Norman Encore B20 4T Refret | Part Two

◀ Part One

Servicing and Refret

The previous post featured an overview of this Norman Encore B20 4T Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar, which was in dire need of a refret and servicing.

After the existing frets were pulled, the entire fretboard needed to be prepped. Radius-wise, the fretboard was supposed to be at 16 inches. However, due to excessive wear, especially along the edges, what I measured was inconsistent, ranging from 12 to 16 inches.

With the truss rod fully relaxed, I needed to sand the fretboard flat. I also needed to achieve a consistent radius without removing too much wood. The most practical solution, then; would be to aim for a radius of 12 inches.

Once the target had been achieved, I proceeded to deepen the fret slots with an LMI Fret Saw, gauging my progress with a StewMac Fret Slot Depth Gauge. The fret slots were then cleaned out with a modified wood carving tool.

Next came fret installation. After the 21 frets were installed, the ends were trimmed and ground flush; and subsequently beveled. We were now ready for fret leveling, but before doing that; I needed to make sure that the fretboard was level. Sure enough, the fretboard was slightly up-bowed. A little tweaking of the two-way truss rod; and the fretboard was dead flat once again.

Fret leveling was then carried out, and I made sure to check the frets' levelness periodically with a Fret Rocker. Meanwhile, the grimy, worn and uneven spots all along the back of the neck were also sanded down.

It was now time for the fret tops to be recrowned with a StewMac Centered Z-File, and then abraded and polished. For this last stage, the fretboard was taped off. Once fretwork had been taken care of, the back of the neck was sealed with a couple coats of Tru-Oil.

What was now left was to reinstall the tuners, condition the fretboard with lemon oil, put on some strings; and do a final setup. Now, with everything taken care of, I found the time to record a short audio clip of this B20; which you may listen to on SoundCloud.

Frets Pulled

Sanding the Fretboard

Checking Fretboard Flatness and Radius

Deepening the Fret Slots

New Frets Installed

Fret Ends Trimmed and Beveled

Checking Fretboard Flatness

Worn Areas Sanded Down

Fret Leveling in Progress

Checking the Frets with a Fret Rocker

Recrowning the Frets

Fretboard Taped Off

Abrading and Polishing the Frets

Sealing the Neck with Tru-Oil

Tuners Reinstalled after Servicing

Much More Comfortable Now

Fretboard Conditioned with Lemon Oil

After Restringing and Final Setup