Reduce Fret Sprout w/ In-Case Humidifier?

[selowitch]

I have a Jazz Bass with a maple fingerboard and it gets fret sprout each winter (my bass lives in its case in my basement, which in the winter gets rather dry). Should I get an in-case humidifier? Also, I know you can use lemon oil on an ebony or rosewood fingerboard, but what does one do with maple (esp. as concerns reducing fret sprout)?

[lastminute]

I have a similar problem, and would also like an answer.

[kevin_lindsay]

Ah, the joys of winter heating!

Unfortunately, it's just a fact of life that the necks "shrink" at this time of year. The best thing to do is have your fret ends dressed ath this time of year when the metal fret ends feel "jaggy" to the touch.

Then, when the better weather arrives and the necks "swell" again, the fret ends will feel great, and next winter when the wood shrinks again, the fret ends will still be okay as they have been dressed to accommodate the effects of the dryness in the air over the winter at home.

Most players have this matter addressed (no pun intended) at this time of year. In fact, when I was having this done on my Sei Bass and '56 and '63 P-Basses at The Gallery in London, England a couple of years back, Pino Palladino came in with his own sunburst and Fiesta Red Fender P-Basses to have the same thing done to them (yes, the two basses which Fender used as the basis for his own Custom Shop signature model - for reference they used the body from his Fiesta Red model, and the neck is based upon the profile of his sunburst P-Bass).

It's a relatively inexpensive job and makes a world of difference. I actually did this job at home 2 nights ago on my own Fender Custom Shop "Nocaster" (which I purchased on July 4th 2009) using a straight edge file to dress down the "fret sprout", buffed the ends with super fine grade wet & dry paper, and then did a final buff with a scotchbrite pad! The end result is a great feeling neck once again, which is now ready to face the dleights of seasonal changes from now on.

[lastminute]

Question: My fret ends don't exactly feel "jaggy", but I do feel them sticking out slightly, and I can especially feel it when I'm doing fast slides down the neck. When I slide the pad of my finger down the side of the neck, I can feel the bumps. Would you say these are grounds for fret dressing?

[kevin_lindsay]

A light dress will solve the "bump" feeling. As I say, it's a pretty inexpensive job as the luthier / repairman isn't doing a proper fret dressing, merely tidying up the fret ends.

It's a job that is done loads of times at this time of year. If you do it, your bass will feel like it does in the summertime - nice and smooth.

[drurb]

We don't have frets over on this side, folks.

[bejoyous]

Wouldn't it make life easier for us if our instruments did!

[Bill Bentgen]

Originally Posted by bejoyous

Wouldn't it make life easier for us if our instruments did!

For oour fingers, but not our ears.

[drurb]

Originally Posted by bejoyous

Wouldn't it make life easier for us if our instruments did!

Originally Posted by Bill Bentgen

For oour fingers, but not our ears.

Uh... no. Not even for our fingers. One could hardly employ the techniques most of us use if there were frets in the way.

[Rickett Customs]

Originally Posted by drurb

We don't have frets over on this side, folks.

Ha. I was about to post something like that.

[Marcus Johnson]

I actually didn't mind the intrusion this time. I've been playing bass guitars for four decades, and that was the first time I ever heard the term "fret sprout".

[Jake deVilliers]

I was just enjoying the ironic juxtaposition of this thread being right beside the Strad thread. Neither have anything to do with double bass!

[Jake deVilliers]

Originally Posted by Marcus Johnson

I actually didn't mind the intrusion this time. I've been playing bass guitars for four decades, and that was the first time I ever heard the term "fret sprout".

I hear it at this time of year from the guitar techs at Long & McQuade when we've gone from our usual 55% - 65% humidity down to a prairie-style 25%. They have 2000 - 2500 guitars on the wall with the fingerboards shrinking and the frets staying the same length. Nothing but whining.

[Darkstrike]

Originally Posted by drurb

We don't have frets over on this side, folks.

Except for the EUB guys(which I hope to become soon), some of them guys got frets.

Like this one, six strings too...

[selowitch]

Is there any downside to filing the frets (aside from possibly damaging the surrounding wood), such as once the wood expands again is there any risk of the fret then being to short/narrow?

[Darkstrike]

Originally Posted by selowitch

Is there any downside to filing the frets (aside from possibly damaging the surrounding wood), such as once the wood expands again is there any risk of the fret then being to short/narrow?

No, none whatsoever, the frets won't be filed *that* much.

[selowitch]

Originally Posted by Darkstrike

No, none whatsoever, the frets won't be filed *that* much.

OK.

I assume one should try to match the existing angle that the frets are dressed to (if that makes any sense)?

[Darkstrike]

Originally Posted by selowitch

OK.

I assume one should try to match the existing angle that the frets are dressed to (if that makes any sense)?

Yeah, that would be best, really though, the angle just has to be enough that your fingers don't catch on them.

[selowitch]

Do I gather correctly that there are basically two approaches:

• The more daring one, to file away with no tape and afterward sand the finish on the wood surrounding the frets (which will get scuffed) with 0000 steel wool.
• The more cautious one, which is to file after you've taped off the wooden/finished parts of the neck so that only the metal parts come in contact with the file.

Is this correct?

[Darkstrike]

Originally Posted by selowitch

Do I gather correctly that there are basically two approaches:

• The more daring one, to file away with no tape and afterward sand the finish on the wood surrounding the frets (which will get scuffed) with 0000 steel wool.
• The more cautious one, which is to file after you've taped off the wooden/finished parts of the neck so that only the metal parts come in contact with the file.

Is this correct?

Yeah, got it, but, do not, *seriously* do not do the more daring approach, with a maple fretboard, that will ruin a maple neck...... I seen it happen to a friends Telecaster, that because of it, has been retired.