How to make a Kite Guitar: Difference between revisions

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If the fretwire is somewhat tall, that aids microbending to sharpen the downmajor 3rds, because one can simply squeeze those notes harder. Taller frets also prolong the life of the frets, since repeated fret leveling over the years wears them down.

Two possibilities are [https://jescarmusic.com/products/jescar-fret-wire-50078 Jescar FW50078] (.078X.050) and [https://www.stewmac.com/luthier-tools-and-supplies/materials/fretwire/stewmac-medium-fretwire/ Stew-Mac Medium/Highest #0155] (.080x.050).

===Replacing each fret vs. replacing the entire fretboard===

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* [https://byjasco.com/power-gear-plastic-cable-ties-8in-100pk-clear-0 byjasco.com/power-gear-plastic-cable-ties-8in-100pk-clear-0] (long and narrow, but can't take much tension)

The little box that you feed the end of the cable tie through tends to get in the way of playing. If you never fret with your thumb, you might want to position the boxes along the bass edge of the fretboard. Or you can position them in the middle of the neck (pictured below). After you install a cable tie, clip off the "tail" with a nail clipper, as close to the box as you possibly can. Install the cable tie for the highest fret first. Tighten it around the narrower part of the neck, then push it up to the wider part, using the neck's taper to get an extremely snug fit. To tighten the last few cable ties, grab the tail with needlenose pliers, as close to the box as you can, with the pliers perpendicular to the tail. Then for maximum leverage, tighten using a twisting motion, rotating the pliers along its long axis, ~~as if you were trying to wrap~~ the tail around the needlenose. Finally, you can shove the clipped-off tails from the other frets under those last few cable ties. Once they are all installed, cover the back of the neck with a few layers of painter's tape to make them more comfortable and less likely to slip out of position.

The little box that you feed the end of the cable tie through tends to get in the way of playing. If you never fret with your thumb, you might want to position the boxes along the bass edge of the fretboard. Or you can position them in the middle of the neck (pictured below). After you install a cable tie, clip off the "tail" with a nail clipper, as close to the box as you possibly can. Install the cable tie for the highest fret first. Tighten it around the narrower part of the neck, then push it up to the wider part, using the neck's taper to get an extremely snug fit. To tighten the last few cable ties, grab the tail with needlenose pliers, as close to the box as you can, with the pliers perpendicular to the tail. Then for maximum leverage, tighten using a twisting motion, rotating the pliers along its long axis, wrapping the tail around the needlenose. Finally, you can shove the clipped-off tails from the other frets under those last few cable ties. Once they are all installed, cover the back of the neck with a few layers of painter's tape to make them more comfortable and less likely to slip out of position.

[[File:Cable-tie frets.jpg|left|thumb|340x340px]]

[[File:Cable-tie frets after covering.jpg|none|thumb|335x335px]]

@@ Line 281: / Line 281: @@
 If the fretwire is somewhat tall, that aids microbending to sharpen the downmajor 3rds, because one can simply squeeze those notes harder. Taller frets also prolong the life of the frets, since repeated fret leveling over the years wears them down.
+Two possibilities are [https://jescarmusic.com/products/jescar-fret-wire-50078 Jescar FW50078] (.078X.050) and [https://www.stewmac.com/luthier-tools-and-supplies/materials/fretwire/stewmac-medium-fretwire/ Stew-Mac Medium/Highest #0155] (.080x.050).
 ===Replacing each fret vs. replacing the entire fretboard===
@@ Line 391: / Line 393: @@
 * [https://byjasco.com/power-gear-plastic-cable-ties-8in-100pk-clear-0 byjasco.com/power-gear-plastic-cable-ties-8in-100pk-clear-0] (long and narrow, but can't take much tension)
-The little box that you feed the end of the cable tie through tends to get in the way of playing. If you never fret with your thumb, you might want to position the boxes along the bass edge of the fretboard. Or you can position them in the middle of the neck (pictured below). After you install a cable tie, clip off the "tail" with a nail clipper, as close to the box as you possibly can. Install the cable tie for the highest fret first. Tighten it around the narrower part of the neck, then push it up to the wider part, using the neck's taper to get an extremely snug fit. To tighten the last few cable ties, grab the tail with needlenose pliers, as close to the box as you can, with the pliers perpendicular to the tail. Then for maximum leverage, tighten using a twisting motion, rotating the pliers along its long axis, as if you were trying to wrap the tail around the needlenose. Finally, you can shove the clipped-off tails from the other frets under those last few cable ties. Once they are all installed, cover the back of the neck with a few layers of painter's tape to make them more comfortable and less likely to slip out of position.
+The little box that you feed the end of the cable tie through tends to get in the way of playing. If you never fret with your thumb, you might want to position the boxes along the bass edge of the fretboard. Or you can position them in the middle of the neck (pictured below). After you install a cable tie, clip off the "tail" with a nail clipper, as close to the box as you possibly can. Install the cable tie for the highest fret first. Tighten it around the narrower part of the neck, then push it up to the wider part, using the neck's taper to get an extremely snug fit. To tighten the last few cable ties, grab the tail with needlenose pliers, as close to the box as you can, with the pliers perpendicular to the tail. Then for maximum leverage, tighten using a twisting motion, rotating the pliers along its long axis, wrapping the tail around the needlenose. Finally, you can shove the clipped-off tails from the other frets under those last few cable ties. Once they are all installed, cover the back of the neck with a few layers of painter's tape to make them more comfortable and less likely to slip out of position.
 [[File:Cable-tie frets.jpg|left|thumb|340x340px]]
 [[File:Cable-tie frets after covering.jpg|none|thumb|335x335px]]