Fret

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring to FIG.
2, a fret 10 is disclosed which comprises a stem 11 and a cap 12.
For comparison purposes, a prior art fret 13 is shown in FIG.
1.
The fret 10 is ordinarily make of nickel silver and the cap 12 includes a base 14 and two sides 15 and 16.
A central axis 17 passes longitudinally through the long axis of the stem 11 and the sides 15 and 16 diverge away from the base 14 so as to intersect with the axis 17.
As best seen in FIG.
4, the frets 10 are inserted in a neck 20 of a stringed instrument so that the caps 12 are interposed between the surface of the neck 20 and one or more strings 21.
For comparison purposes, the neck 20 is shown in FIG.
3, equipped with prior art frets 13.
As illustrated in FIGS.
3 and 4, the caps of the frets have been ground down so that the resulting flat surfaces will all lie in a common plane.
The common plane is parallel to the neck surface so all of the ground surfaces are thereby disposed predetermined distances from the strings.
As shown in FIG.
4, the string 21 is fixed at one end to a bridge 22.
Moreover, the frets 10 have been spaced on the neck 20 so that the lengths A, B and C are established between the bridge 22 and each axis 17, respectively.
The lengths A, B and C are selected by reference to the vibratory characteristics of the string 21.
That is, each length A, B or C is such that if the string 21 were cut to any of those lengths, it would vibrate at each length with a precise tone desired by the instrument manufacturer.
In operation of the stringed instrument, a player's finger, as shown in FIG.
5, depresses the string 21 until it engages the surface of the neck 20.
The result is to angle the string 21 downwardly from the bridge 22 so that some point thereon comes into contact with a fret.
Where the cap of the fret has been ground down, however, the point of contact will be further from the bridge 22 than is the axis 17.
Consequently, the actual string length created by bringing the string into contact with the fret will be greater than the design string length