NK Forster Guitars Luthier Fretting

[edwardtang1977]

hi I've always wondered what the perfect setup and condition regarding neck and frets.

So a perfect neck is perfectly straight with even frets? If I build a guitar...the main idea is to get the frets all leveled the same? thanks!

[Somedaysafe]

man If i ever had just 8,000 just laying around the first thing I would do is order a model J and have him sign it. I would probablly play it till my fingers fell off...

[devourment666]

hey, what type of saw do i use to cut the slots for the frets, if u can help please message my account

[Nkforster]

You can get all the stuff you need from stewmac or lmi. Google them.

[rfkurt]

Hi do you glue the frets down? I don't use a hammer I bought a press is the hammer easier?

Thanks K

[iorixs]

what do you put inside when you tap in the last few frets?

[Nkforster]

A bag of lead shot to absorb the hammer blows.

[wolfsearcher]

hey great vids man i have a guitar that i had to sand cause their was raises in the high end of the neck i heated the frets from the 12 fret up and got them off cleanly do you think that i need to glue them in again and what kind of glue and varnish do i need ? thanks

[Nkforster]

I really can't reply to this without seeing it. I suggest you go along to your local repairer for advice. Sorry.

[Geetardave420]

Heat is essential for clean fret removal, with or without glue.. If you are asking an opinion on using glue while fretting, well... Use your best judgement... try to dry-set the frets first, if you feel you need the frets more tensile in the slots, after compression fretting, if thats the case at all, then just rub some wax on the fretboard, and run some thin viscosity C.A. along the fret-sides, and follow with a Dan Erlewine tool called the 'Jaws'. Without visual, this is my best opinion. GL

[orycterope]

What are you doing at the end of the video? Filling the gaps under the frets? With what, and why?

[Nkforster]

Filling under the frets with black shellac, otherwise you would have small gaps.

[spjunkie]

Awesome to see someone fretting the traditional way. So many guys how would use cauls and fret presses and whatever else you could buy out of the stew-mac catalog

[thedonutman]

Hey,

Is that a special hammer with a soft end you're using?

[Vandals572]

looks like a rubber mallet to me

[eetfvk]

is the fretting hamer stewmac sells

[IbanezRG570T]

To polish frets, what would you use and how would you do it?

[Nkforster]

I polish using 3 grades of abraisive then buff with an electric drill, polishing wheel and polishing compound.

[Vikingshowl]

cool idea to put that video on youtube!!

Wonderful guitar!!

[neatfreeek]

what would say guitars copair to a takamine, martin and so on. from 1 to 10 10 being greater, and be for real, dumb question but there arnt really any dumb questions. hahhaa you seem like a neat guy and i love what you do. peace

[Nkforster]

Ask a better one.

[neatfreeek]

that was great what you said, ask a better one, funne stuff, that would be something i would say, well good work sorry for the dumb ass ? im sure you work is just as great

[daveparker1990]

that is truly a work of art. do you do this as a hobby, a job, or both?

[Nkforster]

Guitar making is my job and has been since 1988, apart from a couple of years off.

[stillborn61]

i am a luthier aswell. i was preparing to refret a classical guitar. i removed the fretboard, did a cosmetic sand to get rid of the gunk. (i didnt do any dimension sanding at this point) being as the fretboard has no radius i procedded to hammer in the frets. i would hammer in the corner first then work from left to right. i noticed that after the fretjob was done all the frets touched all the way, which was good because my last fretjob was almost a faluire and i used a press :_P

[stillborn61]

but i also saw there was a small wave in the frets, and i thikn this is from me hammering the corner in first. do you have any advice? i can provide pictures is this would help.

[Nkforster]

Hit less hard and practice.

[Jonikiwi]

That was very good, did you used glue or something or how do they fit

[Nkforster]

No glue, just the old fashioned way of hammering them in. It's all in the preperation - this will be another video coming soonish.

[saffronboots]

Are your fretboards unbound?

[Nkforster]

Yep.