Dispelling the Myths: Frets / Radius / Levelling Fingerboards

[@StringTechWorkstations]

I've had lot of people asking a couple of questions about the sanding blocks and the leather thickness.The short answer is re: leather thickness; I have experimented over the years with the right leather. The local Amish ( Mennonites ) tan the leather for me for the right flexibility ... just enough flex to conform to the fingerboard radius .. but not too spongy. The thickness is about half the thickness of your typical belt leather. I use a two-sided tape to adhere the leather to the blocks and the sandpaper to the leather. kzbin.info/www/bejne/pGemY2p5hrqSjdU kzbin.info/www/bejne/bIKzpJ6cfNFohrc

[@StringTechWorkstations]

I now include 6 straight edges / 5 sanding blocks / 6 fret guard pads / one scrub block / one fret levelling file in the fretting kit.

[@MoGiMaL]

Thanks sharing your knowledge! MUCH appreciated. I’m having a hell of a time trying to make a compound radius fb (my first), even with a big belt sander jig I’ve made. This flexible block should help me get it dialled in. Also, thanks for the info on Amish being Mennonites, I didn’t think we had Amish around so I was going to ask the Hutterites for some leather, and what a disaster that could have been! Lol

[@baimguitar]

Thank you..for the all knowledge you’ve shared in all your vid..that flexing leather really do its job perfectly 👍👍

[@StringTechWorkstations]

Yes it does! MMcC

[@hamodehthrasher6238]

your video was the only video that worth watching and you just saved my ibanez 1991 usa custom GOD BLESS YOU

[@StringTechWorkstations]

That is so cool. Glad it helped! MMcC Here is another you may find interesting:kzbin.info/www/bejne/eJmsXoyNgat-aZY

[@hamodehthrasher6238]

@@StringTechWorkstations thank you again

[@BurninSven1]

Fantastic and so obvious superthanks for sharing.

[@StringTechWorkstations]

Glad it was helpful! MMcC

[@RobertViani]

Awesome presentation. I just pulled the frets off my 1976 Yamaha FG 165. Making a go at my first fret job including cleaning up the fretboard. New sub here keep up the good work. Thank you!

[@StringTechWorkstations]

Best of luck! MMcC

[@alandust2188]

Just came across this older video...great stuff!

[@StringTechWorkstations]

Glad you enjoyed it! MMcC

[@babyyoda4012]

Lovely! Straight forward and to the intuitive point! Needed that,Cheers sir!

[@Bassman1999]

Excellent work !

[@StringTechWorkstations]

Thank you Keith :^ ) !

[@ErnieLeblanc]

''Spot On!''🎯💥💯💥🎯

[@robertkibbler1564]

Another excellent video Michael. Always make an effort to watch asap. And learn from a master! Can't wait for more.! Cheers, Rob from E ngland

[@StringTechWorkstations]

Thank you Robert. There is so much good stuff that needs to be "dragged out into the light of day " ... plenty more to come.

[@kevinfitzgerald4561]

Best in the business. Great job Mike.

[@kevinfitzgerald4561]

You are welcome to visit anytime Mike I’d love that. I’ll send you my email. PS I’m about as useful in a workshop as a chocolate teapot. I’d sooner have a chimpanzee work on my guitars. That’s why I like watching you - a true expert - at work.

[@StringTechWorkstations]

Ha ! A chocolate tea-pot ... I'll have to try that one Lol !!

[@pallecla]

Lots of good info.

[@StringTechWorkstations]

I am sure that I'll be ruffling some feathers .... but this stuff needs to be clarified. Cheers ! MMcC

[@sunnyray7819]

Thanks for the great tips!

[@StringTechWorkstations]

You bet !

[@Riverdeepnwide]

Mike I'm hoping to hear you play that Gretsch once it's all back together. We don't get to see them set up and intonated all that often with their unique quirks. I watch every video very closely and several times if need be, there's always absolute some jewels of knowledge thank you!

[@StringTechWorkstations]

I'm on my 3rd set of strings on the Gretsch. Still flushing out the details. Will definitely spend some time playing before it's gone !

[@jonahlmoore]

Do you have a video on properly leveling the frets? And what is your opinion on fall aways on the last 6-12 frets? Thanks!

[@StringTechWorkstations]

650 + videos so far ... 100's of which are dedicated to fret work. Fall-away is good ... as long as it is not too drastic to affect the intonation.

[@jonahlmoore]

@@StringTechWorkstations thank you Sir! This is my new favorite channel.

[@josephtravers777]

Thanks for sharing! I have a '65 Gibson ES-125 w/ the same problem as the Gretsch. Good insights into the proper cure. 👍

[@StringTechWorkstations]

Cheers .... MMcC

[@evalonious]

Mind blown! Thanks for doing this! Answered so many questions

[@StringTechWorkstations]

Happy to help! Happy New Year.

[@StringTechWorkstations]

Nice channel Justin ! Subscribed :^ ) !

[@thelovacluka]

Thank you so much for the useful info!

[@StringTechWorkstations]

You are so welcome!

[@biggcustomz8583]

Very well explained. Loved this deeply explained video on the technicalities of fingerboard leveling. Well done 👍

[@StringTechWorkstations]

Glad it was helpful! MMcC

[@TracyLanebike]

Hey.... I think I've got few guitars with the "the top neck kinda flipping up" !

[@StringTechWorkstations]

I am not surprised Tracy. Nature of the beast. MMcC

[@tombrackettjr.9308]

fantastic video. So I am building my first electric and I took it to our local Purdue University this week. There is a professor that has written books on guitar making. I am having problems with my neck. He determined that I was not quite level around the 3rd or 4th fret. So your suggestion is I just focus on that area in sanding? And where would you suggest I get the leather if I do not have Amish around me? I like your blocks a whole lot better than making a jig to make a radius block.

[@StringTechWorkstations]

Hey Tom, I am happy to enlighten you on these details. I went back and forth with the Amish to get just the right amount of thickness and "flex" on that set of levelling blocks. You can purchase the Fretting Kit www.mcconvilleguitars.blogspot.com/ via PayPal . It includes the Levelling file ( BTW: I buy boxes of 12 and sort through them to find the dead straight ones... 7 out of 12 were usable on this last batch ) / 5 sanding blocks / 6 straight edges / 1 scrub block / 6 fret guards / ... essentially all of the stuff that you see me use over and over in the videos.

[@thedivisionbell220]

I'm currently gearing up for my first attempt at a leveling and refret. So do I need to do a once over on the entire fretboard with a long (2ft?) sanding block to true the surface after the high spots are taken care of? Or is knocking down the high spots and checking in between with a straight edge the summary of the leveling? The part about adding truss rod tension before leveling was exactly what I needed to hear, as light strings struggle to give me enough relief.

[@StringTechWorkstations]

Sounds like you are on the right track. No need for a 2ft long sanding block. Once you have levelled ( and slightly tensioned the truss rod ... 1/3 of a turn ) you'll be able to finish up with an 11" sanding block ( with a slip of leather adhered to the jointed surface ) as demonstrated in the video. Good Luck ! Seasons Greetings ! MMcC

[@thedivisionbell220]

@@StringTechWorkstations Sounds good, thank you.

[@rouxlaki]

Great video , may i ask you if you make the same load to the trussrod if you want to level the frets, or it is only when you want level the fretboard ? thank you!

[@StringTechWorkstations]

Thank you for asking Nikos. A very good question. Before levelling the frets, you want to adjust the truss rod ( tight or loose ) ... to ensure that the neck is as straight as possible. When correcting the lay of the fingerboard, before installing new frets; if it is a conventional single action truss rod ... you want to make sure that you have a slight amount of load ( 1/3 rotation ) to ensure that you will always have "adjustability" as I explain in the video.

[@rouxlaki]

@@StringTechWorkstations thank you very much!

[@EonTide1111]

Don't you use the truss rod to straighten the neck dead flat before sanding the fret board? I am referencing the ambiguous part where you say you load the truss rod.

[@EonTide1111]

By only slightly loading the truss don't you end up having to unnecessarily have to sand and remove access material to achieve a fully flat neck as opposed to fully straightening the neck which seems to require a bit more tightening of the truss rod from its zero point? I ask all this with respect and as someone trying to learn

[@StringTechWorkstations]

I make contact first .... so that the truss rod is not rattling loose; then I give it another 1/3 rotation. With this very slight load on the truss rod... I proceed to straighten the neck along it's length. As I mention in the video .... without any strings on the guitar at all ... you'll be able to create a slight amount of relief, by loosening off the truss rod that 1/3 of a rotation. In a perfect world .... with any gauge of strings and any tuning .... the neck should be able to lay dead straight OR have a slight amount of relief. When done properly; the guitar should be able to handle any string gauge from .008" - .038" to .013" .056" ... with just the right amount of relief. Hope that makes sense for you. I have had numerous times where a guitar neck is going in a back bow .. even with full string tension ! This would never happen if you build a natural relief into the neck as I instruct in the video. Case in point: I have a Custom Shop Strat that arrived ... truss rod was loosened off completely ; the .009" - 042" did not generate enough load to pull the neck up straight ( let alone relief! ). Luckily ... in this instance ... the customer chose a slightly heavier set ... and we managed to squeak by. Stay tuned .. I'll explain in this upcoming video. Thanks for your questions. Michael McC

[@ezramoore1288]

I have a question I hope you can answer. I’m trying to restore an old 1964 Gretsch Corvette. I have the frets pulled and there was a lot of chipping. I’ve repaired the chipping with thin super glue and rosewood sawdust and now I need to sand the fingerboard. My question is: do I need to sand it flat or is there a radius on this style of guitar? If there is a radius what is it? I can’t find anything on the internet. It seems like it should be flat but I don’t want to mess it up. I’m an amateur and have never restored a guitar.

[@StringTechWorkstations]

There is a radius. I use the blocks that I make up for the Fretting kits. The leather naturally flexes to any given radius.

[@parrd962]

I like your idea on building relief into the fingerboard I've been doing that for years back bow and a stiff neck and big frets are no fun when you can't get the next straight or have any relief now on to my question how thick is the slip of leather that you're using on the sanding blocks?

[@StringTechWorkstations]

I get the local Amish to tan the leather for the right consistency. It is not as thick as shoe leather ( probably close to half that thickness ) ... but after experimenting for years, I get just the right amount of flex and consistency to follow the radius effortlessly. I have a few videos now .... where I set up the I-phone with the timer ... and you can see how many seconds ( not minutes ) it takes to achieve perfection ;^ ) ! Cheers ! MMcC

[@Walkermsh]

Michael, got a question: When grinding the fretboard (with the frets on) is it not better to directly use a sanging bean but with the radius of the fingerboard?

[@StringTechWorkstations]

As long as you move "obliquely across the crowns" and "keep the file in line with the string path"; you are golden. BTW: A predetermined radius on a sanding "beam" will not follow a compound radius.

[@Walkermsh]

@@StringTechWorkstations THANK YOU!

[@markrup6369]

Really nice work, Mike. Question -- on the high fingerboard extension, since it was so high might the guitar need a neck reset? Did you check the tilt before you sanded away so much of the fingerboard?

[@StringTechWorkstations]

The neck set was fine on this one Mark. It was mostly the fingerboard extension over the body that was flipping up. Pretty common for those floating extensions to distort a bit over time. Thanks for asking. MMcC

[@DS-dk1je]

Where do you guys get that leather from?

[@StringTechWorkstations]

I have worked with the Amish ( Mennonites ) ... back and forth .... to get the exact amount of flex ... with out it being too hard or too spongy.

[@thesaj1110]

Where r u located?

[@StringTechWorkstations]

Stratford Ontario Canada

[@micahwatz1148]

Man it seems like alot of guitars have this s curve. High around the 4-7 frets, also high around the 13-22 frets. Its gotta be something with the way they build them. Just a low spot in the middle of the neck and by the first few frets. Like theyre heavy handed in the middle or something

[@StringTechWorkstations]

It has more to do with the slender part of the neck "flexing" under the string load .... and the neck-to-body junction, NOT flexing. MMcC

[@PjRjHj]

@@StringTechWorkstations does that contribute in anyway to the infamous dead notes often found on Basses around 6th-8th frets, G string?

[@Typical.Anomaly]

I count when I sand too... and when I do prep in a kitchen. Chopping broccoli? There's an 8-count. Sometimes I throw in triplets for a change.

[@StringTechWorkstations]

Interesting. I use it to ensure an evenness .. side to side ... when levelling the fingerboard. Checking across the radius and along the fingerboard as I go .This type of "meditation" helps to keep you "in the zone" .

[@TheBoomtown4]

Wish I had watched at 10:00 before I did my first fret job! Yikes.

[@StringTechWorkstations]

It is a very common error ... very easily missed. At least you'll remember for next time. A hard lesson learned. Take care. MMcC

[@TheBoomtown4]

@@StringTechWorkstations yep, back to the drawing board. I’ll sand, shim the neck because I’ll lose height when I sand the bird down and refret again.

[@StringTechWorkstations]

As long as you have enough "Real Estate" with the thickness of the fingerboard ... you're good to go ... Cheers \m/ !

[@TheBoomtown4]

@@StringTechWorkstations yeah, was thinking that haha, thanks again. If I’d have subscribed sooner I wouldn’t be in this pickle.

[@StringTechWorkstations]

Let me know how you make out with that Justyn.

[@michaelbarnhill5141]

Thank you for the time and effort to pass this knowledge to me.....I'm just starting out....(I'm a Writer and play a minor bit) but now I'm concentrating on settting up a guitar properly....have a G-425 ARBOR guitar made by CHECKMATE.....is a cheap guitar so if I mess up I don't destroy a good guitar.....the tools are outrageous....old Tricky Dick & Ho Chi Min destroyed my health back in 71 which prevented me to not achieve my full potential...and thus I don't have much funds to sink into Lutherism

[@StringTechWorkstations]

Welcome aboard Michael ! If you have been watching my videos ... you'll know ..... that I am very big on the "vernacular" ... using stuff that is readily available ... hockey pucks / tongue-depressors / etc.... ALL of the various Kits ( Fretting Kit / Neck Surgery Kit / Bridge Slotting Kit ) are all priced so that you turn over the purchase price with ONE job. You'll also know that the TechDeck workstations are a truly dedicated tool, for anyone who works on guitars. During this C-19 pandemic ... more people than ever before are turning their kitchen or dining room tables into mini guitar Pro-Shops Lol ! I better be careful .... they'll soon be a posse' of wives hunting me down ... to take me out. Doh ! Cheers Brother ... you are on the right track \m/ ! MMcC

[@sandimastodd]

Hi Mike. Greeting from portland oregon. I would like to buy your wood block kit from you. Please post in the comment section or give a phone number to call for ordering info. I have looked on your site and did not see them for sale. Let me know. Thank you. Todd.

[@StringTechWorkstations]

The Fretting Kit can be purchased via PayPal here: mcconvilleguitars.blogspot.com/ the kit includes 6 straight edges / 5 sanding blocks / 1 scrub block / 1 single cut 6" fine mill file mounted on a hardwood block and 6 re-usable fretguards that can be cut to shape for 6 of the most common shapes Tele / LP / Dreadnought / Strat / 335 / SG etc... Shipping is free for the continental US and Canada. You may email me directly at [e-mail] I have customers coming all day today ( Saturday is when the out-of-towners come ). You can email your Ph# and the best times to call. / MMcC