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Joined:
October 2005
Posts: 4025
Location: Utah | Three of my old O's could use some new frets so now is a good time for me to learn a new skill.
After installing new frets, which tool do you recommend for leveling them? What are the relative benefits and downsides to each of the types of tools? |
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Joined:
December 2004
Posts: 554
Location: Denmark | I have not done such work (yet) so I have nothing to recommend. BUT with similar plans in mind I sometime ago purchased a fret file from Thomann for trying to recrown frets. This tool I can not recommend. It does not fir any frets on any guitar that I have so it was a waste of good money. Stay away from that.
The basic tasks of dressing frets etc. are well described here: http://www.fretnotguitarrepair.com/repair/acoustic-guitar/fret-leve... |
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Joined:
October 2005
Posts: 4025
Location: Utah | Thanks TPA. I have a short file from Stew-Mac which works well for filing just one fret at a time. Their fret crowning file also works well. |
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Joined:
November 2002
Posts: 3599
Location: Pacific Northwest Inland Empire | I hate to make an unsolicited plug, but bite the bullet, & buy the basic StewMac fretting kit. A bit spendy, perhaps, but you get great tools, & great tech support. You've got 3 guitars. The last one will be perfect. Then, do the first one, over again. |
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Joined:
October 2005
Posts: 4025
Location: Utah | I've started ordering stuff from StewMac. One order per paycheck, should have everything I need in 4 more weeks. I still haven't decided which leveling tool to get. Most everything is coming from S-M except the fret end bevel file. Fret wire I will wait and see what the slot dimensions are after pulling some frets.
The first project will probably be my first real guitar, a 1969-ish Yamaha. It is pretty well worn and needs a neck reset too. So some flubbed frets won't matter.
Then there's a Breadwinner, Viper, and Patriot in need of new frets. All are great guitars. The Patriot is bar none the very best sounding Ovation or Adamas I've ever played, including famed original slothead #43. |
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Joined:
April 2003
Posts: 608
Location: Caribou, ME | I've been very lucky in that I take plenty of time leveling the board itself and I can't remember the last time I had to level the new frets. If I am leveling old frets I use a hardware store flat file to kiss the high spots and then a diamond fret file to recrown. Then I hold bits of progressively finer paper in the concave face of the diamond file, then steel wool, then aggressive buffing. I spend more time rounding the ends than anything else. |
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Which fret level tools? File, beam, or radius block?
