect to get with the neck you are working with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frank falbo Posted February 7, 2005 Report Share Posted February 7, 2005 I've seen it done, and it's not that big a deal. Brad what's his name from night ranger showed me his strat at a NAMM show once. You simply remove the 21st fret, then route away the fretboard from that point on. Then attatch a board extension to that area. You'll have the whole 21st fret area to establish your level surface. On a typical strat neck heel, about half the fret is over the neck area anyway. So you put your extension on, and then recut the 21st fret and cut the 22nd. You should superglue the extension, and you should cut those last two fret slots wide so you aren't hammering the fret in place. The last two frets should be a push-fit with glue holding them in, otherwise you're likely to break up the new extension when you're hammering the frets in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psw Posted February 8, 2005 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2005 Ooops, forgot to track the topic. Thanks for the reply guys, SRV's China Girl solo would'nt be the same without that last note bent out of tune on those 0.13's he used...if only he'd had that extra fret...I know it wouldn't be the same. Thanks frank, thats exactly what I was thinking, perhaps even going back two or three frets to be sure and joining it under a fret slot. A lot more likely to be done than me trying to get the whole fretboard off. If I were that good I would'nt bother with the neck at all and just make one. Anyway, the projects getting there, so I'll need something that suits cheers psw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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