Refret or Redress?

[Dave H]

So, a fret file and a crowning file are two of the same things/ to do the same job: the trim off the sides of the fret and -leave- in fact the crown untouched.

The crowning file is concave. If the fret has square edges the file will contact those first and round them off. If you keep filing until the fret is the same profile as the file it will start to remove any marking that you have put on the top of the fret then it will start to reduce the hight of the fret keeping the same profile as the file (curved).

[Sea Chief]

Anyway I get the point of crowning, I think.

[I've looked at a good few YTube eg's before starting the thread- but you cant ask them a Q/ why a thread is better in some ways].

Anyone know if fret work is ever done with the neck off-? or does it need the tension in the neck joint, and some tension added into the trussrod to get neck to an optimum work situation?

And what is needed exactly.. dead straight, looking along the edge of the neck/ or the 1st ,3rd and last frets all straight-edge level? but what if one fret was high before.. that will mess up this reference and compromise the fret work.

[Mick Bailey]

A crowning file gives a consistent and correct profile to the fret once the fret has been levelled. You still need to take care not to take the top of the fret and it's still a good idea to mark the tops with a Sharpie to give a witness line. Think of how the frets are left once levelled - the crown needs to be restored otherwise the string will not be vibrating from the centre of the fret, rather the leading edge. A crowning file is used the round off the fret 'shoulders', not to take the top off. Once the crowning file has been used the tiny flattened area left on the fret crown is blended in through final polishing.

A regular file can do just as good a job, but it's easier to slip and mar the fretboard, or to rock the file inconsistently to give an irregular profile.

I've come across cheap crowning files that are junk. Just like crap nut files. A skilled workman can do an excellent job with just a few hand tools. A poor workman can still do a poor job with every tool under the sun available to them.

[Sea Chief]

A crowning file is used the round off the fret 'shoulders', not to take the top off. Once the crowning file has been used the tiny flattened area left on the fret crown is blended in through final polishing.

A regular file can do just as good a job, but it's easier to slip and mar the fretboard, or to rock the file inconsistently to give an irregular profile.

I've come across cheap crowning files that are junk. Just like crap nut files. A skilled workman can do an excxellent job with just a few hand tools. A poor workman can still do a poor job with every tool under the sun available to them.

This (first section you write here) is what I was wanting to clarify- thanks Mick.

Yes I understand now the file can be either a flat or a concave type to work on the sides of the fret, and this is secondary to the person actually using it.

Ok got a plan now.

But Im still unclear about innitial neck set up, prior to starting any fret work. IE possible off/ normal to work on neck off? do you relate 1st/ mid/ last fret to each other as same, as 1st job?

[Mick Bailey]

There are a few ways of doing this; The most involved is to stress the neck as it would be under playing tension, level the fingerboard and then evaluate and level the frets. If you don't have a neck jig and don't want to buy or build one you can use a notched straightedge and level the fingerboard using the truss rod without any applied tension. If the fingerboard won't level, then the reason needs to be investigated - the truss rod may be at the limit of the adjustment range, or there may be a hump or dip. Bolt-on necks sometimes have a hump over the neckplate bolt area. If there's a defect such as this then the frets need to be removed, the fingerboard levelled and then refretted.

The least accurate way is to get a best-fit over the fret tops by adjusting the truss rod and see which frets are high, then level and dress them. This ignores any underlying levelling issues in the fingerboard and in some cases can result in excessively low frets which are then difficult to re-crown.

[g1]

g1 with respect, the term crown isn't clear here.. that's the point. A crown usually goes ontop/ plonked upon (a head is where a crown lives),

Sorry Chief, I'd assumed the word "crowning" was synonymous with "rounding", but that seems to only be the case for luthiery.
And roadwork. Here we have a lot of gravel roads and they have to "crown" them to keep the water running off.
So in these cases "crown" means "round", rather than something that sits on top.
Perhaps it would be better if they just called them "rounding" files, like this:
Fret Rounding Files

[big_teee]

There are several vids on crowning.
https://www.youtube.com/results?sear...crowning+frets

[Sea Chief]

Yup g1- that clarifies things for me thanks. A case of US / UK english re the word 'crown'. You guys sensibly dont have such ridiculous nonsense as crowns and queens (altho 2/3rds of you seem to wish you had!).

Ok as Im pretty adept at using small fine tools so I'll just go for a rounding file, so I think Im set to have a crack- cheers for the help chaps.

Beforehand I need to get this strat neck to fit the squier body: but, hugely frustratingly the 4 holes in the neck heel are 3/16 further -back- (twds the headstock end) than the squier's neck. So I need to rout the body pocket a little, or nip some off the neck heel.. and I dont like the idea of this. Another thread! sheesh.

Thanks alot- Sea Chief

[Mick Bailey]

The Oxford English dictionary gives the verb crown as "... to form the top of" as one definitiion.

It also gives "(Of a baby's head during labour) to fully appear in the vaginal opening prior to emerging" amongst others.

I guess it depends on your trade.

[Dave H]

Beforehand I need to get this strat neck to fit the squier body: but, hugely frustratingly the 4 holes in the neck heel are 3/16 further -back- (twds the headstock end) than the squier's neck. So I need to rout the body pocket a little, or nip some off the neck heel.. and I dont like the idea of this. Another thread! sheesh.

I once fitted a Tele neck to a Strat body. The holes didn't line up so I plugged the holes in the neck and re-drilled it. The intonation was fine. Check to see where the twelfth fret will be before you remove any wood. You may get away with plugging and re-drilling.

[Sea Chief]

The Oxford English dictionary gives the verb crown as "... to form the top of" as one definitiion.

It also gives "(Of a baby's head during labour) to fully appear in the vaginal opening prior to emerging" amongst others.

I guess it depends on your trade.

Crikey, wasnt expecting the 'woman's area' to be featured in my fret thread. its got quite hot in here.

There we are anyway- crown is the top part, usually. Im going to attempt to address the frets with a diy flat hardwood levelling block/ perfectly flat block etc, marking all the fret tops.. and a set of cheap needle files once levelling done: I'll just take extra care protecting the fretboard with something and use the small flat file extra carefully. Fine sandpaper, then brasso polish the frets to finish.

As the top 5 frets seem to be the highest (due to no wear here/ rarely played) I might just take these 5 down a fraction below the rest to make sure they're not interfering with other frets played 99% of the time.