Feline Workshop video : rounding fret ends

[Antag]

I was in the office with one of the few guitars I own that hasn't been through Feline's workshop for company.  Had I been at home, I would certainly have headed to the music room for a closer look.

FWIW, I have 5 guitars that have been completely refretted by Feline, 1 custom built guitar from him, 1 other that had a fret dress & at least 5 others that have had some sort of setup work done on them (fret polish, truss rod adjustment etc after fitting BKPs).

[Afghan Dave]

Well, we cuddled afterwards... SO THERE!!  PDT_042 PDT_037

[Philly Q]

I finally watched the video - very interesting!  :D

[FELINEGUITARS]

Lovely stuff.

Although I've heard you explain how you do them, seeing you actually do it makes a huge difference. And it was a good easy going commentary as well.

There was only one place where I felt the focus was frustrating - only frustrating, mind, didn't actually seem to hinder the info - it was on the close up of a finished fret end, I actually wanted to see it...

.... Hands up any other "Feline-fretwork" owners who actually reached over and grabbed their own guitar at that moment, so they could have a look :lol:

OK Andy - here is a photo of the result after the file on another neck
It all gets blended a bit more once we get busy with the wet and dry paper and the buffing wheel
You can clearly see the triangular facet on the end in the picture - and how the half round profile of the fret is blended into the triangle

[AndyR]

Yep, that's the stuff :D

For those who haven't played one of these: when you first see them close up you think "that's interesting", and because of the visible angles (which look kind of sharper than you're expecting!), you almost expect them to be noticable when you play, but they're not, your hand just glides over them.

I've just been trying to figure out how it works. My tele, with these frets on, seems to have the playable surface of the fret nearer to the edge of the neck than any of my other guitars (which is a very good thing in my book - I've always tended to "fall off" of necks when I get too excited :lol:). But these fret ends actually seem less "noticable" than those on the other guitars when I'm playing... I'm guessing that the little flat surface either side of the triangle helps to "launch" your hand over each fret as you move up or down the neck, where a rounded, or bevelled, end doesn't.

[FELINEGUITARS]

Yep, that's the stuff :D

For those who haven't played one of these: when you first see them close up you think "that's interesting", and because of the visible angles (which look kind of sharper than you're expecting!), you almost expect them to be noticeable when you play, but they're not, your hand just glides over them.

I've just been trying to figure out how it works. My tele, with these frets on, seems to have the playable surface of the fret nearer to the edge of the neck than any of my other guitars (which is a very good thing in my book - I've always tended to "fall off" of necks when I get too excited :lol:). But these fret ends actually seem less "noticable" than those on the other guitars when I'm playing... I'm guessing that the little flat surface either side of the triangle helps to "launch" your hand over each fret as you move up or down the neck, where a rounded, or bevelled, end doesn't.

That's the whole idea
We wanted a wider playing surface - so we try to keep any bevel to a minimum., whilst making it smooth on the hand.
Any steeper and you feel the fret end too much , any shallower and you'd lose playing surface.

Once they are sanded, polished and buffed to a high gloss you dont see the triangle so much as the lines are softened , but it is there.

That way we have been able to make even HUGE frets like Dunlop 6000 seem unobtrusive, and the same process applies to vintage and medium frets too.