How you guys normally do when you want to lowered the frets? Is it just simply file them down? Can I do this by a normal file? Thanks!
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Lowered the frets
- Thread starter bass_study
- Start date
They are filed down very carefully by skilled person at that if a good job is to be gotten. Main problem that would result from amatuer trying is overfiling which just creates new problem requireing replacement of the fret. Properly filing a fret taking into account radius etc is a skill that takes time to develope to acceptable level. In a few cases of a minor bump on a fret causing one string to buzz or fret out, a amatuer might do a good job if very careful.
Specific metal files of various roughness are used. Mainly light roughness. Your average course metal file from home depot wont work well despite what one utube "repair peep" used in his horrorible instruction vid which seemd to be more an excuse for later doing a fretboard repair video and refret. Lol.
If you need fretwork, have a skilled lutheir/repair peep do it. Unless its a experiment with no cost bass or guitar you can mangle and damage all you want without it being a problem.
Specific metal files of various roughness are used. Mainly light roughness. Your average course metal file from home depot wont work well despite what one utube "repair peep" used in his horrorible instruction vid which seemd to be more an excuse for later doing a fretboard repair video and refret. Lol.
If you need fretwork, have a skilled lutheir/repair peep do it. Unless its a experiment with no cost bass or guitar you can mangle and damage all you want without it being a problem.
I don't know anyone who would just "lower the frets" If frets become uneven, then the fretboard is leveled. It is a process, done in stages with different tools. If you want to learn, there are books, videos, etc. available. It's too lengthy to describe here. But, it's a great thing to learn.
Rocky
Rocky
So WHY do you want to lower the frets? Do you have a few high spots, or buzzes? Are you sure filing the frets is what you want to do?
Stewart Macdonald has a good book on this. Also it would turn out best if you had the right tools. One regular old garage file wont to the job nicely.
A quick but not instructional overview:
1. You use a long ruler with cutouts at each fret. This gets set against the wood of the fretboard as you re-set the truss rod nut to straighten the neck. Unlike a normal set up, this is done with no relief. You actually set it up dead straight.
2. You figure out what frets are high. Typically using some short chunk of straight metal to rock between any three frets. If it rocks, the middle fret is tall or the outer fret has a low spot.
Also smearing the frets with marking pen, and then swiping a sandpaper radius block down the neck will leave the low spots with ink.
3. When filing tall frets you need to keep them following the radius of the neck. Use the radius block and ink method to check between taking a few carefull swipes with a fret file. Or maybe even just use the radius block and sandpaper alone if the frets are close to the right height.
4. Now that the fret tops are flat, you need to round them again. A concave fret file exists for this. Really skilled old-timers can do it with a small triangular file, but mere mortals use a cupped fret file. Then you check for rocking frets again and maybe do some spot leveling if you removed too much material while rounding.
5. Polish the frets. All of this needs to be done with something guarding the easily marf-able fret board.
6. Cut deeper nut grooves if nessisary if frets were lowered significantly.
7. Re-string guitar, tune to pitch, adjust bridge height, adjust neck relief, intonate bridge, adjust saddle height again, check neck relief again, adjust intonation again, do it all again a few hundred times until it is close enough to give up.
Stewart Macdonald has a good book on this. Also it would turn out best if you had the right tools. One regular old garage file wont to the job nicely.
A quick but not instructional overview:
1. You use a long ruler with cutouts at each fret. This gets set against the wood of the fretboard as you re-set the truss rod nut to straighten the neck. Unlike a normal set up, this is done with no relief. You actually set it up dead straight.
2. You figure out what frets are high. Typically using some short chunk of straight metal to rock between any three frets. If it rocks, the middle fret is tall or the outer fret has a low spot.
Also smearing the frets with marking pen, and then swiping a sandpaper radius block down the neck will leave the low spots with ink.
3. When filing tall frets you need to keep them following the radius of the neck. Use the radius block and ink method to check between taking a few carefull swipes with a fret file. Or maybe even just use the radius block and sandpaper alone if the frets are close to the right height.
4. Now that the fret tops are flat, you need to round them again. A concave fret file exists for this. Really skilled old-timers can do it with a small triangular file, but mere mortals use a cupped fret file. Then you check for rocking frets again and maybe do some spot leveling if you removed too much material while rounding.
5. Polish the frets. All of this needs to be done with something guarding the easily marf-able fret board.
6. Cut deeper nut grooves if nessisary if frets were lowered significantly.
7. Re-string guitar, tune to pitch, adjust bridge height, adjust neck relief, intonate bridge, adjust saddle height again, check neck relief again, adjust intonation again, do it all again a few hundred times until it is close enough to give up.
Thanks for the comments. Yes there are a few spots with high frets so I want to lower them. There are some metallic sound at certain spots but they won't come through the amp. It is just inconvenient when I practise at home when i turn the amp softer in midnight that i cannot hear the notes clearly... Just want to see if it is easy to do.
Maybe I should use headphone
Maybe I should use headphone
You do not want to lower your frets.
You want the frets leveled. That means you want them to all be at the same level, which simply means removing excess material where there are high spots.
Go to a competent guitar repair guy. My guess is that your current level of knowledge is not sufficient for you to do it yourself.
You want the frets leveled. That means you want them to all be at the same level, which simply means removing excess material where there are high spots.
Go to a competent guitar repair guy. My guess is that your current level of knowledge is not sufficient for you to do it yourself.
if you want an informative and entertaining way of learning what is involved in fret leveling
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f18/basses-newbies-sx-batch-build-thread-627147/
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f18/basses-newbies-sx-batch-build-thread-627147/
yup; you don't want to go filing on your frets when you don't know how or why, just like you don't want to go filing on parts of your car engine when you don't know how or why.
chances are the fix is in adjusting the action (including adjusting the truss rod), not messing with the frets themselves.
