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Rod may not remember this, but when I made the same mistake, we all agreed that I should cut the top off and start over. I wanted it to look right (my choice). Plus, my rosetter sucked. All you have done to this point is rough cut a top and installed a very nice rosette. You would be out maybe $80. When I discovered my error, top was braced, installed, and bound! This may be a case of throwing good money and time after bad.

Cut the rosette out, order a new top and install the salvaged rosette. This is a lot better than trying to convince yourself and others that your Frankentar is a thing of beauty.

Mike

Now that you mention it Mike, I do remember. And I also remember that you were very happy to start over and to make it right which is what I would do (and have done, several times) too!!! Ultimately, that's the best solution anyone of us can do, but if one doesn't want to start over than the other suggestions are sound.

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Right Rod. I agree. I'm too picky for my own good! BTW, to the OP, my avatar shows that very harp guitar.

Mike

Trash!
Start over!
Be grateful for life's lessons.

I know I've learned from your mistake! It's a pisser but if you compromise the guitar for an obvious screw up you don't fully learn for the next time.

From years of being a mold maker I've learned an almost neurotic sense of purpose is being absolutely sure what I'm doing and seeing. It has served me well. I still "F" up, but I see a lot more of them before I do them than what I used too!

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Having done 4 tops on two separate builds (total of 8 tops, 2 guitars) I will say that making sure you've done it right is really the best option, you very well may regret that you didn't make it right....If you're willing to compromise, than a shorter fretboard is an easy fix...

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Clinton,

No worries on the top (I have a couple more if you want to go that way but I hope you don't) it belongs to you, buddy! I sure hope you can fix this and agree with Filippo. Mock up a bridge and fret board and lay them on the top and see how things look. That rosette is just awesome! I am making a small classical for my youngest son. I spent over 8 hours over a few evenings on the rosette. When I was sanding the rosette after placing it in the top the belt on the thickness sander blew apart and left a couple deep scratches that I can't fix. I have yet another "rosette example" for wall art. What ever you decide to do we are all rooting for you!

Shane

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Shane,

How does a sander blow apart? You mean the paper came off the drum or the rollers? Ouch!

I am ready for another 4A harp top! You may PM or email me on price, etc.

Mike

An artistic view on the problem might be to cut the whole where it is supposed to be, but, leave the rosette part going through/over the hole.. would look awesome ( at least in "my" head )

Lars

I have to say I like Fillipo's idea of allowing the fingerboard to end over the hole . I think I would look at that option myself . I understand the option of cutting the top and rejoining it but would be wayy to worried about making it worse to do that .

You know this is a post for "d.m.o.m" you might even be a winner .

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Add super trebles. That will make the lack of high frets look intentional.

Man I was hoping Shane wouldn't see this post! Shane-I will PM for another top and some other stuff BUT I'm still going back to the drawing board and see what imaginative ideas will work on this one. Even tho I wasn't shooting for the prestigious D.M.O.M.....in my humble opinion I feel I'm in the lead! I've spent 3 weeks of evenings doing drawings and jigs and putting that rosette together then just to turn around and misplace the %^&* thang! I really like the idea of doing a fan fret. It's going to help with the placing of the X brace. If I layout the treble and the bass side on the very edge of the fretboard and then place my strings in 1/8" as normal, won't it be out intonation? Or should I layout the treble and bass sides 1/8" in on the fretboard? What about compensation? Clinton

I'd be happy to help with the redesign, although I haven't actually constructed a fan fret, or a harp guitar yet, so really your ideas are as good as mine. Post a shot of the original plan (with some dimensions like lower bout width and scale length), and a straight on view of the top with a ruler next to it for scale, and let's see what we can come up with.

The fret positions should be laid out along the low and high E string lines, not the very edges of the fingerboard. As for compensation, you should be able to just plug in the low and high scales into the StewMac fret calculator, and take the low E compensation for the low scale, and high E compensation for the high scale, and let the others fall between. When positioning the bridge for gluing, lay a ruler or graduated straight edge along the string paths and scoot the bridge around until the saddle crosses the ruler at the right distance for the low and high strings. Same thing as I do for regular frets.

And I say... you only win doofus if you give up on it and start over But if you do, let me build this one up. Hate to see such nice wood go to scrap.

Why not turn the top over and make a lefty ???? Some lefty will pay top dollar for the very rare left handed Harp Guitar.
Michael

Note the holes drilled inside the sound hole location.