Concave frets

Henning · #1 04-13-2018, 04:11 AM

Hello, I recently acquired an ukulele. It shows that the frets are, at least some of them slightly concave. That is they are bent in the opposite way of what you try to aim for in a guitar. How come, please?

Regards

mirwa · #2 04-13-2018, 04:15 AM

As in concave shape to the crown of the fret or concave to the fret laying across the board.

Stev

dekutree64 · #3 04-13-2018, 04:31 AM

Are the fret ends sticking up? Maybe whoever installed them hammered the middle a little too hard.

If the board itself is concave, then it's due to moisture shrinkage. Ebony board on mahogany neck can do that, since ebony's dimensional change for a given humidity change is much larger than mahogany.

Henning · #4 04-13-2018, 08:32 AM

The board seems flat. The center of the frets are deeper in to the fretboard. It´s rosewood. Thanks

Frank Ford · #5 04-13-2018, 08:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Henning

Hello, I recently acquired an ukulele. It shows that the frets are, at least some of them slightly concave. That is they are bent in the opposite way of what you try to aim for in a guitar. How come, please?

Regards

That's the general look of loose fret ends - quite common and most noticeable on flat fingerboards.

Henning · #6 04-13-2018, 11:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frank Ford

That's the general look of loose fret ends - quite common and most noticeable on flat fingerboards.

How is it best redeemed, please?
Necessiates removal of the frets?
What is the cause, please?

Ned Milburn · #7 04-13-2018, 11:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Henning

How is it best redeemed, please?
Necessiates removal of the frets?
What is the cause, please?

If there is enough meat on the frets, they could be glued and fully dressed. But if their condition is poor, a full re-fret might be best.

mirwa · #8 04-14-2018, 10:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Henning

The board seems flat. The center of the frets are deeper in to the fretboard. It´s rosewood. Thanks

That may simply be a visual misconception, we are so used to seeing curved fretboards that when we see a straight one, our eyes trick us, it could also be the frets are pressed in harder in the centre than on the outer edge, or the edges are lifting due to humidity and temperature changes.

Apply some black permanent marker to the tops of all the frets, grab a flatpiece of wood around the length o the fretboard and stick some fine sandpaper to it, lightly sand the frets back and forth, this willtell you if they are flat or not.

Steve