Fret leveling

Fret leveling is absolutely crucial. If you can play your bass without getting too much string buzz, then you're probably ok. But if you get lots of fret buzz that nothing seems to cure, or if you have big dents in your frets under the strings, you need it done.

But do not buy those cheap Ebay kits to do it. Take it to a professional. Those fret levelling kits are a joke.

 

+1. Most homebrew fret leveling jobs are a joke too. I wonder how many defretted basses are the results of a fret leveling attempt gone bad.

I really believe that most fingerboards are just fine for most players. A really precise fret leveling job will often benefit a much more experienced player to get that last speck of cleanness out of his instrument.

As you said, Jimmy, if you have a fret related problem a fret leveling definitely is in order. Done by a pro, though.

 

Be aware that all "professionals" are not. This is not something I'd want to trust to the local shop's setup guy. Ask around and find someone that knows how to do this correctly..

Mag...

 

Sorry for my stupidness, but I don't really know what "Fretleveleing " is...

 

Basically it's a process to insure that no fret is too high or too low compared to all the others. It involves using a type of file to set all the frets to the same height, then re-shaping the tops of the frets because the filing made the tops flat. Then polishing.

 

ahh, okey, thank you!

 

I think that the lower you like your action, the more critical perfectly levelled frets become. I don't think most people need to invest money into fret levelling on a brand new instrument. I know I damned sure wouldn't buy a brand new instrument that needed to have it done.

 

A brand new instrument may well benefit from a fret dress, especially if it was manufactured in a region with a significantly different relative humidity that its final home. Wood reacts to changes in humidity, and I have seen numerous cases where the shrinkage caused by a move to drier environment has caused uneveness in the frets. Usually its not problemmatic enough to require immediate intervention, but for players who like lower action than the typical factory setup, a levelling job sometimes is beneficial. I've done 5 or 6 jobs on new instruments in the last year - none critical, but each resulted in a better playing instrument.