frets with continous barb?

[Danny Gadut]

Hello everyone

I'm new here but been following Frets.net for quite a few years and have learned a lot from ALL of you

I'm retired now so I have time to try more difficult repairs.

I came across an old Kingston classical in really poor condition and thought I would try and make it my test guitar.

When I got to steaming the neck off I pulled the 13 fret and found that the fret seems to have a continuous barb. The barb is almost pointed like an arrow?

I've never seen this kind before and don't remember anybody ever talking about them.

Any Ideas?

here is a photo kinda hard to see

Thanks Danny

[Danny Gadut]

woops forgot the picture

[Mark A. Kane]

Danny, if I'm seeing the image correctly, you have fretwire with a continuous tang, but without barbs. I usually see this wire with hand-made barbs, created by deforming the tang along its length at whatever distance suited the installer. By appearances, the barbs are created with what must be a special pair of pliers with an upper soft or flat jaw which contacts the bead, and a lower jaw with a cutting edge which displaces sharp metal from the tang to either side, creating the barbs. Your wire is missing these barbs. As I've never executed this operation, maybe someone with direct experience will chime in.

[Danny Gadut]

at first I thought that too but when I tried another type of fret wire it was real sloppy

I've attached a small drawing to show better what it looks like

Thanks for the reply

Danny

[Mark A. Kane]

Very interesting shape! I've never seen that before but will remember "I saw it here first".

[Greg Mirken]

I’ve never seen that particular oddball fretwire, but older low-end instruments so often present surprises like that. By the way, if you’re contemplating refretting it, be cautioned that the “fingerboard” is almost surely just a thin veneer over junk wood. Not intended to ever be refretted, and a challenge.

[George Roberts]

The shape makes me wonder if they were designed to be inserted from the side, like the Fenders.

[Danny Gadut]

Thanks for the input everyone

Greg your comment about the neck being a veneer it looks like just thicker plywood with real sloppy slots.

(and glued on fret markers)