One thing I might add is before doing any kind of spot leveling or full leveling of the frets,,, take a mallet and tap every fret first to make sure all are seated fully and none are loose. You could just have a few loose frets thats are sitting high and just need tapping. If you do an entire fret level and this was the case you not only spent time you didnt need to but later when tap your frets just as routine maintenance it will actually lower that fret below all the others! That means either do another entire fret level to fix one real low fret or remove the fret wire and install new wire,,level and crown. So do this step first!
Chris, you and Ted Woodford are just about the only two fret leveler dudes I've seen that move that leveler beam in the proper manner -- one direction only! There was this one guy just scrubbing away without a care in the world, like he was scrubbing away on his grandma's old cast iron skillet and he used 220 grit. Man, the amount of bad info that can pop up on UA-cam astounds me. I had to submit a lengthy comment, even tho it was an old vid. Cheers, friend. Bob
Digging your channel and common sense approach to guitar tech :) like spot filing with a triangle file. I use an Oregon 6” flat file. The Linseed oil finish with the Spirit wet sand is phenomenal. Just did it to one of my Teles and OMG - never felt anything better. My other maple necked guitars are waiting in line :) subbed.
Could you do a quick video how you round the edges of your 3-corner crowning files? I got some nice files that need safe edges. How do you get a consistent rounded edge without itroducing too much heat messing up the hardness. Hope you do a lot of closeup shots when you do the crowning video. The last one was very helpful.
Unfortunately, I don't have any files that require edge grinding. However, it's simple. All it takes is a couple of quick passes on a bench grinder to make a safe edge. Grind the first edge, plunge the file into a bucket of cold water, move on to the next edge and repeat. As long as you work quickly, excessive heat shouldn't be a problem. Don't forget to wear leather gloves and eye protection! I've done this to many of my files over the years and haven't had any problems with a loss of hardness.
When using the sanding block, how do you account for the frets closer to the nut only receiving a few inches of the block and the frets in the middle of the neck receiving a full stroke? I've always wondered this. That first fret is only getting a few inches of the block and other frets are getting the full length.
Thank you for the lesson Chris, very interesting. I look forward to the others who will follow. If it's not to much work, or just a short explaining i have some requests to do, if you don't mind. What about leveling frets on a compound radiused neck ? Let's say 10" to 14". Of course it's also in the lenght of the neck, but at some point, you have to take care of the fretboard radius too. I mean actually with a curved sanding beam. At some point, the radius goes over from 10" to 12" to 13" to 14". Can you do that with three different sizes radiused sandblocks ? Also the fretboard itselves, has to be prepared the same way, but i do that with a jig and a router (Bill Scheltema style) and than sand lightly with 3 radius blocks. Also, the last time much people talk about the stainless frets and the gold evo, wich i use too, a lot. BUT, nobody ever talk about the Bronze frets ? Why not ? I suppose as regarding to hardness ,it's between regular tin silver frets and Evo. Not sure they are non allergenic ? I never found anything about the bronze frets on you tube, neither elsewhere ? Why is that ? It's an alloy of tin and brass, and should be really wear resistant, because they use bronze as dry bearing without balls riding inside on big heavy machines axes. I really am curious why they don't seems to be popular ? Do they oxidize maybee ? Just a few things, you could implement in the following vids, if it's possible. Thanks in advance Chris. Cheers from Belgium.
I compound the fretboard and carefully press the frets to match the changing radius. I'll string up the guitar and check for buzz. If there is any, I'll spot level to fix. As for bronze fret wire, I did a video a while back on it. ua-cam.com/video/3P5DLc2SNhk/v-deo.html
If you were working on a compound radius fretboard, would you follow the taper and/or the string path rather than centerline? Thinking of something I read from Dan Erlewine in his repair book... Love these videos, by the way! Please keep them coming! I made two crowning files that work great, from watching your videos!
These days, I use my CNC machine to generate a compound radius. Then I lightly hand sand from 220 up to 800 to clean up any remaining tool marks. I'll press the frets in with three different radius fret press inserts and finish by spot leveling.
Thanks for the video, have a question though ... how would you go about leveling frets of a (cheap) bass guitar that has a slightly warped neck, that also does not hold a level plane along all its length. The neck a bit lower on the first fret, then a bit higher in the middle and again lower than a straight edge towards the last frets. The frend that I am doing the job for plays punk and does not care about the fine tunings, but I still want to do the best job ... without making the situation worse than it already is. He basically came to me to replace the pots, wiring, strings, adjust the trus rod and so on. My question would be if I should just file down the 4-5 apparently higher frets (when the neck is set to its most level state), crown and polish or do a whole fret leveling? How would you go abou it? I have fairly basic luthier tools and not much experience.
@@HighlineGuitars I don’t know if it’s worth it, it’s a 250€ Stagg bass that has 15 years on it and the friend did not care much about it till now. So I’ll make the best out of it and he’ll buy I new, better bass in the near future. And will then have this one as a backup, and then I’ll have the balls to level the fretboard and put new frets it … I am still a beginer.
Yes, but the downside is you have to reapply it periodically as it fades away. You might want to consider a tung oil finish which contains dryers and resins to make the finish more durable.
@@willman100 the 2 brands that I know of are Lee Valley and Mohawk. both are modified (catalyzed) tung oils which are, I believe, what Chris is referring to. I would stay away from minwax since most brands labelled "tung oil finish" may not even contain any tung oil at all.
Hi Chris. Love your work and follow you religiously. Could you explain why a 20" x 4" aluminium radius beam matching the fretboard would not be the best way to sand and level the frets?
Really nice! Thanks for sharing. How do you make the fall away on the fretboard? I only know by putting a masking tape on the 14-15 fret, then using the leveling beam on them.
I'm terrified of leveling frets with a beam, I have no idea how I could possibly keep the radius in tact. I have a Squier I love, but theres high spots and one fret that is lower than the rest.
Curious if you start sanding leaving the first couple frets unsanded wouldn't the first couple frets be sanded less? Being the beam is sanding the 13-4 frets the whole time and the first few only get sanded once the beam reaches them?
How can you really tell that the frets are level after sanding them down. The sharpie method seems ok, but is there a way to precisely check your work after you sanded the frets? Thanks for the video.
This is great. I just ordered a notched straight edge and levelling beam, I really hope they are actually straight cos they were the only ones I could find to ship to Ireland... Anyways I'll be studying your videos over and over to make sure I get it right first time. Thanks!
If we don't have a special neck jig like this, what would you recommend for neck support for leveling frets on a guitar that's already built out? Let's assume it's a set-neck solid-body and the neck cannot come off.
Fall off is when the height of the frets descends from about the 15th fret to the last fret. Sort of like a ramp. This is where a guitar string oscillates the most and can cause fret buzz.
I don’t know of any way to check it except to string it up and play it. What I do know is that one stroke of the leveling beam will generate fall off. I usually do a few strokes and that’s it. Later on after stringing up the guitar, I’ll play it and if it seems like more than a couple of frets are buzzing above the 15th fret, I’ll increase the fall off until buzz is reduced or eliminated.
seems to me the frets in the middle of the neck take more sanding than the rest due to the beam being smaller than the fret board causing problems down the road !
@@levijessegonzalez3629 depends on the radius of the fretboard some are fixed but a bunch are doing like 10-16 radius not real sure how to do the compound ones yet don't have one.
@@HighlineGuitars how? The middle frets are seeing the action from at least half the length of the sander and the top/bottom frets are barely being kissed by it.
Thank you, you're a great teacher. But I have to say, I keep thinking its Ben Mendelsohn teaching you how to make guitars... (Precisely from "The Place Beyond The Pines" movie)
So, do you think it's worth it, making the radius sanding block, or do you think this'll do. Because it's a hassle to make and having one delivered costs 17 euros, so yeah, a year later you made a video with a level with the sanding block, I guess I could make a jig with a router suspended 9,5'' and rock it back and forth
Wouldn't using a beam the length of ALL the frets (24" beam etc) be better than a shorter one? Simply because with the shorter one the middle frets are getting more sanding than the outer frets. Newbie here. Correct me if I'm wrong.
Levi, you are correct.. as pointed out in another good video on fret leveling. BUT the reason it's only a theoretical problem is because as long as the sanding is kept very moderate, as the middle frets become level, they 'share' the pressure of the sanding surface - stop when all frets are abrased. But more importantly, because buzz is always caused by a fret 'downstream' - towards the bridge, its ok that the head-end frets (1-5) are allowed to be higher (but still level as a group). The semantic problem here is you don't really need all frets flattened to the same height - just in the same plane and progressively lower towards the bridge ..progressively tapered down by very fine amounts. It's easy to overthink this... but I sector the neck into 4 groups. As long as the nut is properly cut, you rarely 'need' to lower the first 4 or 5 frets as long as they are reasonable. Alternatively, be pretty aggressive with leveling the highest 6 frets as a group (as Highline points out). That leaves you with focusing on 7 => 17 where most of the trouble is anyway. Some will disagree, but thats the physical objective IMO.
@@ccook31 Understand. But given the option (I'm about to start buying some luthier tools) would it be better to buy a long 24-30" Sanding beam and do it that way? Or are there any advantages to using a smaller block?
@@levijessegonzalez3629 I wasn't just browsing around when I posted that, I was headed to the garage. I just finished a neck and am reminded I need both ... an 8-10 inch for coarse leveling (in groups, 220 grit) and the long 24 inch for fine finishing (600-800). So I suppose if I had to only start with one it would be the 24 to be conventional and once you get confidence pick up a shorter one. Having said that, I use a good quality small carpenter square (that has a 1 inch wide FLAT base). I bought an aluminum one and then ensured it's flatness on a steel table saw top. It's flat enough and less than $10. You just have to be careful and stay parallel and methodical
@@levijessegonzalez3629 Lastly.... probably the more important tool to get started is a good quality file or tool designed specifically for crowning. Leveling comes instinctively and is a bit crude comparitively, but crowning takes practice and can make/break a fret recondition. I've built my own guides/jigs over time but don't skimp on crowning. Chris here at Highline knows what he's talking about so poke around in his other videos. I don't use a file I use a wooden 'wedge' sled, but in any case it's unavoidably important.
I used your other video to come up with a better method of leveling. I sand the bare fretboard with an aluminum radiused sanding beam that is long enough to stay in contact with the entire fretboard at all times. (Philadelphia Luthiers Supply) I vacuum the sandpaper and frets after every ten strokes. After installing frets I level them with the same radiused beam just like when I sanded the bare fretboard. All frets are in contact with the abrasive at all times. After my first try using your new technique I had the guitar put on a PLEK machine and it was dead on perfect. The process in this video is inferior to your other video. Only problem is the aluminum radiused sanding beams are relatively expensive. Sanding frets when the abrasive is not in contact with all frets at the same time appears to be inferior because material is removed unevenly. The process I use is tedious, vacuuming after every ten strokes, but it's fool proof. I may be a fool but the PLEK machine doesn't lie. The "other" video I'm referring to is your video titled "Never Level Guitar Frets Again!"
Drives me nuts..I was playing bass when this guy was watching cartoons eating frut loops.
Finger board bro..not fret board.
Wrong! Fretboards have frets. Fingerboards do not have frets. Bro. www.bestbassgear.com/ebass/faq/do-you-call-it-a-fingerboard-or-a-fretboard.html
Drives me nuts. I was writing dissertations when this guy was watching Schoolhouse Rock!
Froot Loops bro...not frut loops.
let's all try to get along, people! now, who wants to talk about vibrato?
@@hball6695 Go look at the original poster's YT channel homepage and watch his video from December 28, 2020. ua-cam.com/video/mk0ZqlwPmCo/v-deo.html
I've always used fretboard, fingerboard I always attributed to the wooden section the frets are seated to. (Unless it's fretless)
Parallel to the center line! - I wish someone else on YT explained that clearly. Very important detail! Thanks!
this statement is wrong when you are shooting for a compound radius... which is in most cases more desired
One thing I might add is before doing any kind of spot leveling or full leveling of the frets,,, take a mallet and tap every fret first to make sure all are seated fully and none are loose. You could just have a few loose frets thats are sitting high and just need tapping. If you do an entire fret level and this was the case you not only spent time you didnt need to but later when tap your frets just as routine maintenance it will actually lower that fret below all the others! That means either do another entire fret level to fix one real low fret or remove the fret wire and install new wire,,level and crown. So do this step first!
Is there an actual "bottom" for these frets? I assumed it would just compress the wood and push the frets lower.
Chris, you and Ted Woodford are just about the only two fret leveler dudes I've seen that move that leveler beam in the proper manner -- one direction only! There was this one guy just scrubbing away without a care in the world, like he was scrubbing away on his grandma's old cast iron skillet and he used 220 grit. Man, the amount of bad info that can pop up on UA-cam astounds me. I had to submit a lengthy comment, even tho it was an old vid. Cheers, friend. Bob
Hey Chris, video production value is looking great! Thanks for all you do!
Digging your channel and common sense approach to guitar tech :) like spot filing with a triangle file. I use an Oregon 6” flat file. The Linseed oil finish with the Spirit wet sand is phenomenal. Just did it to one of my Teles and OMG - never felt anything better. My other maple necked guitars are waiting in line :) subbed.
Could you do a quick video how you round the edges of your 3-corner crowning files?
I got some nice files that need safe edges. How do you get a consistent rounded edge without itroducing too much heat messing up the hardness. Hope you do a lot of closeup shots when you do the crowning video. The last one was very helpful.
Unfortunately, I don't have any files that require edge grinding. However, it's simple. All it takes is a couple of quick passes on a bench grinder to make a safe edge. Grind the first edge, plunge the file into a bucket of cold water, move on to the next edge and repeat. As long as you work quickly, excessive heat shouldn't be a problem. Don't forget to wear leather gloves and eye protection! I've done this to many of my files over the years and haven't had any problems with a loss of hardness.
When using the sanding block, how do you account for the frets closer to the nut only receiving a few inches of the block and the frets in the middle of the neck receiving a full stroke? I've always wondered this. That first fret is only getting a few inches of the block and other frets are getting the full length.
You have to pay close attention to your progress and if necessary locate the center of the beam over the frets which need more work to get them level.
Excellent tips, as always.
Excellent!! Great video Chris, Thanks for sharing my friend... Mike(Whitey).
Great video as usual Sensei
Thank you for the lesson Chris, very interesting. I look forward to the others who will follow. If it's not to much work, or just a short explaining i have some requests to do, if you don't mind. What about leveling frets on a compound radiused neck ? Let's say 10" to 14". Of course it's also in the lenght of the neck, but at some point, you have to take care of the fretboard radius too. I mean actually with a curved sanding beam. At some point, the radius goes over from 10" to 12" to 13" to 14". Can you do that with three different sizes radiused sandblocks ? Also the fretboard itselves, has to be prepared the same way, but i do that with a jig and a router (Bill Scheltema style) and than sand lightly with 3 radius blocks. Also, the last time much people talk about the stainless frets and the gold evo, wich i use too, a lot. BUT, nobody ever talk about the Bronze frets ? Why not ? I suppose as regarding to hardness ,it's between regular tin silver frets and Evo. Not sure they are non allergenic ? I never found anything about the bronze frets on you tube, neither elsewhere ? Why is that ? It's an alloy of tin and brass, and should be really wear resistant, because they use bronze as dry bearing without balls riding inside on big heavy machines axes. I really am curious why they don't seems to be popular ? Do they oxidize maybee ? Just a few things, you could implement in the following vids, if it's possible. Thanks in advance Chris. Cheers from Belgium.
I compound the fretboard and carefully press the frets to match the changing radius. I'll string up the guitar and check for buzz. If there is any, I'll spot level to fix. As for bronze fret wire, I did a video a while back on it. ua-cam.com/video/3P5DLc2SNhk/v-deo.html
Thank you for the informative videos.
If you were working on a compound radius fretboard, would you follow the taper and/or the string path rather than centerline? Thinking of something I read from Dan Erlewine in his repair book...
Love these videos, by the way! Please keep them coming! I made two crowning files that work great, from watching your videos!
These days, I use my CNC machine to generate a compound radius. Then I lightly hand sand from 220 up to 800 to clean up any remaining tool marks. I'll press the frets in with three different radius fret press inserts and finish by spot leveling.
have u got a video on how u measure and do ur fall off?
No. Sorry.
Thanks for the video, have a question though ... how would you go about leveling frets of a (cheap) bass guitar that has a slightly warped neck, that also does not hold a level plane along all its length. The neck a bit lower on the first fret, then a bit higher in the middle and again lower than a straight edge towards the last frets. The frend that I am doing the job for plays punk and does not care about the fine tunings, but I still want to do the best job ... without making the situation worse than it already is. He basically came to me to replace the pots, wiring, strings, adjust the trus rod and so on. My question would be if I should just file down the 4-5 apparently higher frets (when the neck is set to its most level state), crown and polish or do a whole fret leveling? How would you go abou it? I have fairly basic luthier tools and not much experience.
Make a new neck. If you can’t, buy a new one.
@@HighlineGuitars I don’t know if it’s worth it, it’s a 250€ Stagg bass that has 15 years on it and the friend did not care much about it till now. So I’ll make the best out of it and he’ll buy I new, better bass in the near future. And will then have this one as a backup, and then I’ll have the balls to level the fretboard and put new frets it … I am still a beginer.
Interesting. So you put the fall-away in the fretboard as opposed to having it straight and putting the fall-away into the fret?
Only if the guitar needs it.
are you creating the falloff on the fingerboard blank or neck { blank ] or do the fall off when leveling the frets
If the guitar needs falloff, I add it when leveling the frets.
Great tutorials. Thanks. Is it alright to use pure tung oil on a roasted maple neck to make it darker? I love how tung oil darkens the wood.
Yes, but the downside is you have to reapply it periodically as it fades away. You might want to consider a tung oil finish which contains dryers and resins to make the finish more durable.
@@HighlineGuitars. Thank you. Can you recommend a brand. What about minwax?
I watched your video on boiled linseed oil. Maybe I should use that.
@@willman100 the 2 brands that I know of are Lee Valley and Mohawk. both are modified (catalyzed) tung oils which are, I believe, what Chris is referring to. I would stay away from minwax since most brands labelled "tung oil finish" may not even contain any tung oil at all.
Thanks for the Great Video! Do you recommend leveling the frets (nickel) with 320 grit aluminium oxide sandpaper?
320 or higher.
Very helpful, what do you mean with the centerline of the fretboard?
The middle of the fretboard, from one end to the other.
@@HighlineGuitars thanks for sharing your experience
When you have to recrown all your frets are you using the three sided file or a fret recrown file?
I use a three sided file for all recrowning work. It’s faster and more accurate than any other tool. However, it takes practice to master.
Hi Chris. Love your work and follow you religiously. Could you explain why a 20" x 4" aluminium radius beam matching the fretboard would not be the best way to sand and level the frets?
Cost.
Really nice! Thanks for sharing. How do you make the fall away on the fretboard? I only know by putting a masking tape on the 14-15 fret, then using the leveling beam on them.
That’s how I do it.
@@HighlineGuitars Many thanks for the reply! I asked because I heard it could also be done directly on the wood, so I thought you did it this way.
I'm terrified of leveling frets with a beam, I have no idea how I could possibly keep the radius in tact.
I have a Squier I love, but theres high spots and one fret that is lower than the rest.
Go slow and keep the beam parallel to the neck's centerline. It happens automatically and you'll be surprised at how fast it gets done.
Do you ever do scalloped necks? If so a video to show how you do it would be great.
Curious if you start sanding leaving the first couple frets unsanded wouldn't the first couple frets be sanded less? Being the beam is sanding the 13-4 frets the whole time and the first few only get sanded once the beam reaches them?
Can I use Box beam level where I attach the sand paper?
Sure. However, the accuracy of your leveling will be constrained by how flat the beam is. The beams I use have precision ground surfaces.
Will this method work on 7.25 radius frets
Do you have to have one of these neck jigs to do this?
No. I made that jig because I thought it might be helpful. It really wasn't worth the trouble. I got rid of it several years ago.
Why not level the frets vertically like is done with crowning ?
Because you need to make each fret the same height as the ones next to it and that can only be done horizontally.
How can you really tell that the frets are level after sanding them down. The sharpie method seems ok, but is there a way to precisely check your work after you sanded the frets? Thanks for the video.
Wow! What a great question
Thanks!
Just use the fret rocker to check it.
Why I level my sandpaper, not my frets
This is great. I just ordered a notched straight edge and levelling beam, I really hope they are actually straight cos they were the only ones I could find to ship to Ireland... Anyways I'll be studying your videos over and over to make sure I get it right first time. Thanks!
If we don't have a special neck jig like this, what would you recommend for neck support for leveling frets on a guitar that's already built out? Let's assume it's a set-neck solid-body and the neck cannot come off.
This is what I would go with: amzn.to/2XOnI7r
By "fall off" on the later frets, do you mean they are a little lower, or just a flatter radius like the compound necks? Thanks, great videos!
Fall off is when the height of the frets descends from about the 15th fret to the last fret. Sort of like a ramp. This is where a guitar string oscillates the most and can cause fret buzz.
I just have one fret that has shipping dings. The fret below it is already too high. I don't want to leave all of them... cost....
Is it hard to reshape my cheap takamine frets got just a few lows spots
What do you mean by keeping the centre line?
Keep the leveling beam parallel with the centerline.
@@HighlineGuitars what centreline are you parallel to?
@@dwainmcbain5263 the neck’s.
@@HighlineGuitars That makes no sense at all.
@@dwainmcbain5263 can you please clarify what you are asking? I don’t have the content of every video I have made memorized.
How do you check your falloff to know when it's the right amount?
I don’t know of any way to check it except to string it up and play it. What I do know is that one stroke of the leveling beam will generate fall off. I usually do a few strokes and that’s it. Later on after stringing up the guitar, I’ll play it and if it seems like more than a couple of frets are buzzing above the 15th fret, I’ll increase the fall off until buzz is reduced or eliminated.
Is The "Fall Of" mean that the frets are lower than the previous frets???
Yes. They gradually lower toward the bridge.
@@HighlineGuitars Alright.... thank you..... 👍👍
seems to me the frets in the middle of the neck take more sanding than the rest due to the beam being smaller than the fret board causing problems down the road !
Right....so a 24" beam is the best bet?
@@levijessegonzalez3629 depends on the guitar but I tend to go for a 18-20"
@@davehendricks7023 what about using a 8" radius sanding block for the frets? Can this be done? Seems like some are doing it
@@levijessegonzalez3629 depends on the radius of the fretboard some are fixed but a bunch are doing like 10-16 radius not real sure how to do the compound ones yet don't have one.
How can one determine if the neck is straight on a scalloped neck before leveling the frets?
If the fretboard was glued on, you can place a straightedge along the seam to see if it's level. Otherwise, you can't.
@@HighlineGuitars Super! Thank you so much!
You have to go by the frets
Hi, isn’t it a problem that with using the beam like you do, the upper frets get a lot more sanding than the lower ones. Just saying
No.
@@HighlineGuitars how? The middle frets are seeing the action from at least half the length of the sander and the top/bottom frets are barely being kissed by it.
You always know it a millinial when , just sayin
Thank you, you're a great teacher. But I have to say, I keep thinking its Ben Mendelsohn teaching you how to make guitars... (Precisely from "The Place Beyond The Pines" movie)
So, do you think it's worth it, making the radius sanding block, or do you think this'll do. Because it's a hassle to make and having one delivered costs 17 euros, so yeah, a year later you made a video with a level with the sanding block, I guess I could make a jig with a router suspended 9,5'' and rock it back and forth
I use a radius block because I can make them easily on my CNC machine. Otherwise, I'd stick with the beam. They work fine.
I may have missed it in the video but what grit paper do you use to level?
240
7:23
240 grit if the frets are stainless steel. if they are nickel(like fender) use a higher grit
Wouldn't using a beam the length of ALL the frets (24" beam etc) be better than a shorter one?
Simply because with the shorter one the middle frets are getting more sanding than the outer frets.
Newbie here. Correct me if I'm wrong.
Levi, you are correct.. as pointed out in another good video on fret leveling. BUT the reason it's only a theoretical problem is because as long as the sanding is kept very moderate, as the middle frets become level, they 'share' the pressure of the sanding surface - stop when all frets are abrased. But more importantly, because buzz is always caused by a fret 'downstream' - towards the bridge, its ok that the head-end frets (1-5) are allowed to be higher (but still level as a group). The semantic problem here is you don't really need all frets flattened to the same height - just in the same plane and progressively lower towards the bridge ..progressively tapered down by very fine amounts. It's easy to overthink this... but I sector the neck into 4 groups. As long as the nut is properly cut, you rarely 'need' to lower the first 4 or 5 frets as long as they are reasonable. Alternatively, be pretty aggressive with leveling the highest 6 frets as a group (as Highline points out). That leaves you with focusing on 7 => 17 where most of the trouble is anyway. Some will disagree, but thats the physical objective IMO.
@@ccook31 Understand. But given the option (I'm about to start buying some luthier tools) would it be better to buy a long 24-30" Sanding beam and do it that way?
Or are there any advantages to using a smaller block?
@@levijessegonzalez3629 I wasn't just browsing around when I posted that, I was headed to the garage. I just finished a neck and am reminded I need both ... an 8-10 inch for coarse leveling (in groups, 220 grit) and the long 24 inch for fine finishing (600-800). So I suppose if I had to only start with one it would be the 24 to be conventional and once you get confidence pick up a shorter one. Having said that, I use a good quality small carpenter square (that has a 1 inch wide FLAT base). I bought an aluminum one and then ensured it's flatness on a steel table saw top. It's flat enough and less than $10. You just have to be careful and stay parallel and methodical
@@levijessegonzalez3629 Lastly.... probably the more important tool to get started is a good quality file or tool designed specifically for crowning. Leveling comes instinctively and is a bit crude comparitively, but crowning takes practice and can make/break a fret recondition. I've built my own guides/jigs over time but don't skimp on crowning. Chris here at Highline knows what he's talking about so poke around in his other videos. I don't use a file I use a wooden 'wedge' sled, but in any case it's unavoidably important.
@@ccook31 awesome information. thank you
... and are you aware that you sand the middle frets a lot longer than the outer ones?
...and are you aware that you do what needs to be done for a specific situation?
what is fall off?
brian gallia the frets from say 14th fret progressively get lower towards the last fret. It helps to get lower action at the last frets.
I used your other video to come up with a better method of leveling. I sand the bare fretboard with an aluminum radiused sanding beam that is long enough to stay in contact with the entire fretboard at all times. (Philadelphia Luthiers Supply) I vacuum the sandpaper and frets after every ten strokes. After installing frets I level them with the same radiused beam just like when I sanded the bare fretboard. All frets are in contact with the abrasive at all times. After my first try using your new technique I had the guitar put on a PLEK machine and it was dead on perfect. The process in this video is inferior to your other video. Only problem is the aluminum radiused sanding beams are relatively expensive. Sanding frets when the abrasive is not in contact with all frets at the same time appears to be inferior because material is removed unevenly. The process I use is tedious, vacuuming after every ten strokes, but it's fool proof. I may be a fool but the PLEK machine doesn't lie. The "other" video I'm referring to is your video titled "Never Level Guitar Frets Again!"
Great knowledge. But what a TEASER...😜
need more reverb:)
Ha ha ha, agreed 😆
Fret rocker. 160 dollars from stew Mac. Old credit card. Free.
So you stole it?
Crimson Guitars makes a much better and cheaper leveling beam. Wayyy better. Stew mac is a RIP off.