What's On Your Workbench?

[TerribleTim68]

Oh, @dwizum, I'd be glad to share the link to my Fret2Find layout that I ended up using if you want.
I'd just have to go dig for it. I think I posted it in my build thread but I know I have an email somewhere (yes, I emailed the link to myself, don't you email yourself?).

 

[the baint]

So here's the fun part, Fret2Find can't do that. The perpendicular fret has to be a fret. Or, at least I couldn't figure out how to place it between two frets using that tool. So I just placed it on the 8th fret, that was my compromise. So mine is a tiny bit off from a Dingwall.....to avoid copywrite.....yeah.....that's why I did that.

Hope that helps.

I suppose you could do 44 frets and make the "15th" fret the perpendicular one, but only actually MAKE the even numbered frets...

 

[TerribleTim68]

I suppose you could do 44 frets and make the "15th" fret the perpendicular one, but only actually MAKE the even numbered frets...

Yeah, I don't know that you'd ever get there exactly as Dingwall does it, because like he said "it's somewhere between the 7th and 8th fret" but he never said where. I looked at photos for a long time and it seems like it's probably closer to the 8th fret than the 7th, but not exactly centered between the two. It's just kind of "around there...."
I've also looked at video of Dingwall's fret slot cutting jig, amazingly brilliant! But not something I could ever replicate without $$$ and a machine shop.

 

[Slidlow]

It should not be too difficult to position the 7th and 8th to make the perpendicular in between and then use those as datum points to measure up and down the fretboard to mark out the rest if you want to mimic Dingwall.

 

[Jeff Siddall]

Actually, you can put the perpendicular distance anywhere, including between frets, with FretFind2D. Just have a look at the help for the "perpendicular fret distance" setting.

Also, if you look at the difference it makes to move it a small distance you come to the conclusion there isn't a large difference either way. I am not convinced there really is one "right" place that works for everyone so wherever you end up putting it might actually be perfect for you.

 

[Beej]

@Jeff Siddall nailed it, but the new version of FretFind does not locate the perpendicular line on a particular fret - you can locate it at any distance.

 

[Sheldon D.]

Yeah, I don't know that you'd ever get there exactly as Dingwall does it, because like he said "it's somewhere between the 7th and 8th fret" but he never said where. I looked at photos for a long time and it seems like it's probably closer to the 8th fret than the 7th, but not exactly centered between the two. It's just kind of "around there...."
I've also looked at video of Dingwall's fret slot cutting jig, amazingly brilliant! But not something I could ever replicate without $$$ and a machine shop.

We started with the 7th fret being perpendicular. Tooled up for that. Later when we widened the string spacing at the bridge it required re-doing the fret angles. There was a lot of tooling that depended on the nut angle. So to avoid having to re-do all of that tooling, the nut angle became the new standardized datum and the fret angles were adjusted to where they needed to be without concern for the perpendicular fret.

 

[TerribleTim68]

Interesting @Sheldon D. and thanks for chiming in! I'm always amazed at who is "watching".

 

[RichterScale]

Pardon my ignorance, but is the whole fan fret thing mostly a cool factor, or is there some advantage that warrants all the work?

 

[Jeff Siddall]

There are a few reasons, but the primary one is to get a longer, and thus tighter, top string to help with tone and feel while keeping the instrument easy to play.

 

[TerribleTim68]

I'll just direct you to this....
History of the Fan Frets

 

[Beej]

I'll just direct you to this....
History of the Fan Frets

And if you want to get really granular... look up Novak's patent some day and see how it's laid out. Then try to build one according to the math... and discover that it doesn't / won't / can't work. But thankfully, they aren't built according to the math. Our own @pilotjones once described it in that special detail that engineers possess.

 

[MonetBass]

Pardon my ignorance, but is the whole fan fret thing mostly a cool factor, or is there some advantage that warrants all the work?

Check out the inside of a piano to understand the concept:

 

[RichterScale]

Looks scary in there

 

[Fat Freddy]

Check out the inside of a piano to understand the concept:
View attachment 4190703

Advanced cheese slicer....

 

[dwizum]

I think I saw a youtube video where Davey was slapping one of those.

 

[wraub]

The guitar I have posted here previously just got a major pickup upgrade so has taken a turn...
I think I may want to direct mount the pickups, but I'm undecided. This guitar has had some work done previously that complicates that.
Is the FU-Tone PMS the only thing on the market to ease doing this? It seems awfully spendy, but if it's the only one that would explain why.

edit-wondering if a pickup baseplate might work...

If anyone here can fab up something similar for less expensive, please let me know.

If I don't direct mount the pickups, they'll go in a pickguard without rings.

 

[Beej]

On my bench (er... dining room table), some Gotoh custom machine heads for a guitar I'm doing. They are like jewelry. The factory orders take a couple of months, but it's nice to be able to order the exact combination needed.

 

[/\/\3phist0]

Walnut Jazz contouring

Hand shape guitar saddle from blank.

 

[Jeff Siddall]

That's a serious countour!