Definitely rounded. I can't see how you'd shape them down in place on
the belly so knock them off and make new ones. Tonewise, I don't think
the material makes a significant difference but they'll sound a lot
nicer when they are rounded. Much like the effect when you trade those
old flat-topped gut frets for new ones.
s
On Oct 29, 2013, at 10:05 PM, Dan Winheld wrote:
Talk of tastini has gotten me wondering, what is the best material for
body frets? I have been playing a lot of music recently that dances
around in the lute's stratosphere- Melchior Neusidler, Mudarra,
Milan's advanced fantasias, etc. The plain wooden frets I have now-
probably Maple, maybe Boxwood; sound pretty terrible compared to the
gut frets. I am thinking Ebony, some other dense tropical hardwood,
bone, or even some modern synthetic- but only if aesthetically
acceptable & sonically superior. If anyone knows of some magic non-
metallic body fret material I would really like to know.
Part of the problem is the buzzing, unclean sound that results from a
squared off fret- an inevitable result of having to shave them down
for proper clearance after gluing down. Ideally, they should be
crowned- or at least rounded edges for best tone. Tough, fussy job to
do even before installation for the non-luthier DIY amateur.
Thanks all for any enlightenment on this bit of lute pain.
Dan
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