The Fret Shack

This is a custom electric build that we are retrofitting a Fender style neck for. This is a process that has more to it than simply routing the neck pocket.
The geometry of the instrument requires measurements for the scale length, side to side, and neck angle. All of this must be determined before rerouting and fitting a neck.
The side to side is measuring until the neck is equal on either side from the center of the bridge. This is to ensure that strings are not too close to the side of the fretboard, so the strings do not fall off of the neck while playing.
The scale length is measured from the nut of the guitar to the 12th fret, and then doubling the measurement to the bridge. Based on the scale length measured from the nut, it can be determined how far from the bridge the 12th fret needs to be. When installing a neck, the depth of the neck pocket will affect the scale length. It must be precisely measured to ensure the guitar will intonate properly when setup. This is a process of measuring 10 times and cutting once.
The neck angle is the ever so slight backwards tilt of the neck. This is to ensure the guitar has an adequate range of action. This is measured by using a straight edge from over the bridge and accounting for the desired action of the guitar.
Once all of these measurements are perfect and checked numerous times, a routing temple is created for the guitar. After that the neck pocket is routed and the neck is screwed into place.

Just a couple of cool things that have come our way recently!
Booking now at 917-789-3371

Caitlin signed us up to be fosters with Companion Animal Alliance. We went to the shelter for our orientation and saw a mama with her 2 puppies. Caitlin made the executive decision that they needed to come home with us. Needless to say, we now have temporary shop dogs. Meet Mama, Oreo, and Creme

Harmony Restoration Part 1 (of what will likely be many)
I recently got this 50s-60s Harmony archtop for an absolute "steal", you'll see in the photos why.
These guitars were, at the time, student level instruments and sold in the Sears catalog. Harmony built many guitars under different brand names. The big three being Harmony, Silvertone, and Kay.
When I first started out doing guitar repair I was apprenticing under John Orlick at Hy-way Music in East Brunswick, NJ. Many of the first guitars I worked on were these Sears guitars. Most of these guitars, due to age and being on the affordable end of instruments, needed a lot more work to get playing perfectly. Truss rods that haven't been adjusted in years, electronics failing, serious fret wear or uneven frets, were common place on these guitars. Each of these repairs taught me a lot as a young repair tech. Because of my history with these guitars I've developed a love for playing and working on them, and when I saw this guitar for sale I couldn't pass the opportunity to restore and make it playable again.

This is just a side project in the shop and progress will likely be slow. But here is the start.

A lot of bass players have a 5 string, 6 string, and a fretless in their collection. Unfortunately, fretless basses are not common and a lot will run you some serious $$$.
So it's not uncommon to take an under utilized bass from a players collection and turning it fretless, to create another tool in their tonal arsenal.
The start of a fretless conversion starts the same as a normal refret, by using a little heat and some carful use of a fret puller to pull the frets without causing chip out.
Once all the frets are out the fret slots will need to be filled. I personally like using contrasting material to fill the slots. Here, I use some maple veneer which will act as fret markers for the player.
After the fret slots are filled, the veneer gets cut down and we'll start leveling the board.
When we get the board dead flat and sanded with high grit sandpaper, I start applying a coat of finish to the fretboard. The finish you use is up to player preference. For this fretboard, I went for light coat of polyurethane.
The final step is a good setup and getting everything dialed in for this bass's new life as a fretless.

First post for the new workshop!
It's been super busy setting up the new shop and removing the wait list.
Here's a bunch of photos of some of the projects that have come through these past couple of weeks!

THE FRET SHACK HAS MOVED ... to the more conveniently located (and twice as spacious) workshop of Fret Shack GM and lead technician Patrick Welborn.

Fret Shack is now at 5144 Bluewater Drive. It is near the intersection of O'Neal Lane and George O'Neal Road, just two miles from Interstate 12. For detailed directions to the new workshop, call or text Patrick at 917-789-3371.

Carondelet Guitar and Bass Pickups's workshop and showroom remains at the original Fret Shack workshop off Siegen Lane at Interstate 10.

Visits to both Fret Shack and Carondelet remain by appointment only.

Tech Tip Tuesday: What to do when - not "if" - your 2000s era Gibson hardshell case's tubed vinyl handle unravels and then breaks off completely.
If you Google or Amazon shop "replacement guitar case handle," your decent options range from about $35 to $55.
BUT if you search Amazon for "replacement kayak handles," you can get not one but TWO handles you can link together that are not only lighter in weight and more durable, they are also (obviously) not compromised should they constantly get wet.
And the kayak handles are $9 per pair. 😁

LCP has been the buzz phrase around the shop this past week. LCP stands for a level crown and polish of the frets on an instrument.
Leveling the frets is making sure the frets are even with each other in relation to the fret board. Often times when the season changes, your fretboard moves. Causing the frets to sink in further into the fret board or to come further out. These uneven frets cause buzzing, sustain issues, or fretting out on certain notes. Once you’ve leveled the frets, this fixes the issue.
After the frets have been leveled, they lose their peak, called a crown. This can cause intonation issues, buzzing, and sitar like sounds. The crowing process in an LCP is putting the crown back into the fret, thus negating the previously mentioned issues.
Lastly, is the polishing phase. This is going through 12 grades of sandpaper to get any scratches out of the frets. This not only makes the frets look pretty, but it also creates a smoother feel for the player.
Booking for next week now! 917-789-3371

In honor of National Pasta Day, figured we’d put out a friendly reminder that pasta does not, in fact, go in a guitar. Happy Friday!

This poster is from 1977 and has hung in the shop since almost day 1. He is an idol and inspiration not only to us but to so many of our clientele. He will be duly missed. Rest Easy Ace