# Stewart-MacDonald Fender fretboard are wrong



## Jean GODBOUT (Oct 31, 2009)

> NAME: Jean GODBOUT
> EMAIL: [email protected]
> REGARDING: Inquiry
> COMMENT:
> You sell Fender scale fingerboard. Thoses fretboard are slot for 24 frets, who need 24 frets on a Fender guitar ? The typical real Fender (with 21 frets) need a bigger distance from fret 21 to the end of the neck to make the neck matching the Fender scale of 25.5 inchs. With your fretboard (if the neck is cut in the fret 22 slot, do we have choice ?) the neck is then to short and the saddles are way back on the ajustment.
> 
> My question is this one, why don't you make Fender fretboard that fit fender guitars ?
> 
> Your Fender fretboard are thick as a Gibson fretboard, why don't you make you fender fretboard a little thinner as the "real" one ?
> 
> Thank you
> Jean GODBOUT
-----------------------------

Thank you for contacting us.

To make a 21 fret fingerboard, simply cut off the excess, the fret scale will stay the same. We make them that long to accommodate all Strat-styles, from 21 to 24 frets.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact us.

Best regards,

Kyle Martin
Customer Service
Stewart-MacDonald
STEWMAC.COM : Guitar, Bass, Banjo, Mandolin, Parts, Tools, Supplies, Free Information 
1-800-848-2273
-----------------------------------

> -----Original Message-----
> From: "Jean GODBOUT" <[email protected]>
> Received: 3/5/2010 1:00 PM
> To: "Other" <[email protected]>
> Subject: Re: Stewart-MacDonald: Inquiry [212876:58781]
> 
> Hi again
> 
> I'm trying to explain you that the if you cut the fretboard in the frett 22 
> to make a 21 fret board, the neck is to short compare to a real fender. Just 
> look at a real fender Strat guitar, you will see that the the last piece of 
> wood from fret 21 to the end of the neck is longer than a fretboard cut to 
> fret 22.
> 
> I think you just don't want to understand, you just want to say your right 
> but you are wrong.
> 
> Your Fender fretboard don't fit Fender Strat guitar.
> 
> Wake up men ! (You would make a very good politician, these peaples are all 
> wrongs but they think they are the best of everything). You are trying to 
> make a one size fit all, but they just don't fit !
> 
> 
> Jean GODBOUT
----------------
Thank you for contacting us.

We greatly appreciate your feedback. The Fender fingerboards are made to accommodate a variety of Fender-style guitars. You are correct, this fingerboard will not have the length you desire at the end. However, this fingerboard will certainly fit on a real Fender Stratocaster and the 25.5" Fret Scale stays constant, so you do not need to change the position of your bridge & saddles.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact us.

Best regards,

Kyle Martin
Customer Service
Stewart-MacDonald
STEWMAC.COM : Guitar, Bass, Banjo, Mandolin, Parts, Tools, Supplies, Free Information 
1-800-848-2273
-------------------------------

This guy don't want to admit that their "Fender" fingerboard are wrong, I know that the saddles are ajustable, but using their fretboad cut at fret 22 (for a 21 frets guitar) you introduce an error that push the saddles at the limit and this is not correct. Nothing about the thickness, this not important for Stewmac ! These guys know nothing about real Fender guitars. CHEAP, CHEAP and CHEAP American style CHEAP!


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## fraser (Feb 24, 2007)

Thank you for contacting us.

We greatly appreciate your feedback. If there are any concerns, questions or comments youd like to bring to our attention in the future, please, do not hesitate to contact us. 
looking forward to hearing from you!
best regards
kyle

ok im just screwing around- sorry.
once youve cut the fretboard for 21 frets, exactly how long is it? i can see it bieng oversized thickness wise, so you can either do a veneer or slab board- but the actual length dimensions are important. i wonder if stew mac sources these from mitey mite, where they get theyre necks?
are you saying that youre not left with enough wood once you cut it at the 22nd fret? mitey mite necks have the 22nd fret overhanging like on a fender- its longer than the maple butt of the neck-- so to make it full length after the 21st fret, you need to cut after the 22nd, shape the end, and fill the 22nd fret slot- if thats what im thinking youre saying.


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## Jean GODBOUT (Oct 31, 2009)

Hi Fraser

That right, the end of the neck should be cut after the fret 22 leaving a slot in your fretboard (not very nice) and I don't like to fill "mistake" by using putty on a guitar.

I sended this e-mail to Stew Mac in a effort to make thing better for us (the consumers) but they want to stick with one size fit all (but it dosen't fit). It would be so simpler to cut only 21 fret slots for an exact match to the real Fender. If you cut your neck at fret 22 slot, then your Stratocaster neck is about 0.100 inch to short and the problem is that the saddles adjustment are very limited in travel.


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## ajcoholic (Feb 5, 2006)

All SM fretboards are slotted for 24 frets. The scale length is indeed correct but I understand what you are trying to say - that the length of the excess board after the 21'st or 22'nd fret is short if you just cut the baord at fret 23. However, there are two easy solutions to this dilema:

#1 - buy the board from Luthiers Mercantile... they will cut whatever number of slots you want
#2 - invest in a template and saw and make up your own

Stewart Macdonald is a large shop that doesnt do custom work. They sell what is in their catalogue and for 99% of the guys that is enough. If you need custom stuff to your specs, just go somewhere else that does dpo that kind of work rather than argue with them.

JMHO 


AJC


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## Jean GODBOUT (Oct 31, 2009)

ajcoholic, yes you'r right, the scale division is right but the excess board after the 21'st or 22'nd fret is to short so the bridge must be install about 0.100 inch to compensate fot the fretboard error. Well, I like the compound radius fretboard made with a CNC, It is very difficult to make the compound radius by hand. 

The main thing is : If SM would cut only 21 fret slots, then their fretboard would be "perfect". Who need 24 frets on a Fender guitar ? They are sold as Fender scale fretboard.


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## ajcoholic (Feb 5, 2006)

Well, they are a Fender scale board... are they not?

Many people prefer 22 frets today, and a lot of rock and metal players prefer 24 frets for a full two octave range on the high E.

LMI doesnt do compound radius boards, that is correct.

Is it that hard to sand in a compound radius? I am just a hack builder and I can do it in a very short amount of time.

AJC


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## Alain Moisan (Jan 16, 2010)

If it's any help, here's a link to a compound radius making jig. Not too difficult to make. And it probably could be easily simplified, or at least made smaller.

Compound Radius Fretboard Jig - Cambrian Guitars


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