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Re: Best/Worst Practices...Monkey See Monkey Do.....

The pillory for you!

I would argue that the bindings do add a bit of stiffness to the neck, and the smoother feel to the edge is nice. I really hate fret ends poking out in dry weather, especially with tangs. As mentioned in this thread, I grind my frets to width and shape the ends before installing them so I can make them a touch narrower than the board, for improved feel and fingernail snag prevention in all weather conditions.

But I am also influenced by the style aspect. I'd rather have a bound fingerboard and unbound back than a bound back and unbound fingerboard.

Yay. Definitely.

But what about faux bound fingerboards? Enquiring minds want to know...

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I like hiding the fret tangs behind binding, including faux binding just for that purpose lets a little dimensional shift of the FB keep from creating pricklies. But that said, how do you pre-finish the fret widths and install them so accurately as to have each fret perfectly aligned, Dennis? I have to imagine we are talking 0.010" or so total shortness. Enquiring minds ...

Andy

RNRoberts posted a link in that other thread that shows a jig for it http://www.mimf.com/library/Randy_Roberts__photo-essay_on_making_semi-hemispherical_fret_ends_for_bound_fretboards__Pictures_-01-20-2012.html

As for me, I'm not that picky. Lay them on their side at the slot they go in and eyeball the ends. As long as all frets are about the same amount shorter than the board width at their slot, it shouldn't be too squiggly. Though there's also the challenge of placing them in the slot just right before hammering down...

But the normal style has its challenges too. Particularly filing them flush with the board without scratching the finish, and smoothing the pointy corners of the frets after beveling, right where they meet the board, without scratching the board in the process.

Dennis:
I'm with you on this one. I use ebony boards and bind with ebony. A bit more time to prepare the fret wire but worth it. I would not do a board with out the binding.
Tom

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I've always believed that the purpose of fingerboard binding is to keep beginning amateur self-taught repairmen from messing with the frets. The binding scares people away from working on a guitar who should learn fretting on less valuable instruments.

I sort of doubt this to be the case. Jim Olson doesn't bind his fretboards, his base price is $18,000....


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Binding for sure. It just looks cleaner and more refined, IMO. Although, on my earlier instruments, I've found the need to glue down the errant fret end. But since I've started using a wire bender, it's been easy and they don't lift.

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Obviously I'm a nay vote but I don't think bound fretboards are all bad. They certainly can look cleaner and steps can be taken to minimize future issues. But recognize that the look comes with less support for the ends of the frets. Anyone who's had a substantial number of guitars come through their shop has seen plenty of old bound guitars where the fret ends have lifted or curled up a little causing buzzing at less than ideal action. Even worse, guitars that have had a fret leveling done by a luthier who didn't see the odd unsupported fret end (or didn't know to look for it) which compounds the problem and can necessitate a refret before its time.

And don't get me started on those semi-hemisphirical fret ends... they feel weird to a lot of players and IMO are a convoluted solution looking for a problem, but that's a discussion for another day.



I see no difference between real and faux binding if the bindind wood is similar to the FB wood and the glue line is good.

Well, I have not done a bound fingerboard since I replicated an 1890 Martin. But I typically use bar frets and those fret ends look really nice polished up against the fingerboard edge, especially when I make the frets from phosphor bronze.

Grant