Fret Polishing?

[atquinn]

I've been using 000 steel wool and it does a good job, but it's a pain because I have to wrap up the body in a plastic bag and tape it off, then do a pass by with a magnet after I'm done to pick up all the stray metal bits. I'm sure there's something else I could be using, but I'm not sure exactly what?

-Austin

[Bennyboy-UK]

I use a small strip of very very fine (unknown grade) emery cloth - using the same piece for the last like 5 years! Need to be a bit careful on maple boards (or use steel wool) does the job for me -

hope that helps!

Ben

[Aceldama]

I have a jewelry polishing cloth that has two different sides. One takes out fine scratches, the other polishes. Works nice.

[Jimbilly]

I use Griots Garage fine hand polish, it's a car paint product. It's safe for xmillion dollar Ferrari's, so I feel ok using it on a $1500 les paul. It works great getting swirls out of the paint, and it's great for getting that fore-arm dirt-crap off the upper part of the guitar body. I put a dab on a 2" cotton square, and usually just loosen the strings to push them off to the side. Highly recommended stuff, I've been using the same bottle for 15 years now, it's halfway full. I use it on my car once in a while too.

http://www.griotsgarage.com/category/car+c...car+polishes.do

[atquinn]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I think I'll try finding a jewelry polishing cloth. Sounds like it would be the neatest option.

-Austin

[zenmindbeginner]

Try the Micro-Mesh Soft Touch Finishing Pads first. They are absolutely genius.

[Uncle Thor's Hamer]

I used to use a dremel with a felt polishing wheel and jeweler's rouge. You have to mask off the fretboard, and even then some crud gets down on the wood next to the fret and requires a wet towel to clean off.

Now I'm using very fine grit sand paper. Stew Mac sells stuff that is something like 4000 grit (pink colored paper) which polishes frets up nicely, and you don't have to mask the fretboard. They sell several other abrasive products that have very fine grit which should work just as well. I've used the abrasive pads to wet sand the pick swirls out of an old guitar.

[atquinn]

...Stew Mac sells stuff that is something like 4000 grit (pink colored paper) which polishes frets up nicely, and you don't have to mask the fretboard...

Not masking off the fretboard would be awesome. Doing that take me more time than polishing the frets.

-Austin

[Bennyboy-UK]

that '000,000,000 grit sounds like whatever I've been using - no mess and no damage- and no masking. The work of minutes for a decent polish up!

[jettster]

I use Norton 4-1/2 in. x 5-1/2 in. Extra-Fine General Purpose Synthetic Steel Wool from Home Depot. Still have to tape off the fretboard and there is a little dust but, it doesn't seem to be atracted to the pickups like the real stuff.

[whiskeyzulu]

curious why would one polish frets? is it aesthetics/cleanliness or is there a tactile benefit?

if its a process that you repeat would a paper or thin cardboard template w/ cutout for one or more frets be useful?

[Thundernotes]

They do make a nice guard for polishing your frets: http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Fretting_suppl...ard_Guards.html

[Brewmaster]

They do make a nice guard for polishing your frets: http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Fretting_suppl...ard_Guards.html

Beat me to it. I have been using one for years with a crokus cloth, or emory cloth.

[atquinn]

curious why would one polish frets? is it aesthetics/cleanliness or is there a tactile benefit?

if its a process that you repeat would a paper or thin cardboard template w/ cutout for one or more frets be useful?

The majority of the time when I buy a used guitar, the frets are cruddy. Polishing them gets them nice and shiny and smooth and makes playing a much nicer experience.

And I'm going to get a set of those fret guards at some point. I've been meaning to do it for a while, but I don't want to pay shipping for just those so I'm waiting until I need some more stuff.

-Austin

[Armitage]

It's amazing how much smoother and slipperier frets are after a polish. It would seem like it shouldn't make a difference.

[burningyen]

I may be imagining things, but sometimes it seems that polishing frets brightens up the tone too.

[unfun75]

Anyone tried the Gorgomyte Fret Cleaning Cloth? Curious if it actually works.

[JohnnyB]

I may be imagining things, but sometimes it seems that polishing frets brightens up the tone too.

If it removes corrosion and makes a more pure metal-to-metal contact between string and fret, I can see where it might brighten tone. Given the near microscopic variables that make for fret buzz, action, relief, and general playability, it seems logical that polished frets should also play smoother. Bends should be much easier and smoother because of reduced and more uniform resistance when sliding string over fret.