1897 New Model fingerboard/fret issue

[Chris Vallillo]

I'm coming closer to completing the restoration of the Washburn 1897 New Model 145 I've been beavering away on for many years now and have a new issue to come to you all for advice on.

As always, I prefer to restore rather than just repair or replace and I'm getting close to the point where I will re-attach the original fingerboard. It's a lovely, flat ebony board with great inlays. The frets are still quite serviceable, but have popped loose in several places. I'd like to try to keep the originals (I'm not ready to jump into the black hole of refretting yet!) and would like to try to super glue the loose ends back in place. I'd use a soft ended hand clamp to seat them, then applying superglue to hold them in place (they pop back out again when I try to hammer them back in). FYI, the fingerboard will be bound when completed.

I've got Stu Mac super glue in 10, 20 and 30. I'd guess an 10 for it's absorption, but would appreciate any thoughts or suggestions about this approach by those with more experience than myself.

[Chuck Tweedy]

Fretwork really isn't very difficult.
Since you have the board off, you can really clean it up a lot with the frets out.
If you are going to be doing a lot of work on these old instruments, you will need to do fretwork on many of them - pretty much guaranteed. Might want to take a stab at it now, or you will always be dependent on someone else to do it for you.

[Michael Lewis]

I would avoid slathering CA on that board. Frets lift out because they are bent and need to be re-bent the other way. I like to have a very slight crown so the ends stay down. I also use one of the brass StewMac fret cauls designed for their "JAWS" hand held fret press. I took a piece of 1/4" aluminum about 2" X 2" and cut a slot along one edge to fit the brass caul into. I use a small hammer to tap on the aluminum holder as it presses the fret into the board without inducing any bending forces, like hammering directly on the fret, which is probably why the frets stick up now.

If the frets go in and are nice and snug that is all you need but if they are the least bit loose you need a bit of glue. Most glues will work, hide, aliphatic wood glue, epoxy, CA, etc. Any refret will require cleaning the glue from the slots, so try not to fill the slots.

[Steve Senseney]

I don't have an exact date, but T fret wire was not around until 1920-1930. So the frets you are working with may not be the original frets.

If you need to throw them away and start with fresh material, it might save you a lot of headaches.

As Chuck said, fretting is not all that difficult.

Micheal mentions getting a Stewmac caul.

You can make a caul out of hardwood and use it for this project. If the face gets deformed, sand it again. If you need fine adjustment to the curve, slip a piece of masking tape where you need it.

[Chris Vallillo]

OK, you busted me on the fretting issue. Yes, I do need to learn this (just bought the Stu Mac fretting book but have been intimidated by the tools and time needed to master this) and will go ahead and drop the bucks for the necessary tools. Since I'm planning on focusing on vintage instruments, I'm looking at the Jaws 2 which I expect would be less stressful to vintage instruments.

RE this project, I think I'll try to keep these frets. They have very little wear (probably gut strings originally) and the inlay has original etching I'll loose if I re-work the board (no wear per-se anyway).

The label has a pencil notation of 1906. While I can't say that notation is original, it does correspond to the model, serial number and label style of that era. I'd bet the farm that these frets are original. I've got a couple of these 1897 New Model Washburn guitars and they all have the same style frets. In addition, the wood shows absolutely no signs of previous work and I'm pretty good at looking those kinds of things, so it seems correct.

If I find that I can't level and use these frets, then it's re-fretting time but I'd rather try out my first fret job on the old Regal I have that needs it as well. That way, if I blow it, less of a loss.

[Mark Swanson]

Chris, if you have a drill press then I'd suggest just getting a set of cauls and the metal tool that holds them so you can use the drill press for pressing them in- it works great.
I've got some of those Washburns too, and have seen a lot of them. they all seem to have T frets in there. Bar frets were used a lot back then, but so were the T frets.

[Simon Magennis]

I don't have an exact date, but T fret wire was not around until 1920-1930. So the frets you are working with may not be the original frets.

This is my belief too. Although I have nothing to back it up with. However, the fret slots look amazingly deep for slots that were originally but for T fret wire.

Whatever way you do it, good luck. It looks like a nice guitar. I saw a lovely late 1890's Washburn in Gruhn's in Nashville a few years back. It needed some attention but sounded great. If I had had a way of transporting it, I would have bought it. Some of the old Washburns are fantastic.

[Michael Lewis]

T frets go way back, I think all the Gibson instruments used T frets. I think the confusion comes from the Martin Guitar Co. using bar frets up until the mid 30s. Some Vega instruments used bar frets also, but the most common type of frets in the industry were the T style.

[Simon Magennis]

T frets go way back, I think all the Gibson instruments used T frets. I think the confusion comes from the Martin Guitar Co. using bar frets up until the mid 30s. Some Vega instruments used bar frets also, but the most common type of frets in the industry were the T style.

Thanks for that clarification. Learned something new and interesting on the first day of 2014! Great. A good omen.