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Post new topic Fretboard placement
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Author Topic:  Fretboard placement
Alex Cattaneo


From:
Quebec, Canada
Post  Posted 2 Sep 2014 3:33 pm    
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I now own two Desert Rose steel guitar; one has been tempered with quite a bit, and the other is mint, just the way Chuck built it. One interesting difference is that the fretboard on the tempered one is a good 1/8" off. The previous owner liked Sho-Bud fretboards so he replaced the original one. I can still see the cut marks on the fretboard, so it's easy to tell that there is an extra 1/8" near at the keyhead.

Now, I'm thinking this was done on purpose. Are there different school of thought on fretboard placement? I know of at least one MAJOR player who moves his fretboards a bit, I think it's 1/8". Curious to hear your thoughts on the matter.
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Lane Gray


From:
Topeka, KS
Post  Posted 2 Sep 2014 5:48 pm    
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My custom fretwork on my Sho-Bud is about that far off, and it doesn't take much effort to play in tune. In my case, I didn't mark it real well, and there was a dark place in the grain 1/8" over, and the 12th fret ended up on the birdseye. Next time I'll use a scratch awl rather than a pencil.
I would NEVER put it in the wrong place on purpose, but I can live with the error...
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Bill Moore


From:
Manchester, Michigan
Post  Posted 3 Sep 2014 3:36 pm    
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The Desert Rose has a 24 1/4" scale, the one I have does, anyway. Sho-Bud's have a 24" scale. There's no way the Sho-Bud board would fit correctly on the Desert Rose. I suppose if you are aware of how much it's off location, you could live with it, though. If it was mine, I'd probably get a 24 1/4" board.
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Clyde Lane

 

From:
Glasgow, Kentucky, USA
Post  Posted 3 Sep 2014 4:01 pm    
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Show-Pro was selling Sho-bud fretboards in several different scales a few years ago. I ordered 2 for my Williams in 24 1/4 scale.
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Clyde Lane
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Alex Cattaneo


From:
Quebec, Canada
Post  Posted 3 Sep 2014 5:13 pm    
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Hey Bill, I was on the phone with Chuck a second ago and forgot to ask about the scale, but both my guitars, a recent Vintage Pro and a very early one that's pretty much a prototype, are 24" scale.

The one with the Sho-Bud fretboard is off by about the width of a fret line. I managed to play in tune with it ( or so I think) since that depends more on the ears than the fret lines I suppose, but I'm mostly concerned about tuning with open strings and upper register, let's say beyond fret 15. But I guess it's hard to play up there no matter what the fretboard setup is!
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Bill Moore


From:
Manchester, Michigan
Post  Posted 3 Sep 2014 6:39 pm    
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Alex, my Desert Rose is a Vintage Pro, probably 2007 or '08. I just measured it, the scale is 24 1/4".
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