slotting an existing neck

uethanian · #1 02-06-2008, 10:08 PM

sorry i think i've posted this before, but this time i can acquire a bass to do it to, rather than just thinking about it. if that makes sense.

i want to slot and fret a finished neck. why? microtonal work. so obviously, this involves defretting, filling in the slots, leveling, all stuff i can do. its putting in new slots thats difficult. right now the only fretting tool i have is the slotting saw from stewmac. i thought perhaps, i could tape the neck to a plank, and then put that plank thru a miter box to get straight cuts. but it seems iffy to me. does anyone have any advice? please?

SDB Guitars · #2 02-06-2008, 10:50 PM

Get the hand fret saw from Stew-Mac or LMII, and whichever radius sanding block matches your fretboard. Clamp the sanding block so that it follows the centerline of the neck, and use the edge as a guide for cutting your slots (make sure that the edge is perpendicular to your neck's centerline). Unclamp and move the block along the neck to each fret point, and keep your saw flush against it. Clamping a block guide is how I cut multi-scale fingerboards (I have no means of power-slotting them).

Yeah, the picture is tiny, I know...

Nelson Guitars · #3 02-06-2008, 11:31 PM

Seems like less trouble to me to just remove the old FB and put on a new one with the frets where you want them. Far easier to get the frets right on a board that has not been tapered or installed yet. Much more solid too without all the filling in.

I like Sean's idea though. You could even make a small jig that slides along the tapered side of the neck that would hold the saw in the proper and consistent orientation.

Greg N

uethanian · #4 02-08-2008, 07:34 PM

that thing with the clamping block sounds more feasible than using a miter box...but its sure annoying, i bought one of those depth guides for the saw, and i dont think i'll ever get to use it. i think i'll just sand the fretboard flat to make things easier. the hard part will be getting the cuts straight.

i've had bad experiences removing fretboards...its something i'd like to do eventually, when i'm really serious about the project, but i dont have the means of making a new one right now.

if the saw blade is .23," do u use .24" or .22" binding to fill the slots?

i figure some of the new slots may overlap the old...the octave, fifth, and seventh for sure. does it work ok to cut slots into the binding filler? maybe i'll put them in with some epoxy...i just dont know any more...