Robert Posted July 20, 2007 Report Share Posted July 20, 2007 I am going to do my first fret job on a guitar I am building. I am building a neck jig clone and a fret miter box. First is familiar to most or all of you. Second is the first generation one by Luthiers Merch. So the questions. Do I have the right sequence for fretting and dressing? This is a bolt on neck for a P Bass Radius sand the fretboard Cut the fret slots...I and using matching curved guides for the fret saw...ie 7.25"..I am thinking I should do this to not show overly deep fret slots Taper the board Using guide pins glue the board Press in frets..I have an arbor press and a fret caul from Stew Mac Cut and install the nut Mount the neck on a psuedo body on the neck jig String and tune Adjust the truss rod for correct relief....Numbers anyone?? Restring and retune... Adjust jig for this position Level the frets using a fret rocker Destring and detension neck from jig Recrown tops and dress ends of frets Polish frets Admire a job well done with at least one cold one Also can anyone help me with a color question. I am using swamp/southern ash for the body and need a sorta formula to tint the finish to Fender Butterscotch Blonde. I am going to use Trans Tint Vintage Amber and Red Mahogany to start and located a Fender PBass in Butterscotch I can match. I will be using epoxy silica filler. Then either a couple coats of KTM-9 and the one or more coats of alcohol/tint and another clear coat. If needed more alcohol/tint and the rest of the clear coats to get the prescribed 10 coats. Or I may just tint the first couple coats. Suggestions??? I will be getting the KTM-9 next week and have a bunch of scrap Swamp Ash to try. Thanks for any help... Robert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapbarstrat Posted July 20, 2007 Report Share Posted July 20, 2007 Adjust the truss rod for correct relief....Numbers anyone?? Restring and retune... Usually you adjust the neck as straight as possible. No need to restring, because you should have left the strings on. Maybe you meant * retune*. Yes, you would retune. Neck Jig video is only $5.00 (contains at least $25.00 worth of info, and gives a fairly good run-down of the steps Dan goes through with a neck-jig fret job) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwedishLuthier Posted July 21, 2007 Report Share Posted July 21, 2007 I find some things I disagree with. The fret rocker is not for levelling the frets. It’s for finding uneven frets. I use a looong aluminium beam with 320 grit wetndry attached to it. And the order of fret slot cutting/tapering/radius is a personal thing and you will get different answers from everyone here. This is the order I do things: Radius sand the fretboard Cut the fret slots Taper the board Glue the board Press in frets. Cut of frets extending out of the fret slots. File fluch with side of fret board File a 30 degree angle (or your choice) to the fret crowns. Rough-cut and install the nut Mount the neck on a pseudo body on the neck jig String and tune Adjust the truss rod for a dead flat fretboard measuring the board and not the fret tops. Tune Final adjustments of the nut slot depths Tune Take notes on all measurements on the dial(s) De-string Adjust jig to the recorded measurements Check that board is still straight Level the frets using your chosen method Recrown tops and dress ends of frets Polish frets String Play and enjoy (and have one for me too) Don’t think I have missed something (but I probably have) And Soapbar is right about the video. Money well spent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fryovanni Posted July 21, 2007 Report Share Posted July 21, 2007 For me a critical moment is after the fretboard is tapered, radiused, and attached to the neck. Set the neck dead straight at this point and get the freboard surface DEAD ON. Your frets when properly seated will be extreamly close to dead level if you get that freboard correct, and clean your slots well. If you take a few minutes and extra care at this point you will be miles ahead and will require very little leveling adjustments(or seating adjustments). Frets seat on the fretboard, and given your fretwire is made accurately you will need no further adjustment to level the frets(how well you seat the frets and level the board is key). The perfect fret job would require no leveling period(or the absolute minimum), you can gauge how good you are getting by how much leveling you do.. Peace,Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Posted July 21, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 21, 2007 Thanks for the sequence. Next order to Stew Mac includes that video. Now I have to find a VCR. I seem to have retired mine looooong ago. Robert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapbarstrat Posted July 22, 2007 Report Share Posted July 22, 2007 (edited) If StewMac can't put the damn thing on CD or DVD , then I don't feel sorry for them if people get DVD copies from other sources. They are slowly putting more of their VHS stuff onto DVD, so maybe the jig video will be too. Edited July 22, 2007 by soapbarstrat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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