Kubicki club, part 2

[Gilmourisgod]

That looks like it has enough meat left on the frets for a level and polish, it doesn't need a re-fret. The fret tops look pretty flat, which might explain some of the buzz. They really ought to be crowned to a rounded dome shape to minimize the point of contact to a hair thin centerline. Given the age, that actually looks pretty good, just ordinary wear from rounds. Take it to a good tech or Luthier, it'll come back looking like brand new frets.

 

[Relsom]

Got a question.

By Kubicki is coming up on 30 years old and the frets are just banged in and worn out. I find I get some fret buzz in some sections and lack of ringing (clarity?). Am I better to re-fret the bass or just get the frets redressed and made more even?

I attached some pictures showing how clean the frets are at the 22nd fret versus the heavy use at the 5th fret.

Ideas? Tips? Can't stand to have some notes chime like a piano and others kind of buzz/rattle.

Those frets look pretty good to me. I'm no expert, but I'm with Gig in that they could be dressed and leveled if there's some unevenness going on there.

 

[JIO]

Got a question.

By Kubicki is coming up on 30 years old and the frets are just banged in and worn out. I find I get some fret buzz in some sections and lack of ringing (clarity?). Am I better to re-fret the bass or just get the frets redressed and made more even?

I attached some pictures showing how clean the frets are at the 22nd fret versus the heavy use at the 5th fret.

Ideas? Tips? Can't stand to have some notes chime like a piano and others kind of buzz/rattle.

I would take it to an experienced luthier to level, crown and dress them. if there is a Plek machine in your area that would be even better.

 

[zuma]

Hard to tell from pics.... it looks to me like there is enough meat for a redress. I've always liked to try the small mandolin frets that Lee Sklar uses. Point being, you can go low if it suits your playing style. Also, your high register frets have meat but boy do they look flat. Time to show it some love I say!

 

[ThomasTronics]

Thinks for the input guys. I'll bring it to get a redress than. I'm always fearful of refretting because of the damage it could cause and the neck BUT the rewards have having nice new big frets

Is it tough to level and crown them? They have a 10" radius block and a tool that does crowning on stewmac that i thought of buying. Dressing the edge shouldn't be a problem.

I have what you could say, low-medium level setup skills for me bass guitar. Do i bother with this only other guy in town or do it meself. I got garbage basses to practice on.

 

[zuma]

Good question. I have an old Stingray that needs the same. If you have basses to practice on and there are enough basses in your stable to earn a return on investment, I say go for it. That would be a great skill to have. Never has there been a better time to learn! If you take the plunge, GO SLOW. Use the finer, higher grit stuff for starters.

 

[JIO]

Thinks for the input guys. I'll bring it to get a redress than. I'm always fearful of refretting because of the damage it could cause and the neck BUT the rewards have having nice new big frets

Is it tough to level and crown them? They have a 10" radius block and a tool that does crowning on stewmac that i thought of buying. Dressing the edge shouldn't be a problem.

I have what you could say, low-medium level setup skills for me bass guitar. Do i bother with this only other guy in town or do it meself. I got garbage basses to practice on.

I just did more of a last-ditch recovery job on a warped neck using Stew Mac tools. I pulled it off with much work. As long as your neck/fb/frets is/are relatively good, you should be able to do it yourself with the correct tools. But if this is the only time you will use those tools - it's not cheap and paying a luthier probably will cost about the same. As I recommended, if you want the ultimate job - a Plek is the way to go. It will be better than when it was new.

 

[Gilmourisgod]

Stu Mac sells very high quality .....and outrageously overpriced...Pro level tools. You don't need that level of tools for a one-off. Most of what they sell can be had for far less. Often it IS the same stuff, minus the Stewmac label that doubles or triple the price, and then they soak you on bloated "postage and handling" fees. Shop around and read a lot of reviews, you don't have to spend a lot of money to do fret work. I would practice on a couple beaters first, it's not particularly difficult, but you don't want to screw it up on a valuable bass.

 

[Scatterblak]

Hey guys - just got my first Kubicki, after wanting one for 25 years. Was a long wait, because I wanted *this* one. Advice on feeding and upkeep welcome!

 

[zuma]

Congratulations Scatterblak! What a way to make an entry. A beautiful yellow Key Factor 5!

 

[zuma]

Stu Mac sells very high quality .....and outrageously overpriced...Pro level tools. You don't need that level of tools for a one-off. Most of what they sell can be had for far less. Often it IS the same stuff, minus the Stewmac label that doubles or triple the price, and then they soak you on bloated "postage and handling" fees. Shop around and read a lot of reviews, you don't have to spend a lot of money to do fret work. I would practice on a couple beaters first, it's not particularly difficult, but you don't want to screw it up on a valuable bass.

It would be great if a site existed that directly cross-referenced the tools that Stew Mac re-brands. I once bought their "Opti-Visor" only to find it on Amazon for way less. Luckily, in that case I had a coupon so it didn't sting too badly. Relevant to the topic, their Z-Files look appealing to me and that's where they sometimes get ya - tools exclusive to Stew Mac. Still, there is always a relative equivalent I suppose.

 

[JIO]

It would be great if a site existed that directly cross-referenced the tools that Stew Mac re-brands. I once bought their "Opti-Visor" only to find it on Amazon for way less. Luckily, in that case I had a coupon so it didn't sting too badly. Relevant to the topic, their Z-Files look appealing to me and that's where they sometimes get ya - tools exclusive to Stew Mac. Still, there is always a relative equivalent I suppose.

This is a Stew Mac tool that was worth the cost for someone working on fret-leveling a fb with neck issues. The strings are tuned to pitch, the tr adjusted to as close to ideal as possible, and the strings raised by the included white bar. The machined metal bar with stick-on sandpaper attached slips under the strings to level. This is similar to how a Plek works. The bar can also be used to plane a fb as it is dead flat. It comes in 3 lengths, the one shown is the longest at 18". Once leveled, the frets need to be re-crowned - their 2 sided diamond-dust crowning tool and a small triangular file work well. Once done - all that's left is sanding/steel-wooling/polishing.

In defense of Stew Mac - they make precision tools for luthiers, people who earn their living working on guitars. Many non-SM tools are crap and only worth the cheap cost they sell for. Their tools are pricy and I wish their shipping was less, but it just depends on how many times you will use a tool to know why their products are professional grade/quality.

 

[Gilmourisgod]

I don't knock Stewmac for the quality of their tools, and if they are the only source for a specialized tool, you just suck it up and buy it. What bothers me in particular is their deceptive sales practices on Amazon. Here's a case in point, somebody mentioned the Z-Files. Looks like a great product, here it is on their website for $108.24. With standard $10.00 shipping fee, thats $118.24 total:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

And here's the same tool for sale on Amazon for $123.23 with "free shipping". Really? If it's "free shipping", why is it $4.99 MORE on Amazon? Free shipping my hairy a**.
https://www.amazon.com/StewMac-Z-Fi...jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

If you do the same comparison with many Stewmac catalog items on their website, you will find that the price on Amazon is ALWAYS either exactly $10.00 or a few dollars more than it is on their website, so "free shipping" is the most blatant and childishly transparent hogwash imaginable. If you have, as I readily admit, quality tools, why not just be up front about the overpricing?

I bought this fret slot cleaning file from Stewmac, not realizing it is just a Ryoba/Hosco tool with the Stewmac logo burned into it. Price $38.46 + $10.00 shipping = $48.46
Japanese Fret Slot Cleaning Saw | stewmac.com

And here it is for $31.90 with actual free shipping on Amazon. I got it for $27.00 a couple years ago.
https://www.amazon.com/Fret-Slot-Cl...+slot+cleaning+saw+.020&qid=1591725205&sr=8-1

I got the Ryoba/Hosco one in two days, and received it before I returned the Stewmac version, and they are IDENTICAL, clearly made in the same factory, with identical materials, just re-branded depending on who is selling them.

Again, Stewmac has superb quality tools, and some specialized tools you can't find anywhere else, but unless you are Pro Luthier, and don't mind getting soaked a little (or a lot) , it pays to shop around!

 

[JIO]

I don't knock Stewmac for the quality of their tools, and if they are the only source for a specialized tool, you just suck it up and buy it. What bothers me in particular is their deceptive sales practices on Amazon. Here's a case in point, somebody mentioned the Z-Files. Looks like a great product, here it is on their website for $108.24. With standard $10.00 shipping fee, thats $118.24 total:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

And here's the same tool for sale on Amazon for $123.23 with "free shipping". Really? If it's "free shipping", why is it $4.99 MORE on Amazon? Free shipping my hairy a**.
https://www.amazon.com/StewMac-Z-Fi...jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

If you do the same comparison with many Stewmac catalog items on their website, you will find that the price on Amazon is ALWAYS either exactly $10.00 or a few dollars more than it is on their website, so "free shipping" is the most blatant and childishly transparent hogwash imaginable. If you have, as I readily admit, quality tools, why not just be up front about the overpricing?

I bought this fret slot cleaning file from Stewmac, not realizing it is just a Ryoba/Hosco tool with the Stewmac logo burned into it. Price $38.46 + $10.00 shipping = $48.46
Japanese Fret Slot Cleaning Saw | stewmac.com

And here it is for $31.90 with actual free shipping on Amazon. I got it for $27.00 a couple years ago.
https://www.amazon.com/Fret-Slot-Cl...+slot+cleaning+saw+.020&qid=1591725205&sr=8-1

I got the Ryoba/Hosco one in two days, and received it before I returned the Stewmac version, and they are IDENTICAL, clearly made in the same factory, with identical materials, just re-branded depending on who is selling them.

Again, Stewmac has superb quality tools, and some specialized tools you can't find anywhere else, but unless you are Pro Luthier, and don't mind getting soaked a little (or a lot) , it pays to shop around!

Amazon is evil - never would consider supporting it

 

[zuma]

JIO - I have seen that FretBar and I'm so tempted!

 

[ThomasTronics]

This is a great discussion. I got some other toys I'll practice on.
I'm a sucker for buying good tools, especially when it comes to the accuracy of a radius.
Guys charging $250 CAD plus a 12 week turn around.
For the same price i can buy Stewmacs 8" long radius sanding block. Some high level grit because i don't plan on taking much off. I'm looking at files but the Z file doesn't give me what in my mind would be the best contact is a nice perfect half circle. The looks like it files mountains.

Should I be just looking at a z file or just a concave file? I hammer my guitar I'm not remotely gentle player.

Plus if I spend $200 and get nice high end tool I can add it to the gear

 

[JIO]

JIO - I have seen that FretBar and I'm so tempted!

Having a somewhat rare 57yr old bass and wanting to keep it mostly original (as compared to having a clone neck made & finished) the alternative would have been removing the frets, planing the fb flat, new frets, etc etc. Considering the condition of the neck it would have been this route or... what I was able to do using that tool. Since I'm fond of resurrecting vintage basses (that I can afford as "project" purchases) - I will use it again.

 

[ThomasTronics]

Would using the fretbar versus a radius block have advantages?

 

[JIO]

Would using the fretbar versus a radius block have advantages?

The Fretbar is a flat, narrow 3/4" strip. A radius block is wide and curved for select radius's. The specific benefit of the fret bar is using it on a neck adjusted for tension and strung-up to pitch. A radius block requires strings removed.

 

[zuma]

Wouldn't the most obvious advantage of using the Fretbar be that the strings are in tension?