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Is it a common problem for the fretboard on an acoustic to develop a hump around Fret #12 and higher, where the neck meets the body? If so, what is the cause, and is their something that can be done, or avoided, during the initial build process?
I have two quality Zager brand guitars that both have the problem, with the problem being worse on cheaper of the two models. Thanks for any advice.
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It certainly can happen on a lot of guitars irrespective of the value of the instrument. Do you know how to take care of it ?
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@ianhatesguitars I am a newbie re fret filing, so I first tried adjusting the truss rod, but that only affects the shape of the fretboard above the heel of the neck. A professional luthier told me to simply file down high frets using a carpenter’s level with emory cloth taped to it. Do you agree?
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@patreon_180038859 Howie, this is a really good question, but you’ve asked it in the timeline. Could you take a sec and replicate it in the forum under acoustic restoration ? Link is down below.
https://loothgroup.com/groups/repair-and-restoration/forum/repair-and-restoration/acoustic/
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It happens in almost every acoustic guitar. We have a thin flexible neck running into a very strong mass with the heel, heel block and entire body assembly. The back of the neck stretches and the top of the neck (fretboard with frets) compresses and bulges up. The best way to get rid of it is to pull the frets and plane the fingerboard. Sometimes you have enough fret height to grind it out of the frets as well. I don’t think it could be preemptively avoided in a build, other than putting carbon fiber or suitable stiffeners inside the neck. That has been done at Taylor with steel, and it works, adds weight though…they abandoned it for many years, it’s back now.
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@patreon_94549210 Thanks for a great answer. I am a retired sonar engineer, so your explanation makes perfect sense to me. I figured it had to be almost like a endemic problem of acoustic guitars. Next question::Can you recommend a ‘how to’ video with the best procedure for pulling frets to minimize damage to the fret slots?
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@patreon_94549210 Also, are there any rules of thumb regarding when to pull frets vs. file them down?
For example, my oldest acoustic is a Tama dreadnought that I have owned since the 1980s. The lowest 5-6 frets have deep scalloping under the two unwound strings. Another professional luthier recommended filing all the other frets down to the lowest scallop. Do you concur?
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You’d have to ask Ian about a fret removal video on this site. We all use a soldering iron, careful not to melt any binding if applicable, especially Ivoroid and Tortoise. Some add water, some scribe the base of the fret with a blade. Some boards are going to chip out no matter what and you have to be able to fix it before moving forward with the refret. There are a few fingerboard sand-out videos on here, Pat DiBurro with Martins, myself on the Taylor way and Doug Proper with his controlled sanding method, 3 separate videos.
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@patreon_94549210 Thanks again, Dave. Much obliged for your info.
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