Look what I learned to do!

This isn't news to the pros but I'm pretty proud of myself.

On the liner notes of one of Marcus Millers CD's, there's a closeup of his ash Jazz with the bound neck. The frets were dressed round this way. I hadn't ever seen that before - usually it was just a variation on the rounded slope. Then when I stumbled onto John Pearses site, he had a mention of how he accomplished the effect by rounding the fret ends before installing them in the slots. Undaunted I started goofing around with a neck here in the shop and figured out that I could do it pretty easily right on the instrument with just a flat file. It doesn't take that long so I think I'll just incorporate it into all of my fretwork when I can.

It really feels good.

Invalid Link Removed

tjclem said:

where is the photo and the close up and the link how it was done very interested!!!......t

Click to expand...

Here's a closeup:

Invalid Link Removed


Trevorus has the basic idea. I use a flat file that has the cutting surface removed on one edge. I mask the neck then file. My first cuts are to establish the round contour as seen from the top of the fretboard looking down. Then I begin to roll over the end of the fret by making the same rounding movement but rolling the handle of the file between my fingers so that it pitches over the top of the fret as it is guided around to the end. I work almost exclusively with my right hand so I have to be careful to match the profiles between the forward and trailing sides of the fret. Once the general shape is attained, I polish off the file marks with some dry 1500 grit paper then polish with 000 and 0000 steel wool. When I'm done, there is sometimes a small bit of "foil" left over at the very edges of the fret ends. I remove this with a flick of an X-acto knife and it's done. BTW, I gauge how much polishing to do on each fret by how much wear I put on the masking between the frets. The individual fret is done when the masking just begins to break away and show a little fretboard underneath.

Here's a good illustrated link for the rounding...

http://www.members.shaw.ca/wilkatguitars/git_tips4.htm

and you can just download the pics from the gallery here at TB. Just copy and paste them from any of the sizes you can view there.