Only one fret is a little higher than the others, what should I do?

Take it to a pro. He will stabilize the fret and do a spot dressing if necessary.

 

+1 Basic setups are one thing, But fret work is best left up to the pros unless you have a lot of experience.

 

Stop beating on it with a screwdriver, and get it to someone with the appropriate tools & knowledge.

 

Definitely stop hitting the fret - when you hit a length of metal like that the ends curl TOWARD you, pulling the fret out of the slots at the ends. That's what's known as "peening". PRoper technique is to press the frets in with something that supports the fret at the correct radius. Guitar tech will probably squirt a little slower cure super glue under the fret and clamp/press immediately. And don't sand/file the high fret; otherwise when you get tired of monkeying with it and that fret is reseated properly it will be too low. NEcessitating a much more extensive fret dressing. OR replacement of that fret plus some dressing of all. Right now it's probably a $50 or under job. Don't make it $150+.

 

In that situation is it most likely that the fret is just eased out of the fingerboard a little? I have a (new to me) Precision that buzzes on the 9th, 10th and 11th frets of the G string (increasing buzz in that order) but is fine on the 12th which suggests the 12th fret is a little high, but this seems to affect the G string only, and I can't see that the fret is proud at all. Granted, I have a low action (1.7 or 1.8 mm at the 12th fret on the E string) which Dunlops (40 to 100) but that's the sort of action I like on a bass, just not with 11th fret buzz. The action is nice otherwise, with no other unwanted buzz. I certainly don't intend trying to dress the frets myself, though. I barely trust myself with soldering on a bass.

 

Having a fret level done to eliminate buzz on certain frets is best choice. Have a pro do it. Banging it with screwdriver wont help anything in 99% of cases.

 

A better way to do it would be to put the handle of the screwdriver against the fret and hit it with something else. People have been hammering in frets since the first fretted instruments were built.

The more important thing to find out is if the fret is higher because it's not seated or if it's higher simply because it's a bit taller. Whacking a taller fret might lessen the problem, but it also smashes the fret into the wood. In addition, trying to push it down further than it's designed to go, you do run the risk of putting waves in it like edpal mentioned.

The worst part is that you're kind of guessing because you don't have the tools you need. There's plenty of free knowledge out there. Everyone with the desire to do their own work should probably invest in a Fret Rocker. It's the best way I've found to triage a fretboard. Almost everything else can be done with basic tools.

 

Send that fret to rehab...