Please help me start on fretting!

[caprile]

Well, in my really slow quest for becoming a guitar tech, I feel it's time to start fretting. I know I should start on simple stuff, and of course, on cheap/disposable necks.

The thing is, I've looked around and basically I've found 2 radically different approaches:

1.- Stew Mac: "buy this $200 tool, specifically designed for setting 17th frets"
2.- Project guitar and other sites: "make your own tools using the multiple woodworking tools and skills you already have"

The thing is, I don't have a whole shop (nor want to), and I don't have extensive experience in general crafts. Obviously, I also don't want to spend a lot of cash on tools I'll seldom use.

Can you please recommend some kind of starter set? I don't want to refret vintage strats, I just want to level old guitars and maybe ocassionally replace a couple of frets beyond repair.

Thanks!!!!!!

[David McCarroll]

Well, that's pretty simple - if you don't have a workshop, StewMac is the place to go! If you only want to do fret levelling, all you really need is a 12" mill file (smooth) with the tang ground off, and a decent set of fret and nut files - in fact the Ibanez Fret/Nut files are as good as any on the market unless you want diamond dust files and the like (great for Stainless Steel frets). If you want to be a bit more precise as to fretboard radius and maiking sure your levelled frets follow it, then the StewMac Radiussing beams are fantastic.

If you want to replace the odd fret, you are moving totally into refret territory - you need fret nippers, fret cutters, you need some method of pre-bending frets prior to installation (I have used a coffee tin in desperation....), you probably need a fret saw, something to clean old glue out of fret slots, most likely a clamping caul, a dead-blow hammer .......

So, for the latter, StewMac's $200 kit is probably pretty good value. The best bucks I have ever spent is on their fret tang nipper, which turns a very tedious and quite painful hour job into about five minutes of work - how cool is that!!!

Cheers,

David McCarroll
Sydney, Australia

[caprile]

Great advice!

So, for levelling a radiused beam. What can I use for minor stuff, like softening edges on new guitars? maybe a dremel?

Thanks!

[Jaden]

like David says, the stewmac kit represents a good starter pack and will get you a long way down the road.
for levelling use either a mill file as David said or TBH, anything flat.
ive used a piece of extruded aluminium before with self adhesive wet or dry paper on it. as long as its flat then its useable.
then you can use a radius block for getting the fret radius back correctly.
for finishing the ends of the frets then you could use a fret end file but I think they are a little too harsh and I use wet or dry to do the ends while im polishing.

+1 on the fret tang nipper, expensive but if you are doing a lot of fret jobs, its worth every penny.

[Silver Sable]

I just completed my first fret job every this weekend. I bought the stewmac starter kit and used just about everything. The best part that came with it was the book showing detailed step by step instructions with lots of photos on how to do fret jobs on everything from a basic cheapo mexistrat to a vintage Martin.

I read through the book three times because there are so many different ways of doing things. Some people believe in no glue at all... some people believe in carving out a big slot that the frets float in and then gluing the heck out of them... some people believe in a combination of hammering and glueing. The book talks about and walks you through it all along with some VERY useful information on fixing neck problems in general.

GRANTED these folks are using tens of thousands of dollars of custom setups for holding guitars in place or fixing neck issues. I don't have that kind of money nor space. I have a small corner of my living room with a workbench and all of my tools. So some of it was like a cool, someday I'll try that when I have a full workshop. That is where reading the information on project guitar (or from jemsiters) comes in handy. They have great ideas for how to accomplish a specific tasks without spending tons of money on the huge stewmac stuff. But the basic files, leveler, nippers, and the booklet are pretty much as basic as it gets.

I should have picked up a hand held fret bender and I'll do so before doing another fret job. I ended up buying a short block of handrail at the Home Despot and cut a groove for the tang to fit in... then I pounded a radius into each fret. Damn near took me forever, but it worked.

I would recommend buying frets a bit higher than what you really want to finish with... that way you can file them down a bit to correct for the rookie mistakes.

I'm sure my next fret job will be much easier and better overall. But I didn't do bad at all for my first attempt, if I do say so myself. And I owe a lot of it to the folks round here who gave me tons of advice and info.

GOOD LUCK!

[nuno]

yeah i too think you couldn't get an easy job without buying some of the basic tools. the guys already told you anything, but let me tell you, do NOT undervalue the almighty Crowing File. you MUST give the frets their crown back after leveling. do not leave them flat, like i often see on many "luthiers" works. it is very important for the frets to be crowned. a crowned fret it's easier to play and will make your strings sound more "intelligible" and precise intonation-wise. not to mention butter-like bendings... wow. the customers will thank you

[Jaden]

Nuno, are you serious ?
youve seen levelling that has not been crowned !!!

wow...
+1 on the crowning file, I use the waverly type with interchangeable burrs.

[nuno]

Originally Posted by Jaden

Nuno, are you serious ?
youve seen levelling that has not been crowned !!!

i swear. actually MOST the times i see leveled guitars the frets aren't crowned, about 8 times on 10. so much that by now i recognize them, and when someone brings their guitars to me for some works, i look at the frets and often i'm like: "hey, what's with these ugly frets? have they been leveled by some luthier?" and the answer is always "yes"...

i hate it.

[brothersnowgone]

He's right, I've seen it all too often!

[Jaden]

im shocked - honestly !
I dont work for a shop or anything, just for my own customers but ive never seen that.