Looking for tips for fret nib repair.

[LtDave32]

Thank you, Victor!

I swear, that's the nicest R-series LP I ever had the pleasure to play. So dang light!

seven pounds!

 

[VictorB]

I don't get it...did not dave take off nibs? I see them in the pic still there

Dave replaced the fretboard and the binding.

 

[LtDave32]

I am from Europe...maybe I will just sell my custom and not bother rebuilding 2 broken nibs anyways...it is also kind of yellowish, not pure white.....

Are there any luthiers near you there in europe?

 

[Rogueaverage616]

And the workmanship is beyond perfect.

Dave is truly a master at this stuff.

The guitar he worked on:
View attachment 574897
View attachment 574898

Is that a Brazil board? I think you said you were doing a Brazilian Board upgrade on an R8? Dave is that the R8 you pulled the board off and replaced it with an Brazillian board?

 

[LtDave32]

Is that a Brazil board? I think you said you were doing a Brazilian Board upgrade on an R8? Dave is that the R8 you pulled the board off and replaced it with an Brazillian board?

Yes, that's the one.

 

[Rogueaverage616]

Yes, that's the one.

Wow, man that came nice, that makes me excited, to see the build quality and attention to detail, on my ‘58 V Clone.

 

[E.T.]

Does anyone have a picture of nibs repaired with the ABS-in-solvent method? I'm curious as to how seamless it can be made to look versus an ABS "weld" with heat from an iron.

 

[LtDave32]

Wow, man that came nice, that makes me excited, to see the build quality and attention to detail, on my ‘58 V Clone.

Thanks! I know you'll love it.

I'm working it all out on cheap wood before I get into the outstanding Korina I just bought. Just as clear and blonde as I have ever seen.

I'm even going to go back and get more of it before the place runs out.

 

[LtDave32]

Does anyone have a picture of nibs repaired with the ABS-in-solvent method? I'm curious as to how seamless it can be made to look versus an ABS "weld" with heat from an iron.

I busted a nib off a new build I made a while back and the wife repaired it with acetone / binding goo, but alas we have no pics. But I can tell you it turned out flawless. You could not tell it waa ever repaired.

 

[Rogueaverage616]

Thanks! I know you'll love it.

I'm working it all out on cheap wood before I get into the outstanding Korina I just bought. Just as clear and blonde as I have ever seen.

I'm even going to go back and get more of it before the place runs out.

Oh wow, you bought more Korina?, the neck blank and body blank you got a few months ago didn’t work out?

 

[LtDave32]

Oh wow, you bought more Korina?, the neck blank and body blank you got a few months ago did work out?

Body wood turned out to be crap. It was a plank from which I cut two body halves, but there were unsightly dark streaks that showed up after processing. Neck wood seems to be ok, but we shall see.

This new stuff is beautiful though. I'll send a pic.

 

[Rogueaverage616]

Body wood turned out to be crap. It was a plank from which I cut two body halves, but there were unsightly dark streaks that showed up after processing. Neck wood seems to be ok, but we shall see.

This new stuff is beautiful though. I'll send a pic.

Ok nice i look forward to seeing it

 

[smk506]

A quick note in the function and purpose of binding nibs; as it was explained to me.

The purpose for trimming the fret end back and making up the difference with the binding nibs is to eliminate the possibility of fret sprout.

As we all here know, you can have a perfect fret end and go bad in no time due to climate issues, which up until what, the middle of the last century(?) were a guaranteed part of life. By eliminating the end of the fret from the equation they eliminate the possibility of fret sprout altogether, AND give a pleasantly smooth finished feel to that part of the fretboard.

Today we have better tools and information sharing to do things like hot dog the fret ends, etc. but it really wasn’t all that long ago that what would be considered sub standard by today’s techs and luthiers would be considered adequate.

Just a little ruminating…

 

[moreles]

I can't add to the great concrete advice given by Lt Dave and ARandall, but will just say that I find a good bound and nibbed Gibson fretboard to be wonderful to play. I have a '87 Reissue '61 LP/SG Custom that was done right and looks and plays beautifully. Nibs don't necessarily mean stuck strings and other nonsense -- that's for poorly nibbed, worn, or badly maintained guitars. Poorly nibbed guitars (where the nibs are badly done and/or where the shaping between frets is clumsy are just bad. So I'd either go all-in on getting a good refret with a good nib job, or do what many/most do, which is to refret as a normal, bound neck. My Collings 360 LT M Special has the latter, and it is beautifully done. So I guess I'm saying the obvious: the quality of the fretting and edgework would be my decider. I would let the nibs go, much as I like them, if you can't get a person who can repair/replace to a top standard.

 

[LtDave32]

Best way to re-do a binding job with nibs is to remove then re-set the fret board.

Removal is a half-hour with a strong clotges iron.

For my trouble, it beats painstakingl mic-ing out every single fret to fit them between existing nibs, or trying to re-bind an existing neck which is already glued to a guitar.

I've got news for you too; Gibson neck binding is a T-shaped affair that doesn't just pop off like flat binding.

just razor-blade the lacquer deeply around the binding and nut for a clean separation, heat the board gradually, and wotk under it with a putty knife from the 22nd fret to the first frets.

patience is key. it will come up.

 

[cmjohnson]

Yes, I've seen that Gibson's binding has its own tang, just like fret wire, and that tang seats in a slot on the edge of the fretboard. I don't know of another manufacturer that does it the same way, and it's one of the things to look for when examining a possible Gibson forgery. The slot in the fingerboard will be visible if the nut is removed and you look at the exposed surface.

 

[Rogueaverage616]

Chi