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| Another Guitar, Jerry? |
Santa got me a super fun gift that I'm starting to build this weekend.
...I need another guitar like I need a hole in the head - but does it count if some assembly is required...? Thank you to Lisa for the present.
It's been a while since I've built an instrument - so I am a bit rusty.
Therefore, I'll be following the directions on this build (it's a kit after all - so R.T.F.M.).
The instructions recommend starting with the frets - which needed a bit of a haircut.
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| I mean, I did buy all of these tools. Might as well use them... |
Step one is to file the frets flush with the neck. As with all things guitar - there's a tool for that. This is a double-sided fret file. The first side has a metal file that shaves down the frets evenly at a 90 degree angle.
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| At what point is "too many" actually too many? |
Step two: The other side has an angled metal file to put a "ramp" on the fret ends. I believe this is at a 30 degree angle. This will make it easier to "dress" the frets in step three.
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| It would be a shame to just let all those specialized tools rust... |
Now the frets aren't poking out of the neck. Which means I'll have fewer cuts on my hands. Which is nice.
I'll need to check these frets at the end of the home-heating season to see if the wood contracted any more. The lower humidity indoors in the Winter causes the wood to shrink.
The joys of living in New England - soupy in the Summer and arid in the Winter - means that "fret sprout" is a thing. Which is a bit of a misnomer - as the frets aren't moving. The wood is expanding and contracting around them.
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| Ladies and gentlemen - I give you the iPhone Macro Mode |
You may be able to see that there are still hard (read sharp) edges on the ends of the frets - so now I need to dress them with another special file (Yay! Expensive specialty tools!).
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| Small - but mighty! |
Please welcome the smallest file in the tool bag - the Fret Dressing file. Its job is to round off any edges left over from the first files. It's fiddly work but important if you don't want to cut your hands every time you play the instrument.
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| ...what old people do... |
My favorite part about this file (yes, I have a favorite part - I'm old now. This is what old people do...). Ahem, my favorite part about this file is the rounded bottom - which prevents the file from scratching the wood up as you work on the frets.
Now that the fret ends are silky-smooth it is time to work on the fret height.
Enter the Fret Rocker...
