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  • Crappy necks sitting around?

    I just did my first fet job, and actually enjoyed it. If anyone has some crappy necks laying around that need work, send me a PM. I'm looking for guinea pigs to continue to practice and learn on.

  • #2
    Define "did".. Level, crown, and polish? Or a refret? I've done some L/C/P and feel pretty good about it. I'm looking at trying my first refret now as I have an Ovation that needs at least the first 5 frets replaced. Gonna try it out the twisted Starcaster neck I got from Trem to practice fretwork with.
    Every man dies... Not every man really lives!!

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    • #3
      Why try on a twisted neck? Seems counter productive.
      Re fret a straight neck and use it.
      My first re fret was on a Kramer beak head neck came out great and I didn't all the time and effort.
      My second was a heritage 80 Les Paul it came out great too.
      Last edited by straycat; 10-06-2012, 01:28 AM.
      Really? well screw Mark Twain.

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      • #4
        Originally posted by straycat View Post
        My second was a heritage 80 Les Paul it came out great too.
        Were you able to save the nibs?

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        • #5
          Originally posted by warlok View Post
          Define "did".. Level, crown, and polish? Or a refret? I've done some L/C/P and feel pretty good about it. I'm looking at trying my first refret now as I have an Ovation that needs at least the first 5 frets replaced. Gonna try it out the twisted Starcaster neck I got from Trem to practice fretwork with.
          He was looking for a Fusion neck a liitle while back and I had a Charvette neck that would fit so I gave it to him but it needed the frets redressed at a minimum so I'm guessing a redress. Not sure though. I'm just glad he is able to use it.
          I want to go out nice and peaceful in my sleep like my grandfather, not screaming and hollering like the passengers in his car.

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          • #6
            I got a neck that needed some love, so instead of just doing a few frets, I replaced them all. Gave it a complete fret replacement, crown, level and polish. Sanded the board and oiled it up.

            Who ever said anything about a twisted neck?

            Tomanyjacksons hooked me up with a neck that I worked on, and had a blast working on it. I'm simply asking if anyone else had necks sitting around that need work, that they possibly don't have time for.

            Thanks again tomany, if it fits, it's gonna be sweet.

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            • #7
              Originally posted by rdamaral View Post
              Who ever said anything about a twisted neck?
              Me.. (in my post above). I have a neck with a bit of twist that I practice stuff on as my guinea pig.. But as pointed out by straycat, kinda pointless to try this on a useless neck. It doesn't seem like that hard a job to do.
              Every man dies... Not every man really lives!!

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              • #8
                good to practice on. Like I said, doing the fret job was interesting. Now that I've collected, and made, the tools to do it easily, I'd like to do it again. I'm trolling eBay for cheap necks, but they must be made of gold, cuz they are expensive.

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                • #9
                  Just curious as I'm about to grab some tools and try it out.. Where did you get the tools? Use a press/caul or hammer the frets in? Any issues or tips to help the next guy (me..)??
                  Every man dies... Not every man really lives!!

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                  • #10
                    I bought a cheap pair of nips, and ground them flat. I bought a fret hammer, but I used a regular hammer cuz I am impatient and didn't wait for it to be delivered.

                    Go slow, and take your time. Pull the old frets slowly and carefully. Let them come out slowly, don't pull on them.

                    Buy the largest frets you can find, it will help to cover the chips that will happen. Bend them in a tight curve before you tap them back in. The curve has to be tighter than the radius on the board. Tap gently, it doesn't take too much effort.


                    I ended up glueing my frets in, the slots were too big. That is a whole other lesson....

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                    • #11
                      Only over-radius frets if they are NOT stainless steel, from what I've been told.

                      Congrats though, I intend to learn fretting this next year. I've got some tools on my Christmas list for my girlfriend. I've got a crappy Les Paul copy I intend to practice on, once I'm happy with that I'll do some other cheap guitars before being ready to do my own.
                      Last edited by SausageofPower; 10-09-2012, 08:21 AM.

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                      • #12
                        I would also recommend sanding the board after the frets are out. Do this over a clean piece of paper. And save the dust. You might need it to fill defects that happen when the frets come out.

                        I didn't fill anything yet. I wasn't comfortable doing that yet, but I only had minimal chipping that was visible under the new frets.

                        And buy a bunch of sticky masking tape. It will be your friend when you start going buck wild with the files and sandpaper, trust me.

                        Oh, and watch Sully's videos. He had a great tip about bundling up business cards and making a vertical sanding block. I showed that trick to a luthier buddy of mine and he thought I was crazy. But it worked out awesome.

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                        • #13
                          A few thoughts:

                          1. Don't use a standard hammer; use a fret hammer if you choose to hammer them in. I press frets in with my drill press and the fret caul. Works great.
                          2. Chips are easily avoided by heating up the fret with a soldering iron before you pull them. Like this:



                          3. Don't get heavy-tack masking tape; the blue painter's tape is sufficient. You can run into issues like finish pulling from the tape being too aggressive. More of a vintage instrument concern, but it's worth remembering.
                          4. The business card sanding block was something I got from Kevin Easton; it's not intended to do all of the crowning work for you, but it'll help get you rounded over again.
                          5. Definitely don't over-radius stainless wire, and honestly, don't install it unless you can press them in. There's no way I'd hammer that stuff in.

                          Fretwork isn't the most challenging process in the world, but it takes a while to get the hang of it and get good at it.

                          Sully
                          Sully Guitars - Built by Rock & Roll
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                          • #14
                            See Sully? I paid attention to your tips.

                            Now to invest in the tools and actually apply it...

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                            • #15
                              I once used a chisel to lift some frets off a LP copy. Man what a mess. Cracked and chipped binding and chipped rosewood board.

                              Played great afterwards though. Then one day for no reason at all there was a bang and the headstock snapped off for no reason whilst it was lent against a wall.

                              Still at least I know that Rosewood can chip easy.
                              You can't really be jealous of something you can't fathom.

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