Show & Tell

Show & Tell is sharing, not just instruments – completed or as a “work-in-progress” – but also tips and tools, both discovered and found. For example, here are a couple of gems:

• The J. Edward Fractal Fret Press: did you know that if, while installing frets on a new build on a perfectly level fretboard, you carefully level each fret with its predecessor such that there will likely be no fret leveling or re-crowing necessary? That is a huge time saver! By October, 2026, the fractal fret press was in its 4th generation; an even better product! That savings in time was proven several times in the Acoustic Guitarmaking Class.

• Another winner: a fretboard radius jig using a router, a 3D printed carriage and a flat track on which to mount the fretboard. There are several versions, the one from String Pluckery being one of them. Most purchased versions have multiple radius templates. The hot upgrade here is to glue battens on the flip side to the width of your hand radius sanding block – so that it tracks down the middle of the fretboard – using that to finish sand the fretboard to your favorite grit. The routing takes mere minutes!