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Refretting question . . . cutting fret slots to edge of board?

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  • Refretting question . . . cutting fret slots to edge of board?

    I started pulling frets from my Epi Dot last night to do a refret, and noticed something weird. All the frets were undercut. The tang stops about a quarter inch from the edge of the board . . . like the way they would be installed if there was binding. So all the fret slots are just sitting like holes in the middle of the board. Is there some secret benefit/reason that they would have been doing this? If not I'm planning to saw the fret slots to the edge of the board and install the new frets for simplicity sake.

    Also, what do people use for sawing fret slots on the cheap? I was going to just use a chunk of hacksaw blade screwed to a bit of wood.
    Join me in the fight against muscular atrophy!

    Originally posted by Douglas Adams
    This planet has - or rather had - a problem, which was this: most of the people living on it were unhappy for pretty much of the time. Many solutions were suggested for this problem, but most of these were largely concerned with the movements of small green pieces of paper, which is odd because on the whole it wasn't the small green pieces of paper that were unhappy.

  • #2
    Re: Refretting question . . . cutting fret slots to edge of board?

    if there is no binding, i dont know. might be easier to setup the machines to do them all the same rather than have two configurations? i have a fret saw so...

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    • #3
      Re: Refretting question . . . cutting fret slots to edge of board?

      After seeing that all MIM Strats get a maple veneer, I bet Jeremy’s right about doing them all the same way.
      “I can play the hell out of a riff. The rest of it’s all bulls**t anyway,” Gary Holt

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Refretting question . . . cutting fret slots to edge of board?

        Also, what do people use for sawing fret slots on the cheap?
        Not a hacksaw. Too wide.

        Old school method is a back saw (look it up).
        Slots are usually .023 wide these days.
        aka Chris Pile, formerly of Six String Fever

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        • #5
          Re: Refretting question . . . cutting fret slots to edge of board?

          Originally posted by ICTGoober View Post
          Not a hacksaw. Too wide.

          Old school method is a back saw (look it up).
          Slots are usually .023 wide these days.
          Yes, my frets are supposed to be installed in a .58 mm (.023 inch) fret slot. The hack saw blade I wanted to use is .63 mm (0.025). Is that not close enough?

          EDIT - Actually, now I'm getting misgivings about the whole thing. How hard is it to undercut fret wire?
          Last edited by GuitarStv; 11-11-2019, 02:59 PM.
          Join me in the fight against muscular atrophy!

          Originally posted by Douglas Adams
          This planet has - or rather had - a problem, which was this: most of the people living on it were unhappy for pretty much of the time. Many solutions were suggested for this problem, but most of these were largely concerned with the movements of small green pieces of paper, which is odd because on the whole it wasn't the small green pieces of paper that were unhappy.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Refretting question . . . cutting fret slots to edge of board?

            If your saw does not match the tang almost exactly, then even if you glue then they are probably going to work their way loose/out. Especially with old fret slots where the tang barbs slots are already in the wood and not being made during installation.

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            • #7
              Re: Refretting question . . . cutting fret slots to edge of board?

              You really only need scrap/clean the old slots if they are of size. You will need to nip the tags to fit inside, of course.

              What tools do you have on hand now?
              -Chris

              Originally posted by John Suhr
              “Practice cures most tone issues”

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Refretting question . . . cutting fret slots to edge of board?

                Like guitar specific tools? I've got a couple files and some flush cut nippers. I figure I could use the flush cut nippers to take a chunk off the tang and then file 'em. It would just take forever. Be much faster/easier to just saw the slots all the way through.
                Join me in the fight against muscular atrophy!

                Originally posted by Douglas Adams
                This planet has - or rather had - a problem, which was this: most of the people living on it were unhappy for pretty much of the time. Many solutions were suggested for this problem, but most of these were largely concerned with the movements of small green pieces of paper, which is odd because on the whole it wasn't the small green pieces of paper that were unhappy.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Refretting question . . . cutting fret slots to edge of board?

                  You will probably distort the wire doing it that way. Better off going old school and just filing them.
                  -Chris

                  Originally posted by John Suhr
                  “Practice cures most tone issues”

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Refretting question . . . cutting fret slots to edge of board?

                    Dots and Sheratons are the same guitars with different accoutrements. The Sheratons have very wide multi ply neck binding/purfling IIRC, so maybe Epi didn't bother cutting different frets for the different models.

                    I wouldn't use a saw to clean the slots for a re-fret. Too much chance of screwups, even if you are experienced and careful. I would clean the slots with a blade, dental tools, and finish-safe solvents.
                    Originally posted by LesStrat
                    Yogi Berra was correct.
                    Originally posted by JOLLY
                    I do a few chord things, some crappy lead stuff, and then some rhythm stuff.

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                    • #11
                      Re: Refretting question . . . cutting fret slots to edge of board?

                      Did they fill the fret slots with finish/filler? I have had a number of import guitars where they undercut the frets and then filled the ends of the slots with....something. It makes the neck feel more like a bound neck, and looks neater.

                      Larry

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                      • #12
                        Re: Refretting question . . . cutting fret slots to edge of board?

                        No, not filled. If they were I could probably just scrape it out with a knife. They must have done the frets with a router bit or something. I assume Epiphone does enough of them that they have some sort of mechanized way of producing these.
                        Join me in the fight against muscular atrophy!

                        Originally posted by Douglas Adams
                        This planet has - or rather had - a problem, which was this: most of the people living on it were unhappy for pretty much of the time. Many solutions were suggested for this problem, but most of these were largely concerned with the movements of small green pieces of paper, which is odd because on the whole it wasn't the small green pieces of paper that were unhappy.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Refretting question . . . cutting fret slots to edge of board?

                          I assume Epiphone does enough of them that they have some sort of mechanized way of producing these.
                          Yeah. It's called mass production so they can make them cheaper.
                          aka Chris Pile, formerly of Six String Fever

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Refretting question . . . cutting fret slots to edge of board?

                            Don’t widen the slots. Undercut your frets.

                            You can buy fret tang nippers, or just use a small file or a Dremel tool to grind the tang off.

                            Besides looking better, this prevents the fret ends from sticking out in the winter when the fret board shrinks.


                            Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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                            • #15
                              Re: Refretting question . . . cutting fret slots to edge of board?

                              I actually think I can use the file on my toenail clippers to widen the fret slots all the way. :P
                              Join me in the fight against muscular atrophy!

                              Originally posted by Douglas Adams
                              This planet has - or rather had - a problem, which was this: most of the people living on it were unhappy for pretty much of the time. Many solutions were suggested for this problem, but most of these were largely concerned with the movements of small green pieces of paper, which is odd because on the whole it wasn't the small green pieces of paper that were unhappy.

                              Comment

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