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High fret?

Discussion in 'Hardware, Setup & Repair [BG]' started by berklee46, Jun 12, 2020.

  1. Jun 12, 2020 #1
    berklee46

    berklee46 Supporting Member

    Dec 19, 2000
    MA
    I recently picked up a great USA Peavey Cirrus that is able to get very low action (2/32) cleanly up and down the neck, except for two notes on the D string.
    The 21st and 22nd frets are completely choked out on the D string, yet the notes above and below are clean. If I gently play the note with my finger right on the 21st fret, I get a C#, which is the 23rd, but when I do the same on the other strings it is obviously the next fret up that plays, not two up.
    A straightedge rocks just a tiny bit when going across frets 22-24, so it would seem that the 23rd is a bit high in the area of the D string? The bass has very little wear, so I can’t imagine it would be a worn fret way up there (?).

    Raising the action lessens the choked-out-ness but it’s still there.

    The fret doesn’t appear loose or pulled out, so what’s the best method to try and resolve this? I gently tapped the 23rd with a mallet but didn’t go crazy with it and didn’t resolve it. I rarely play up there but I’d like to fix any issues, especially since now that I know they choke out, I can’t help but play those two notes. :meh:

    Thanks in advance for any tips.
     
  2. Jun 12, 2020 #2
    JKos

    JKos

    Oct 26, 2010
    Surprise, AZ
    I had a similar situation on my Peavey Fury were the 13th fret was high only under two strings. I used 600 grit wet/dry sandpaper and my finger in the area under those two strings. Did a bit at a time until the high fret situation was resolved.

    The fret retained its shape and still looked polished.

    - John
     
    berklee46 likes this.
  3. Jun 13, 2020 #3
    Turnaround

    Turnaround Commercial User

    May 6, 2004
    Toronto Canada
    Independent Instrument Technician - Retired
    Here's a way to deal with a single high fret and ensure that it's truly level with its neighbours. Take a small block of wood and some 220 grit sandpaper. Cut the sandpaper so that you have three strips across the block of wood side by side. The outer two strips are attached grit side against the block, while the middle strip is grit side exposed:

    upload_2020-6-13_8-50-21.png

    Here the grit side is in red. The sanding block should span 3 frets with the grit contacting the high fret only and sand along the length of the fret. The two reversed pieces of sandpaper will prevent you form sanding the high fret too much, and all will end up level. Recrown and polish the fret.
     
    One Way, bpc, JLS and 5 others like this.
  4. Jun 13, 2020 #4
    berklee46

    berklee46 Supporting Member

    Dec 19, 2000
    MA
    Thank you. I’ll give this a try.
     
    Last edited: Jun 13, 2020