Fret Installation

Warmoth's fret installation technique is a hybrid of the compression and glued-fret methods. We first fill the fret slots with a gel-type cyanoacrylate glue. Then the frets are pressed in to the slots. This causes the glue to flow into the voids behind the barbs on the fret tangs. The result is a very stable and durable fret job.

On necks with bound fretboards, the binding is installed before the frets. The tang of the fret is notched to fit in the slot, and the ends extend over the binding all the way to the edge of the fretboard. This results in the widest, smoothest playing surface possible. It also makes fret maintenance easier and less expensive.

Fret Dressing

Warmoth back-bevels the fret edges to about 30°, and polishes them to a smooth finish. We can also leave the edges square and unfinished if you request it.

Please note, Warmoth does not perform fret leveling. Most Warmoth necks are playable as they are received and do not require fret leveling. However, because wood moves with changes in temperature, humidity and string tension fret leveling may be required. This is best done after the neck has been strung up to pitch for several days and allowed to adjust in the assembled state. For this reason, Warmoth leaves this fine tuning to the end user.

While stainless steel and gold fretwire are harder material than nickel/silver, the same fret leveling/dress techniques can still be used. They take longer to dress, but these harder frets will last much longer than comparable sized nickel/silver frets.

On necks with Maple fretboards, where the finish covers the fretboard, the finish is sprayed directly over the frets. This finish will wear off quickly with use, or it can be scraped off quite easily. A fret leveling operation will also take it off.