Snuggles Posted January 3, 2007 Report Share Posted January 3, 2007 Hello! Newbie here with a (proboly) stupid question... I read this at musiciansfriend.com: The Strat®'s new neck shape with rolled edges enhances playability and comfort on those all-night gigs. So... what's rolled edges? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doeringer Posted January 3, 2007 Report Share Posted January 3, 2007 Welcome Snuggles... That is where the top edge of the fretboard is slightly (just the very edge) rounded (rolled) or scraped for a more comfortable feel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted January 3, 2007 Report Share Posted January 3, 2007 i do something of the sort on my guitars...after i bevel the fret ends i run a sanding sponge up and down the length of the fretboard right at the same degree as the bevels...it smooths up the bevels and takes the sharp corner off the fretboard...makes it just feel nicer. only takes about an extra 2 minutes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bainzy Posted January 3, 2007 Report Share Posted January 3, 2007 (edited) It actually makes the neck feel so much more comfortable than you expect - I've done it on a Warmoth neck after buying it, and my Fender Strat (american series) came that way. From the feel of the Fender's neck, it feels like they made the neck a little wider than usual, and used this extra width to help shape the rounded edges - thus avoiding having to make the fretboard thinner. Edited January 3, 2007 by Bainzy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted January 3, 2007 Report Share Posted January 3, 2007 it doesn't actually make the fretboard thinner...the playing surface is still the same,it's just the wood itself that is smoothed a bit. makes it feel like a well broken in guitar,without all the scratches and dings Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snuggles Posted January 4, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2007 Thank you! I think I understand. It's the wood between the metal frets that are rounded a little? I read somwhere (jemsite I think) a guy that rounded the edge with the whammybar, would that work? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goat Posted January 4, 2007 Report Share Posted January 4, 2007 Thank you! I think I understand. It's the wood between the metal frets that are rounded a little? I read somwhere (jemsite I think) a guy that rounded the edge with the whammybar, would that work? It`s the corner ,where if the guitar is laying on your bench,the face of the fretboard meets the side of your neck,from the nut down to the body,both sides of the guitar neck.Not face and back.You will be rounding the EDGES of the fretboard(It would be all trim getting rounded if you have a border).and the ENDS of each fret.Not the wood on the face inbetween. Think like the edge of a countertop or table. Your quote above sounds to me like you are describing scalloping. There is a tutoral somewhere on how to do`The rolled edges `(Like Wes described) that edges your frets at the same time.It`s like an angled block that holds a file that puts a uniform bevel on all the frets.Then the sanding sponge.I believe it is on the Jemsite.I also use that method. I did it to a OLP Stingray copy and used that bass for several years.It fealt awesome. (Sorry if my description is confusing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwedishLuthier Posted January 4, 2007 Report Share Posted January 4, 2007 I have read somewhere that the name comes from the fender way of doing it. In the custom shop they take a standard round shafted screwdriver and “drag” (or roll, hence the name) the shaft against the edge. They don’t sand any wood away. More like compressing the edge wood down between the frets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickguard Posted January 4, 2007 Report Share Posted January 4, 2007 More like compressing the edge wood down between the frets. Which makes sense...isn't the 'rolled' edge supposed to simulate what happens to a maple (or any?) neck after it's been played for many years? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregP Posted January 4, 2007 Report Share Posted January 4, 2007 The fret ends are also 'rolled' though. There used to be a good Godin factory video showing how they did it with a huge sanding machine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
postal Posted January 8, 2007 Report Share Posted January 8, 2007 There are 2 ways fender does this, and it has nothing to do with a screwdriver. 1- Fender MIA line....after fretting, the edges are scraped rounded with a razorblade. Go back and forth all the way up to the fret. Change the angle of the razor on each pass to get a rounded edge. 2- Fender custom shop.... after fretting the fret ends are carefully shaped with a file, then they use a buffing machine which has "scotchbright" abrasive pads on it- similar to dishwashing pads.... they run the fretboard edge back and forth over these wheels which smooths the fret edge more, and rounds over the edge of the fretboard at the same time. 3- if you have binding, the edge is carefully shaped with a razor scraping it to shape, and you need to spend a great deal of time dressing the fret ends with sandpaper/files. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted January 8, 2007 Report Share Posted January 8, 2007 seriously..the sanding sponge takes care of all of it at the same time...it is ridiculously easy and the end product is exactly the same.usin a razorblade is asking for it to bite into the wood.the pads are much safer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hydrogeoman Posted January 8, 2007 Report Share Posted January 8, 2007 seriously..the sanding sponge takes care of all of it at the same time...it is ridiculously easy and the end product is exactly the same.usin a razorblade is asking for it to bite into the wood.the pads are much safer +1 Just look at Brian's tutorial. This method is so easy and the results are excellent. Brian's "Fretting Simplified" tutorial Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goat Posted January 8, 2007 Report Share Posted January 8, 2007 +1 Just look at Brian's tutorial. This method is so easy and the results are excellent. Brian's "Fretting Simplified" tutorial That`s the one I was talkin` about,Good find ! There is a tutoral somewhere on how to do`The rolled edges `(Like Wes described) that edges your frets at the same time.It`s like an angled block that holds a file that puts a uniform bevel on all the frets.Then the sanding sponge.I believe it is on the Jemsite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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