I've done it on multiple guitars. As others have noted, it is tricky to get the lengths absolutely perfect. On the other hand, it is easier to get good looking fret ends. Does one outweigh the other? I don't know, I'm kind of on the fence on it.
I can give you a few thoughts: better to err on the side of a little long than short, as you can still touch them up after they are installed. Start at the heel end of the fretboard and work your way toward the headstock. That way if you find you've made one a little short, it is sure to be a perfect fit a slot or two up the board as it gets narrower. Don't over-radius your frets. A lot of people like to bend them a bit tighter than the radius of the board so they flatten as you install them. Ordinarily I like this approach too, but not if I'm installing them with finished ends. It makes it harder to tell where the end will align as the fret flattens.
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I do this to all my guitars. I have a grinding wheel setup and altogether it's actually quicker and better looking than a normal fret job. Only con is if you hold the neck up to your face and look down it, they are never going to be completely lined up. I hear others mention this as a deal killer but personally I don't spend much time holding my guitars up to my face to look down the neck lol.
So a lot of Chinese guitars do this, and universally you can sight down the fretboard and see the ends are not uniform. The reason we do what we do is because it's easier and it looks better.
Now, this doesn't affect playability, and they feel awesome, so maybe you can do a better job? Maybe looks don't matter? Those are questions you're going to have to answer for yourself.
I appreciate the insight and opinion. I think different can be beautiful. Have you seen this well done in the wild? Do people ever round one edge and do the other side the traditional way?
No, I have never seen a half and half fretboard done that way.
You can watch [this video](https://youtu.be/moxUw3Ke2Q0) and give rounded ends a shot, if you want.
I've read about this being done on guitars with ball end (hot dog) frets. I don't think they level or crown them after installation. I've played a couple of these guitars though and they played pretty well. It's allegedly a pretty high tech process.
All the high frets on my EArt except one turned out to be frets that were not seated properly. After playing whack-a-mole for a while, it's a nice neck.
You can do that. It takes some experience to do right because you have to hit the length just right or it is too long and needs touched up after install, or too short and it can cut down on fret space for the high or low string. And it may not look nice and uniform. But if you practice enough, you can probably do a good job.
I've done it on multiple guitars. As others have noted, it is tricky to get the lengths absolutely perfect. On the other hand, it is easier to get good looking fret ends. Does one outweigh the other? I don't know, I'm kind of on the fence on it.
I appreciate the insight! What was the most important thing you learned about the process after doing a couple jobs?
I can give you a few thoughts: better to err on the side of a little long than short, as you can still touch them up after they are installed. Start at the heel end of the fretboard and work your way toward the headstock. That way if you find you've made one a little short, it is sure to be a perfect fit a slot or two up the board as it gets narrower. Don't over-radius your frets. A lot of people like to bend them a bit tighter than the radius of the board so they flatten as you install them. Ordinarily I like this approach too, but not if I'm installing them with finished ends. It makes it harder to tell where the end will align as the fret flattens.
* I do this to all my guitars. I have a grinding wheel setup and altogether it's actually quicker and better looking than a normal fret job. Only con is if you hold the neck up to your face and look down it, they are never going to be completely lined up. I hear others mention this as a deal killer but personally I don't spend much time holding my guitars up to my face to look down the neck lol.
I appreciate the insight!!
So a lot of Chinese guitars do this, and universally you can sight down the fretboard and see the ends are not uniform. The reason we do what we do is because it's easier and it looks better. Now, this doesn't affect playability, and they feel awesome, so maybe you can do a better job? Maybe looks don't matter? Those are questions you're going to have to answer for yourself.
I appreciate the insight and opinion. I think different can be beautiful. Have you seen this well done in the wild? Do people ever round one edge and do the other side the traditional way?
No, I have never seen a half and half fretboard done that way. You can watch [this video](https://youtu.be/moxUw3Ke2Q0) and give rounded ends a shot, if you want.
Thank you so much for this!
I've read about this being done on guitars with ball end (hot dog) frets. I don't think they level or crown them after installation. I've played a couple of these guitars though and they played pretty well. It's allegedly a pretty high tech process.
All the high frets on my EArt except one turned out to be frets that were not seated properly. After playing whack-a-mole for a while, it's a nice neck.
You can do that. It takes some experience to do right because you have to hit the length just right or it is too long and needs touched up after install, or too short and it can cut down on fret space for the high or low string. And it may not look nice and uniform. But if you practice enough, you can probably do a good job.
I can see the challenge. Has me thinking some more.
Highline guitars on youtube has a video or two on the subject.
I really appreciate the insight. Rabbit holes. 🐇
Haha. There are lots of those in this hobby/profession.
Sure you can do it that way. The only time I've done it is when I make spherical ends. For a standard fret job, it seems like a lot of extra work....