School me on fret leveling/crowning/dressing

[pin_head_47]

My beloved Ibanez has begun to show a little bit of wear and tear on the frets; most noticeably, there are some indentations from the strings, and I think it's about time to break down and have them leveled and crowned. I did a search but didn't find much of a how-to on how to do this.

I'm considering doing it myself because I don't know of a good tech around here, but I don't know where to start. I've been looking at some of the tools at Stew-Mac found here.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[62bass]

Check the Stew Mac site and look for the Dan Erlewine videos and books. There will be something in there that'll guide you through. Stew Mac sells all the tools you need but it can add up to a fair chunk of change.

I learned from watching someone. I bought the tools I couldn't easily make or modify myself from Stew Mac and it was worth it because I was doing work like that as a side business so the tools paid for themselves.

You can do it yourself, but you can also screw up the frets permanently if you don't do it right. First ascertain, are the frets so worn that it's causing me problems now? Do I understand the procedure well enough to do it right?

Remember, it's very easy to take too much fret off when you're leveling, but impossible to replace the material once it's gone.

[pin_head_47]

The frets aren't horrible, but the bass is over 10 years and its never been done as far as I can tell. I've had it for about 4, and it had some wear when I got it, but it's worse now. I'm having a hard time getting it setup to where I like it without it giving me problems with buzzing and such.

How much would you estimate that I could get all the basic necessies for (including any type of instructional stuff) and how long would I be able to go until I needed it again? Also, how much would it compare to having it done by a pro, assuming that I'd be able to find someone eventually?

[202dy]

Doing home fret dressing is akin to doing home dentistry.

This is a reply to a request from one of my closest friends for almost fifty years on his request for advice on doing fret dressing at home. That should explain the use of the familiar and the acerbic tone of my reply. My apologies if the links do not embed:

Quote

Fretwork, at any level, is not for the inexperienced. It is not for those who are not used to working to tight tolerances. By tight I mean thousandths. It is not for those who are not handy in the extreme. It is not for those who do not work with their hands on a *regular* basis. By regular I mean several days a week at a minimum.

If I read you correctly, it is not for you.

Given that, here is a minimum list of tools and references. The links are to Stew-Mac.

First, though, you must understand guitar construction and repair. The quickest, most helpful read from my library is Dan Erlewine's book: You need this whether or not you decide to do the work. It should already be in your possession. It is an owner's manual for a guitar.

Basic Fret kit, except substitute a diamond fret crowning file for the double edge file #4491. (It's) Your choice on the diamond file. Personally I find the 150 grit too abrasive. It takes way too much time to get the scratches back out of the metal. You'll find the diamond files here.

Actually, if you don't mind some more work, I prefer three corner files: 3 C's. Well, really, I use three corner files and diamond files both, usually have them all on the bench when recrowning. Sorry. It's the truth.

I don't want to do any crowning work with out fret guards.

How do you insure that the frets are being leveled? You'll need a device that is ground level. In the absence of a table saw's cast iron table that you have checked with your newly acquired straight edges (you need the 12" and the 18". If you can only afford one, get the 18") you'll need one of these: Leveler. Well, actually, I have several lengths. I have a ~6" and a 30". I need 'em both. The 6" leveling file that is in the kit will suffice for the short one. You can wrap the file edge with psa backed sand paper.

There's more. If you're looking at leveling files, I really don't use the 6" that much. You will. I use a 3" all the time. It's great for little high spots that invariably show up when you're doing this work. It's also great for leveling finish touch-ups. I used it on paint drips and runs when we were trimming out this house.

The most important thing about fret work, though, is to get the neck straight in playing position with the strings on (almost vertical) and recreate that situation in the work position, which is horizontal. There are damned few ways to accomplish this task with enough accuracy to get any of the work done correctly. You may remember my bench with the rotating top. That is the first version of what you need. Here is the new one. Neck jig. I would not consider doing the work without a jig. Period. (Expletive removed to explain the chances on getting me to do fretwork without a jig.)

You want the frets to shine like diamonds? Of course you do. Here's how: Micro mesh. This stuff is so cool you'll want to have some anyway. I use it to polish all kinds of things. Perfect for finish touch ups.

BTW, all of the above assumes that your necks don't have any weird things going on like dips in the fingerboard or a double S curve or the like. Notched straight edges are needed to figure out exactly what is going on and pulling and tying down a neck to make it do what you want it to do.

There is other stuff I use but I'm too tired to remember what they are right now.

While we're at it, Dan's repair series on fretting would probably make the entire thing a lot easier. More resources are to be found at Frets.com (Frank Ford doesn't like electric instruments but he's so good we don't care) and MIMF. Just search and you'll find. You may even find some people that you'll trust. I know a lot of them so don't be afraid to ask.

I haven't totaled these purchases up it's gotta be up around a grand. You can get the work done for ~$250-300 locally I would guess.

End Quote.


That was my reply to my friend. He is an accomplished guitarist but does not work with his hands. The recommendations and the caveats hold for all who wish to venture into the more demanding areas of the craft.

[PilbaraBass]

one good way to get a feel for fret dressing without wreckin' your beloved bass is to get a fret saw...some fret wire...some dressing tools and a couple of pieces of inexpensive wood...

you can practice, fretting, leveling, crowning, dressing, defretting, and the only thing you'll be damaging is some bits of wood...

once you've gained confidence, then you may consider moving on, or consider buying a cheap "guinea pig" instrument first...(probably a better "next step")

[Turnaround]

Absoultely right, 202dy! I think there are a few of us would like to have said the same thing, but were afraid of being branded as extremists.

I really like the mention of Frank Ford as an authority. His contribution to the business of instrument setup and repair is massive.

[pin_head_47]

Thanks for all the info guys; at this point I don't see myself doing it, just from a financial point of view. I thought about trying to do some for other people to recoup the cost of the tools but there just isn't a market around here for it (I can't even find someone to do it for me right now).

As a side note, I did find a quick guidethru online, if anyone else is interested, to see what's involved. WARNING: Guitar Content!

Edit: Another good tutorial, here.

[202dy]

Originally Posted by Turnaround

Absoultely right, 202dy! I think there are a few of us would like to have said the same thing, but were afraid of being branded as extremists.

I really like the mention of Frank Ford as an authority. His contribution to the business of instrument setup and repair is massive.

Generally, I would not post an extreme opinion for the same reasons. Since this was already sitting on the hard drive and could be prefaced that it was written for someone who would not be offended by the sarcasm, I decided to let it fly. My apologies to any who were offended.

The reality is, though, that many of the tasks that have to be performed in this craft are beyond most folks no matter how much research they perform. The ability to build a top notch deck on the back of one's home is a good start but the tolerances in fretwork are ten times as exacting.

Pilbara recommends fretting a piece of wood to get a feel for the tools while moving them across the frets. That is an excellent idea. Tapering the block and placing a radius in the surface is even better. Doing flea market specials after that gets someone closer to it. But it is a long, expensive process. John Lennon once said that for every hour on stage there needs to be 100 hours of rehearsal and 1000 hours of practice. Fret dressing might not require as much time to learn but attempting to do it after dragging a file across a dozen frets a couple of times is a path fraught with danger and tears.

Frank Ford is an iconoclast. He is also a great teacher. I had the pleasure of seeing him perform a plane and refret on a D-18 in an hour and a half while teaching the process and telling amusing stories at the same time. My speed at performing fret work doubled after that making me far more productive. Unfortunately most budding luthiers/techs are not aware of him. He is one of the greats.

[blipndub]

But, as my five year old says "you never know what you can do until you try something new".

While I wouldn't recommend grinding away on a vintage or precious fretboard I do think basic fret jobs can be learned and done with basic tools. It won't be as good a job as if a pro did it for sure but in time you will learn what is good enough for you.
I do my work on Fender style basses and I have a tendecy to not worry about "relicing" moments. So my words may just be useless in the context of those above. I'm not anal retentive and my basses reflect that.

If you have one bass and it is your prized possession don't do it. If you are building a bass than do it.

Get a straight edge and diamond flat file from stewmac, a fretguard, some 600 - 1000 grit high quality paper and maybe a crowning file.

Basically what I do is pull the neck off the body, tighten the trussrod until the neck is flat and then use the straigt edge to "feel" where the raised fret are. Use the file to knock them down so they are even and sand left to right on each fret to remove the burrs (using the fretguard of course). Make sure the edges are clean by running the file sort of perpendicular to the board that that's pretty much it for a 20 minute fretjob.

For me it's all about knocking down raised frets on old or parts necks so it's not quite the same as trying to salvage some life out of old fretwire.

[SGT. Pepper]

This is dangerous territory to be venturing into. Best you take it to a luthier. If he messes up, he's responsible. If you mess up your ******!

Mod edit: Please reread the Forum rules.

[stanger503]

well ive yet to try this myself...but the time is coming because im sick of not being able to get nice low action because of my frets. any way wut ive read before is to file the frets...but a helpful tip, some will disagree im certain, but this is probably the path ill follow when i try it, anyway the tip is tape the wood on your fret board only leaving the frets exposed, the take a black sharpie or some marker and color the top of each fret. then file the frets down being as exacting as possible until all the marker is gone. i know theres holes in this but it seems quick and will show you wut u are and arent taking off the fret. again ive never tried this before but shortly, ie the next few weeks, i think im gonna try it on my bass and guitar both to lower my action. of course theres other steps i know this, but for filing them down this seems like a fairly reasonable way to get it done.

[PilbaraBass]

Originally Posted by stanger503

well ive yet to try this myself...but the time is coming because im sick of not being able to get nice low action because of my frets. any way wut ive read before is to file the frets...but a helpful tip, some will disagree im certain, but this is probably the path ill follow when i try it, anyway the tip is tape the wood on your fret board only leaving the frets exposed, the take a black sharpie or some marker and color the top of each fret. then file the frets down being as exacting as possible until all the marker is gone. i know theres holes in this but it seems quick and will show you wut u are and arent taking off the fret. again ive never tried this before but shortly, ie the next few weeks, i think im gonna try it on my bass and guitar both to lower my action. of course theres other steps i know this, but for filing them down this seems like a fairly reasonable way to get it done.

Dan Erlewine does a great tutorial on this in Bass Player Mag (you may even be able to find it online)

His tools...a flat surface for attaching 320 grit sandpaper with double-faced carpet tape (he uses a small level, I believe)
a sharpie (permanent marker), a small file for dressing the edges...

If you're careful, and start with a good flat board, and use a light touch, pay close attention to detail, and are patient...I think, a semi-decent result can be had.