Monday, March 23, 2009

68' Vette gets new frets



The fretwire arrived, so I began the refret. I started by cutting the wire down to individual sizes.
I then nip the edges of tang off so there is nothing to stick out and catch. I add just a little bit of extremely viscous super glue and then hammer in the new frets. The super glue fills the gaps left behind from removing the old frets. The last thing you want is play in your frets. I know...in my last Vette post I was complaining about the glue....but those were probably not the original frets. After hammering all the frets in, I'll file down the edges to a nice angle and then level all the frets. Checking every fret for High or Low spots and evening out any inconsistencies. Once the frets are all level, I crown and polish.
It was during the polish process that I discovered some interesting damage from the last refinish. It seems someone got a little over zealous while sanding the back and sides of the neck. By the 15th fret there is a 3/32" dip in the fretboard. You don't really notice it when your looking but as soon as you hold a straight edge to it Bam. This is going to need some extra attention before the finish process.
OK Frets are done......I think the bridge will be next.

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