Fret Leveling

[velorush]

Years ago (like, 25), I had an SG with uneven frets. I'd already ruined the guitar's value with 'mods' and a refin, so I thought nothing about performing the fret level with a big old flat file. I didn't have a crowning file and didn't polish the frets, but the resulting improvement in action was (to me) amazing (after a few hours of playing that in effect, polished the frets).

Last year I was having problems with my VHRRI Strat neck and a very respected luthier (who is extremely generous with techniques and tips) sent me an incredibly detailed "how to" manual on fret dressing. He recommended a length of Corian and sandpaper for leveling. It ended up the neck was twisted; Fender replaced it under warranty and I thought nothing more about leveling frets.

Then I saw this:

wherein Billy Sheehan is recommending use of a bastard file for fret leveling. I've got one (or three) of those in the box, so I'm wondering - what do you guys use? I've been looking for a length of Corian, but if a file is okay to use, maybe I'll just use that rather than Corian / sandpaper (now, of course, I realize recrowning and polishing are also necessary). I would imagine using the file would require a great deal more care given the relative grit.

[murkat]

I guess you did not notice the tools for the job hanging on the wall in the shop?

[velorush]

I guess you did not notice the tools for the job hanging on the wall in the shop?

But of course (whereas all the kids with me were intrigued more by the bike, the fishing gear, the air rifles, etc., etc. "Gee, Mr. Jay certainly has a lot of different hobbies" after, of course, all the "nicest, coolest guy ever" comments)!

Receiving a fish is great, but expanding my own fishing capabilities can never be bad. I was also curious as I've never considered that incident on my parent's front porch with the SG and file as being anything other than a happy accident that resulted in an amazing playing guitar - something never to be repeated, but with a great result (like I'd gotten away with something).

[JohnnyB]

If I were going to do my own fret leveling, I thing I'd want to shop through this selection of tools at Stew-Mac.

[kizanski]

...so I'm wondering - what do you guys use?

I use a luthier who has much more skill, experience and patience than I do (even having the proper tools - which I do - is not enough).

A proper fret dress is EVERYTHING, and when it's not right it's SO wrong.

[onguitar]

I use one of the 8" wooden radiused sanding blocks from Stewmac, with sandpaper stuck on with double sided tape. The radius matches the fretboard - seemed to make things easier. Also wooden blocks are cheap. After that one of the crowning files and steel wool. Works a treat. Though I would be too afraid on a new or expensive guitar - off to a luthier for those.

[Carson_Utz]

The use of files is still popular with many old school repairmen (many of whome do awesome work with them). Watching a few repairmen work on my guitars 20 or so years ago, I would see them leveling with files. If you watch the Stew Mac DVDs you can see Michael Stevens with his crazy levelling file that he fitted with a truss rod to keep it adjusted straight. I'd never seen anything like that. In fact, the old Stew Mac fretting book calls for the use of files for leveling, if I remember correctly. You would need to be sure any file used was very flat ont he side you're using.

These days it seems more common to use a scrupulously flat beam that spans the length of the neck and adhesive-backed sandpaper. People acheive exellent results this way as well. Scap corian and even granite are popular because it's cheap or free and machined very flat. There are lots of cheap aluminum beams sold on ebay by people who have access to surface grinding equipment, if you prefer to get the weight down a bit. Some folks like a fairly heavy sanding beam, I use an old aluminum level that I ground flat on a granite surface plate. I have spendy ones from Stew Mac, (steel beams, aluminum radius beams etc.) and prefer the old level, but there are repairmen out there who can work magic with all variety of tools. Frank Ford uses the body from a plane ground flat on the bottom with a loose piece of sandpaper wrapped around it.

There is skill involved with any of these tools, and it's important to keep the neck from moving while you work by bracing it from behind (for me, anyway).

[hamerhead]

...so I'm wondering - what do you guys use?

I use a luthier who has much more skill, experience and patience than I do (even having the proper tools - which I do - is not enough).

A proper fret dress is EVERYTHING, and when it's not right it's SO wrong.

Yeah - I'm with Mike on this one. I can dick with wiring until it's right (or at least functional), but you mess up frets, you're screwed (meaning - it just got expensive).

[backinit]

For the leveling aspect I use a length of marble saddle (1-1/2"), spray adhesive and 220 grit sandpaper.

[Feynman]

The last person I would let have a file near my guitar is me.

Pay someone who knows what they are doing - you don't need to learn to fish.

Edited to add: if you do learn to fish, you'll be tempted to go fishing more often, which can only lead to more trouble.

[kizanski]

"A man's got to know his limitations," said the great Harry Callahan.

I can (and have) tackled many guitar projects/modifications; re-frets, re-fins, routing, hot rodding (when that was in vogue), re-wires, repairs... Just about anything short of a headstock repair.

But I learned that there are somethings that are easy to do, but hard to do right.

I don't want to belabor this point, but the crown and polish of the frets has so much to do with the over all feel of the guitar that I am a lot better at telling the luthier what I want than I am at doing it right myself.

[backinit]

I will say this...paying someone the $100 + or so that it costs around here is money well spent. It's A LOT of work to do it well.

[Scottcrud]

The last person I would let have a file near my guitar is me.

+1000! Problem is, around here ( Austin area) the really good guys like Mark Erlwine don't want to do a fret-level/crown and polish. Here's how I know, I call him and ask him how much and he tells me $450.00! I say, I didn't ask for a re-fret, he say's I know what you asked for.... I hung up on him.