I took delivery of some fret wire last week so I was able to finally install the frets on the DLP Les Paul neck. I had to clean out each fret slot before I started as I had put a couple of coats of Tru-Oil on the fretboard for protection and strength. The fingerboard is made from Mahogany so I am conscious that there is a chance the frets will not hold due to the softness of the wood so each fret will receive a couple of drops of super glue to keep them in position.
I cut each fret slightly oversize so they will overhang the fret board and started tapping each one in place using a small block of hardwood to prevent any damage to the fret board.
Usually I install the frets before I carve the back of the neck so I had to be careful not to knock the frets in too hard and ensure I protected the back of the neck. Also the 22nd fret is on the overhang so I placed a block under the overhang to ensure no damage occurred and I didn't break off the end of the fret board!
Once all the frets were installed I used my side cutters to nip off as much of the overhang as possible. I don't have any specialist tools for the job so unfortunately I just have to improvise and then put some elbow grease in with the files!
I use a flat file on the end of each fret to file them flush to the side of the neck, and then I use my home made fret level to put the chamfer on their ends. Once I'm happy with the ends of the frets I start using sand paper to remove the tool marks until I have nice smooth fret ends.
The neck is really starting to come together now and the nut fits snug in it's slot however I can't decide if the back truss rod cover goes or not though, maybe a cream cover to match the nut and pickguard might be a better idea?
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