The owner of this guitar claims that it was once owned by Jerry Reed of Smokey and the Bandit fame. It was a very important family heirloom, but it was basically unplayable because of the deep ruts in the frets and some warpage of the neck. I don't recall what year this guitar was made, but I would guess it was sometime in the 1950s.
|
Overall view before any work was done
|
It's hard to see in this picture, but the upper frets are pretty worn. This is also a good view of the great finish checking on the body.
|
|
This is a better view of the deep ruts in the frets.
|
The bare fretboard after pulling out the old frets.
|
|
This shows the fretboard in the process of sanding it level again. In the background are the new frets ready to be installed.
|
Another view of the fretboard before tapping in the new frets.
|
|
Overall view of the bare fretboard. Luckily, none of the inlays got too thin from the sanding. Sometimes they do and need replacing at this point.
|
After cleaning out the fret slots, the new frets are tapped in. This view shows them with fresh glue that will be cleaned off shortly.
|
|
Another view of the freshly installed frets. The top part of the fret is overhanging the fretboard and will be filed flush with the edge of the neck.
|
These are the frets in the process of being filed level and smooth. The neck pickup and switch are taped over to keep the filings out.
|
|
This is a better view of the fret ends after being filed flush with the fretboard at about a 45 degree angle.
|
This view shows the final setup, after having sanded and polished the frets.
|
|
Another view of the final setup with D'addario Chromes flatwound strings. This will be a serious Jazz machine.
|
This is the overall view of the completed job. At some point, someone had installed a Gretsch tailpiece on it, but this doesn't change the overall quality of the guitar. This a great instrument with lots of character and I'm happy to say that the owner was very pleased to actually be able to play it again.
|
