Level a high fret
Вставка
- Опубліковано 14 жов 2024
- Leveling a high fret without the use of luthier specific tools. I own a fair amount of specialized tools (most of which are homemade) for guitar work, but the purpose of this video is to show people how to take care of a high fret with items/tools they might already own or can buy cheaply at any hardware store. A credit card is used as a fret rocker and a 3 square (triangle) file bought for $4 at Home Depot is used to take down the fret top and re-crown the fret. While I use MicroMesh to remove the tooling marks and polish the fret, various grades of sandpaper and/or steel wool will accomplish the same thing.
One of rare useful clips how to repair single higher fret without too much useless talking. Great job.
Pro tip: Before you level a high fret. Try re-seating it with your fret hammer first. You'd be surprised.
Thanks man, did this on my 34 017 Martin. Tapped her right back in place.
any alternatives for a fret hammer?
would a rubber mallet used for tiles work?
@@yanagida_01 take a round hard felt pad (the ones used on furniture feet) and stick pad on a small hammer head ! The hard felt pad works perfectly without harming fret while hammering fret in place ! I've done many of fret jobs this way ! Buy pads at any Lowe's / Depot !!
Thanks a lot.
Dude…that fixed my fret buzz in 30 seconds, no divots, no damage, no sanding. Thank you!!
Great video. I had a guitar with the same problem (high 13th fret on the middle strings) that was making a bad buzzing for a few of my strings when fretting on the 12th fret. I followed this video, performed the same steps and everything is great now. Saved me a lot of money. Thanks!
Great video , thanks , i just leveled a high fret on my guitar and now it plays great with no buzz 🙏
Fender gives you a lot of practice these days because their brand new off the shelf US made Telecasters come with anywhere between 10 to 15 high fret areas up and down the neck. Thanks Fender!
Thanks man. The fix was easy to do with sand paper. Took less than 5 mins. I was about to take my Amazon bought guitar to a luthier lmao.
Before, when playing the 12th fret there was some fret buzz most prominent on the G string because the 13th fret was too high. Afterwards, it's clear as a bell when fretted at the 12th fret.
Yes the grade of sandpaper (actually micromesh) is getting finer. If using sandpaper you would start with 600, go up to 1000, and then polish with steel wool or a polishing compound. Micromesh just makes it easier.
I leveled the frets on my Squier affinity P bass with this video . Zero buzz now and the action is set incredibly low. Thanks for the video.
Excellent demonstration, thanks for posting. One thing to note: this task requires patience, consistency, and attention to detail. Good lighting and minimal distractions don't hurt either. Trust me, I'm DIYing the frets on one of my guitars right now. Its a lot harder than than this video makes it look...
Things takes time. Good things takes good time.
Superb Video. As a guitar player who owns 20+ guitars and plays like a madnan this video is just perfect. Thank you so much.
Thanks for this simple demonstration. I bought a used guitar last night that has a few high frets and it's great seeing someone do this with a simple file I already have
Take it to a luthier is all I hear when I talk about guitars.. No thanks, I'm proficient enough with my tools I can handle a simple guitar setup lol.. It's not that hard to learn and it's a good thing to know.
BurningTirez I know right? It's like... Who ties your shoes? Do you have 911 come over and make cereal for you? Amps? Yeah it's good to at least talk to someone but guitars aren't fuckin rocket surgery.
Exactly. The luthier over charges so much that when I pay him I feel like an asshole. After learning how to do it myself I feel like more of an asshole for paying him that much. Lol.
My guitars are worth less than a setup I am not paying setup plus fretwork when I can already do a setup.
I was quoted about $300 per guitar for Stainless Steel Refretting. I got at least 7 guitars to do. Rather than paying $300X7, I decided to invest in Refretting tools instead that cost me around the same about 300. Learn all the skills I need on youtube, Crimson guitars youtube help me a lot actually and now all my 7 guitars got the SS frets install and it's a once in a lifetime refretting job because SS frets can last me probably till I'm dead.....
Note: don't buy those cheap tools on China website, they're craps. Buy them from reputable websites like Crimson or Steward Mac, especially on the cutters and files if you're doing a Stainless Steel fret job. SS fret needs a high-quality tool.
@@zepp3lin What kind of guitars do you have that dont have SS frets????
Only complaint about Stew Mac, and I'm not sure if I can explain it properly, but the tool he sells for fret leveling is NOT long enough. It's only about 2/3rds the length of the neck and what happens is with every pass the center of the fretboard frets get sanded down with every stroke, while the frets by the nut and bridge only get sanded half as much. Resulting in an upside down rainbow effect when your all done. Using one that is the entire length will even all the frets perfectly. Also, sanding long ways, up and down the neck will result in the frets being higher or lower on the top or bottom. Going up and down from low E to high E will sand them all the same. Just an FYI.
I got an Epiphone ES339 and I suspected some high frets and ordered a fret rocker. Man, what a difference. I guess that's one major difference between a cheap guitar and a more expensive one. Cheap guitars they just press the frets in and ship it out. Strange that such a tiny amount could make so much buzzing. I mean it was like the width of two hairs, but it was killing my tone.
Got a cheap epiphone Vintage Edition Black matte. And the higher frets slightly popped up and causing dead note. Quite disappointed
I used a credit card. 👍
Really nice demonstration of how to carefully perform a DIY repair. Lots of demo with just enough chat. Thanks Webster.
Good Video with some great tips. Thank you. Helped me address a high bothersome fret on my guitar without any drama. I will add if filing a fret, consider you’ll need to sand and polish the fret(s) to remove file marks so you might want to leave just a smidge high and then sand and polish to height .
I have been repairing gtrs for years and have found a better way to do this as it is possible to file the individual fret too low . Use a small dead flat stick - like a gtr nut blank and stick a small width of sandpaper in the middle of this . Then put masking tape either side of the sandpaper , one or two strips or combo of masking tape / parcel tape until you have a flat levelling block that is smooth at each end . You then stone that high fret in the direction shown above until the frets either side stop you going lower - you can feel when you're no longer sanding and it saves having to keep stopping and checking the height
Yes. I have put the sandpaper in the middle. Then put it on the ends, but soft side down. This makes the cutting surface exactly level to the ends.
works perfectly,thank u..excellent video..i even do mine with a thin precision file so i don't have to pull the strings off..just kinda pull up on em a lil bit and check frequently with the rocker
Really useful. I bought a new kramer that had a single fret that went high toward one side. Thought I'd need to order a whole set of expensive files from stewmac but got the job done with a jewelers file using this.
Theoretically, yes. However, I've seen plenty of $1000+ guitars that don't have the best fretwork.
Wow, as quickly and confidently as you work, you must have ALOT of experience! Good Job, Good video!
What a great video! I just leveled the frets on all my guitars for $4!
To re-crown frets I filed a depression lengthwise in a small piece pine with a small round file. The 600 and 800 grit automotive sand paper conformed to the depression and did the trick. I am kind of a clod so I am sure if I tried to crown the fret with a flat file I would gouge through the tape and into the neck.
great video! how should i go about leveling the neck before measurin the high spots and working on the frets?
Thanks for this video!
I have one fret on my Dean Hardtail that is doing the same thing and I have been leery to attempt this. But watching you do it I have the confidence now. :)
You can't be scaring me about my headphones like this. Thought my hd 280s were broken for a second
This helped give me some confidence. Despite having done *so many* projects on lots of guitars & basses (some very expensive ones too), I'm *still* squeamish about doing this. I've got a $300 Jackson Dinky that plays & feels *great* for a Chinese guitar, but fret #17 is high on the treble side, which makes the guitar all but useless for shredding. What I'm worried about is that--with those huge Jackson frets--I won't be able to crown it and get the shape right again. That said, this method you've shown (which I imagine is how most all the pro's do it) seems straightforward. I'm a great sculptor anyhow, and it's not like I'm working on a Gibson or a Fender worth $1K+, so I might as well dive-in! Thanks for sharing the video!
I bought a plane blade at a hardware store which has a level edge. I ground down the sharp edge of the blade. It works very well and is cheaper than some of the stuff you get from Stew-Mac.
Thank you, very easy to understand. I'm glad I don't need buy any fancy tools.
This is a really great video, Im gonna try this on my high 3rd fret once i purchase a suitable file, thanks for the tutorial !
Any more guitar tech info/ how to videos would be much appreciated. I am a learning guitar tech with little: money, resources and tools. I know how to do many things but learning from a pro is always benefical. -PK
I thank you for your video that made it pretty simple to fix my problem I appreciate it
any details on the file and the grade of sandpaper?
thanks for this
400 grit
This is exactly what I was looking for!
I am greatly indebted to you sir and thank you for simplifying the lives of your fellow man!
Great video!! Thanks! It's given my the information and increased my confidence that I won't destroy my guitar.
One thing to note. The triangular file cuts into the tape as he is filing, which can damage the fretboard if you aren't careful. This is one reason to invest in files specific for leveling frets because they have rounded edges.
It actually never reached into the board; the tape simply got thin enough to see through it. That file actually has one edge ground 'safe', but even so it will eventually go through tape or whatever. When I'm filing the fret top the 'safe' edge is facing up but it's hard to really tell in the video. When shaping the fret top it's always facing the board.
I grinded the the edges of my file then sanded them ( I am satisfied with my job !
Good measures!
Good points. I just got a guitar where the 19th fret is high. The D string buzzes and if you stretch the G and B strings on the 18th fret they will fret out. I will give this a try. If there any other things to be careful of, all advice welcome. Thanks.
Phil
NYC/Jersey Shore Area
True, if the fretboard is radius'ed properly and the frets installed with a fret press then they will be VERY close to being level right after installation. I don't humidify a neck before re-fretting. I don't want the neck at some artificial humidity level.
You really made that look easy? I love the way the micro mesh makes the frets have a Mirror effect!
Where can i get that to do all my frets?
Brilliant !! you just saved me about 30/40 quid, worked like a charm. Although I used a nail file and buffer :)
Great video! If it’s one fret I would use a small wood block and give a couple hammer hits. Sometimes that’s all you need to do also…
Simple and easy to understand 👍
great video. I also made some DIY tools for fret work. I'm fresh in this so this video showed what i forgot to do when leveling. I bought some special files to round the crown but the crown was irregular then because in some guitars frets where a bit out of fretboard cause of higro problems. I glue them again but then not whole fret is to high but just a part of it so when using file the crown was irregular. I forgot to file the sides of the fret with some traingle file like You did. Thanx!
Neat trick with the Sharpie - I was wondering abut the flattening
awesome thanks! would love to see some videos of guitar work.
Just Great, so cool video!
helped me a lot, thanks for your teaching.
Best video quality of all these how to DIY video s
Dude! Thanks, you just saved me 100$ for one high spot.
Very nice demo!
try a dab of mothers aluminum polish with your high grit stuff it will make them shine like chrome.
Yes! Always tape the fretboard, apply a little bit of Mother's mag polish, work them 4-5 seconds each with a dremel with a felt pad at med speed. Fast and amazing results.
Nicely done! I really appreciate the quality of the video and just as important...the audio! Most of the time these youtube vids. are really crappy but yours is very well done. Nice camera work!
Thanks. This was recorded on nothing more than an iPhone4. I don't recall what I used to hold the phone in place.
Hey, they are making feature length movies with iPhones now, so... Nothing wrong with that.
Awesome work!
Really helpful video, before starting this process I only had one fret that tested level. I worked up and down the neck using that fret as a reference and it worked perfectly, well done mate :)
awesome video, just bought a new acoustic and i have some high frets, only a couple, would rather do this myself than pay £120 for a some else to do it. Might give it a go over the weekend. Got all the tools here too
EXCELLENT and genuinely useful video. Thanks for posting this!
I really appreciated that video. Thank you. Can you tell me what type of tape you are using to tape the fretboard and not leaving any glue on it or remove some wood when taking it off?
The micro mesh polishing paper looks like it has a sponge in the middle of it. Where do you get that kind of micro mesh polishing paper?
Thank you for this video. This gives me the confidence to work on my guitar which has a high fret. I was under the impression that you gotta have some expensive files and equipment specifically built for luthier do perform such task.
Very satisfying
Nice. If I were to do this with sand paper what grit would you recommend me to use? I've got 320, 400 and 600. Should I get some 1000 or 1500? Or What I have will do?
xxxxneoxxxx, 600 will be coarse enough to remove the tooling marks but your are going to need something finer to polish the fret after the 600. 1000 and 1500 should do the trick. You can also use 0000 steel wool but you need to be careful to tape off the pickups because the magnets will attract the metal 'dust'.
webster miller Thanks a lot. I managed to get some 1000 and 2500 paper. The result was excellent. Thanks a lot for teaching us how to do this ourselves. You rock!
Webster - very good video. What grit is the micro mesh that you used? Thx.
GREAT VID...its helpful...the one your working on that has tape on both sides IS your high one of course...but, I moved down the neck checking for rocking and found like THREE in a row that rocks...WHICH ONES are the REAL CULPRET...??
Can you provide a link for the micromesh and pads you used. All I find is paper
Nice, patient work. What fretboard oil or conditioner would you recommend? Thanx.
With the micro-mesh I used 1500 "Rust", then 3200 "Tan", then 4000 "Teal", then 8000 "Royal Blue", and finally 12000 "Gray". I probably could have skipped the 3200. If you only have normal sandpaper, I would use 400 lightly to remove the tooling marks, then 600, then 1000, and then 0000 steel wool to polish.
@seasonedtoker, when dealing with a 3 fret span it's not as critical. When doing a full level/recrown I'll use a slotted ruler to ensure the fretboard is level before leveling the frets.
nice video!!!
BTW, what kinda file did you use, as in what grit is the file? (if the grit is too low you will easily mess up the frets i suppose)
exactly what i was looking for. thanks dude.
This was VERY helpful..Thank u!!!!... I have a guitar that the first fret is higher..than the second...I'm going to try this on that...
Was there a fingerboard 'dig' mark after you removed the tape? Good shew!! Gb bg
@73849309378, the fret tops should be level with one another when the neck is dead straight. Regardless, when dealing with just 3 frets you are pretty safe as there will be little change if the neck is under tension or not.
Yea, make sure you like your relief first
awesome work man :) an easier crowning method would be to get a specially designed crowning file... it'll get you an OCD consistent crown across an entire fretboard... and it'll be a little less hassle to polish the fret after since the tooling marks will be straight across the fret instead of being in a crosshatch like they are with the bastard file.
TheSoxmania, I own true crowning files. However, the whole point of this particular video was to show how to do with the work with tools you can find in any hardware store.
webster miller Fair do's man :P still a great example of an awesome crowning job anyways :)
Thanks! Great job
If you have the skill this works fine.If you Never deed this before you might want to start on a cheap guitar or get a regular fret file Good show Great skill
Thanks! this helps me out a lot! although I wish you would has shown what it sounded like before and after the leveling. one more thing. Is the grade of the sandpaper getting finer as you go? You get and thumbs up from me!
@DarkdeviI725, yes, but it would take a lot of filing. Let a flat file knock it down and then recrown with the crowning file.
@pleximanic, Not really. It can definitely be more consistent but it doesn't allow you do crown at whatever profile you would like.....only the profile ground into it.
Isn't using a flat file for the crown causing unnecessary ware to the fret? Nice video, but I dont think I would use an non-arced file for the crown job. Thanks!
straight to the point, no bs. thanks
Do you do this without straightening out the neck? And what micromesh grades did you use? Great vid, thanks.
There's not going to be much, if any, bend in the neck over a three fret span in that area of the neck. This assumes you're doing this on a neck that had the proper amount of relief set when strung. I've found it almost uncanny that most necks with proper relief strung end up being almost dead flat once unstrung.
As for the micromesh, I can't recall and I don't have the color/grade chart near me at the moment. You can find it online and then look at the colors I'm using to make the determination.
OK, thanks for replying on what I appreciate is a very old vid. Cheers.
did u wack it with a dead blow first?? i would try that first
A rocking gauge can tell you fret is high. But it will do exactly the same thing if the adjacent fret is low. Check two frets beyond, not just one to make sure this isn't the case.
Great Vid!!! Helped me a lot!!! Thanx! greetings from chile!
Webster, can you answer the question of the grit of micro mesh you are using??
Thanks, great info.
Thanks for the video, I dont have a fret level file so I needed to find something I could use as one. But luckily I do have a fret crowning file coming in the mail so I the crowning wont be an issue for me. By the way could a fret crowing file alone do fret leveling?
Hammering with something softer than metal, might be a better solution, if the slots are not glued in. As the frets are cut from the same wire, and the slots often are made on machine, it only leaves the option that some of the frets are not proper set in to the bottom of the slot. That paves the way to succes with a plastic hammer. Wonder if Anyone here knows if Harley Bentons are glued? Per in Denmark 😎🇩🇰
What grit micro mesh did you use to smooth pit the fret? I have ONE high fret and it's driving me crazy.
This is a very high file right? Can you tell me some specs?
Greetings and a happy new year!! :)
@CrabtreeGuitar, Nope, no extra wear on the fret. The 4 square file allows me to put whatever profile I want on the crown....a dedicated crowning file can only produce the profile ground into it.
Good stuff
now you got a sexy 10th fret and all the other frets are jealous. i hope they dont call that 10th fret names :(
That's the 13th fret, I see you thought the fingerboard was running the other way.
@@kahiausouza4607 its actually the 14th fret and he commented 9 years ago he might be dead
Thats a real nice job' Why don't you do anymore videos??
After removing the strings, did you adjust the truss rod so that the fingerboard was laying flat or leave it was it was? In some videos that I've watched, they have leveled the fingerboard before starting the leveling process.
@flokijhdfjkvnhsdfjkl, many of the best luthiers still prefer to use 4 square file for crown work over a dedicated crowning file. It gives them MORE control over the crown's final shape. With a crowning file you are stuck with whatever crown shape is cut into the file. Using a 4 square allows you to create whatever profile you or the customer wants. Some actually like a profile that is almost triangular which no crowning file can reproduce.
Micromesh finish looks good. Looks easier than steel wool.
Yeah and steel wool never got my frets to shine like a mirror either!
The Micro mesh really impressed me!
Polish those frets to a mirror shine - otherwise your bends will not be smooth and fret will wear down faster due to friction.
Great work! But isn't it better to use a crowning file when doing the crowning?
@johnnyguitarzan, all depends on if there really is a hump in the fretboard as well as its severity. If its just slight then you can get away with just leveling the fret as all that really matters is that the frets are level. If the hump is really bad then you would probably need to pull all the frets and re-radius/level the entire fretboard.
I use a long flat file and go down the entire fret board to get all the frets even !
Seems like you are filing most of the fret on the video. If I have fret risen within two strngs how would I file? Should I concentrate on the problem area or should I try to level the problem area within the rest of the fret? With the second option I am afraid to take off even a little bit as it may lower the fret where there isn't a problem and create a worse problem for myself.