How to prepare the fingerboard for the right set up.

In this video I sow how to prepare the fingerboard so that once you have the frets fitted, you end up having the set up.
To build your own classical guitar in your own workshop using my step by step 40 hour plus video course series visit:
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If you are interested in building a guitar in my workshop in Spain all the information that you will need about the 4 week course is available at:
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[@humansnotai4912]

This is why guitars made by master craftsmen like Pablo are in the £1000s and the ones from production lines are in the £100s. The skill and quality of the luthiery here is just astounding. Muchas gracias por este fantástico contenido Pablo.

[@maxbishop8224]

Very helpful for understanding a rather tricky aspect of guitar building.

[@thomaskeithlutheir]

What a brilliant explanation of this process. Thank you for posting this video.

[@redkitekk]

you welcome!!

[@pauldolden8934]

Thanks Pablo-the video was very helpful, and as always, you explain the steps in detail which makes for a great lesson !! Thanks Paul

[@SC-SA]

I've been looking for a solution and this video helped me in millimeter exactly what I needed to know. Thanks a lot!

[@imrankasen5872]

a tip : you can watch series on flixzone. Been using it for watching loads of movies lately.

[@johanemerson307]

@Imran Kasen yea, I have been using flixzone} for years myself =)

[@mrjamrol]

Thanks for posting Pablo- excellent!

[@iscadean6038]

Just a point about planing the ebony fretboard. If the resistance means you keep stuttering as you push then you need to set the plane plane deeper into the body of the plane so less material is being taken off but you are able to do it with less resistance and in one go. You will feel less tired and less stressed by planing. As a cabinet maker, I have been taught to only set the plane so that the shaving coming off is as long as possible while being as thin as possible, so thin you can see through it - not easy to do with ebony. Slowly, gently, little by little, easy does it. Takes longer but it is worth it.

[@NeverTalkToCops1]

Most excellent!

[@backspatter]

Thanks Pablo- very helpful as always

[@boblob2003]

"A good instrument is measured in millimeters, a great instrument is measured in tenths of a millimeter." Thanks for posting and sharing your knowledge!

[@NeverTalkToCops1]

Rubbish.

[@mojetrouba]

This is immensely helpful on my first guitar. Thank you Pablo.

[@ianjones6722]

The best explanation of the bass taper that I have seen. Thank you sir.

[@carmelogimenez3621]

Brillant, Pablo. As allways. Muchas gracias.

[@redkitekk]

De nada.

[@IvanLabussiere7]

Perfetic! Congratulation's and Thank!

[@nessusguitars]

Very very helpful

[@apmpsj]

Hola Pablo, muy interesante y da confianza,,Gracias!

[@RobustWorks]

Greetings Pablo. I bought my Rodriguez FC about twenty years ago. It had never had a proper set up outside the factory but it served me well for many years performing and recording. The last few years though, it started to show its age. A deeper than normal bow in the neck, worn frets etc. I decided to try this method, leveling the fingerboard first, then putting in the slope in the bass side. With new frets, freshly leveled and dressed along with a new bone nut and saddle, it plays beautifully. No string buzz in the bass first positions. But just 4mm at the 12th fret on the bass side and 3mm on the treble side. No string buzz anywhere and the intonation is perfect with an uncompensated saddle. The guitar lives again! Thank you. If you read these comments I would like to ask you a question. I have a flamenco blanca and the neck has lifted, the upper bout of the body has sunk. A combination of being stored in the hot boot of a car and heavy strings. I would like to level the fretboard again - only flat this time - to reduce the action which currently makes it unplayable for flamenco. In this video, you show the primary level of the board should extend to 3.5mm above the table at the bridge position. Because the flamenco bridge is not as high as a classical bridge, should we level the fingerboard to be a little lower at the bridge position? Say 1.5mm? Once again, thank you. It is so nice to watch you working with such artistry and precision. And your approach is so pragmatic... it helped me a lot when I was building my first guitar.

[@redkitekk]

Hi, when it comes to work the fingerboard I do it exactly in the same way as I show in this video. In this job you need to think in reverse, if you go down to 1,5 you will end up having a very high action and you won't be able to lower it enough.

[@RobustWorks]

@@redkitekk Thank you again. I think I understand... so if we say the classical bridge is 9mm high and the flamenco 7mm high the fingerboard should receive its first level to 3.5mm at the bridge position for both because if we assume the nominal action of a classical at the 12th fret is 4mm to get 3mm at the 12th fret for a flamenco we need to drop the action at the bridge position by 2mm - which would be the difference between a bridge 9mm high being only 7mm high. So the lower action of the flamenco at the 12th fret is really a product of the lower bridge; and not the fingerboard, which should be set up the same as for a classical. '...exactly in the same way,' as you say. :)

[@redkitekk]

@@RobustWorks 👍👍

[@leandronovaes5812]

Muitíssimo generoso ,e muito obrigado.. Você é o cara1

[@theneves60]

Muchas gracias, thank you, obrigado! Your videos are awesome!

[@diegoalvarez823]

Hola Pablo, siempre esperando tu próximo video. Quiero agradecerte por compartir tus conocimientos. Genio total, súper prolijo, muy didácticas tus explicaciones. GRACIAS. Saludos desde argentina.

[@nealegordon]

Thanks Pablo. Useful info and beautifully presented!

[@gerardocuellar2554]

Pablo excelent program to prepare the fingerboard for the right set up.Now I am looking for information on how to set the brigde and the angle that face the nut do you have a video on that. mil gracias y espero su respuesta Felicidades

[@bradhibbitts8188]

Pablo I use a similar method using 3 planes across the finger board I get good results thank you for sharing

[@severianoarroyo5743]

muchas gracias Sr. Requena por este fantástico vídeo, construyo guitarras de flamenco como afición, tengo una pregunta: en flamenco, sería valida esta técnica ?, gracias y saludos

[@adrianogomes1871]

Great teaching Sir Thanks for your mastery

[@redkitekk]

Thank you. Just in case you are interested I have a complete course available on www.onlineguitarmakingcourse.com Thanks

[@petervanrooij2181]

Hello Pablo, this is a perfect sequel to the thing you wrote to me in your email. This is very helpfull. Thanks a lot!

[@redkitekk]

No problem

[@tomallen8527]

Thank you for the great detail.

[@redkitekk]

You are welcome. Just in case you are interested please have a look at my website www.onlineguitarmakingcourse.com

[@DrumminDrew0]

Impressive!! Nice work :)

[@ellobosolitario19]

Excelente video, ¿El diapasón es plano en ambos lados y como se hace con la inclinación del mástil?

[@catrionanicthamhais]

Dear Pablo Thank you so much for another wonderful and informative video. I wonder, would you go a little lower than the 3.5 mm if you were setting up a flamenco guitar?

[@redkitekk]

Hi Catherine, No. If you go lower you will actually have the opposite result, don't forget that in this you need to think in reverse. Planing more of the fingerboard will mean that the gap between the frets and the strings is bigger. For a flamenco guitar I prepare the fingerboard en the same way as a classical guitar, but to be able to bring the string closer to the frets, what I do is to make the bridge a bit lower. For a classical guitar I make the bridge 8 mm thick and for a flamenco 7 mm thick. That way you can get the saddle to be low enough so that you can have the right action. I hope this makes sense. Pablo

[@catrionanicthamhais]

Thanks so much once again!

[@mizansomani1815]

@@redkitekk How high does the saddle end up being on the classical compared to flamenco? I assume the saddle is rather short on the flamenco but with classical it must be quite a bit higher to allow for proper distance from the soundboard. Is this thinking correct, or is the the height of the strings above the soundboard close to the same between classical and flamenco guitars?

[@redkitekk]

Mizan Somani yes, the saddle is about 2 mm higher on a classical guitar if you compare it with a flamenco guitar. The hight of the strings from the soundboard in front of the bridge is about 7 mm on a flamenco and about 9 on a classical.

[@mizansomani1815]

PabloRequena that makes perfect sense. Thanks so much!

[@sdantonio]

Hello Pablo. Great video, very informative. I have made a large number of steel string guitars and want to make my first classical. In steel string construction we use the string tension and truss rod to adjust the neck relief. Since the classical has considerably less string tension and no truss rod, do you carve the relief into the fingerboard, or do you just make a flat fingerboard and hope the strings pull it to the correct relief?

[@pierrelalumiere6109]

nice work

[@redkitekk]

Pierre Lalumière thank you

[@t.rehcsif1662]

Hi Pablo, great video and very useful as are most of your videos. I'm curious what your using here to cover the sound hole?

[@redkitekk]

It is just two pieces of 3mm board, one of them exactly the same since as the sound hole and another one a bit bigger in diameter both of them glued together fitting in the sound hole as a plug,

[@t.rehcsif1662]

Thank you for the reply. Clever solution. So I would assume then that you made a cutout in the top piece around the contour of the fingerboard?

[@gillesclouzeau5801]

Hello Pablo, thank you for this very informative video. In your video about the solera you explained there is an angle between the soundboard and the neck. So, before you glue the fingerboard, do you plan the surface of contact between this fingerboard and the soundboard to correct the angle? thank you. Sincerely, Gilles

[@redkitekk]

Hi Gilles, Yes, I plane some of the ebony from the underside in the area near the sound hole, that way when you glue on the finger board it ends up being flatter, otherwise the fingerboard would have a big dip in the middle which you could plane flat but you would loose most of the slots for the frets in some areas.

[@gillesclouzeau5801]

Thank you very much Pablo

[@costantinoproietti7578]

Hello, just a clarification: you remove the ebony only near the sound hole or for the entire length of the fingerboard over the soundboard? And do you use, in some cases, to scratch the soundboard where it receives the fingerboard ? Regards Costantino

[@shxrao]

Thanks a lot. Very useful and well made video series. One question I have is regarding neck / fingerboard relief - there's a recommendation to fret strings on first and 12th frets and look for about 0.25mm clearance between string and fret at the 7th fret. Can one set that while finishing the fretboard ? Can one adjust relief without truss rod ?

[@redkitekk]

Hi, The relief, while it is very important for the playability of the guitar, it is something you need to work out for yourself. The way I do it is to plane the fingerboard completely strait, and let the tension of the strings pull the neck, that way you will have a good relief. If you try to build it into the fingerboard you could end up with a bowed neck. I hope this makes sense.

[@shxrao]

Thanks again.

[@supercocomonsters6522]

If we program the fretboard thickness offset on the CNC, it should be ccnsistent for every guitar, yes?

[@mirko5040]

Very good video, so you cut the frets slots at the right deep before gluing the fb into the neck, then After all this shaving you check one by one if they needs a second pass, right? And may i know your bridge height without saddle? Thanks!

[@redkitekk]

Yes, that’s correct. The bridge hight for classical guitar is 8 mm and for flamenco 7 mm. Just in case you are interested I have a complete course available on www.onlineguitarmakingcourse.com

[@donh3522]

Hello Pablo, Can you please tell me what you would generally consider both the optimum and also the maximum allowed neck relief measurements in millimetres on both the Bass and Treble sides of a Traditionally Spanish made Classical guitar ? Thanks Don

[@redkitekk]

Hi Don, relief on a Spanish guitar is really very small, about 0,2 mm but not more than that. Any more than that will give you problems with the set up.

[@tomjacobsen1943]

Pablo, What brand of straight edge are you using? They look ideal for this job. Thanks for all your helpful videos.

[@redkitekk]

Veritas

[@tomjacobsen1943]

@@redkitekk Thank you Pablo.

[@JuanDeMarias]

Thanks Pablo, how much extra depth do you normally add to the fret slots in relation to the tang size when you cut them to avoid as much a possible having to re-cut the slots after you plane the board like you do here, Is 1mm adequate?

[@redkitekk]

Hola Juan. I do the initial cuts at 3 mm deep, but you still have to deepen some of them once the planning of the ebony is done.

[@JuanDeMarias]

@@redkitekk Gracias Pablo!

[@jimmacbrayne3578]

An excellent explanation and demonstration. One question - would you consider it a legitimate alternative to increase the action on the bass side by increasing the height of the bridge saddle? I know that some makers do this.

[@redkitekk]

You are right, many makers do this. In my opinion guitars work better if the string hight in front of the saddle is not much more than 10 mm and this is only possible if you reduce the thickness of the finger board in the base area. Otherwise you would end up with 12 or 13 mm in the base side and I believe that this will increase the torque produced by the strings and some guitars don't behave very well when this is the case. You need to try this for yourself and make a decision as to which way work best for you.

[@jimmacbrayne3578]

Thank you, Pablo. I have used both methods, and understand the problem with increased torque on the saddle. I was originally taught your technique by my luthier friend Michael Ritchie who worked with Rolf Eichinger for 2 years in Granada.

[@juanignacioizcurdia3076]

@@redkitekk estimado Pablo, le hago una consulta: ¿en qué sentido no se comportan bien las guitarras que miden 12 mm delante del puente? estoy haciendo mi primer guitarra y observo que la mejor guitarra que tengo y que conozco (una Dominique Field) mide 12 mm. Es verdad que está un poco hundida la tapa delante del puente, es eso a lo que se refiere en cuanto a que no siempre funciona bien este tipo de ajuste y por eso prefiere no mas de 10mm? Muchas gracias por sus videos, son excelentes, brindan información muy precisa, detallada y que demuestra una gran experiencia, saludos!

[@redkitekk]

Juan Ignacio Izcurdia el hundimiento de la tapa es una de las consecuencias de tener mucha altura en las cuerdas, pero también es posible que la tapa sea muy fina, las barras internas son pequeñas, o una combinación de las dos cosas. Si es una guitarra te tipo lattice esto pasa bastante. Esto no tiene porque ser un problema a no ser que afecte a la pulsación o a la afinación. También comentarte por si te interesa que acabo de sacar al mercado un curso que puedes encontrar en www.onlineguitarmakingcourse.com

[@bellsriverguitar]

Hi Pablo, Thanks for your great videos. Isn’t the purpose of the angle on the solera to build in “relief” to the neck? Why plane it flat? Or why not built it flat in the solera? Thanks!

[@redkitekk]

Hi, no, the angle on the neck is there to have the right setup at the end. The relief is created just by the pull of the strings. Just in case you are interested you will find very detailed information about this and all the other aspects involved to build your own guitar on my course available on www.onlineguitarmakingcourse.com

[@JuanDeMarias]

How much increase in action can I expect after the initial setup when adding the strings (HT) and allowing a couple of weeks to set (building a blanca). I'm exactly at this stage ready to glue the fretboard and preparing it for the setup. My neck angle is shallower than yours (1mm fret 0). Do you use the same 3.5 and 2.5 spacers or should they be thicker since the angle is shallower to get the same action? Thanks

[@redkitekk]

You use the same 3.5 and 2.5 spacers regardless of the angle you used.

[@JuanDeMarias]

@@redkitekk Thank you!

[@josemariacruzamtute1335]

Hola Pablo, muy bueno el vídeo, pero podrías subtitularlo en español?. Gracias

[@elkeseaplana]

Qué tal maestro. En qué capítulo de sus cursos en línea puedo encontrar información referente al ángulo del brazo con respecto a la tapa. Así como el porqué de los 3.5 mm y 2.5. Muchas gracias.

[@redkitekk]

Hola, el tema del angulo del mango lo explico en diferentes ocasiones pero no hay un capitulo especialmente dedicado a eso. el capitulo donde puedes encontrar mas información sober eso es en el capitulo de que se llama The Solera Mould donde explico como se construye la solera. Respecto del porque de los 3,5 y los 2,5 mm lo explico en la ultima parte del capitulo 22 del curso. Gracias

[@andeanlegacy2104]

Ojalá tuviera subtítulos 😓

[@owenlewis8944]

Hola Pablo! I am wondering, would the final height of the bridge(without saddle) with these measurements be around 3/8 in?

[@christophe2317]

gracias maestro .pero que pena que no se en español .suerte

[@davekeith7504]

Hello Pablo .Wish I found you earlier ,Pablo I have a problem the finger board is flat ,but only 6mm thick . The saddle is fixed 2.5mm same as yours .How do I get a good action .Yet to plain the bass side .

[@redkitekk]

Hi Dave. I think your fingerboard is a little too thin, there are different ways to do this job. For me, as I explain in the video I start with a fingerboard 7 mm thick and plane down the end of the ebony closer to the guitar so that I get a hight of 3.5 mm at the saddle position. Once I have it at that point I plane the base side to go down to 2.5 mm. With these dimensions I can get a good setup later on. You could try to plane the end of the fingerboard closer to the head to the he point in which you have 3.5 mm at the saddle and then plane the base side to 2.5. If this doesn’t work you might have to remove the fingerboard and fit a new one 7 mm think. Just in case you are interested I have a complete course available on www.onlineguitarmakingcourse.com

[@sergiodamian2147]

Hola maestro, no usas scoop en los graves? En general yo usaba y lo he ido disminuyendo poco a poco con buenos resultados también, en tu experiencia funciona dejar plano el diapasón o funciona por él ángulo que le dás a la cuerda al bajar el dispasón en los graves en los trastes cerca de la boca.pregunto esto pues he tocado guitarras sin ángulo y con el diapasón plano y trastean mucho. Saludos y gracias por compartir!

[@redkitekk]

Cuando dices scoop supongo que te refieres a que el diapasón tiene una curva muy pequeña que evita el trasteo. En mis guitarras yo dejo el diapasón recto y al poner las cuerdas la tensión de las mismas crea esa curva al tirar del mango hacia adelante. Para mi así me funciona bien.

[@sergiodamian2147]

@@redkitekk mil Gracias maestro!

[@nickyork8901]

Would it be a good idea to protect the spruce, with some cling film or something before planing the ebony?

[@redkitekk]

Nick, Helen York sure, if you are concerned you can use thin cardboard, very thin MDF or something like that, don’t use cling film as it is too thin and won’t save your soundboard from desastre.

[@owenlewis8944]

Hola Pablo, One more question, did you have to figure out the grain direction of the fretboard before glueing it for the planing that would take place after? I have Ziricote fret board blanks and am wondering if this is necessary.

[@redkitekk]

Ideally yes, you want to fit the fingerboard so that it is easier to plane towards the sound hole, however, with ebony this is very difficult to see, if you are using other timbers and the grain direction is easy to see then I would try to take advantage of that. The other thing is that usually the fingerboard needs more planing in the area near the sound hole, but occasionally you find that this is not the case and you also have to plane the other end, so.... the real solution to this problem is to use a plane that is super sharp and set very fine so that the grain doesn't tear out, and sharpen your plane as many times as necessary to do the job. Also, allow a bit of material to finish of with sand paper to clean plane marks and small tears in the wood.

[@angelitojerezano]

Porque no lo dices en español cuando haces guitarras españolas?

[@seanman22001]

question about relief on the bass side.. what does it matter if you level the frets to one plane? Will you file the frets lower on the bass side as well?

[@redkitekk]

I don’t lower the frets, I keep them as evenly high as I can. I plane down the base side of the fingerboard so that when I make the saddle it doesn’t have to be a lot higher in the base side than in the treble. I like having the saddle as equal in hight as possible, this is just the way it works for me, but of course it doesn’t mean that it can only be done my way.

[@donh3522]

@@redkitekk Hello Pablo,many thanks for your feedback.Best Regards, Don

[@michaelknepp6653]

Hello Pablo. Great video as usual. Do you find low angle block plane to work better with ebony? Also, have you used rosewood for fingerboards at all? Thank you.

[@redkitekk]

Hi Michael, I prefer to use a low angle plane on any hard wood, but if the blade is very sharp you can use both. For fingerboards I always use ebony, this is because ebony is harder than rosewood and will withstand the abuse of playing a lot better than rosewood. Having said that, a good quarter sawn piece of rosewood would also do a very good job for the fingerboard and many makers choose this option.

[@michaelknepp6653]

Thanks for the info. Had a bad piece of ebony that had cupped on me when I glued it to the neck. Loosened it back up with an iron and am starting with a new piece. I am testing for cupping on it before I mark out my slots just in case.

[@michaelknepp6653]

Thank you again, Pablo. Am trying the diagonal compensation for the bass side. reminds me of a Contreras that had that feature long ago.

[@eliasperez510]

Pablo, puede explicar el método que usa para tapar la boca de la guitarra? Gracias

[@redkitekk]

Utilizo un carton denso de 3 mm que encajo contra el diapason para que no se mueva.

[@AN-uw1jc]

Te lo voy a esplicar yo bien esplicado , recortas un trozo de carton con el diametro exacto de la boca y despues recortas otro carton con 5 mm mas grande que la boca , lo centras y los pegas ambos de modos que obtendras como un especie de tapon .

[@elsevy2]

Me encanta tus vídeos pero no entiendo inglés, podrías haberle puesto subtítulos 😔

[@owenlewis8944]

Hola Pablo, What size is the longer straight edge you use? I need to get one for this job too.

[@redkitekk]

Any straight edge longer than 700mm will work for you.

[@ellobosolitario19]

Thanks You, muchas gracias, señor Pablo tengo una duda en cuanto al cálculo de los trastes , mi duda es cuando las cuerdas se acercan al puente el espacio entre las cuerdas se hace más ancho ¿ Cómo se compensa ese ancho en la cajuela hasta el puente?

[@redkitekk]

Perdona pero no entiendo tu pregunta. Te refieres a la distancia entre cuerdas en el puente? Si es eso, la distancia entre cuerdas es de 11,5 mm

[@ellobosolitario19]

@@redkitekk muchas gracias, es a medida que me acerco al puente las cuerdas se van separando por lo tanto las cuerdas cada una tendría una variación en su longitud aunque sea pequeña ¿ Afectaría el cálculo de trastes?

[@redkitekk]

@@ellobosolitario19 no, los trastes son paralelos y su posición está determinada por el tiro(scale length) el hecho de que la guitarra tenga un poco de ángulo en el puente es para intentar que la afinación sea mejor. Por cierto, en una guitarra clásica de buena calidad hecha a mano no es necesario hacer esto, el puente es paralelo a los trastes.

[@ellobosolitario19]

@@redkitekk muchas gracias

[@redkitekk]

@@ellobosolitario19 de nada, por si te interesa, tengo un curso completo de construcción de guitarras en www.onlineguitarmakingcourse.com

[@settebello28]

hello, is it a LN 60 1/2 low angle block plane, or standard angle?

[@redkitekk]

It is a low angle

[@settebello28]

@@redkitekk thanks, saludos

[@ognam2]

I want to achieve about 7-8mm string height at the bridge for my Flamenco guitar. So when checking with a straightedge like you did I am looking für only 1,5mm spacing?

[@redkitekk]

No, you still need to have 2 to 2,5 mm at the base and 3 to 3,5 mm at the treble. This is why: in the video I explain how to work the ebony for a classical guitar with an action of 4 mm at the base and 3 at the treble measured at the 12 th fret giving you a hight of about 10 mm at the bridge. If the action for your flamenco guitar is 2 to 2.5 at the treble and 3 at the base, all you need to do is to lower the height of the saddle 2 mm, this will give you a hight if 8 mm at the bridge area which is what you want. The one thing you have to do different from a classical guitar is to make a bridge that is no thicker than 6.5 mm at the center section, in a classical guitar this would be 7,5 mm. I hope this makes sense.

[@ognam2]

@@redkitekk Thank You for that quick response :-) Yes that makes sense. Good night!

[@emiliodiaz6527]

@@redkitekk Sorry to be that guy: I guess when you write "base" you mean "bass". In any case, a thousand thanks for your videos. All the time and effort you take to share your knowledge, it's really apreciated :)

[@owenlewis8944]

Pablo, one more question. What complete cutting angle do you have on your plane for this job?

[@redkitekk]

Hi Owen, I don't set up an angle on the plane, my plane cuts evenly across the width of the blade. To achieve the angle on the fingerboard I plane different areas of the fingerboard gradually to achieve the angle I need.

[@owenlewis8944]

Thanks Pablo.

[@diegokeirsebilck4522]

Hi Pablo, If i would build a left-handed classic guitar, is this job the only thing i would need to do in reverse? grts , Diego

[@redkitekk]

That's correct, everything else is the same as in a normal guitar

[@diegokeirsebilck4522]

Thank you !

[@18roselover]

Hola pablo . have not seen such a shaped straight edge ? who makes it thanks ?

[@redkitekk]

It is a Veritas strait edge, made in Canada.

[@18roselover]

Thanks pablo,FYI the curtain rails arrived from china and I made a copy of your go bar deck , works vy well Thanks

[@robertbdesmond]

This is ONE WAY to shape the fingerboard. I used to do my fingerboards in this manner many years ago. However, this can also be a very dangerous method. I have repaired many Ramirez and other Spanish guitars with way too much fingerboard angle resulting in low saddles and too high action. I would like to know what Pablo's final saddle height is on bass and treble ends of saddle. I prefer a slightly higher saddle which allows room for the saddle to be lowered if a customer should request lower action. I prefer a saddle height of 12mm's with an action of 4/3 at the 12th fret. This is my target. I also put a very slight amount of relief in my fingerboards, about .006" on the bass side and almost no relief on the treble side of the fingerboard. I'm more concerned about the saddle being able to be adjusted down, than whether or not the saddle is flatter across the strings as opposed to being slanted from bass to treble. Pablo's method is very "Ramirez". It's the Spanish way of thinking which had proven to be troublesome nowadays. I'm not saying Pablo is wrong. I'm just warning guitar makers who watch this excellent video to be careful using this method. A few too many swipes with the plane and you have gone too far! Also, your plane MUST BE VERY SHARP. Especially if you pre-cut the fret slots. You can chip and damage the Ebony when planing it, even with a sharp plane iron. Trust me. I also glue on my fingerboards at 7mm's thick. But after that, I SAND THE SHAPE into my fingerboards. I don't plane them into shape. It's too risky. Thanks Pablo for sharing your method. It works, but it's risky and can lead to action problems if not done skillfully.

[@redkitekk]

Hi Robert, Thanks for your comments, the hight of the strings in front of the bridge using this method is about 10mm at the base and treble, that is with an action of 4/3 mm at the 12th fret. That leaves me enough room for adjustments. Of course when you plane ebony you need to have a very sharp blade, sometimes I have to stop and sharpen the blades a few times on the same fingerboard, but if your plane is well set up it should be ok. I also finish off the last final touches with a sanding block. Anyway ..... there are just many ways of doing the same job, this is just the one that works for me.

[@costantinoproietti7578]

@@redkitekk Maestro, About the saddle height there is something not clear to me: to allow a 10 mm strings height over the soundboard “in front of the saddle” that works, you need not only plane the fingerboard at 2,5 mm, (base side) as explained in the video, (and 3,5 at trebles side) but also a low bridge (!), as they are in close relationship. If I plane the fingerboard at base side to 2, 5 mm eight in front of the saddle, to obtain an action of 4 mm (12th fret), I need a further elevation of 8 mm at saddle. Then the final saddle eight at base side will be 10,5 mm. So, at the treble side if I have planed the FB to about 3,5 mm, to obtain an action of 3 mm (12th fret) I need a further elevation of 6 mm at saddle. Then the final saddle eight at treble will be 9,5 mm. So, with a 8 mm bridge high then the saddle will protrude 2, 5 mm at base and just 1,5 mm at trebles. So, as my last guitar I’m building (4th) has a bridge 8,5 mm high, (not glued yet) then the saddle will protrude 2 mm at base and just 1 mm at treble. In my case it seems I should need to plane the FB a little bit higher, to obtain the same result, 3 mm at base and 4 at treble. Are my calculations correct? And..... Sorry for the long question!

[@redkitekk]

@@costantinoproietti7578 Don't forget that all these calculations work very well in theory but in reality every guitar is different so you have to be a bit flexible with all these dimensions. I say this because there are things we can't control fully, like how much is the neck going to pull forward when the strings are up to tension. I think you need to turn your attention to the bridge as you have already suggested. What I do, and it works with the set up I do in this video, is to make a bridge that is 7,5 mm thick at the thickest point, that way there is enough bone above the bridge to be able to adjust the action to the needs of your guitar. I start making the bridge plank 8 mm thick, but by the time the bridge is made the centre section is about 7,5 mm thick. Just in case you find it helpful I have recently completed an on line course that is available on www.onlineguitarmakingcourse.com

[@costantinoproietti7578]

@@redkitekk Maestro, you are a very kind person and. Now I can afford in a better way this building part. Thank you so much.

[@robertbdesmond]

@@redkitekk Pablo- Hello. I was watching this video once again, last night, and I see a problem in the numbers. To end up with a saddle height of 9-10mm’s with an action of 4/3 does not allow much, if any, room to adjust the saddle down, should a player want a lower action. The ideal bridge height is 11-12mm’s with an action of 4/3 at the 12th fret. Why 11-12mm’s? Should a player want to lower the action to 3.5/2.7 or so, the saddle needs to go down 1mm, to 11 or 10mm. Should a player want to lower the action to 3/2.3 or so, then we would be at a saddle height of 9-10mm’s. Below 9mm’s you are losing the mechanical advantage of the saddle. So, my point is, if my target is 4/3 and 10mm’s, I haven’t got any room for the saddle to go lower as I will now be in Flamenco starting range. The bridge would have to be planed down to accommodate the lower saddle, and the mechanical advantage starts to go away. I personally shoot for 11-12mm’s for an action of 4/3. I don’t like a saddle lower than 10mm’s unless I am making a Flamenco guitar. I have found that the shaping of the fingerboard is perhaps the most important step in guitar making. Also, the shape of the fingerboard “across” the strings is another subject for discussion. Some guitar makers make their fingerboards dead flat across the strings, and some put in a very slight convex dome. Also, I don’t think you discussed fingerboard “relief”. It’s important. I have found that about .004”-.007” of relief, mostly on the Bass side, is extremely important and advantageous for a buzz free set up. Lastly, after watching your video again last night, I might recommend wiping a block of paraffin wax to the sole of your plane. You are probably aware of this trick, but it makes the plane travel much smoother on the fingerboard. No two guitar makers are the same. I respect your methods, but the shaping of the fingerboard is so important, I wanted to comment again on this video. The saddle height must be high enough for future downward adjustments. Only once in my 30 years of making guitars has a player asked me to make the action higher :-). Almost all players want the lowest action possible, as most players are not strong professionals. Most players want an easier action, which usually means a lower saddle. You can have a lower action and a proper saddle height if you start off with a slightly higher saddle. This is my main point. I always enjoy your videos and you are a brave man for putting them out there! Thank you.

[@frediheld5649]

I m on your wave length...🐸

[@AN-uw1jc]

Hello pablo requena , adios pablo requena.has comprendi, o? Ale a pasarlo beitifull

[@geoffreystearns1690]

the audio is too low volume and somewhat unclear.

[@redkitekk]

If you are interested I explain this process in more detail and with a very high quality video and sound in my course that you can find on www.onlineguitarmakingcourse.com

[@geoffreystearns1690]

@@redkitekk Thank you

[@derekbelcher9620]

Òìi

[@gilmarswm]

Good evening, can you be my godfather, luthier? I'm starting now and I need material and wood tips.