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It occurred to me today that after all the instruments I've had to deal with fret issues at or above the 14th fret, that maybe I should try something different on the build end of things.

I finish bolt on necks separately from the body and then attach the fretted necks after the cure and buff.
Typically I end up doing a ton of work on the frets up above the 14th when I set the instrument up.

So, maybe it makes sense to level the fretboard and install frets AFTER it is finished?

Thoughts?

Thanks

Dave

What I do Dave is attach the bolt-on neck which in my case is a double tenon, and level the fretboard with a little tension on the truss rod and sanding a little drop off into the extension.
Then I fret to about 13 or 14 and try to replicate string tension by supporting the peghead and putting 6lbs of weight on each shoulder of the upper bout. I check the extension and make sure I don't have a rise there. If it's not level or dropping off a tad I can still sand it. Then I fret the rest of the way. That approach has worked pretty well for me. I usually don't have to do any aggressive leveling after finish

The ideal way would be to use a bound fretboard all the time and level and fret after finish which I may start doing. Sometimes a build up of finish around the upper soundhole rosette can push the extension up a little and fretting after finish would allow you to deal with that more easily.
Anyway that's my two cents.

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It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you do know that's wrong.

I fret the board before it to the neck. The key to any way of doing it , it about proper prep both on the fretboard and the body geometry. Any short cuts will yield a poor result .

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John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it

Terence, them's my thoughts as well. That's why we switched to bound fretboards, exclusively. We're able to install the neck, then level it (if needed), and then fret.
We use a micro bevel on the edge of the f/b binding where the fret ends seat, so that when filing the ends flush we're not biting into lacquer.
Does that make sense?

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

What difference does fb binding make?

If you use bound fretboards, you don't have to deal with filing fret ends flush and filling the ends of the fret slots after the finish is on.

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formerly known around here as burbank
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

My thoughts exactly.
With the bound fingerboard.
I cut frets for it this afternoon and then resisted the urge to install them.

Sounds like a solid plan.

Thanks for the input.

Dave

actually you don't need to bind your board to eliminate the fret tang , just trim them back and drop fill . You can also do a "pocket" fret slot. The key to a great fret job is all in the prep and the correct files.

_________________
John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it

Hey Dave...I make sure the neck blank is dead flat.Glue on the fingerboard. With no tension on the truss rod I sand my fingerboard until any bumps or hollows disappear...Press in the frets, trim and polish...If you spend the extra time on preparing the fingerboard before you install the frets you will not have to do any leveling...Thats the way I do it and I have not leveled any frets on the last seven or eight guitars...Larry

Personally I like the look of unbound boards where you can see the metal fret ends. It's kind of like a position marker of sorts and I just like it. Properly done and you can hardly feel them. As far as my technique goes. I fret the instrument right before finishing it. I bolt on the neck and glue the tongue down then level it. The fret slots above 14 are a bit wider so I can squeeze and glue them in easier. Very light taps with a hammer and a metal block held on the inside to absorb shock.