Weel done you getting a discount from Stewmac. Their quality is usually excellent and for specialist tools they are unbeatable. For non-specialist or re-purposed tools not so much. Regretably, the dealbreaker for me on stuff that I don't absolutely HAVE to buy from them is the cost of carriage to the UK. The most expensive carriage mark up I have come across
Hi Paul! Let me have a word with StewMac about your concerns, they’d super receptive to that I reckon. I know the struggle, I think when machinery and tools are involved costing up is a necessity - but leave it with me to ask if there’s anything we can do. Thanks for the kind words ❤️
I pretty much do my fret work the exact same way with a few differences. I use stainless steel frets so I substitute the cutters and tang nibs for a dremel. Awesome work, love seeing these types of fret ends become more and more popular.
@@creamwobbly I believe the pros use expensive fret cutters tang nippers. However I don’t have the cash for those tools so a dremel is a much cheaper option for me. I used to also do the spherical ends with a dremel but they were consistent so now I just use a diamond coated fret crowning tool. It’s a boroque tool, runs around $30/$40 for it gets the job done. Plus I use it for crowning so it’s a dual use tool. So pretty much a dremel, cutting wheel attachment, calipers, crowning tool and a leveling beam is everything I need to get the frets done. You can also use the dremel with a polishing attachment to get the frets looking all shiny.
@@BombShot yea a pack of cutting wheels for the dremel are really cheap. So I can go thru them with no problem. The cutters wear out and sometimes can snap cutting SS so I just avoid them.
@@DanielRodriguez-eh1qd Dremel is definitely a good option, especially if you’re only doing occasional refrets. It’s not quite as fast but capable of equally-professional results if used carefully!
@@400_billion_suns it’s best to clamp the fret in a vise as they heat up a good bit when cutting. I wear gloves and always wear a set of goggles to be on the safe side, as well as a simple half mask. After cutting the tangs I do what she did in the video and use a small file to make sure everything is smooth and even where the tang was removed. It’s a really simple process, just takes time though.
yes radial fret ends are worth it, an easier way is to round off a drill bit the shape you want your radius, depth as well, then run that into the side of a grinding wheel, then you just hit the frets ends on the grinding wheel a sec and done, or a dremel wheel whatever.. beats grinding em all with a file...
I have these kind of rounded frets in one of my Ibanez Premiums and they are indeed the best fretwork out there. I wish more guitars would have them, great work!
Semi-hemi fret ends are definitely worth it. Rounding the bottom edges means the bottom edges can never fret sprout - only the center. The extra 0.5mm you take off each fret ought to prevent that. The rest is a cosmetic bonus. They make a drill bit with a hemispherical concave grinder in the end that's perfect for that job. Ken Parker uses a Dremel and cutoff wheel to gently carve the bottom of the tang nipped fret end slightly concave to help guarantee the end stays flat on the fingerboard. I mod existing necks for my builds. Since the frets are already installed, I have to do all my fret end shaping by hand. A fret end dressing file, a half-round crowing file, and sandpaper are what I use. I've tried quarter-round files, but didn't find them that useful (they didn't match the fret size very well).
This is the type of fretwork I've been dreaming of seeing on guitars. It makes so much sense. Imagine to not having to worry about fret sprouts. Wonderful work!
But this fret work is standard for any electric guitar too. The only thing I can’t understand is why the fret doesn’t go over the binding. Also doing it this way you are more likely to have an inconsistent bevel. I’m currently on circa 15-20 full refrets so I’m not without experience and was luthier trained. I also round the edges of the frets as it feels nicer and smoother in the hand but I bevel the edges on the board. I also nip the tangs even on none bound boards as again it reduces fret sprout
it's not really necessary. fret sprout is not a really big issue either, when they pop up you sand them down again, after that they will not pop up again.
@@Exgrmbl that is also true, but it’s an issue if it’s a bound board because I have witnessed an incorrectly refretted les paul where tangs not nipped correctly and all the binding is cracked where each fret is.
A Dremel cutting disk does a great job at removing the tang, and you don't have to worry about any residue. Sure it takes finesse and practice to do it, but so is everything else in luthiery. I love your videos Daisy. Greetings from Mexico.
This is excellent to watch. As I go through my guitar making journey I love finding ways to 'up my game'. This method of fretting is certainly upping the game.
Hi Daisy, I dig your videos, quite a process indeed. Charles Fox was my first mentor. He has a process of 8 very specific strokes with fret end dressing file to achieve perfect, hemispherical fret ends. This is on installed, beveled frets. He buffs them on the machine in a specific order as well, but also has hand drills with wheels. With a little practice I got stunning results in a no time.
As an easier approach, i place the frets straight, flush with the edge of the fretboard, then apply a binding, so the frets have binding ends, and I sculpt only the binding (like vintage Les Pauls) There are still 21x2 frets to sculpt, but binding is softer and quicker than metal, and looks pretty cool also. I use furniture ABS edge strips for binding material. It's very cheap.
Very nicely done. Boutique fret ends feel so good. If you have not already, you should check out LMI fret tang filer. It's a fine tool for boutique frets. Files down the tang and gauges tang length with a piece of the binding. Not knocking the fret tang nipper. I have one of those too.
Holy cow! That method is so much better than the way the luthier I apprenticed with taught me… I used to sculpt mine with a triangle pin file after they were already installed on the fretboard; your method appears to be faaaarrr less stressful lol Thanks for the tip - love the channel; it has got me thinking about making a return to guitar making again
People often look at high end hand built guitars and wince at the price but this shows just how much work goes in to creating the elements that set these instruments apart. Barlow Guitars go a stage further and use a cnc to cut blind fret slots so you get the same effect but without the binding. It took me a while to work out why the necks looked different especially as they often use insanely figured wood but the effect is mesmerising. Yes these instruments cost a lot more than a mass produced version but the builders put their heart and soul into the process so you may have to pay 50x the price of the cheapest off the shelf example but you are buying 1000x the love and attention to detail.
I recently invested in a fret end dressing file from StewMac and I have to say it is the best thing I purchased in my life. I used it on many of my guitars, I didn’t think I would have ever needed one😅
Yeah, once you see how easy it is with the proper file, and how much better it makes the frets feel, you wonder why you didn’t buy one sooner. I made the same discovery last year 😂
Ken Parker uses a cutoff disc on a Demmel to grind the bottom of the ends slightly concave to ensure the ends sit flat on the fingerboard. There's also a company that makes a concave hemispherical grinding bit for a drill that's perfect for rounding the ends of frets before installation. I use a concave crowning file, a Gurian quarter round file, and a fret end dressing file to do hemispherical ends on pre-installed frets. Very cool bling for a few hours work, but a good rounding and rolling is all that's really needed.
That works well, but using a belt sander is also good. There's a tiny bit where the sander comes straight of the curve but before it hits the straight platen. You can hold the underside of the clipped off bottoms exactly flat against the abrasive and it goes really straight. Takes a couple seconds. Brief learning curve.
Anytime you use a grinder or fret snippers, wear safety glasses or shield with your the tool & fret with your hand. Sharp steel will damage your eyes if you get debris flying into your eyes. No fret job is worth going partially blind for.
I tried doing the hemispherical fret ends on one of my guitars. My patience ran out by the 4th fret lol. The great thing about those stew mac cutters that is extremely important is that they cut flush. Most cutters you'll find at a hardware store have an outer beveled edge. Meaning if you put the cutters right up against the side of the neck, you'll still have about 1.5 mm of overhang. Which isnt terrible, but it's a lot of extra filing!
You can grind down the outer edge, but notice that Daisy doesn't nip them flush, she cuts them close then goes to the sander. Nevertheless, in my experience, the Stewmac ones are an easier snip.
@@robertnewell5057 jescar EVO is also much harder and therefore brittle. Cutting nickel frets they tend to get squashed from the cutter. Whereas stainless and EVO gold frets leave a cleaner straighter edge when cut.
I've been doing my semi-hemi fret ends after installation, which is definitely not ideal. I'll try this method on the next one since it seems much easier. Thanks for sharing!
Hello Ms. Tempest; You are an excellent Luthier no doubt. Your passion and skill are second to none due to your steadfast diligence. And since you will never see this comment, I must say you are so beautiful and have incredible green eyes.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge and skills! I think I will do that on my next build. Also, thanks for the link. I saved some cash on some new files!
Hi Daisy, really enjoy your teaching style. I agree with you that StewMac tools are somewhat expensive. But, they are excellent and purpose built. I'm a man of a certain age and have found, the hard way, that buying cheap tools are false economy. They work, kind of, take more time and are no fun to use. So, I buy excellent tools the first time, but on sale. Since the tools you buy are going to most likely last a lifetime why wouldn't one invest in high quality tools. Buy once, cry once as they say.
With fully rounded off fret edges, watch out when the guitar has wide bridge/nut string spacing that make the outside strings sit close to the fretboard edge. It can make your outside strings slip off when using wider vibrato or if you just fret the string less careully and accidentally bend it a little due to imperfect technique or just goofing off / rocking out. A luthier shop once did it on my guitar as part of a fret job (didn't ask for it, they just assumed it's better and everybody is happy to have it), that guitar does in fact have wide spacing on a narrow fretboard and now has this tendency to slip when I'm not super careful, cause of the smooth transition (that you can't feel) between the proper playable top of the fret and the edge part. I now explicitly ask for my frets to not be rounded off, just in case, just a little polish/smoothing of the edge between the fret top and the standard beveled side is perfectly enough. :) Just to make it not sharp but to still feel familiar, where you can tell by feel where the playable top of the fret ends.
refining your neck-hand technique would be far more beneficial to you as a player. i don't say that as a dig or an insult, but rather from personal experience. i had to do it myself, years ago. i mentioned the same frustration you just did, to a canadian blues hall of fame inductee i used to know. the advice i gave you, is the advice he gave to me at the time. hindsight being what it is, he seems to have been right.
Hello Daisy enjoy your videos. I am a clockmaker and you might try so emery buffs rather than sandpaper on your files. Very inexpensive and last a long time for polishing the ends of the frets. They come in various grits from coarse to ultra fine. We use the ultra fine ones to put mirror finishes on steel pallets and screw heads. Just a thought.
Yes! I’ve started using my emery boards on a couple of processes, was doing my nails one day in the workshop and put two and two together. Thanks for the tip, good to know I was in the right direction! I know some amazing horologists too, what a beautiful craft you practice!
Yes! I’ve started using my emery boards on a couple of processes, was doing my nails one day in the workshop and put two and two together. Thanks for the tip, good to know I was in the right direction! I know some amazing horologists too, what a beautiful craft you practice!
Super Cool Video! I've bought a few products from Stewmac and found their tools fantastic. Awesome talent you have, I found your video quite informative and interesting.
Nicely done Daisy. I was wondering if you have ever seen or used Mother Mag Polish on metal. I use it when sharping a chisel. I put a bit on a leather strop backed by a wood board. On the strop it lasts a very long time and does a very good job of polishing the blade and getting rid of burs and scratches.
Yep, the Mother’s Mag and Aluminum Wheel Polish is the best thing I’ve ever used on pretty much any polishable metal! Just have to be careful about cleanup, because it leaves behind black residue from the polishing that can stain unfinished wood.
the work of a good luthier is worth every penny. skilled labor isn't cheap, and cheap labor isn't skilled. i have 2 guitars in my collection that are wonderful to play, only because i brought them to the tech i use now.
Let me just tell you that as a connoisseur of garbage guitars, bad frets can absolutely render a guitar unplayable in no time. It doesn't matter what kind of wood it's made out of or what pick ups it has on it. If the frets are terrible, you're going to have a bad time very quickly. It's nice to see someone showing some real solid appreciation for what I like to consider the unsung hero of the guitar. I do think people really take for granted that they won't shred their hands on a poorly fretted neck, but let me tell you - after doing it for several years, I certainly haven't taken a well-fretted neck for granted in quite some time.
I always knew these as hot-dog ends. I’ve put them on a couple of guitars that I’ve built. I’ve used Jescar Gold Evo frets on a few jobs and I really like them. Gold Evo frets wear very slowly and can be worked with regular tools.
Nice work. I have never seen this technique. Seems very labor intensive. I would like to give it a try sometime just to have another way to do a refret just incase. You never know what will turn up on your bench!
Lovely video. Thanks. Fascinating to see this. A couple of specialized tools, one or two I used to use in building/repairing golf clubs, (digital calipers, for example), but basically a lot of common sense and very precise persnicketyness......which I can relate to. :)
A luthier i know named Rick Johnson judges the quality of a guitar by the attention to detail on the frets.
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Awesome that you have done it all by hand. There is a tool invented by an Australian luthier that attaches to a drill press for these fret ends. Check it out.
Brilliant! This is exactly what I'm looking for. I have to refret one of my guitars, but its lacquered all the way up to the edge of the fretboard, filing the edge wouldn't work. Looking forward to the installation video. 😊
Hiya Daisy, Great video, thank you. I'm contemplating learning to fix up fretboards, Crimson Guitars run courses, plus learning to do the electronics on, guess what? Electric guitars. I'm learning to become a jeweller working in silver and gold, but I want to work on guitars too. I'll never get the hang of using woodworking tools, so doing the frets and wiring may be more my style. I love your hemispherical fret ends; I don't play, but I can see that players prefer to have their skin intact after playing. Stay safe, Steve...
I was sure this is another Cute Face Channel about guitars. I'm so wrong. Great skills. Good information. Wish you your first 1Mil as soon as possible.
FYI… Jescar EVO gold fret wire has been discontinued. Per Jescar they can not get the materials to make the EVO fret wire. They are looking fir alternatives but they told me they have no timetable
This is the first video of yours that I’ve watched, and I really enjoyed it. I’ll subscribe and come back again with my morning coffee. You get bonus points for the Pink Floyd reference too 💍💍💍 🎶You were caught in the crossfire Of childhood and stardom, Blown on the steel breeze. Come on you target for faraway laughter, Come on you stranger, you legend, you martyr, and shine!🎶
Excellent work, but there's got to be a quicker way to achieve the same outcome. Maybe something like a Dremel 932 for rounding the fret ends, or make yourself some jigs to produce repeatable results. Or (I just thought of this) mount the fret wire pieces lengthwise in a simple lathe, obviously taking account of the curve etc., but having the end describing a small circle. Then run the lathe (which could just be based on a cordless drill) and grind or file to produce the hemispherical shape.
Thanks so much! great vid. You didn't mention the type/style of your fret wire. As a side note...can you expand how you make your side markers? Mahalo❤
Hopefully the binding step comes next? I know she builds new guitars but I’m also curious about all the different approaches, especially when refretting.
Thank you for this video! Could you also help me figure out how to position the prepared frets accurately, so they are pushed by the fret press correctly? I'm afraid it might move and the fret will end up closer to one side of fretboard.
Great work! Some time ago I saw another luthier here in YT do this fretwork using a jig, a Dremel, and a modified grit disk. I'm wondering how you cut by hand the fret slots and keep the borders of the fretboard untouched. I've seen that by cutting with a CNC but I would love to try it by hand! (sorry if the question is evident, but I'm just a hobbyist)
I’m personally not keen on hemisemispherical fret ends, but… rather than use the Autosol on tissue, have you considered using it on some leather - the kind you’d use as a strop for chisels, plane irons, etc?
Yes, definitely the best way of doing it! Leather is the best way. Not sure why I forgot that here, I have plenty leftover from the leatherworkers in my building and have a supply of it for precisely this. Tired brain after all that maths clearly…
I noticed that you hadn't slightly chamfered the top edges of the fret slots to make inserting the frets easier: perhaps you don't do this? It would seem to be easier to do this before gluing the neck binding. Also, filing the underside of the fret ends after removing the ends of the tang: I'm sure that it must be difficult to just remove any remains of the tang without damaging the underside of the fret sides in this area. Possibly using a small grinding stone in a Dremel could speed-up this process. With the curvature of the wheel/stone there would seem to be less chance of damaging the edges of the fret ends. Always enjoy your videos, learning a lot!
You need a fine "safe edge" file. This has a smoothly polished edge with no serrations on it; you put that surface against the fretboard so it does not get filed and use the normal serrated face of the file on the fret. Some luthiers also put tape on the fretboard as well for extra protection, but the thickness of the tape can get in the way. It is slow, painstaking work and even with a good safe edge file it takes great care and a fair amount of skill to do it without damaging the fretboard. If your guitar is important to you and it needs fretwork of any kind then get a professional to do it for you unless you are very skilled at metalwork and woodwork. You may have to save up for a while but I have seen what happens when someone without the required skill tries it; it isn't pretty.
Schecter does NOT do this to the tang and I have two $1300 Indonesian basses with cracked binding. Thanks Schecter -_- Thanks for sharing! Buying a fret file was the best money I spent in a while. I bought an inexpensive classical guitar from Cordoba and the fret ends were RAZOR SHARP and the instrument unplayable. Thankfully I was able to make it playable :)
I'm sure that you know this, but if you want to reduce the opening on your digital caliper by 0.5mm you don't need to do the sums in your head. Just zero the caliper after you've taken the initial measurement, then adjust the caliper so that it reads -0.5mm.
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It's genuinely lovely watching a someone who is skilled enjoying making a part.
It's amazing how much of a difference crowning each fret makes. It really give it an unbelievably high end look. I definitely want to try this!
Weel done you getting a discount from Stewmac. Their quality is usually excellent and for specialist tools they are unbeatable. For non-specialist or re-purposed tools not so much. Regretably, the dealbreaker for me on stuff that I don't absolutely HAVE to buy from them is the cost of carriage to the UK. The most expensive carriage mark up I have come across
Hi Paul! Let me have a word with StewMac about your concerns, they’d super receptive to that I reckon. I know the struggle, I think when machinery and tools are involved costing up is a necessity - but leave it with me to ask if there’s anything we can do. Thanks for the kind words ❤️
@@DaisyTempest Paul?
@@DaisyTempest Rob - no idea who Paul is. Les?
I pretty much do my fret work the exact same way with a few differences. I use stainless steel frets so I substitute the cutters and tang nibs for a dremel. Awesome work, love seeing these types of fret ends become more and more popular.
@@creamwobbly I believe the pros use expensive fret cutters tang nippers. However I don’t have the cash for those tools so a dremel is a much cheaper option for me. I used to also do the spherical ends with a dremel but they were consistent so now I just use a diamond coated fret crowning tool. It’s a boroque tool, runs around $30/$40 for it gets the job done. Plus I use it for crowning so it’s a dual use tool. So pretty much a dremel, cutting wheel attachment, calipers, crowning tool and a leveling beam is everything I need to get the frets done. You can also use the dremel with a polishing attachment to get the frets looking all shiny.
The stewmac cutters are rated for SS, but Dremel is definitely not a bad way to go about it if its not worth dropping the 130 on the set.
@@BombShot yea a pack of cutting wheels for the dremel are really cheap. So I can go thru them with no problem. The cutters wear out and sometimes can snap cutting SS so I just avoid them.
@@DanielRodriguez-eh1qd Dremel is definitely a good option, especially if you’re only doing occasional refrets. It’s not quite as fast but capable of equally-professional results if used carefully!
@@400_billion_suns it’s best to clamp the fret in a vise as they heat up a good bit when cutting. I wear gloves and always wear a set of goggles to be on the safe side, as well as a simple half mask. After cutting the tangs I do what she did in the video and use a small file to make sure everything is smooth and even where the tang was removed. It’s a really simple process, just takes time though.
yes radial fret ends are worth it, an easier way is to round off a drill bit the shape you want your radius, depth as well, then run that into the side of a grinding wheel, then you just hit the frets ends on the grinding wheel a sec and done, or a dremel wheel whatever.. beats grinding em all with a file...
I have these kind of rounded frets in one of my Ibanez Premiums and they are indeed the best fretwork out there. I wish more guitars would have them, great work!
Semi-hemi fret ends are definitely worth it. Rounding the bottom edges means the bottom edges can never fret sprout - only the center. The extra 0.5mm you take off each fret ought to prevent that. The rest is a cosmetic bonus. They make a drill bit with a hemispherical concave grinder in the end that's perfect for that job. Ken Parker uses a Dremel and cutoff wheel to gently carve the bottom of the tang nipped fret end slightly concave to help guarantee the end stays flat on the fingerboard. I mod existing necks for my builds. Since the frets are already installed, I have to do all my fret end shaping by hand. A fret end dressing file, a half-round crowing file, and sandpaper are what I use. I've tried quarter-round files, but didn't find them that useful (they didn't match the fret size very well).
Excelent workwomanship, you spread your inner beauty with these woodcraft. Thanks for share😘
This is the type of fretwork I've been dreaming of seeing on guitars. It makes so much sense. Imagine to not having to worry about fret sprouts. Wonderful work!
But this fret work is standard for any electric guitar too. The only thing I can’t understand is why the fret doesn’t go over the binding. Also doing it this way you are more likely to have an inconsistent bevel. I’m currently on circa 15-20 full refrets so I’m not without experience and was luthier trained. I also round the edges of the frets as it feels nicer and smoother in the hand but I bevel the edges on the board. I also nip the tangs even on none bound boards as again it reduces fret sprout
it's not really necessary. fret sprout is not a really big issue either, when they pop up you sand them down again, after that they will not pop up again.
@@Exgrmbl that is also true, but it’s an issue if it’s a bound board because I have witnessed an incorrectly refretted les paul where tangs not nipped correctly and all the binding is cracked where each fret is.
A Dremel cutting disk does a great job at removing the tang, and you don't have to worry about any residue. Sure it takes finesse and practice to do it, but so is everything else in luthiery. I love your videos Daisy. Greetings from Mexico.
This is excellent to watch. As I go through my guitar making journey I love finding ways to 'up my game'. This method of fretting is certainly upping the game.
I've been using AutoSol forever, and it's just great, it makes those frets shine bright!
Thanks for the fine video!
Merry Christmas.
Hi Daisy, I dig your videos, quite a process indeed. Charles Fox was my first mentor. He has a process of 8 very specific strokes with fret end dressing file to achieve perfect, hemispherical fret ends. This is on installed, beveled frets. He buffs them on the machine in a specific order as well, but also has hand drills with wheels. With a little practice I got stunning results in a no time.
Its without a doubt the best way to do frets, and it looks really great too.
As an easier approach, i place the frets straight, flush with the edge of the fretboard, then apply a binding, so the frets have binding ends, and I sculpt only the binding (like vintage Les Pauls) There are still 21x2 frets to sculpt, but binding is softer and quicker than metal, and looks pretty cool also. I use furniture ABS edge strips for binding material. It's very cheap.
Very nicely done. Boutique fret ends feel so good. If you have not already, you should check out LMI fret tang filer. It's a fine tool for boutique frets. Files down the tang and gauges tang length with a piece of the binding. Not knocking the fret tang nipper. I have one of those too.
Holy cow! That method is so much better than the way the luthier I apprenticed with taught me… I used to sculpt mine with a triangle pin file after they were already installed on the fretboard; your method appears to be faaaarrr less stressful lol Thanks for the tip - love the channel; it has got me thinking about making a return to guitar making again
People often look at high end hand built guitars and wince at the price but this shows just how much work goes in to creating the elements that set these instruments apart. Barlow Guitars go a stage further and use a cnc to cut blind fret slots so you get the same effect but without the binding. It took me a while to work out why the necks looked different especially as they often use insanely figured wood but the effect is mesmerising. Yes these instruments cost a lot more than a mass produced version but the builders put their heart and soul into the process so you may have to pay 50x the price of the cheapest off the shelf example but you are buying 1000x the love and attention to detail.
Thank you for this, I really appreciate it :)
I recently invested in a fret end dressing file from StewMac and I have to say it is the best thing I purchased in my life. I used it on many of my guitars, I didn’t think I would have ever needed one😅
Yeah, once you see how easy it is with the proper file, and how much better it makes the frets feel, you wonder why you didn’t buy one sooner. I made the same discovery last year 😂
As usual, your joy in creating a beautiful guitar shines through. "Shine on, you crazy diamond!" Indeed.
Ken Parker uses a cutoff disc on a Demmel to grind the bottom of the ends slightly concave to ensure the ends sit flat on the fingerboard. There's also a company that makes a concave hemispherical grinding bit for a drill that's perfect for rounding the ends of frets before installation. I use a concave crowning file, a Gurian quarter round file, and a fret end dressing file to do hemispherical ends on pre-installed frets. Very cool bling for a few hours work, but a good rounding and rolling is all that's really needed.
Cool to know RE Ken - I have a few questions about that in terms of potential pitfalls, look forward to researching and being educated!
That works well, but using a belt sander is also good. There's a tiny bit where the sander comes straight of the curve but before it hits the straight platen. You can hold the underside of the clipped off bottoms exactly flat against the abrasive and it goes really straight. Takes a couple seconds. Brief learning curve.
Anytime you use a grinder or fret snippers, wear safety glasses or shield with your the tool & fret with your hand. Sharp steel will damage your eyes if you get debris flying into your eyes. No fret job is worth going partially blind for.
I love how much care you put into your work.
Nice to watch someone take their craft to heart 😊
I had no idea how much skilled work in a fretboard, those frets are like jewelery, amazing!
DAISY this video shows the TIPS and CLOSE-UP images / takes That I always wanted to see... THANK YOU, know I know how it's done proper 🙏🏽
Really enjoyed this video. Fret ends really bother me if they aren’t done right so I appreciate the time you put in. Amazing job.
I tried doing the hemispherical fret ends on one of my guitars. My patience ran out by the 4th fret lol.
The great thing about those stew mac cutters that is extremely important is that they cut flush. Most cutters you'll find at a hardware store have an outer beveled edge. Meaning if you put the cutters right up against the side of the neck, you'll still have about 1.5 mm of overhang. Which isnt terrible, but it's a lot of extra filing!
You can grind down the outer edge, but notice that Daisy doesn't nip them flush, she cuts them close then goes to the sander. Nevertheless, in my experience, the Stewmac ones are an easier snip.
@@robertnewell5057 jescar EVO is also much harder and therefore brittle. Cutting nickel frets they tend to get squashed from the cutter. Whereas stainless and EVO gold frets leave a cleaner straighter edge when cut.
And..... I learned something new again. Thanks for sharing your process.
Its no wonder your instruments sound so good, with the time and effort you put into your work.
Very interesting detail-what a great attitude to what you do-just the love of the craft I am sure shows through in the final product!
Aloha and Mahalo! TY! Happy Holidays!
I've been doing my semi-hemi fret ends after installation, which is definitely not ideal. I'll try this method on the next one since it seems much easier. Thanks for sharing!
I applaud your doing the best job you can imagine versus the fastest cheapest least effort possible.
Great idea to file and round the ends before the install.
Hello Ms. Tempest; You are an excellent Luthier no doubt. Your passion and skill are second to none due to your steadfast diligence. And since you will never see this comment, I must say you are so beautiful and have incredible green eyes.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge and skills! I think I will do that on my next build. Also, thanks for the link. I saved some cash on some new files!
Thank you so much miss Daisy. A very useful video for instrument makers. I benefit a lot from these videos ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Hi Daisy, really enjoy your teaching style. I agree with you that StewMac tools are somewhat expensive. But, they are excellent and purpose built. I'm a man of a certain age and have found, the hard way, that buying cheap tools are false economy. They work, kind of, take more time and are no fun to use. So, I buy excellent tools the first time, but on sale. Since the tools you buy are going to most likely last a lifetime why wouldn't one invest in high quality tools. Buy once, cry once as they say.
Daisy girl you put heart in your work
With fully rounded off fret edges, watch out when the guitar has wide bridge/nut string spacing that make the outside strings sit close to the fretboard edge. It can make your outside strings slip off when using wider vibrato or if you just fret the string less careully and accidentally bend it a little due to imperfect technique or just goofing off / rocking out. A luthier shop once did it on my guitar as part of a fret job (didn't ask for it, they just assumed it's better and everybody is happy to have it), that guitar does in fact have wide spacing on a narrow fretboard and now has this tendency to slip when I'm not super careful, cause of the smooth transition (that you can't feel) between the proper playable top of the fret and the edge part. I now explicitly ask for my frets to not be rounded off, just in case, just a little polish/smoothing of the edge between the fret top and the standard beveled side is perfectly enough. :) Just to make it not sharp but to still feel familiar, where you can tell by feel where the playable top of the fret ends.
refining your neck-hand technique would be far more beneficial to you as a player. i don't say that as a dig or an insult, but rather from personal experience. i had to do it myself, years ago. i mentioned the same frustration you just did, to a canadian blues hall of fame inductee i used to know. the advice i gave you, is the advice he gave to me at the time. hindsight being what it is, he seems to have been right.
Hello Daisy enjoy your videos. I am a clockmaker and you might try so emery buffs rather than sandpaper on your files. Very inexpensive and last a long time for polishing the ends of the frets. They come in various grits from coarse to ultra fine. We use the ultra fine ones to put mirror finishes on steel pallets and screw heads. Just a thought.
Yes! I’ve started using my emery boards on a couple of processes, was doing my nails one day in the workshop and put two and two together. Thanks for the tip, good to know I was in the right direction! I know some amazing horologists too, what a beautiful craft you practice!
Yes! I’ve started using my emery boards on a couple of processes, was doing my nails one day in the workshop and put two and two together. Thanks for the tip, good to know I was in the right direction! I know some amazing horologists too, what a beautiful craft you practice!
I know nothing about making videos. But "to the disc sander, then!" definitely needed a 1960's Batman transition! 🤣
Yes, I felt that also, but Daisy is far too young to have seen this gem on TV and consequently is a Batman geek! Sorry Daisy - coincidence???????????
I'm a big fan of detailed fret work.
Super Cool Video! I've bought a few products from Stewmac and found their tools fantastic. Awesome talent you have, I found your video quite informative and interesting.
I'd love to see a video on how you set up your hand planes. Would help people interested in lutherie and woodworking in general. Cheers.
Nicely done Daisy. I was wondering if you have ever seen or used Mother Mag Polish on metal. I use it when sharping a chisel. I put a bit on a leather strop backed by a wood board. On the strop it lasts a very long time and does a very good job of polishing the blade and getting rid of burs and scratches.
I haven’t heard of it! I use autosol on my strop too - but always open to trying new brands! I’ll take a look!
Yep, the Mother’s Mag and Aluminum Wheel Polish is the best thing I’ve ever used on pretty much any polishable metal! Just have to be careful about cleanup, because it leaves behind black residue from the polishing that can stain unfinished wood.
the work of a good luthier is worth every penny. skilled labor isn't cheap, and cheap labor isn't skilled. i have 2 guitars in my collection that are wonderful to play, only because i brought them to the tech i use now.
Always a pleasure learning from you, Daisy!
Let me just tell you that as a connoisseur of garbage guitars, bad frets can absolutely render a guitar unplayable in no time. It doesn't matter what kind of wood it's made out of or what pick ups it has on it. If the frets are terrible, you're going to have a bad time very quickly. It's nice to see someone showing some real solid appreciation for what I like to consider the unsung hero of the guitar. I do think people really take for granted that they won't shred their hands on a poorly fretted neck, but let me tell you - after doing it for several years, I certainly haven't taken a well-fretted neck for granted in quite some time.
I always knew these as hot-dog ends. I’ve put them on a couple of guitars that I’ve built. I’ve used Jescar Gold Evo frets on a few jobs and I really like them. Gold Evo frets wear very slowly and can be worked with regular tools.
Nice work, great detail on the finish and alot of patience…..now get on with the other 41.😮😊
Nice work. I have never seen this technique. Seems very labor intensive. I would like to give it a try sometime just to have another way to do a refret just incase. You never know what will turn up on your bench!
cant wait to see this guitar complete
Lovely video. Thanks. Fascinating to see this. A couple of specialized tools, one or two I used to use in building/repairing golf clubs, (digital calipers, for example), but basically a lot of common sense and very precise persnicketyness......which I can relate to. :)
Love your passion!!
I modified Channel Lock brand flush cut pliers so they can only be used as fret pliers. A belt sander is necessary.
Love your attitude towards your craft. Keep going.
I do those by hand too but already istalled on the fingerboard. A lot of work but I love the results
Fret work is maybe the most important thing to really sink a lot of time into.
A luthier i know named Rick Johnson judges the quality of a guitar by the attention to detail on the frets.
Awesome that you have done it all by hand. There is a tool invented by an Australian luthier that attaches to a drill press for these fret ends. Check it out.
Brilliant! This is exactly what I'm looking for. I have to refret one of my guitars, but its lacquered all the way up to the edge of the fretboard, filing the edge wouldn't work. Looking forward to the installation video. 😊
now I feel stupid for not shaping the fret before installing it
Yep. Who knew you could do that?
I love high end fret work that and the setup 👍
Very nice work, awesome to see.... also nice choice with the jescar Evo...
Hiya Daisy,
Great video, thank you. I'm contemplating learning to fix up fretboards, Crimson Guitars run courses, plus learning to do the electronics on, guess what? Electric guitars. I'm learning to become a jeweller working in silver and gold, but I want to work on guitars too. I'll never get the hang of using woodworking tools, so doing the frets and wiring may be more my style. I love your hemispherical fret ends; I don't play, but I can see that players prefer to have their skin intact after playing.
Stay safe, Steve...
Absolutely beautiful, and it is like jewelry,
Fine work young Lady, very impressive!
wow the golden frets look awesome!
I was sure this is another Cute Face Channel about guitars. I'm so wrong.
Great skills. Good information. Wish you your first 1Mil as soon as possible.
Custom frets on a hand made guitar?
Absolutely worth it. 👌
Nice touch.🤙
AIN'T IT JUST AIN'T IT 😎 Awesome video content,,,, Thanks Scotty in Alabama...
Glad i found your channel! You’re amazing 🙌🏻😊
Really enjoyed this. I'm currently experiencing multiple fret sprouts and they are every bit as hazardous and distasteful as Brussel sprouts.
Brilliant work as always!
FYI… Jescar EVO gold fret wire has been discontinued. Per Jescar they can not get the materials to make the EVO fret wire. They are looking fir alternatives but they told me they have no timetable
Nothing beats rolled stainless steel edges and a good plekking.
Kinky...
This is the first video of yours that I’ve watched, and I really enjoyed it. I’ll subscribe and come back again with my morning coffee. You get bonus points for the Pink Floyd reference too 💍💍💍
🎶You were caught in the crossfire
Of childhood and stardom,
Blown on the steel breeze.
Come on you target for faraway laughter,
Come on you stranger, you legend, you martyr, and shine!🎶
Merry Christmas Daisy!
Excellent work, but there's got to be a quicker way to achieve the same outcome. Maybe something like a Dremel 932 for rounding the fret ends, or make yourself some jigs to produce repeatable results. Or (I just thought of this) mount the fret wire pieces lengthwise in a simple lathe, obviously taking account of the curve etc., but having the end describing a small circle. Then run the lathe (which could just be based on a cordless drill) and grind or file to produce the hemispherical shape.
I've seen this method on some high end guitars and it looks fantastik.
"When I look down, and it's winking at me..." 😳
I enjoy your videos you are really informative, i don't know anything about guitars, idk how to play a guitar too lol but they sound cool
snappy and slick. I have some where too much was filed off under (not my doing). Nasty little cutting edges for a slide player like me.
Great finesse!
🥰😍😘❤👍 You are so beautiful, I don't know whether to be in love with you or be blown away by your guitar work👍👍👍👍 S0 Awesome❤!!!
Thanks so much! great vid. You didn't mention the type/style of your fret wire. As a side note...can you expand how you make your side markers? Mahalo❤
Hopefully the binding step comes next? I know she builds new guitars but I’m also curious about all the different approaches, especially when refretting.
thank you
looks great
Thank you for this video!
Could you also help me figure out how to position the prepared frets accurately, so they are pushed by the fret press correctly? I'm afraid it might move and the fret will end up closer to one side of fretboard.
Great work! Some time ago I saw another luthier here in YT do this fretwork using a jig, a Dremel, and a modified grit disk. I'm wondering how you cut by hand the fret slots and keep the borders of the fretboard untouched. I've seen that by cutting with a CNC but I would love to try it by hand! (sorry if the question is evident, but I'm just a hobbyist)
I’m personally not keen on hemisemispherical fret ends, but… rather than use the Autosol on tissue, have you considered using it on some leather - the kind you’d use as a strop for chisels, plane irons, etc?
Yes, definitely the best way of doing it! Leather is the best way. Not sure why I forgot that here, I have plenty leftover from the leatherworkers in my building and have a supply of it for precisely this. Tired brain after all that maths clearly…
@@DaisyTempest I’m 62 - still hate maths!
Which fretwire metal do you prefer? - I've used Nickel Silver (cupro nickel alloy) but recently tried stainless - harder but wears much better.
I noticed that you hadn't slightly chamfered the top edges of the fret slots to make inserting the frets easier: perhaps you don't do this? It would seem to be easier to do this before gluing the neck binding. Also, filing the underside of the fret ends after removing the ends of the tang: I'm sure that it must be difficult to just remove any remains of the tang without damaging the underside of the fret sides in this area. Possibly using a small grinding stone in a Dremel could speed-up this process. With the curvature of the wheel/stone there would seem to be less chance of damaging the edges of the fret ends. Always enjoy your videos, learning a lot!
Nice work Daisy. How does anyone file down protruding frets without damaging the edge of the fretbooad?
You need a fine "safe edge" file. This has a smoothly polished edge with no serrations on it; you put that surface against the fretboard so it does not get filed and use the normal serrated face of the file on the fret. Some luthiers also put tape on the fretboard as well for extra protection, but the thickness of the tape can get in the way. It is slow, painstaking work and even with a good safe edge file it takes great care and a fair amount of skill to do it without damaging the fretboard. If your guitar is important to you and it needs fretwork of any kind then get a professional to do it for you unless you are very skilled at metalwork and woodwork. You may have to save up for a while but I have seen what happens when someone without the required skill tries it; it isn't pretty.
@@FireAngelOfLondon Thank you.
Schecter does NOT do this to the tang and I have two $1300 Indonesian basses with cracked binding. Thanks Schecter -_-
Thanks for sharing! Buying a fret file was the best money I spent in a while. I bought an inexpensive classical guitar from Cordoba and the fret ends were RAZOR SHARP and the instrument unplayable. Thankfully I was able to make it playable :)
Thanks for the video Daisy, check NK Forster Guitars he sells an arbor for the drill press to do the semi-hemispherical frets - Cheers from Canada
I'm sure that you know this, but if you want to reduce the opening on your digital caliper by 0.5mm you don't need to do the sums in your head. Just zero the caliper after you've taken the initial measurement, then adjust the caliper so that it reads -0.5mm.
Oh my god I’m such an idiot
Thank you!
@@DaisyTempest Just don't forget to re-zero the caliper when you've finished. I learned that one the hard way...