Watch out for a cracked neck or a
Loose Fingerboard
© Frank Ford, 3/3/00; Photos by FF


As I'm tapping in my new frets, the last thing I want to hear is that nasty little "hollow" sound that comes from a loose fingerboard. Sometimes, on very old instruments, the act of tapping frets actually breaks an old weak glue joint. More often, though, I hear that noise because I hadn't noticed a crack under the nut, or a loose glue joint.


Nothing to do but to fix the crack:

Here's one refret operation that can't be done "on the spot" every time. The rest of the job may just have to wait until tomorrow.

Here's the classic look of a loose fingerboard, with the shredded finish at the glue line:

Occasionally, the crack is not visible until I whack the first fret or two! Now, I have some regluing, and some finish touchup to do!




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