Fret job update

[Steve A.]

Disclaimer: As always my remarks are directed to those DIY-ers who want to be able to work on as much of their musical equipment as possible and should not be confused with professional advice available elsewhere on this forum.

I've been doing a lot of fret leveling on my older guitars- some successful, some consigned to the "refret me later" pile.

#1 A notched straightedge is absolutely necessary to ensure that the neck is perfectly flat before proceeding (it is also very helpful in setting the truss rod.)

I couldn't find one for the 25" PRS scale so I made my own from a $6 Kaypro two foot straight edge.After marking off the fret locations carefully I put dimples at each mark with an automatic center punch. I used a #115 Dremel metal cutting bit to make notches large enough to fit over frets. The bit tends to walk a little bit so you need to compensate for it. You will be covered with metal shavings so you might want to use a leather shop apron.

I plan to make notched straight edges for my Gibsons and Fenders, too. I think it is best to leave one edge as a straightedge rather than notching both sides (as is usually done.) I don't think it is that common to start working on a Fender while doing a fret job on a Gibson and I use a regular straightedge a lot

#2 I know absolutely nothing about crowning frets with the flat side of a file so I have been "cheating." I got the $40 fret file from Stew-Mac which has one edge set for medium frets and the other for wide frets. (The flat surfaces on this file are completely smooth.)
After roughing them in with that file I use a $20 cylindrical diamond grit fret crown tool from the internet (link to follow.) I had recommended little diamond grit file crowners previously but with the sharp corners and edges they are hard to hold (I would have to rig up something to hold them.)

#3 Damn- fret leveling can get really tricky! I will bend the 2nd string over to the 5th string so I need to make sure that there is no choking. With the wraparound PRS bridge I can loosen the strings and tape them down to the body outside the neck humbucker ring for further adjustments.

#4. The $11 I-beam levels work great for beam sanders. Yes, the surfaces are not milled like the ones costing $50-100 but they are good enough for me. For $35 I have 6 different sanders of different lengths. I had ordered 4 different grits of Klingspor gold but Harbor Freight sells something comparable for half the price.

#5. I could not find a flat triangular file as recommended here previously- just ones with 3 equal sides. Would a half-round file be an acceptable substitute?

Thanks to everyone for their tips on this subject!

Steve A.

[Steve A.]

STILL NEED TO GET

STEWMAC.COM - 8" Radius Blocks Essential Set, Set of 5

[ric]

Steve,
I think you'll like the radius blocks. I use them and get good results. Strings off, straighten the neck, support it along it's length so you don't push it down in the middle, knock the nut off, put on some 280 grit self stick and a few passes and you're ready to recrown. I like the diamond crowning files. They don't load up as fast and I like the control of being able to file either direction rather than just the push like a steel file. Buff out the frets (I like to linger on the ends a little and "roll" (radius) the edge of the neck. Gives a smooth played-in feel.

Works for me, anyway.

Oh, and Stew Mac offers a diamond file with a handle, with the handle end dipped in plastic. That's what I use. I know the "swooping" curved one you mention. Not suprised it isn't comfortable. I use vet wrap in those situations.

Good Luck. -ric

[potatofarmer]

Just another DIY'er here, but...

#1. I haven't found a notched straightedge necessary. I get the neck as straight as possible (visually) then tape the board, sharpie the frets and give the block a little slide. It'll be pretty obvious if the board is level based on what frets get scraped and which ones don't. I imagine on a nicer guitar the fretboard will be decently level but on the budget ones I've been using I wouldn't bet the house on it.

Tying into #3 - if you just use a flat block you'll maintain the existing radius if you always keep the block perpendicular to the nut. If you swing the bridge end of the block around, following the paths of the strings, you'll create a slight compound radius that gets flatter the higher you go up the fretboard. Conical section versus cylindrical. I like this a lot, though if your guitar has a Tune-o-Matic it does add a little extra work.

The guy from Gryphon just uses a plane body for his fret leveling: Refret Technique

[Steve A.]

With the notched straightedge you can make sure that the neck is absolutely straight after removing the strings by adjusting the truss rod. Hold the guitar and straightedge up to a light and you can see if it is making contact with the fretboard at all of the frets (the 10th through the 14th fret might not touch the straightedge if the truss rod is too loose.)

When you are finished you can use the notched straight edge for adjusting the truss rod. I used to set it mainly by feel. I'd hold down the 1st and last fret and pluck the string. If the note sounded clearly then there was too much bow; if the note was completely squelched the truss rod was too tight. With the notched straight edge you can see exactly how much bow is in the neck.

I just finished my 2007 PRS SE Singlecut which had all of the frets worn down under the top 3 strings (yes, I bend notes a lot!) By keeping the neck completely straight I was able to adjust the frets so that the guitar plays perfectly for me with no bow in the neck using tricks like ramping the top frets. It is customized for me and fits like a glove. I would like to set up another guitar like that but with more body to the frets. I just tried playing what had been my favorite guitar for almost 2 years and the neck that I loved so much doesn't work for me anymore- I've been spoiled!

I was careful to keep the radius when sanding down the frets but it will be a lot easier when I get the radiuses blocks. They are 8 inches long but I think I will cut 1 inch off and use that piece as a caul in the fret press I need to design and build...

Steve A.

[ric]

I've never seen the need for the notched straitedge either. But I'm not a pro so I don't have to be prepared for anything that walks in.

Hear about conical radius, never tried it. Getting things flat and raised has been it. I can see it being the ultimate setup.

Steve, if the three sided file you're looking for is one with safe (smooth) edge, I have had no luck crowning w/ a tri file, safe edges or not, I scar the board. I only steel file the sharp corners left after beveling a refret. The crowning files are easy and safe.

[ric]

Steve, what is "ramping" the frets? Exactly how do you do it?

I hate to sound like a Stew Mac ad, but the metal fret press head fits regular machine shop press (that I had already picked up cheap), pivots to lay flat and has interchangeable brass inserts that are available in different radii, and are concave to stay on the fret as u press them in. Does wood work well for u ? I've used wood cauls to adjust the radius of LSR roller nuts, but I have never tried to fret with them.

[Steve A.]

Ramping: put masking tape on the 13th fret. Mark fret tops with Sharpie. Use 8 or 9 inch beam sander so that the 22nd fret is slightly shorter than the 13th fret.

Here is a page from the Nicholson catalog. Which file should I get?




Here is an 8 inch one at Amazon

PFERD Hand File, American Pattern, Single Cut, Triangular, Medium, 8" Length, 7/8" Width, 1/2" Thickness: Cant: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

[ric]

Ramping: put masking tape on the 13th fret. Mark fret tops with Sharpie. Use 8 or 9 inch beam sander so that the 22nd fret is slightly shorter than the 13th fret.

Here is a page from the Nicholson catalog. Which file should I get?



[ATTACH=CONFIG]29801[/ATTACH]

Steve, thanks for the ramping reply. Due to editing my posts r out of order. I see what u say, straighten to the board not to the old frets. And the way u made you'r own, no cost. I'm there now.

I can not get the file attachment open, my fault, it's raining here and this cell phone has trouble w/ data when that happens.

I can tell you from my experience: bevel refret cut edges w/ a smooth and or single cut wide enough to stay on the edge ~1", and long enough to straighten ~10-12". That will also work to level but is too aggressive for me. I use the blocks or a 10x2 diamond sharpening "stone" (mtl). The file I use to on cut & beveled ends is yet another Stew Mac. The one that has a round edge, a dipped handle, is a steel file, is narrow and ~7-8" long. I can't find a catalog 4 a number, sorry. It's sold as a crowning file I believe. It's the only 1 that works for me. Unfortunately it wasn't the first 1 I bought. I hope this helps.

Edit, as my reply posted, the file picture is big as life. Those r two sides with teeth and a safe or smooth back it looks like. I believe u want the corners of a three sided file safe or smooth. I scar with those so I can't recommend what I don 't use. The above applies for the situations mentioned and thanks again on the ramping info. -r

[John_H]

Here is a page from the Nicholson catalog. Which file should I get?

Steve, the one I use is the 6" from Nicholson.I ground and polished the corner's smooth. I always mask the fingerboard when working on frets.

With everyone singing the praises of notched straight-edges, I caved in. I've bought an aluminum one that I'll do myself.

Here's a couple of necks I just made. A one piece Maple neck for a Mustang-ish offset. and a Mahogany/Rosewood for a Junior. Both with jumbo frets.

[potatofarmer]

The notched straightedge doesn't measure the straightness of the neck, only of the fretboard. What really matters is how flat the frets are. At best the interface between a "probably level" notched ruler and a "probably level" fretboard is going to be less flat than the precisely flat block that you're going to use to level the frets.

[John_H]

The notched straightedge doesn't measure the straightness of the neck, only of the fretboard. What really matters is how flat the frets are. At best the interface between a "probably level" notched ruler and a "probably level" fretboard is going to be less flat than the precisely flat block that you're going to use to level the frets.

Yeah, I get it. I've never used one, but other's on here swear by them. I thought I'd give it a try to see for myself. Perhaps it'll come in handy. Maybe not. I can't justify the high cost of some of these specialty tools. I make my own, or use common tools. Stewmac sells everything except ability.

[Steve A.]

John: It looks like those files have been discontinued but I'll keep searching for them. The specs said that it had a bastard cut instead of a second cut (or smooth cut.) But I also read that the fineness of a bastard cut can be related to the file length, at least for some files. So while a 10" bastard file would have a very rough cut, a 6 inch one would have a finer cut.
I learned a lot about files going through the Nicholson catalog.

My father was a Formica man and finish (Finnish?) carpenter so I inherited a whole shitload of files from him. While Sears used to have a very wide selection of files I picked up a set from them a few years ago that is completely useless- they are more like rasps than files!

One more source of files- Grainger's (both of these are under $5 but you have to spend $1,500 to get free shipping!)

[Steve A.]

One more gadget I just HAD to buy- a 90/35 degree fret end tool...

G M I Fret End Beveling Flushing Files 35 Degrees and 90 Degrees Luthier Tool | eBay

I heard that sharpening stones work great, too, but I want that angle to be exact. I would normally choke on a $14 shipping charge on a $34 product but it did come all of the way from Greece...

I suspect that this is an original design from G.M.I. since it is not available anywhere else.



Steve A.

[Steve A.]

The notched straightedge doesn't measure the straightness of the neck, only of the fretboard. What really matters is how flat the frets are. At best the interface between a "probably level" notched ruler and a "probably level" fretboard is going to be less flat than the precisely flat block that you're going to use to level the frets.

If the truss rod isn't adjusted properly your perfectly flat fret tops could be off once you restring the guitar. Before tightening the truss rod there were gaps at the 10th through 14th frets. Had I not tightened the truss rod those frets would have been taller than the rest of the frets as less metal would be removed when sanding because of the bow of the neck.

When somebody else recommended a notched straightedge in an earlier thread it didn't make sense to me, either. I want to start leveling/tweaking my ESP/LTD EC256 guitars but I first need to make a notched straight edge for them.

Steve A.

P.S. "Probably level" notched ruler? The straight edge still has a straight edge after being notched (I put it up to a brand new straightedge and could see no light through the flat portions.) This is just one of many tools and you look more for overall tendencies than specifics which could be due to the relative flatness of the fretboard. Without this tool I have always been just "shooting in the dark" when adjusting truss rods of strung guitars...