Replacing frets on guitar with extremely thin fretboard

[Open lane]

Hi. I recently aquired an ibanez rgew. The depth of the actual fretboard is a mystery due to binding. Wondering if it is paper thin.

If a fretboard is really thin (which at this point i cannot really tell) would that create any issues if i switch to SS frets later down the line or not really?

[Adieu]

Re: Replacing frets on guitar with extremely thin fretboard

Its probably same thickness as binding, its kinda a pain to build it differently and probably not worth it.

If it is a bolt on 24 fret, take it apart and see, the fretboard is an overhang design right???

PS binding is supposed to make refrets kinda a pain to do neatly, though

[Open lane]

Re: Replacing frets on guitar with extremely thin fretboard

if it were a thin fb, would that make a refret hard? The top of the body is def a veneer and rhe binding creates an illusion of a thicker cap

[AlexR]

Re: Replacing frets on guitar with extremely thin fretboard

Bodies have paper thin veneers for cosmetics. The same has never been done to a fretboard........due to the wear/splinters effect.
Irrespective of how thin the fretboard is, which will typically be slightly deeper even at the edges than the fret slot - the job remains the same......cut a slot and press in a fret. If you have frets in there now then the slots are most probably deep enough, its simply a matter of cleaning them out. The only danger would occur if you had severe finger divots in the fretboard you wanted to remove, or there is a twist to get out - both needing re-profiling work.

[Adieu]

Re: Replacing frets on guitar with extremely thin fretboard

if it were a thin fb, would that make a refret hard? The top of the body is def a veneer and rhe binding creates an illusion of a thicker cap

Body veneers are thin because pretty-figured wood is rare (and has no function except look pretty)...or actually, not even so much rare as tedious to to pick out, hence the premium pricing for those who wanna buy high grade pre-selected by a pro. so they slice it as thin as feasible to get the most # of tops out of a nicely patterned board


A rosewood, ebony, or related fretboard is a different beast entirely. It's expected to take a beating.... it's also NOT that rare or expensive, at least not in fretboard-sized quantities. Like if you wanna build houses, furnish boardrooms, etc. with it as your main hardwood, yeah, that much is a bit rare and hence pricey. But there's literally hundreds of hundreds of fretboards in a single piece of furniture.


Note: gloss maple boards are different, those are typically glassed over with a hard poly surface to look good and stay even. But non-highly-figured maple is plentiful and cheap and sold everywhere with no restrictions

[orpheo]

Re: Replacing frets on guitar with extremely thin fretboard

Bodies have paper thin veneers for cosmetics. The same has never been done to a fretboard........due to the wear/splinters effect.
Irrespective of how thin the fretboard is, which will typically be slightly deeper even at the edges than the fret slot - the job remains the same......cut a slot and press in a fret. If you have frets in there now then the slots are most probably deep enough, its simply a matter of cleaning them out. The only danger would occur if you had severe finger divots in the fretboard you wanted to remove, or there is a twist to get out - both needing re-profiling work.

There you go man. Fender used to have REALLY thin fretboards, laminated over a radiussed neck. Just like the 1 piece necks, but with a veneer over the radiussed top. Perhaps veneer isn't the right term because it's 2.5mm thick but then again... veneers can be cut thicker than 0.6mm (I believe these pieces were cut instead of sawn, which are different techniques).

As per the OP's inquiry. Take off the nut to be sure. Easily placed back if needed.

[AlexR]

Re: Replacing frets on guitar with extremely thin fretboard

^Thats not a really thin fretboard at all.......where the thread is talking about body veneers where the first sanding will flake bits off or sand through.
Considering the functionality of your comparison as an example, it is NO different from one to the other, as the sides (where it is thinnest) are just as likely to sand through to the base maple.

[orpheo]

Re: Replacing frets on guitar with extremely thin fretboard

are you kidding me? that's right one is 2.5mm thick... Try to level that without absolutely destroying the top layer.

This is a great example of a really thin board. It's just a top layer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvJHaAhoJ-g

[orpheo]

Re: Replacing frets on guitar with extremely thin fretboard



Same era.nah, just a week earlier...

[AlexR]

Re: Replacing frets on guitar with extremely thin fretboard

And a few refrets later.......

Whilst I'm sure you think you are making a point, there is nothing in any way related to the OP or the subject at hand he is wanting advice on that you have yet posted.
I am already aware of the veneer boards, but as they are irrelevant to the point at hand and were only used by Fender for maybe 3 years in the 60's (and never at all by Ibanez), that is why they were not used by me as an example.

Do you have any advice for the OP on his situation......that is the key here

[orpheo]

Re: Replacing frets on guitar with extremely thin fretboard

I have already given my suggestion to see if the board is paper thin or not.

To refret with SS frets, you need to have an absolute level Fretboard with no variation greater Than 0.05mm. Yeah, that little. Then use a pressing caul to press the frets. If you do your job well you have next to no fret leveling afterwards. At Aristides we don't need to level perse because the fretboard prep is so ridiculously good.

So yeah if you don't think you can level it that well, don't do ss frets.

[Open lane]

Re: Replacing frets on guitar with extremely thin fretboard

Thanks guys

[ICTGoober]

Re: Replacing frets on guitar with extremely thin fretboard

OK, Mr. Open Lane - Here is the full answer: Your fingerboard is fine. It's not thin. NO ONE does the veneer fingerboards anymore because it's TOO MUCH WORK. It's much easier to mill the face of the neck flat, and stick on a slab fingerboard (which many makers purchase already rough shaped by the wood seller).

Think about it, folks - remember the brouhaha with Gibson and their "illegal" fingerboards from Madagascar and India? The wood sellers were already rough shaping the fingerboard for Gibson BY CONTRACT. The wood sellers did this to provide work for their countrymen, and to extract more money from Gibson (who was happy to comply, because the Asians could do it cheaper than Gibson).

In truth, veneer fingerboards are an anomaly from the past. And Ibanez is no dummy - they used a slab. So, no worries for the OP.

[Open lane]

Re: Replacing frets on guitar with extremely thin fretboard

Thanks ict!

[Mincer]

Re: Replacing frets on guitar with extremely thin fretboard

I have already given my suggestion to see if the board is paper thin or not.

To refret with SS frets, you need to have an absolute level Fretboard with no variation greater Than 0.05mm. Yeah, that little. Then use a pressing caul to press the frets. If you do your job well you have next to no fret leveling afterwards. At Aristides we don't need to level perse because the fretboard prep is so ridiculously good.

So yeah if you don't think you can level it that well, don't do ss frets.

This is fascinating to me. I don't do my own fretting, but love SS frets. Now I kind of understand why, from a manufacturing point of view, you still don't see SS frets much, except on high end stuff like Aristides.