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A few years back, I made a replica of an 1890 Martin 2-27. The original had bar frets, so I bought some fret stock from LMI and used it. About 3 or 4 years ago, I made a unique guitar inspired by a George Nakashima table top and ended up making hand-made copper bar frets for it. Some feedback from that guitar got me interested in pursuing bar frets a bit more, this time with phosphor bronze and beryllium copper bar frets (made myself).

I have documented the process on another forum, but thought it might be of interest, so decided to share the experience. It was a lengthy process, so rather than try to repeat it here, I will just give a link to the original posting.

http://luthiercom.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=71&t=3755

I hope you find this interesting and welcome any questions or comments (and please don't be too critical of my messy shop)

Grant

The topic of beryllium comes up on the telescope makers list from time to time. Be very careful. Work it wet to keep the dust down. There are stories of machinists dying in short order because the took short cuts and ground it. I can't personally vouch for the information, but...

Grant is always interesting and makes one think. Thanks Grant.
Tom

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A person who has never made a mistake has never made anything!!!

Avoid Beryllium it is indeed toxic. There was a company near me and many died from Beryllium disease . No need to take that chance.
http://www.ucsfhealth.org/conditions/ch ... m_disease/

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John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it

Interesting bracing pattern. Could you talk more about that?

I've never tried bar frets but I know a player who swears by them and claims it's the bar frets that gives him the tone he's after in his guitars. This is a world class player too, a National Flatpicking Championship winner, so I find it hard to argue with him.

So why go through all the struggle to do bar frets? Is it because it does indeed make the tone so much better?

Well, the potential hazard is why I am most likely going to the spring tempered phosphor bronze route. That way I can probably just make the frets inside my shop. Not quite as hard a metal, but certainly satisfactory.

My top bracing is a long story that goes back about 13 years. I will try to catch up on that in another thread. For now, I will just say that I am very happy with it as it has evolved and have no plans to change. My back bracing pattern, also.

Grant

great looking guitar!! Those wide fret slots kinda freak me out though

Grant, I'm up to pg 4 and fascinated with the whole build. Great ideas - makes want to do things different.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Well, thanks for the kind words, everybody. Hey, I started this guitar building gig back in 1967 when there was almost no information available. So I sort of began with a "clean slate". Still have that first guitar

Anyhow, since then I have more or less followed my own drum, always looking for something new and different. But I find it amazing how many "new" ideas have been around like, forever. About 12 or 13 years ago I found this new wood, goncalo alves, and thought it was cool. So started using it for backs and sides. Ha, I just found out C. F. Martin was using it in the 1830's and 40's before he switched to Brazilian Rosewood

I should probably give you a link to my "Organic Soundport" build that actually got me going on the hand-made bar fret thing. That's the one that Canadian musician, Garnet Rogers, played for about an hour in the lobby before one of his gigs....said he was "totally gobsmacked" by the sound. He suggested that the hand-made copper bar frets contributed to the sound, so....here I am following that muse.

Grant

I would like to check that one out. "Organic Soundport" just sounds intriguing.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"