Fret polishing

[Thumper828]

Getting ready to put a new set of elixirs on my Ibanez sr500.
I noticed there are a few worn places in the frets. What would be the best way to get those out? Also the bass came strung with medium lights, Im going to heavy. Will I encounter any problems consernig the nut, action, and intanation? Thanks for the info.

[Madcity Fats]

If your frets are really worn, it might be time for a fret dress. If you're just concerned about cleaning and polishing, you can accomplish that with some 0000 grade steel wool (note: if you have a gloss finish over a maple fingerboard, you should tape off the frets first to avoid dulling the finish). I've also used a Dremel with a felt polishing tip and a little lemon oil to get the frets looking like new.

Any time you change gauges you should be prepared to do some minor setup work at a minimum. What exactly needs adjusting will depend on the bass and the strings, but it would be best to run the gamut once you get the new set installed. I'd go in the following order:

- Check for proper seating at the nut
- Check for proper neck relief
- Adjust action (saddle height)
- Check intonation
- Adjust pickup height if necessary