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Old 05-27-2017, 01:17 PM
Mr Fingers Mr Fingers is offline
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Default Is this possible?

I have an old Gibson/Ward's 00 w/ a non-reinforced neck. The neck has remained dead flat despite 80 years of heavy playing. A previous owner managed the action by filing individual frets to avoid buzzing while lowering the saddle. The fingerboard looked and played like a Fretless Wonder LP Custom, but had virtually no metal left. I trued the fingerboard with a long radius block, and refretted the guitar. It plays well. Here's my dumb question: Might it be possible to create slight relief, and thus more ideal action, by razor-sawing slots into the fingerboard perpendicular to the strings (like fret slots, but much narrower) thus encouraging some compression and minimal upward bowing? I'm sure I could then fill these space invisibly. Has anyone done this? I'm familiar with using larger-tanged frets to create pressure in the other direction to counteract string pull, but am wondering if some slotting might work in the reverse direction. Nuts? Possible? Thanks for considering.
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Old 05-27-2017, 02:34 PM
printer2 printer2 is offline
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Lowering the saddle? Maybe due for a neck reset instead.
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Last edited by printer2; 05-27-2017 at 06:50 PM. Reason: typo
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Old 05-27-2017, 06:41 PM
Mr Fingers Mr Fingers is offline
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Thanks. What's really needed on this one is a little neck relief. The action is about as good as you can get with a dead flat fingerboard, and I've already spent a lot of time dialing in the best saddle height. Thankfully, no neck reset is needed, which is a surprise on a guitar this old and given Gibson's indifferent quality control back then.
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Old 05-27-2017, 07:21 PM
mirwa mirwa is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr Fingers View Post
Here's my dumb question: Might it be possible to create slight relief, and thus more ideal action, by razor-sawing slots into the fingerboard perpendicular to the strings................................. Nuts? Possible? Thanks for considering.
Nuts.

If a refret is done properly it does not need crazy stuff like this to be done, redo the refret.

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Old 05-27-2017, 08:58 PM
John Arnold John Arnold is offline
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I would just create some relief by filing the frets. Since the frets are new, they should be plenty tall enough to add 0.005" relief.
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Old 05-28-2017, 07:43 AM
B. Howard B. Howard is offline
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The technique of managing relief in non adjustable necks is called Compression fretting and is the art of balancing the fret tang width against the slot width to control how much bow the neck develops under tension.

Here is a link to my friend John Hall explaining and demonstrating in detail.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfMUSIq0f-g
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Old 05-29-2017, 07:40 PM
Mr Fingers Mr Fingers is offline
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Thanks, John Arnold and B Howard. I'll try working the individual frets first, and then do a compression fretting refret if I can't dial it in filing individual frets. The guitar plays well now, and sounds wonderful, but I don't mind putting in more time and effort to bring out the fullest potential. Thanks for the advice -- it helps me avoid a cheesy shortcut.
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Old 05-29-2017, 09:22 PM
funkymonk#9 funkymonk#9 is offline
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Just curious, since the Op had already trued the fingerboard, would it not have been satisfactory to add some relief to the fingerboard itself, before fretting, assuming that the refret would have been consistent tang width.
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Old 05-29-2017, 11:34 PM
mirwa mirwa is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr Fingers View Post
I'll try working the individual frets first, and then do a compression fretting refret if I can't dial it in filing individual frets.
A compression refret will not fix your problem, in essence this is what you have already done.

You have added to much backbow already via the fitment of your frets, you need to either reduce your tang widths by filing your tangs prior to fitting them or you need to open your fret slots up more.

The simple fix is to just file away some relief into what you already have.



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