11/27/2019 0 Comments first postThe two most important issue about frets are: spacing and material.
Fret spacing is based on a mathematical notion that when you double the frequency of a note, you go up an octave. Fret spacing needs to be fairly precise, or your instrument will be out of tune. Measuring is further complicated because fret placement is often calculated in decimal and translating decimal to 1/16" if difficult. My solution is to provide a pattern and mark the frets with a craft knife. On most fretted instruments, you will find metal frets. Because metal does not absorb vibration easily, it allows a cleaner sound. You can purchase fret wire in all sorts of shapes and sizes, the big negative is that they almost always have a tang and need to be hammered into the fret board. Since I wanted a smaller lighter made from plywood, I needed a different solution. I considered gluing metal wire as frets, but about the only glue that stick metal to wood is epoxy....and epoxy is messy and smelly. I chose toothpicks because I know normal wood glue will easily hold toothpicks in place. Yes, they are a little higher than metal frets, but it means you don't need to press as hard.
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Frets are used to change the pitch of a string when playing.
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