Rounding fingerboard edges

[wolf5150]

Guys, I'm currently waiting for the arrival of my 1st warmoth body and neck.

It's destined to be my main gigging guitar so my beloved Tom Anderson can stay at home and away from the drunked louts !!

I've chosen an Alder body coupled with a Maple neck with a Pau ferro fingerboard as i've heard great things about this combination.  :hello2:

I've ordered a scratchplate loaded with identical pickups and switching from Anderson so it'll sound amazing when plugged in but i've never heard a 'ferro board.

Anyone have this combination and can tell me how it'll sound ?

My main question is this..... my Anderson's fingerboard has beautifully rounded edges and I'd like to copy this feature on my new neck.
I've chosen the neck shape, radius and fret wire to closely match the Anderson and rounding the edges will make it perfect.
I originally planned to get all maple but decided against it to allow for the rounded edges without damaging the finish.

Has anyone done this ?
If so, how and was it easy ???

I asked Warmoth but they no longer offer the option.
Thanks  :guitarplayer2:

 

[line6man]

I asked Warmoth but they no longer offer the option.

I didn't know they had ever offered it? :icon_scratch:

 

[big bob]

google rolling a guitar neck..

 

[Superbeast520]

I round all of mine, though I am a bit of a caveman in that I just blue tape the top of the frets leaving a 16th of the top edges exposed, and blue tape down the side of the neck leaving about a 16th of an inch of the fretboard wood under the fret edges exposed, I also tape up the nut.

Then I sit down indian style on a carpet and stand the neck but end down in front of me, holding it like a stake you pound in the ground, and using a very fine grade sanding sponge, I sand back and fourth vigorously in a fast sawing motion across the edge of the fretboard ( I do not sand down the fretboard length wise,I saw across the edge of the board ) working my way slowly and smoothly down the neck from the nut down the edge of the fretboard checking the roll as I go, once I get to about the 12th fret I flip the neck over and place the headstock against the floor and repeat the process from the high frets toward the nut. It takes a while to get a good roll so you dont have to worry too much about things getting out of control, and I was amazed at how consistent the roll comes out, which again is contributed to using a very fine grade sanding sponge, the sponge wraps itself over the edge as you saw and does the rolling slow and smooth,  the sponge will be pretty tore up from the frets by the time your done, I found using the smaller square edge on the side of the sponge with alot of pressure and sawing fast yeilded the best and quickest results, which is not really quick at all if you figure about 2 hours quick, but it does look very natural and round when done, its a hell of a workout actually. lol

It looks like its a bit scratchy on an unfinished fretboard but that disappears once you oil the board after your finished, of course on a finished maple neck it will remove the finish, in which case you could use a vintage tint finishing stick from stew mac if you wanted to retint it, though I just play on mine until they dirty up...lol, cause I use my guitars and am not as interested in keeping them looking pristine and pretty, you also may lose the perfect angle filed on the new fret edges, but it is very minimal and I didnt find it interefering with the looks or the playability once finished (note: I have Stainless Steel frets which are harder than traditional fret wire).

I tend to roll the nut end a little heavier as that is the main playing position for chording and the bluesy open string lead stuff I like to play, and of course less so further up the neck as there is less full chording there and I dont need as much roll to make it comfortable.

I just kind of figured this way out on my own and I liked the results and have repeated the process a few times now, I realise this may be a bit unprofessional and you may want to do some more research before going on with it, Im curious to hear of any other methods guys have used.




       This is what the rolled edge looks like after its been rolled, then oiled and dried, this is an unfinished brazilian rosewood board this is the first one I rolled using this method.

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k278/theoneandonlymechris/3.jpg[/IMG]]

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k278/theoneandonlymechris/2.jpg[/IMG]]

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k278/theoneandonlymechris/IM003827.jpg[/IMG]]



      This is a vintage tint finished maple neck after rolling, I didnt retint it after, though you can get tinted finish markers for this sort of thing from stew mac.


http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k278/theoneandonlymechris/004-2.jpg[/IMG]]

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k278/theoneandonlymechris/Guitarpictures006.jpg[/IMG]]

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k278/theoneandonlymechris/Guitarpictures004.jpg[/IMG]]

 

[Superbeast520]

This makes for way more comfortable playing,especially if you like to use alot of full chords and like gripping with your thumb over the top.

 

[bbl4ck]

This makes for way more comfortable playing,especially if you like to use alot of full chords and like gripping with your thumb over the top.

That is a sweet rosewood neck ya' got there...
Goes great with the Koa  :headbang1:

 

[-CB-]

FWIW.... and not sure what the "politically correct" procedure is.... but I take a deep Craftsman socket and press and roll the edges.  Just a little bit of edge taken off, and it works ok for me.  YMMV

 

[stubhead]

The width of the bridge is going to matter. A vintage-width  2 1/4" Strat or Tele bridge doesn't give you much leeway, a modern or tuneomatic 2 1/8" or less width is better. You have to decide whether you want the wood rolled in between the frets only, or whether you want the "roll" to include the frets, in which case you'll need a few files to really get the fret ends re-rounded and comfortable. I find that necks with the wood sanded down between the frets only are less comfortable, because the fret ends stick out more... but many people do it anyway. It's a lot easier if the manufacturer does it before installing the frets, oh well. The shape and amount of wood in the "shoulders" heading up to the fretboard makes more difference to me, really.

 

[NovasScootYa]

IMO: Removing wood between frets is not rolling the board, it's only causing speed bumps so include the fret-ends when rolling a board.
For 1 11/16" nut, 1 3/8" E to E, 6105 wire...
With the neck removed from the instrument a fret bevel file is used to slightly increase the angle of the fret ends a degree or two from the area surrounding the 1st fret to the area surrounding the 12th fret where filing will gradually diminish. You cannot roll boards using USA 2 3/16" (2 7/32") bridge spacing between the 12th to 22nd fret especially on the High E side. To lessen the chance of the high E string slipping off the board the area should be left alone more or less with the exception of dressing the fret ends which if done correctly will suffice.
The fret ends up to around the 12th fret should be beveled until the file makes contact with the edge of the board. A few passes more usually cleans away enough wood. This leaves an edge above and below the original edge location. The edges are rounded and blended to complete the roll. The flat face on the fret ends is given a very faint curve shape which helps create a bearing surface that runs parallel with the board. Very difficult to do without sometimes taking a little wood along with the file. It helps to have plenty of work room, the neck secured, use a fluorescent magnifier light and both hands to guide the file, etc. Also the edge of the board around frets 2 & 3 is crucial for making chords so not much wood should be removed. Or should much wood be removed between the nut and 1st fret. For some people this area helps keep the hand from feeling the high E vibrate when making certain chords. The low E side of the neck can receive slightly less rolling treatment, just enough to give the job a balanced look. Do not shoe-shine the roll with sandpaper, etc. This will create the speed bumps you are trying to avoid, use files or sandpaper adhered to a paint stick or other flat surface. Unless you've done a lot of necks it's best to string up the guitar and using a caliper determine how far you want the roll to go. Beveling removes wood and fret ends. Sanding and dressing the frets also removes material, it's a balancing act.
For .036" fret wire...The factory bevel angle remains the same and follow the suggestions above keeping in mind the much shorter .036" wire makes the neck feel almost good to go out of the box.

Because of pitfalls doing this kind of work takes practice, practice, practice. I would not advise anyone to try using files, etc. for the first time in their lives on a new Warmoth neck or any neck of value.