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I was wondering about fretting before I attached the neck to the guitar. Is there a reason I shouldn't? Is it likely to deform the fretboard, making it harder to align with the body?

It just seems to me to be easier to hammer in frets with my workbench under the fretboard rather than a soundbox that needs to be supported.

As always, thanks in advance for the help.

Steve

I fret after attaching the fb to the neck but before attaching to the body. Never had a problem, but I press my frets in.

Ron

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OLD MAN formerly (and formally) known as:

Ron Wisdom

Somewhere in the middle of Arkansas......

I've been fretting the entire fingerboard before the neck is installed on the body. It does cause the fingerboard extension to curve down a small amout, due to the fret slots being pushed open. Has not caused me a problem in installing the neck, just clamp the extension with a couple of small clamps and a caul underneath. Been fine so far.

Chris.

A lot of folks fret first. It does tend to cause the FB to assume a curved shape - the severity of which depends on the interaction of the size of the fret slot and the size of the fret tang. The solution is to flex the FB the opposite way to take out the curve. Mario, e.g., frets first and many of us do it this same way.

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"Building guitars looks hard, but it's actually much harder than it looks." Tom Buck

I fret first , that way if I find a problem I don't have to pull it off the neck. I see no advantage to fretting a neck on the guitar unless it is a refret.

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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