Polishing frets....

[momo]

So what are the advantages of doing this and is this normally done at the factory?, I had a refret done with I think Dunlop Jumbo frets. This has been done about 5 years ago, now on the more used frets, they have flattened a bit and the side of these frets are a bit sharp, so when I slide on the neck, sometimes the fingers get stuck on those sharper edges, would polishing help this?
Cheers

[sumgai]

momo,

If you start filing down your frets to remove small nicks, you flatten them even further, albeit they're now evenly flattened.

What you need to do after that operation is to re-crown them with, what else, a fret-crown file, like this. Those are the expensive version, I'm sure others can be found somewhere on the 'net for less.

Look at the page above that (in the address bar, remove everything between 'Files' and '.html'), there are lots of other files to choose from. And the page above that has lots of lutherie tools to drool over. ;D

HTH


sumgai

[ChrisK]

!Stainless steel frets!

They're brighter sounding, they last five times longer, and bending is as smooth as silk.

[momo]

So here are my frets, one pic with the higher frets not much abuse, and the middle of neck where its a the flattest. I dont have string buzz(high action/ 011's), but chording sure has buzzes, and im gripping hard on the neck....

[Runewalker]

Momo:

Those are pretty seriously worn frets. Enough to demand a more thorough approach than just recrowning the offending frets, IMHO. The buzzing is caused because the frets are worn lower than the preceding frets, so that the plane formed by the tops of the frets now undulates. When you fret a string on the worn frets they 'rub' against the higher frets between your fretted position and the pickups.

they may be worn enough that a more thorough approach (fret leveling, recrowning and polishing) may not have enough fret meat to allow you to effectively recrown. Which then means a fret job.

It is probably worth trying the fret leveling, recrowning and polishing procedure. Idealy you want the recrown to present a small point for the fret to contact the string, in the center of the fret, to facilitate accurate intonation. If you level the frets, and find too little fret meat to adequately crown them, you will have a flattened rather than eliptical crown, and intonation may be affected. In a flattend crown, you are fretting at the front of the fret, not the middle, thus intonation is affected, but not uniformly across all frets.

I have a LP that has reached the end of its options in fret leveling. It is now a true 'fretless wonder'. I can't bring myself to re-fret it, and it's condition is what led me in fact, to GN2.

But If your guitar is not of some high value vintage, and you intend to keep it, then a refret is worth while, assumeing the leveling job is less than optimal.

CKs advice on stainless is good. Stainless is very hard to work with because of its hardness. That of course makes it great for longevity and a silk feel.

One last thing: I have one of those crowning tools that SG set a link for. They have a tendency to chatter, which will cause additional scars on the frets. Earlewine likes to use a standard triangular file, with the edges ground down to protect the fingerboard. Stewmac has another crowning tool that is diamond inpregnated, that is carves a smoother path, but is of course more expensive.

RW

[momo]

Hey thanks for the reply, My strat is a 1987 62 reissue, it originally had the small frets, these were changed for the jumbos in the pictures, this is one aspect of the guitar that I will not try a D.I.Y! These Dunlop's were put on by a pro and he will do the next ones!

At least now I know why my chords buzz. It was puzzling because I have high action with a great strait neck, makes perfect sense.

Do I have to refret everything or can I keep the not used ones to save on the job at hand?

Cheers

[sumgai]

RW,

I've never tried that diamond fret file, have you?

Lots of people do things different ways, and D.E. is no exception. He's got the experience and the eye-to-hand coordination to be able to use the modified triangle file without trepidation - not me!

I've done a lot of re-crowns with the files I indicated, and I don't recal any chattering. But then again, maybe it's just experience with the tool, I don't know for sure. I tend to take it slow and easy, I refuse to get in a hurry...... that could be the key right there, hmmmmmm?


sumgai

[sumgai]

momo,

Those are indeed well worn, but I don't see any nicks, so you either bend a lot of string, or else you don't press very hard at all.

But the frets I do see at the sides of the picture appear to have lots of meat (depth), so like Runewalker says, it's worth a try.

Take the neck off, lay it up in a jig of some sort to steady it, and make sure it's straight as an arrow before you do anything else.

Use a large flat file that will cover at least 5 or 6 frets at once. Hold it paralllel to the fingerboard (perpendicular to the frets), and stroke it back and forth, lightly, several times. My preferred method here is to also remove the fret nut, so that I can get a full stroke on the first and second frets too. With the nut in place, I feel that those two don't get enough "love".

Use a ruler of some kind, making sure that its edge isn't all scarred, and check the frets for level. Actually, you're looking to make sure there are no gaps or bumps from one fret to the next, as you slide the ruler along the fingerboard. Do this in the approximate location of each string, meaning that you'll do this six times. (That's four times for a bass, Tyler! )

Once that's done, do the re-crown. As stated earlier, take it slow and easy. If you do notice 'chattering', you're pressing too hard. It's not like you're in a hurry, right? You don't have a $500 gig tonight, do you? Then take it slow and easy. ;D Be sure to hold the file as perpendicular as possible, you risk moving the crown forward (toward the bridge) or back from the center, if you tilt the file.

BTW, RW said that the string contacts a flat fret at the foward position. Perhaps his frame of reference is different from mine, I'd say that it's at the backward point. By that I mean, the string contact point is further away from the bridge. This is easy to demonstrate - simply hold the ruler up from the frets, almost perpendicular. Now rotate it downwards, towards the bridge. (You're imitating a string being fretted.) At which point on the fret does the ruler contact the soonest?

And it won't move to the other side of the fret (closest to the bridge), unless the flatness is actually slanted several degrees, the lower side being further from the bridge. (This does happen, but not often enough to talk about.)

But like I said, Rune may have been meaning that same thing, but calling it by a different name. ;D

At this point, your neck is one or two steps removed from being done. Since you just ran a file along each fret, across the fingerboard, you might have 'unleveled' one or more of them - go check them with the ruler again, just like you did after the first filing.

Still no dips? Good job! ;D If you've made an error, you know what to do about it, right?

Since this is a simple fret dressing job, I'll assume that the fret ends were previously shaped properly - they don't stick up and grab your fingers as you slide from one end to the other. If they do stick up, or are othewise rough to the touch, then you might consider smoothing them out, but this is a delicate job. Too much sanding or filing, and you risk damaging the fingerboard or neck material(s). Look at Stew-Mac for a tool meant to do this job. See how it's made? You can jury-rig a simliar tool for a lot less, and that'll help reduce the risk of damage.

If you removed the fret nut earlier, put it back in now. Preferably, you should install a new one, and cut the slots to the correct depth for your newly minted frets. But your old one will do, if it's not broken.

Finish it all off with some 4-ought steel wool to give them some shine. Re-assemble your axe, fire up your amp, and proceed to smoke 'em! ;D ;D

HTH



sumgai

[Runewalker]

sumgai said:

RW,

I've never tried that diamond fret file, have you?

I've done a lot of re-crowns with the files I indicated, and I don't recal any chattering. But then again, maybe it's just experience with the tool, I don't know for sure. I tend to take it slow and easy, I refuse to get in a hurry...... that could be the key right there, hmmmmmm?

sumgai

No, not this specific one, although I have used other flat faced diamond files and like them because the sharp edges of the diamond micro-chips are randomly arrayed so cut uniformly irrespective of the direction. Whereas a grooved file, depending on the cut, will sometimes only hog in one direction.

You have a point on the 'slow and go'. I do get in a hurry sometimes. Cutting oil also helps, but you have to keep it light to avoid soaking into the rosewood. Also, a brass bristle brush to clear the filings from the file grooves improves its action.

Momo. It is hard to tell from the 2 dimentional angle of the pix, exactly how much meat you have left. If you used Dunlop jumbos and have not had a full dressing before, usually they will readily take a dressing. It will be a huge improvement and you will feel like you have a new neck.

[momo]

I will have to take the time to reread this tutorial ... but if a dressing will do the job, again, that will cost even less at my local Pro Luthier . One thing Ive learned over the years is that im NOT good at being that precise! I can concentrate well with the electronics part and a bit of wood work, but working with a file just spells danger for me and my beloved guitar!

Im happy for this info though, I was wondering about the buzz... and it happends also when I play in the morning, so its not a habit forming buzz ;D

Cheers

[Runewalker]

momo said:

... if a dressing will do the job, again, that will cost even less at my local Pro Luthier .

Im happy for this info though, I was wondering about the buzz... and it happends also when I play in the morning, so its not a habit forming buzz ;D

Cheers

Maybe you start the they day with a wake-up buzz?

Your Pro will probably be happy to see his fret job after a few years (months?) of abuse. Always interesting to see how thing held up. Those frets are ground down 'purty good', so you must love the blues -- all string bends, all the time. Good luck.

[momo]

Ya Ya, I realized after this thread that I don't have these dips in the frets like one of my acoustics... so I DO bend alot!... Santana/Albert King/ZZTop/David Gilmour wannabe .

My Luthier is the best in town and does the jobs for all the top cats, for shure he will have my buisness.
Thanks for the tips.

[momo]

So you learn everyday as they say.....I just finished mounting/wireing a Callaham blender pot, and while I was testing, I decided to lower the pups to see what that would do.Well Im here to tell you that my string buzz is GONE!!, this is a great testament to the premiere job my luthier did on the frets, even if they are worn out as you see in the pictures, everything is clear!... so I had read about the magnetic pull on the strings, but never did I imagine it woulkd pull so much. I did not have a loss of sustain, but the buzzes were bad.I was wondering how that could be with the high action I have. So anyway, now I know!, I will gladly wait on the fret job for now, this is awsome, ALL the buzzes are gone!

Ciao for now