Working with Stainless Steel Frets
Вставка
- Опубліковано 5 чер 2024
- Refretting a guitar with Stainless Steel Frets is no easy task, however if you take your time and don’t rush you can get great results.
For the record here is my parts list and tools used:
Parts:
Fretwire - jumbo - 2.90 x 1.40 mm - stainless steel - foot (305mm) from Allparts £21
Graph tech Tusq nut from stringsdirect.co.uk/
Tools:
Fret puller, fret cutter from Chris Alsop Guitars £30
Level and files from Crimson Guitars (I already had these).
Time taken - around 8 - 10 hours.
Have you downloaded my app yet?
Android: play.google.com/store/apps/de...
iPhone: itunes.apple.com/gb/app/dave-...
WEB: www.davebarlowguitar.co.uk
FACEBOOK: / davebarlowguitar
TWITTER: / barlowbands
#davebarlowguitar
Here's my tip. Set aside 3 1 hour periods in a day and pull 1/3 of the frets in each period, then put the guitar down and walk away. If you don't, you will tend to rush and get chips in that beautiful rosewood. After 6 regrets, this is now what I do.
Best tip ever.
Regrets or refrets?
fantastic advice
Refrets, I've had a few....
I just put SS on my gibson lp after 7 years of playing on stubs. Wow three things instantly worthy of note: 1. Bending is much easier and more consistent vibrato is possible. 2. I play with a much lighter touch, so I can get to the end of a set and actually want to keep going. I'm getting old so that is massive for me. 3. You know how lovely a new guitar feels? You know how that vanishes in 2-3 months as you wear the crowns off your frets and it becomes heavier feeling, more and more tiring, less precise, poorer and poorer intonation? Especially as we all play the same stuff in the same spots. Well, SS frets = new guitar day every day! Every note in every position is perfectly intonated. Can't over-emphasise how huge of a difference that is. All these years I've started wanting a new guitar after 6 months, I strongly suspect was because what I actually wanted was that 'new guitar' feeling back. Derp. Seriously can't recommend SS enough.
Great comment. I'm putting SS frets in my Gibson M-III Ebony guitar. I can't wait to feel the results. The M-III is Gibson's best design I think. Super comfy Super Strat with a beautiful asymmetrical shape.
I have a Gibson M-III ebony which is the sexiest most beautiful guitar Gibson ever made. Reverse headstock, asymmetrical body with long horns and perfect cut-aways. The frets are knackered and I am having it changed to a compound radius with SS frets and a new Schaller trem fitted. I have never had SS frets in my guitars before but played an ESP with SS frets and the bends felt amazing also loved the feel of the much harder material from the frets. It will cost me a fair price to have this work done but the guitar is so phenomenal sounding I just have to have these improvements made. The frets in it now measure around 9" radius because the frets were carved much rounder than the fretboard however I want a 12-18" radius and so I will have the bridge saddles flattened out to accommodate this flat feel also. I hate shims under the saddles so I will just file the center two saddles to flatten out this way.
Im glad you pointed that out about how ss frets feel like a new guitar. That helps me think about things in a different light. Thanks!
@@judgegroovyman Two years later and I now only have one that one guitar. I sold the rest. Its still new guitar day every day! If you're thinking of DIY'ing a cheap guitar to see if you dig it, I strongly recommend doing so.
I just did my first stainless refret and used 400, 800, 1000, 3000 grit sand paper and then a 8000 fret rubber. These frets are like glass. I think its totally forth it to put in an extra hour or so, to get the frets super smooth. It really makes bends extra nice
Dave, I love your videos, and the way you are, completly down to Earth.
I keep finding the odd vid I've not seem, enjoy them all for their information and tips, but also for how you entertain us. Yes, Chris Alsop has some great tools and stuff, highly recommend him. Keep these coming Dave, you are brilliant !
OK, I'm diving in head first. Not only have I found a solution to my thin-fretted, worn out PRS, but feel like I ran across a good friend across the pond, thanks!
Nice work !! Love the nippers and hot iron, Dremmel, eyeing the bend, cut the tang, glue, bang it home, shape it with the file. Everyman job thank you very much.
You are one of the few posters I will immediately hit the like on. Always real, always entertaining. For whatever reason you remind me a bit of Nigel Tufnel (Spinal Tap), and I say that with the highest respect Dave! Great video.
Love your no pretense attitude, thanks for being genuine. I did my first refret about a month ago on a '99 Squire Standard Strat. It's one of those guitars that feels like your baby when you hold it. The fun for me is making my own tools (plus I can;t afford to buy them) nut file from feeler gauges, fret bender for radius, etc.. I did buy a fret seating caul from Stewmac. I can't hardly imagine tackling stainless steel, I would def have to invest in some proper tools. Great job all round on the Epi. WooHoo.
Great vid thanks for taking the time out to produce the vid.
Right on bro! Down to earth explanation on how to do this. Bomb
Well done Dave! I may give this a try with a one of my old beater guitars, cheers!
34:11 and totally worth to watch! This is one of the best videos i've seen for a long time, thank you. Not too serious and very fun to watch. Keep it going and cheers from Finland! :D
Thank you. This is possibly one of the best re-fretting vids I've seen. This is what it's really like to do your own re-fret!
Took my guitar to a known local "Luthier" for a fret leveling and here I am... Evaluating if I´ll do ther re-fret my self or pay a guy +500USD to have it profesionally done, dont get me wrong I would be more than happy to pay him, his jobs are great but I dont have that kind of mony at the moment and cant justify the expense. You make it look so easy, most of what I read and saw in yt make it look like rocket science. Great vid man.
Great Video Dave, And Very Helpful, Cheers Mate,
Thank you for making this great video! I need to replace a couple of frets on my acoustic and think I can do it now without messing up my guitar.
Nice work, and very helpful and informative. Thanks.
Did my first refret recently. Guitar I bought was a total loss so I decided to learn. I bought stew Mac puller and nippers. Foam sanding pads 320-3500. Fret guru file. Radius aluminum block. Rubber mallet. Pre cut pre radius stainless steel frets and a soldering iron. I actually enjoyed doing it very much. I did put layer of oil on the fretboard before doing anything and it seems to have helped. Even though my neck is unusable it was good practice. You can buy a cheap neck to practice on for 30-50 bucks. Wire is cheap I think I paid 20 bucks for 25 pre cut frets. I have a zero fret guitar. I'm glad I tackled the job and learned a new skill. Thanks to many UA-camrs including yourself I was able to complete this job. Thanks.
Hosco do a set of SS frets, pre cut and tanged, used some for one of my own projects and very pleased with the quality.
Very good Dave...thanks!
That epi has turned into a pure beast! Love it
Dave thanks for this. You gave me the kick up the a**e I needed to sort my old Telecaster out.
Bought the tools you recommended (Chris Alsop owes you a pint) and the fretwire you listed.
Going like a charm so far :)
I made my own fretwire bender out of 15 large washers, 8 medium washers and 3 M8 bolts and extra nuts from a hardware shop.
From your accent I would guess you ain't too far so if I ever get the chance will also get you a pint. Cheer mate.
Love your work Dave. A great channel with a down to earth normal guy host for people who love guitars and amps, love to rock, don't have a lot of money and don't get excited about some kid demoing this weeks new $200-800 pedal for a kickback from the manufacturer. Keep it up Dave.
Thanks dude :)
Loved this! Thanks for the confidence inspiring video! I may tackle mine myself.
Nice fret job, nice playing.
Please subscribe as I got lots more to share with you about this :)
Greg at Aperio Guitar in Georgia (USA) does an amazing job with SS refretting. It's all he does. You can ship your neck or whole guitar. Stainless is the best, you'll never go back to alloy.
i got my charvel d24 neck done by him last week... i am sending him my Ibanez neck tommorrow .. mad skills and down to earth guy
Thanks for the informative video Dave. You made fret work feel much more accessible than other videos I've seen. Planning on trying this on an old Ibanez soon
A good way to get scratches out is to go up in grades of paper from say 400 to 600, 800 1200 1400 and then transfer to micro git pads which are on a foam backing all the way up to 10,000. You will never get scratches out if you go to wire wool from say 400 grit because you polish the high points but miss the low grooves or deeper scratch marks. Also the end result going through all these papers and pads leaves a flawless looking mirror finish and so bending strings feels effortless if you want the feel of this also your frets will stay mirror like for a very long time. The micro pads go up to 14,000 or more so with some cutting paste or metal polish does a better job than even the finest wire wool. Going through all the grades of papers and pads doesn't take anywhere near as long as you might initially think so it is well worth doing. As for getting the edges filed down there is a tool from Stew Mac that gives you a good angle which is pretty steep so you get a very consistent result avoiding shallow angles which looks and plays awful when its like 45 degrees ect. I have never done stainless frets myself but in both cases when crowning using a fret file I mark off with the felt tip pen and then crown carefully until just a very fine line is left over in the center and this being your highest point, then go through the grades for polishing out scratches:)
Also never use wire wool near pick-ups.
You are so correct Dave.I am 57 years old and I have re-fretted Maybe 5 guitars and yes everybody and their uncle has their special method LOL.
Great vid Dave
wow! awsome job!
Just my 2 cents, i feel it is easier to tape a piece of 240 or 400 grit sandpaper on the base of the nut saddle, and put the nut there with the strings in tension a little bit just to keep the nut there, and move it back and forth. It will take a longer time, but you will not go overboard at all. But same procedure, keep checking in a minute or two intervals.
I brought some stainless steel frets today. Can't wait to have a go.
where did you bring them?
Great job brother 👏 👍 thank you for doing this video
Nice work, cheers.
Good, informative video. Thanks! The one thing that I do differently is that when putting in the frets, I set them flush on one side of the neck. That way I only have to do minimal filing on that side of the neck.
Great tip!
Wow amazing job stainless steel frets are the best !!!!! Congratulations !!!!!!!
Good job!! 🤟🏻
I have changed all my guitars to stainless steel frets, 5 in total. Won't buy another without them again. I used my Dremel to cut them, easier and I was able to get super close to the edge of the fretboard making filing much easier. Great vid dude hopefully it inspires more to attempt it.
I use a cut off disc also and cut within 1.5 mm of the finished size, I can't understand why the pro's don't do this.
Great DIY video.
I have a Squire Strat that I bought to use as a test mule for different mods and setups so I don't screw up my other Strats. I like the idea of SS frets and after seeing your video I'm ready to try this on the Squire. I paid $40 for it so the learning experience will be worth the risk. Who knows. That Squire SE might turn out great with good frets and new electronics. Thanks man!
Go for it :)
Great video. I have been messing with fretting guitars myself. I see you used glue. I use it, too. But the way I do it is that, I put the fret in enough to leave a gap. Then, I put the 20 medium super glue on each side of the fret. Then, I finish hammering them in. Then, wipe the excess out. If you have to take them out again there is no problems. Because the glue ain't in the slot. I have done that for 5 years. I have fret a guitar like 4 time practicing. And the fingerboard doesn't get damaged. All I have to do is sand the old glue sitting at the edge of the slots. I love stainless steal fret. It produces a great clean sound. Great job on the frets.
Good video about regretting. Thanks from California USA
Refretting
SS frets are hard to work with. I am reinstalling one ss fret on a Strat neck. I saw a stewmac video where the guy used super glue, he put wax on the fretboard so the glue would just wipe off. Then with the fret installed he put a thin strip along the edges. Seems to work well. You did a good job man. I'm nervous about doing it myself but I still am going to try.
Just bought a 86 Kramer Focus 3000, frets are microscopic, and the fretboard has been sanded enough where the side inlays below the 12th fret show a bit. Scored a Kramer neck for cheaper than a re-fret. So, eventually I'll try re-fretting it myself, and if it don't work out, I wont feel too bad. Still a solid neck even with its imperfections.
I really love this explorer. looks awesome
When you're pulling frets, you should think of the nippers like a pair of wedges we drive under the fret from each side. Keep the head of them pressed against the board as you squeeze, that way their outer face is always supporting the wood to minimise chip-out and the angle on the inner edge of the nippers (the bit contacting the underside of the fret) lifts the fret as you squeeze in.
The oiling the board beforehand is an interesting one, I can see an argument for and against this. The moisture certainly should make the wood fibres more forgiving but the problem is that hydrated wood expands as it absorbs the oil, and tightens up the fret slots because of it. A good practice is to tighten the truss beforehand to backbow the neck, this splays the slots out a little and helps with clearance. I personally want it dry and splayed for removal, dry and flat for installation and then immediately oil the board once they're all seated to expand the fibres around the tangs.
great video. Thanks!
Glad you liked it!
At 17:12 the Grover caps expose the tightening screw . If you notice when your tuning the guitar the tuner is to easy to turn and the strings won't stay in tune then give that screw you see a little tightening .
Looks like a very good job Dave, that stainless is tough stuff. Think I will have a go at my old Les Paul after watching this! Thanks.
Practice on a cheap guitar first :)
This is pretty cool for someone who has never done a fret job. The problem with Stainless Steel is that it gets harder the more you work it! Diamond files are the way to go with Stainless. prepare to spend a lot on tools! nice work dude!
Well damn! Dude you can play! Great instruction, I’m attempting my first stainless steel fret job myself I really like the tip on oiling the fretboard first, thanks man
Thanks mate :)
Good video.
Thank You Soooo Much Dave. I bought those Tools (Cutter and Fret Puller) and They are Excellent! I couldn't cut the SS fret ends off with cutting wheels, so I thought it's time to try the Cutter you recommended. Should have tried that first, because it's cuts through the fret ends like Butter. I could have done it with one hand. Thank You for giving us the Link to the Suppliers :) :) :) God Bless You Mate. Great Channel.
Please subscribe as I got lots more to share with you about this :)
Awesome video, learned a lot thanks...
Glad it was helpful!
another crucial thing to do before pulling frets and I never see anyone do it anymore is to give the neck as much BACK BOW and you can get, as in fret board bowed upwards, this makes the slots open up, eliminate pull out so forth and they come out easier hit em with a solder iron incase they used hyde glue... and if you DO glue them up, use hide glue for the next fret pull so heat loosens the glue and they pull right out cheesy peasy flappineasy! work smarter not HARDER!
alternately I see folks cutting their fret slots without the fretboard glued up, NOT GOOD!!!
because you want the fretboard glued and cured, THEN, you add as much back bow as the neck will take, THEN cut your slots!, this way when you flatten the neck to level it? the slots really clamp down on your fret tangs and hold em so solid, you will get tons more sustain and tone carry through, not sure why I reveal all my old tricks and tips it should all be common knowledge.. humans, go figger right?
seems no one wants to take their time and do things the best way possible.. dunno man, dunno
A do-it-yourselfer. Nice! If you plan ahead, think of what you need, think about the job, and TAKE YOUR TIME, a re-fret job is not that difficult. Tedious, yes. Impossible, no. Crackin’ good job!
Please subscribe as I got lots more to share with you about this :)
The first neck I built, I built with stainless steel frets because it seemed cool...
It was painful, but I learned a lot ;)
Very cool man.. I am waiting on a Stainless fretted guitar neck for my strat from Warmoth and I wanted to see how you leveled them and finished them.. I might try to do a whole neck later on a cheap neck!
Thanks man..
Rock on !
Regards from the Heartland of the USA.
Indiana. USA
Tim
I think you found your second job. Very nice.
Awesome video as always! Good choice on using steel, I plan on using it for my 1st refret purely down to its durability. I don't care how difficult it is to work with, it's the finished result that matters to me.
A tip for removing the nut, you can warm it up with a hair dryer which will soften the glue a bit, making it come out a little easier and reducing the risk of damage to the slot. Just don't get anything too hot, you don't want to melt it or burn your finish. Would recommend no string tension on the neck if you do this though, as I've heard of a technique that uses dry heat and tension to fix warped necks (although it does take a lot longer than removing a nut).
You can also glue veneer in the nut slot to raise the height of an old nut or if you go too low on the new one. Might not be ideal for everyone but would save you having to buy a new nut and redoing it if that situation ever occurred.
I'm going to go price up tools and fret wire now.
Good advice, thanks dude :)
Expect lots of free ice-cream from the Carter d'Or product placement.
Nice production Very informative
product placement LOL
"Am I having fun... yeah, well, kind of" - I often get into that mode that far into a job. It was good to see this though, terrifying jobs normalised :)
yes its true, would rather be playing, however I cant trust local people to do this job properly. I have given fret jobs to so called professionals in the past and they dont have a feckin clue what they are doing, this is what makes me a bit frustrated from time to time. Perhaps this is why I am working very hard to get my amp and guitar hospital set up.
Ah, well, there's always a gap in the market for a job done right!
Keep all of the dust from sanding the fingerboard. So next regret you do, if there is tearout you can put the dust in after the fret is replaced. Then whick super glue into it and it will look natural. Sand and oil your board once the process is completed. Then you have a repair instead of maybe feeling a chip while playing.
If you catch the edge of the fretboard, don't worry about it. It just help to roll the edges.
Mark the frets that are high and pound them in some more. You may be able to seat them a little more. But always level, crown and polish after every refret. Just to save yourself the grief of getting all strung up and plugged in, then realizing that 1/2 the frets are buzzing.
I have SS frets I used all grit sandpaper nightmare went through loads of it! Soon as I got myself a diamond fret level beam it did the job I 30mins frets all level,SS frets nightmare to level absolutely solid haha was my first time doing it with SS frets hopefully last away crown them today hopefully they will be good to me today haha!! Great video mate I'm so glad I got myself a file too for leveling I'll never go back to sandpaper again with SS frets 😂
Bravo! Nicely done. I don't care how many refrets one has done, the undercut for binding always proves to be a challenge, You handled it very well. I would suggest purchasing a fret tang nipper, a fret beveling file, and a fret end dressing file. Once again, nicely done, Mate!
Please subscribe as I got lots more to share with you about this :)
At least £100 in tools to get started, I made a notched straight edge, a fret rocker and a leveling beam from the stainless skip at work! Freebie 👍
Great job though not afraid to get stuck in!
£130 if you get most of it off amazon uk (g&w mainly). Thats like half what a decent luthier charges for a fresh ser of nickel frets so imho its a no brainer. Nippers are consumable.. nbd.
Hi Dave. I have a 71 SG that has extremely low frets. Being a 71, I`m relutant to do it and waiting to peractice on my other low fretted guitars. A korean PRS will be the first. Like you said. I am watching as many YT fret jobs as I can find first. It`s helping to see an at home hippie like myself installing stainless frets to boot. Nice clean job on the board when extracting. Was that your stomach growling I heard? Putting off lunch to get er done eh? A true rocker. Very nice Explorer.
great!!!!!!
Cool. I need me some of them frets
Keep in mind guys, everything is easy if you work like a MAN! Don't be afraid it's just wood with a pricetag. You need to be surehanded.
My first DYI job was a fretless conversion and it worked off the top no worries, ever since i just YOLO everything to no fail.
Stainless steel is a mfcker tho! My next refretting is scheduled. warwick brass frets - same technique but with a more expensive chance for fckup
I have them on my Suhr SSS = Love em. I will try to eventually have them on all my guitars & bass . . . nothing like it.
Man you're brave. I'm seriously thinking about doing this to my Ibanez RG320FM. I was quoted $600 to get this job done and besides the special tools I don't have, I can't believe that I couldn't do it myself. I love arts and crafts like this. You seem to use common sense when doing all of this which gives me hope that maybe I could do this too. Luckily for me, my frets do extend to the edge of the fretboard which I think might be easier than yours in that aspect. It's a daunting task for me because I've had this guitar new since 2003 and I've since added an original Edge Pro Bridge, Fishman Fluence pickups, Sperzel locking tuning keys, and literally every piece of hardware is new except the body and neck. It is a brutal sounding guitar I use in dropped C. Think I might do it. I love how common sense and open you are with this video. Is there anything you may have liked to do or a tool you would have rather used for this job?
Thanks again Dave. I had always suspected this job wasn't brain surgery and turns out it's really doable. Will try it on my Cruiser by Crafter £15 guitar as the frets have always been a pain on that one.
Just been playing around with 25% nickel fretwire, nearly as hard as ss but easier to work with, try Sintoms E280140Fah
Nice one Dave... A working mans guide to re-fretting and avoiding being talked out of stainless frets and still being ripped-off. Question : Why do guitar companies (Gibson-Fender-PRS etc), still only use standard fret wire ? CNC/mass production methods these days would only push up the price by a few quid ! Thanks for the video Dave.. Keep on rockin bro...
Cost, SS can put quite a bit of strain on tools. PRS use very hard nickel so top marks for them. Suhr use SS on all there guitars as stock these days.
@@DaveBarlowGuitar That's interesting Dave.. Seems to have taken them long enough.. I purchased a stainless steel fretted neck from Warmoth back in 1990 ...I also had a top of the range PRS (they were only made in the USA back then), and that needed a refret after 18 months. My experience is that SS frets give your sound more clarity & definition..That 1990 Strat style neck I got is still going strong and is still a few years away from a refret, be it I gave it a fret dress about a year ago. Here we are in 2019 and still need to use a fret system on our axes that's over 200 years old ! A bit like our political system ... WTF ? 😁
When pulling frets the most imoprtant thing i found was to soak the frets with water which prevents the wood from chipping ( for 4 mins).Then I used and iron to heat the frets (1 min) and they came out like butter. use water! water = no chips! extra jumbo frets bend the notes out of tune ( i had to try em!) but jumbo frets are AMAZING! All my guitars are gonna be jumbo frets. did not use steel. pickups were very good locos. will try another with stainless at some point. ss jumbo frets are the way to go.
A wider level might be helpful when leveling. I didn't get a sense of how much more work it was because of the stainless steel. Assuming there was more work.
I left nothing out of this video :)
Fantastic job Dave. You had almost no tearout! Always save fretboard dust for filler in case big chips come out with the frets (fill and use superglue) or just for general repair. Cheers and Best Regards!@
That's a great idea!
Great Video. Gotta be careful with autosol, any petroleum based product will break down wood. Make sure that tape wont let it go through to the fretboard.
I'm going to be re-fretting my left-handed 7-string SG here coming up real soon.ivr got to get some tools first.i have some of the tools needed but am getting some fret pullers and a fret hammer an then some SS frets as well.i need to figure out what kind of glue he was using.
Great video! I do need to know how you go about the final polishing with Stainless Steel frets. You showed the tube of polishing compound, but are you polishing with a cloth? Dremel? Buffing wheel? I have frets in need of additional polishing to meet my satisfaction, and I'm just not getting there with the sandpaper options.
Try some wire wool then rumbber
coss of you not only did i buy those locos but i am refretting a guitar now! hope you dont start jumping of bridges...
I'm releasing an EP on Wednesday :)
I always come back to this one, and I have to admit that I over think the process, plus I'm just a little jealous of your obvious effortlessness Dave. Then of course you pinch harmonic your way out, and grab a sandwich...
LOL
Don’t forget you have to walk it off
Great job thanks,I hate pay what could be 500 plus for a job I can do. Mike from the States
I'm gna go practice on an old beat up Mighty Mite neck I have. It's my test neck.
i don't own a fret puller tool .. never have.
i use 2 sharp wood chisels , 3/4 inch. use bevel side down. carefully push together ,get under the fret and lever up. never fails for me .
Congratulations!
You did a good job, let me make you a question, what pliers do you use?
It cuts Very good.
Thanks.
Big fucking nippers LOL
Nice work dude. I installed stainless fender size on my axe a 2 years ago, but the levelling job I did my way which is only with some rocker tools (precision cilinders/shafts) and sandpaper (320, 500, 1200, 2000). I had to do many itereations for levelling to be really good. Unfortunately I expected stainless to last more since I definetely see some wear especially on frets of D and G chords, but this might be related to bad levelling and a hard fretting hand. On the future I will try those EVO gold.
Thanks for the video , I hate steel wool too!
Top tip that might help - with stainless steel fretting, rather than nip the fret tangs at the ends, cut the fret slots with a fret saw to make them straight across. Then once refretted and dressed, back fill afterwards with CA glue. Filler if necessary. Filler is rarely necessary. The advantage of doing this is, it floods the fret slot underneath the fret too, and let’s face it, they are never coming out again!
Great job. Now you need to throw a Gibson decal on the headstock and she'll be 10/10 stage ready.
the headstock decal means nothing to me
What’s up Dave. So quick question.... I have the same guitar and I’m wanting to do the same thing including the burn burst and was curious while you have the frets off could you dye the fret board a little darker?
Hi mate, never tried it, to be honest I have very little idea about staining but when you sand down the fretboard you get new wood and when the fretwork is done you can apply some lemon oil the finish is amazing .
I tried to take my guitar to be refretted, they charged me the axact amount of the guitar, thus why i chose to do it myself
There called nippers use them doing heat trace doing industrial electrical work. Klein probably the best ones
if you don't properly bend the frets, you won't be able to get the edges to stick in properly, which makes leveling harder, and makes it so there is a slight gap between the shoom top of the fret, and the wood. furthermore, if you don't glue your frets after you install, and you have this issue, you will likely experience issues with the frets coming up a little and causing buzz issues. superglue may fix everything, but if you can accurately bend the frets, you won't really need it.
just make a bender with some fidget spinner bearings, a piece of wood, and a few nuts and bolts; it's kinda what i did(except my bearings were 15$ a pop, and stainless).
My system works dude, 14 hot sweaty gigs in and no sign of any fret issues :)
yeah, well if you are good at it, I suppose you can make due. honestly, there are a ton of things that people try to sell you that do work, but aren't as necessary as advertised. luthier tools are a huge one. I actually find myself bending frets by hand too occasionally, though my frets are much harder than normal because I either use the biggest nickel ones available, or high-medium stainless ones(which are easier to work with than the huge nickel ones). bigger frets are easier to screw up because when more force is exerted, controlling that force becomes harder.
@@5hredder I think its because people watch videos of professional luthiers doing refrets in a shop context. Time is money and all the fancy and costly tools save time, so they use them exclusively. If there's no rush, you can absolutely get away with much cheaper and fewer tools. Fret pullers and nippers - any budget non-luthier tool will work. I use 'end cutters' that cost £6. Things like straight and notched straight edges don't need to be precision, just 'close enough'. A levelling beam can be just an aluminium spirit level etc. Neck brace can be a bag of rice. A dremmel, or cheap no-brand generic copy, can do most cutting and polishing jobs etc.
How did you get on using standard fret files? They always say use diamond files on SS as normal files wear faster and can also leave dents or deeper scratches that are harder to sand out. Reason I ask is, I'm looking to do my first fret job and obviously if it's achievable with standard tools then it's cheaper, especially as I only plan doing it once with SS frets.
I used good standard tools and a lot of Patience :)
I never knock off the nut from the front. If you have a strat for instance. Dont ever never even think about it.
Im about to tap steel frets into an £800 classical guitar, beginning to have second thoughts after watching this, I figured with nylon strings the guitar would probably never need reftretting again but having no adjustable truss rod means the guitar will almost certainly need a refret in the future and a fretboard level so im probably wasting my time.
LOL
Thanks for the vid. I’ve done many stainless refrets. Best way. The most recent has reduced the end of my fingers by about 4mm. Diamond files. Ha ha
UA-cam channel Daves world of fun stuff has a great video on doing bass to fretless, his steam method of removing frets, he uses wide head on soldering iron with fret size gap in than applies drops of water to create steam, makes removal easy
Hi, I’m new about adjusting my guitars. I have action ruller and feeler gauge. I adjusted my guitar with 0.10 feeler gauge and fitting well at 8. Fret and I adjusted my action 6. String to 2.00 and 1. String to 1.5 but I’m hearing buzz. Buzz starting 7. Fret to 13. Fret. Is that mean I’m playing really hard and causing buzz and must I play softer or I have to raise the strings or is that mean I’m adjusting truss rod wrong? I hope you can understand my bad English and you can answer me.
I’m capoing the 1. Fret and pusing with my finger at (where meet my neck with body) and checking with 0.10(0.25mm) feeler gauge and gauge barely touching to string. Can still neck relief cause buzz while feeler gauge fitting well? Or am I playing really hard?