Bizarre Question

[Ace]

Re: Bizarre Question

Fretting and inlay work is NOT something I would experiment with on a guitar with "sentimental value". If you plan on tryng to make a career, or even a serious hobby out of guitar repair, I would start off with necks that you don't care about. If you only ever plan on doing one, I would have someone else do it.

[Outlaw]

Re: Bizarre Question

I understand the risks involved with doing this myself, and I willing to take them. I won't actually be undertaking this project until I have a second RR, which just so happens to be a Jackson PS series, so that will become my main axe while the other guitar is "in the shop".
I wouldn't say I'm a "newbie" to woodworking, so I have great confidence in actually doing a lot of things myself. The reason I wanted an already fretted and inlayed fretboard is...well, I'm lazy [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

The fretting seems pretty straight forward with the right tools. That "Jaw" vice grip fret press and Fret Cutter..possibly a Fret Tang Nipper if I want to get fancy and add binding to the fretboard, which I just might if the coin is there for it.
It's the inlays I might have a slight problem with, and you're right, that's not something to experiment with on the guitar, so I would do a few "samples" on scrap wood until I got the idea behind it.
I live by the woodworkers "code"..measure 2-3 times, cut once [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]
Oh yeah, thought I might add this to get you guys really "worried" [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] In the next couple weeks, I will be equipping this axe with a OFR. It has a weird stock tremolo right now, so it's not like it's major routing work or anything.
I'll also be adding pinstripping, but that's easy easy stuff. [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[sambencuda]

Re: Bizarre Question

[ QUOTE ]
The fretting seems pretty straight forward with the right tools. That "Jaw" vice grip fret press and Fret Cutter..possibly a Fret Tang Nipper if I want to get fancy and add binding to the fretboard, which I just might if the coin is there for it.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thats just the begining. You'll probably have to level the frets after you insall them. That requires a little more experience. Also, you can't use the "Jaws" fret clamp on the upper frets of a neck thu. You would have to hammer those in the traditional way unless you are doing the epoxy method, but thats a whole other story.

Fret work is not for the faint of heart, but hey, you have to start somewhere! I would try it on a junk neck first.

Good luck.

[Outlaw]

Re: Bizarre Question

About how much would a fret level cost me? I might get a tech to do it and sit in and watch how he does it, for next time.
What's the epoxy method?

[sambencuda]

Re: Bizarre Question

The epoxy method is when the fret slot is a opened a little wider then a traditional fret job. In a traditional fret job, the fret tangs grab into the wood of the fret board within the slots. With the epoxy method the fret tangs actually grab into the epoxy that fills the slot instead of the wood. It's supposed to be an easier method. Some feel it affects tone, others don't.

As far as the cost for a fret level, it depends on where you take it. should be about 60 - 80 bucks.

Good luck. Keep us posted on your progress.