Re: [tuning] Re: innovative fretboards

----- Original Message -----
From: Venus D'emilo <jlennon64@hotmail.com>

> Someone said that I am able to measure the frets to "perfect world
> conditions" and then simply adjust the bridge to compensate for
> intonation errors. I need some conformation.
>
> I have seen replacement guitar nuts, that are not straight. Earvana
> is one company that pushes this product as an intonation solver.

Hi Venus-

When I refretted my guitar for just intonation, I ended up fine tuning each
fret placement by ear. Why try to calculate all the variables when you can
just put the fret where the interval sounds as true to your ear as you want
it to be? I used JIcalc to generate the frequency I wanted and marked the
fingerboard. After putting frets on, I could easily listen again and check
the intonation, also checking notes against each other on the neck. As it
turned out, there were only a couple that needed adjustment. I guess I
should say I use individual frets under each string and they are glued on
wire segments- that way they are easy to remove and adjust if necessary.

In case you havn't run across it, I talk more about this on my website:

http://www.users.interport.net/~dante/justguitar.html

However you do it, you're in for a treat!
JI guitar is sweet, sweet, sweet!

Dante
(just another crazy who thinks tuning is a dimension of music)

Graham's got it right: hide the hacksaw. A fretsaw from Stewart-Macdonald
(www.stewmac.com) or Luthiers Mercantile (www.wco.com/~lmi/catalog.htm
should set you back around $20. Most woodworking stores will have a
nigh-identical item called a "gent's saw," although I believe ladies are
now also allowed to purchase them. If you have a tablesaw, there are
slotting blades available. Fretwire varies in width, so you need to think
about matching the saw to your particular fretwire. If you buy locally,
maybe the folks in the store will let you make a test cut in a scrap of
ebony (or whatever you'll be using).

And Dante's _really_ got it right: the right fret position for one string
may be wrong for the next. I like the idea of gluing them on - if you use
hide glue, water will dissolve it if you need to move the fret. Dante -
what kind of glue did you use?

Another way around the problem occurs to me. You could use one strip of
wood for each string, slot each strip separately, and glue them all to the
neck.

One last thought: the lower the fret, the easier it is to keep the
intonation you've worked so hard to get -- the higher the fret, the easier
it is to play barre chords. You decide!

- Chris

----- Original Message -----
From: James C. Parker <ChrisParker1@compuserve.com>
> And Dante's _really_ got it right: the right fret position for one string
> may be wrong for the next. I like the idea of gluing them on - if you use
> hide glue, water will dissolve it if you need to move the fret. Dante -
> what kind of glue did you use?

I used epoxy, I think it was 5 minute? It holds fine, but its easy to remove
a fret with needle nose pliers. The couple of frets I moved, and one or two
that popped off due to not enough glue initially, I replaced using crazy
glue. I have not tried to remove one of these but I'm sure they would come
off. I used #16 gauge wire which is circular, but filed many of them a bit
flat on the top to get rid of a few buzzes resulting from the frets being
close together. Each wire piece is ~8mm, but this is on a classical guitar,
and they have pretty wide string spacing. All in all, its still working fine
a year later. (I have some new pieces that I hope to get around to recording
soon to put up on my mp3 site.)

Dante