All about Fret Sprout

[Turnaround]

I think you understand that the frets neither sprout nor shrink - the fingerboard does.

Ideally you don't want to expose your instrument to RH levels beyond 50% for extended periods of time. The 50% level is particularly applicable to acoustic instruments, especially those that are assembled with hide glue. On such instruments exposure to RH over 50% promotes mold growth and mold will attack hide glue and break it down. Less of a problem on solidbody instruments since hide glue is not common on them. However, 50% is still a good guideline as prolonged exposure above that level can introduce deformation, and may contribute to telegraphing of the joint lines through the body finish.

I do see lots of "fret sprout" a.k.a. fingerboard shrinkage in the winter here. But treat it once at its worst and the problem rarely reappears. I see you are in "Small Town Ontario". My guess is that you are not too close to one of the Great Lakes. I am in Toronto and we certainly can get high humidity in the summer.

 

[Thundertips]

I think you understand that the frets neither sprout nor shrink - the fingerboard does.

Ideally you don't want to expose your instrument to RH levels beyond 50% for extended periods of time. The 50% level is particularly applicable to acoustic instruments, especially those that are assembled with hide glue. On such instruments exposure to RH over 50% promotes mold growth and mold will attack hide glue and break it down. Less of a problem on solidbody instruments since hide glue is not common on them. However, 50% is still a good guideline as prolonged exposure above that level can introduce deformation, and may contribute to telegraphing of the joint lines through the body finish.

I do see lots of "fret sprout" a.k.a. fingerboard shrinkage in the winter here. But treat it once at its worst and the problem rarely reappears. I see you are in "Small Town Ontario". My guess is that you are not too close to one of the Great Lakes. I am in Toronto and we certainly can get high humidity in the summer.

Thanks for the info. No, I'm not close to the Great Lakes. I usually run an air conditioner in the summer and it keeps it close to 50% in here. That's perfect. Humidity here in the summer usually creeps up at night and into the early morning as the temperature falls but falls dramatically as the temperature rises.

 

[Sands]

Extremely well done. Was easy enough to find, once I looked.

Thanks for sharing. Now I’m going to try out my new file.

 

[claudel]

I had this happen to a 50+ year old Fender when I moved to the desert...

Few are immune.

A short session with a 8" sharpening stone cured the problem.

 

[Moving Pictures]

This thread has inspired me to do more on my basses. The biggest help here has been knowing the correct tools (I originally ordered the wrong one based on the video referenced earlier) and the technique.

The is a skill I will definitely put to good use.

Thank you!

 

[DavidEdenAria]

Im fortunate...in the midwest where we get moisture year round, my basement has 3 de-humidifiers as it can get damp down there but im able to keep the whole house at around 45 to 50%....i set those de-humidifiers at this range and keep them on all year 'usually'....though some winters the upstairs can get 40 to 45% its rarely a problem in the basement, plus my central air never works overtime trying to get rid of moisture..

I agree, once you address fret sprout properly it never occurs again...at least in my climate.

 

[boing]

If you’re moving an instrument from an arid area to a properly humidified room, about how long does it take for the neck to adjust to the new environment?

I imagine there are many factors that affect this, like neck shape, type of wood, type of finish, etc... but are we talking a couple of days, or a couple of weeks?

 

[Turnaround]

Yes. A couple. Days or weeks. Depends, as you say.

 

[boing]

Thanks.

 

[friend33]

But without taping the fretboard edge, how do you keep the file from scarring wood or finish? Well, you don't. But you keep it to a minimum and polish it out afterward. Keeping the scratching to a minimum is a matter of using the right tool and utilizing the right technique, bolstered by a good deal of practice.

Is this true for finished maple necks as well?

I do notice that that is what is shown in the photo, but just concerned a bit about removing finish in a way that would invite moisture and potential warping into the neck.

I’m guessing that what you are saying is the finish is applied thick enough that, if you are skilled and careful, you will not go through the entire depth of the finish coat, and can then use the 1200+ finishing pads to buff the finish as well as the frets?

I did get the kit from Stew Mac that has the file and finishing pads and such, and cleaned up the fret ends and two of my basses pretty handily, took my time and used plenty of tape.

There are just a few frets on each where the tang is protruding slightly that I would need to deal with - and, ‘tis the season, maximum dryness - hence the question.

 

[Turnaround]

Is this true for finished maple necks as well?

I do notice that that is what is shown in the photo, but just concerned a bit about removing finish in a way that would invite moisture and potential warping into the neck.

I’m guessing that what you are saying is the finish is applied thick enough that, if you are skilled and careful, you will not go through the entire depth of the finish coat, and can then use the 1200+ finishing pads to buff the finish as well as the frets?

I did get the kit from Stew Mac that has the file and finishing pads and such, and cleaned up the fret ends and two of my basses pretty handily, took my time and used plenty of tape.

There are just a few frets on each where the tang is protruding slightly that I would need to deal with - and, ‘tis the season, maximum dryness - hence the question.

The technique is the same regardless of the fretboard wood. As far as the StewMac kit goes, the file they include in the kit is not the right file for the job - I don't know why they suggest using it for fret sprout. If you look at the photo they supply of their file in use, you can see that it is for rounding off the ends of the frets. It is not good for trimming frets to length which is what is needed when you are treating fret sprout. You may want to use the rounding file afterwards, but a fine sharp flat file is what is needed to trim the sprout. Since you were using the wrong file and using tape, you still have some tangs protruding, as you say.

 

[joebar]

I just had fret sprout cleaned up on a bass from my luthier of 35 years. He is of the opinion that the wood the manufacturers are using isn’t dry enough in the first place. I tend to believe him- I’ve got an old vantage bass that’s 37 years old; it’s never had sprout and is the smoothest neck I’ve ever had- most other basses I’ve owned have need a filing at least once- but I’m fussy that way.

 

[iammr2]

I just had fret sprout cleaned up on a bass from my luthier of 35 years. He is of the opinion that the wood the manufacturers are using isn’t dry enough in the first place. I tend to believe him- I’ve got an old vantage bass that’s 37 years old; it’s never had sprout and is the smoothest neck I’ve ever had- most other basses I’ve owned have need a filing at least once- but I’m fussy that way.

I don't recall ever seeing fret sprout back in the '70's, 80's, and maybe into the '90's. Was it a matter of the wood was of better quality or was it better craftsmanship or quality? Maybe both?

Every time I've ever said that on TB, everyone shouts me down saying fret sprout has always been an issue.

 

[Moving Pictures]

I don't recall ever seeing fret sprout back in the '70's, 80's, and maybe into the '90's. Was it a matter of the wood was of better quality or was it better craftsmanship or quality? Maybe both?

Every time I've ever said that on TB, everyone shouts me down saying fret sprout has always been an issue.

I had a couple back in the early 80s that suffered fret sprout. Both were really cheap basses and had other issues.

 

[byacey]

Im fortunate...in the midwest where we get moisture year round, my basement has 3 de-humidifiers as it can get damp down there but im able to keep the whole house at around 45 to 50%....i set those de-humidifiers at this range and keep them on all year 'usually'....though some winters the upstairs can get 40 to 45% its rarely a problem in the basement, plus my central air never works overtime trying to get rid of moisture..

I agree, once you address fret sprout properly it never occurs again...at least in my climate.

Around our area, the winters are very dry, so that's the time to clean these issues up. Once filed, it's rarely ever an issue again. I don't make any efforts to stabilize the humidity either.

 

[friend33]

The technique is the same regardless of the fretboard wood. As far as the StewMac kit goes, the file they include in the kit is not the right file for the job - I don't know why they suggest using it for fret sprout. If you look at the photo they supply of their file in use, you can see that it is for rounding off the ends of the frets. It is not good for trimming frets to length which is what is needed when you are treating fret sprout. You may want to use the rounding file afterwards, but a fine sharp flat file is what is needed to trim the sprout. Since you were using the wrong file and using tape, you still have some tangs protruding, as you say.

Thanks for this and for all the info in this thread.

The main problem on those two was unfinished fret ends (Fender). The kit worked great to clean those up very nicely. I did not really do much to attack the few slightly protruding tangs, as the tools did not seem right to me for that and I was concerned about damaging the finish.

I’ve got some flat files, will pull them out at some point and finish up the last parts of that job.

 

[Turnaround]

Thanks for this and for all the info in this thread.

The main problem on those two was unfinished fret ends (Fender). The kit worked great to clean those up very nicely. I did not really do much to attack the few slightly protruding tangs, as the tools did not seem right to me for that and I was concerned about damaging the finish.

I’ve got some flat files, will pull them out at some point and finish up the last parts of that job.

Good - just make sure the files are fine and sharp. Use light pressure - then the file will mostly skip on the finish but catch and cut on the fret tangs. If you get fine scratches in the finish you can polish them out.

 

[Fragile Thunder]

If I don't really notice it when I play, do I need to worry about fret sprout? My MIM jazz I just acquired is exhibiting this. I hold my fretting hand like a violin player so I don't really come into contact with the fret ends very much.

Great write up, btw.

 

[Turnaround]

It's like a haircut - if it's so long it bothers you or if it looks bad you might want to do something about it. Otherwise ... meh.

 

[andare]

Is this true for finished maple necks as well?

I do notice that that is what is shown in the photo, but just concerned a bit about removing finish in a way that would invite moisture and potential warping into the neck.

I’m guessing that what you are saying is the finish is applied thick enough that, if you are skilled and careful, you will not go through the entire depth of the finish coat, and can then use the 1200+ finishing pads to buff the finish as well as the frets?

I did get the kit from Stew Mac that has the file and finishing pads and such, and cleaned up the fret ends and two of my basses pretty handily, took my time and used plenty of tape.

There are just a few frets on each where the tang is protruding slightly that I would need to deal with - and, ‘tis the season, maximum dryness - hence the question.

I'm not a luthier but I've recently eliminated fret sprout on a Fender Vintera Precision neck that is one piece of maple entirely finished with glossy urethane.

I used a #4 metal file from a jewellers tool store, skating across the protruding frets and tangs until I kissed the finish. I taped the sides of the neck right below the fret tang line. I polished with the 4 highest micro mesh grits I have, up to 12000.

I can't feel or see anything but if I shine a light on the neck I can see where the file dulled the finish a bit. Dulled, not filed through. There is no exposed wood.

I did the same to my Stratocaster neck that has a glossy finish up to the edges of the rosewood fretboard, with similar results.

I'm sure a pro would've done a better job but this was cheap, quick and effective and I was back to playing in 20 minutes.