Advice on fret leveling?

Discussion in 'Hardware, Setup & Repair [BG]' started by jcanderson, Jul 9, 2013.

  1. jcanderson

    jcanderson

    Apr 13, 2013
    Los Altos, CA
    I picked up one of the p-bass guitar kits sold by Solo in Canada. It's now assembled and I'm looking for its flaws (and fixing them, I hope) before I attempt to paint it.

    One obvious problem has cropped up: fret buzz due to uneven fret heights ( e.g. 9th fret slightly higher than 8th).

    Can anyone point me to a good resource (or resources) that explains how to level frets and the tools required? I didn't expect that I'd need to do this, but part of the reason I'm assembling this kit is as a learning exercise, and so I might as well learn this, too.

    Thanks for your help!
     
  2. redname

    redname

    Apr 30, 2010
    bookmarking this.

    interested to know as i have this similar prob on my 2nd last fret of the G string of my P
     
  3. Immigrant

    Immigrant In Memoriam

    There's a guy on YouTube (that sounds like Ray Romano) and others that can give you a visual grasp on it. Try the Stewart MacDonald website also because there are a ton of videos there for every kind of fix.
     
  4. narwhale

    narwhale

    Nov 23, 2009
    Apex, NC
  5. jcanderson

    jcanderson

    Apr 13, 2013
    Los Altos, CA
    Thanks, Immigrant. Are you referring to this video? http://youtu.be/KP1G_LS0weQ

    Looks straightforward.

    I noticed that this other guy does it with standard (non-luthier) tools: http://youtu.be/c527_CtazOQ

    Don't know if this latter technique is recommended, or not, but it certainly would be less expensive (from a specialized tool perspective), although perhaps a bit nerve wracking.

    I was also wondering if it would make sense to first gently bump the fret with a soft-headed hammer, just to make sure it's properly seated, or if this would be a bad idea?
     
  6. jcanderson

    jcanderson

    Apr 13, 2013
    Los Altos, CA
    Narwhale, thanks. That site looks great!
     
  7. Scott in Dallas

    Scott in Dallas Commercial User

    Aug 16, 2005
    Dallas, north Texas
    Builder and Owner: DJ Ash Guitars
    The TDPRI site is a great resource, as is Project Guitar. The Dan Erlewine fretting book is very good, I think it's called Step By Step. The only tool that I've found indispensable is the fret rocker. Most of the other tools are interchangable. I've built many of my own tools, including fret pullers and nippers and a bender.