sharp frets edges on new guitar

[john1880]

I just bought a brand new SCA220. I returned the 1st one because it was the wrong color, and I got a Pearl Black one now. The Pearl Black one has sharp edges on the frets. Almost like the fret work wasn't completed.
Have you guys seen this in other brand new guitars? The one I returned wasn't like that. Strange...
I guess I should file them down.
That's the bad part about buying online.

[lyconxero]

I dunno, man. I'm really picky about quality no matter where the thing comes from. There are certain things that I can tolerate being wrong with the guitar and certain things that I just won't. Like when I finally got my RG370DX, it had some fret buzz and the sound just wasn't good at all. But other than that, the guitar looks and plays beautifully. All it took to eliminate those problems was a tiny turn of the truss rod and a little adjustment of the pickup height and now my guitar is totally rockin.

Now, if your frets are sharp enough to like cut when you're trying to play it then I would probably send it back. But if it's just a slight discomfort then you may just want to file it down yourself.

[tone_connoisseur]

You'll have to take it to a local luthier and get the frets dressed. He'll file down the edges and polish everything. You'll love it. I had to have mine done on my new RG321. It should cost atleast $100 to have it done.

Whatever you do, don't take it to a local music store just to have it done. Do some research in your area and find a quality luthier. Good luck bro.

[sepsis311]

MY UV777BK was like that. So was my cousins. It's especially noticable on guitars with neck binding. Esecially in the winter, when the wood shrinks, the frets stick out a little. Its completely normal, but i would definately recommend taking it to a trustworthy tech for a fret dressing, and specifically mentioning it. Its not a factory flaw at all. I had this done to my UV, and it plays amazing now.

[Rich]

You're talking about 2 different things. Sharp fret ends, and unfinished fret ends [or barely finished, or badly finished, etc.] Sharp fret ends are from shrinkage of the neck. Unfinished or badly finished are where the edges of the frets haven't been properly rounded for comfort while playing. This is very common on MIK and almost all 3rd world production, and used to be very common for MIJ also. MIJ are much better than a decade ago but you'll still run into unfinished or poorely finished guitars, and I enhance all of them anyway.

Nicely finished fret ends can also be turned sharp by a a tech taking care of shrinkage, if he doesn't properly finish the fret ends when he's done.

[john1880]

Thanks! Rich, that's exactly what is is. I 've seen nicely finished fret ends, and this looks like they put the angle on them and shipped it out. My cheapo Korean shecter 006 had awesome finishing on the fret ends! I don't wanna send it back 'cause I may just get the same thing. I guess I'll try a little filing 'cause it's annoying.

[Rich]

Non MIJ use a much shallower angle, maybe 45*, so they require less finishing, but that shallow angle also makes them tougher to finish well, and also eats away at available playing surface. MIJ is more like 75* and requires finishing to play comfortable. The better the finishing, the more comfortable.

[john1880]

So, I guess they skipped that part on this guitar, 'cause the one i returned had better fret work as far as the ends go. Thanks. same model, sca220.
Yes, the schecter had more angle the ends, but it felt great. No sharp adges at all, and i wasn't slipping off the fret either. Different feel though.
Thanks for the info!

[tech_dude]

New guitars don't have the frets sticking out. That is caused by shinkage of the wood. The metal frets don't shrink. Winter is very dry..............it's the storage and shipping of these instruments that causes that. Did you know that Martin will not ship any high end guitars here to Canada in the winter for just that reason. Martin wants their guitars stored at 40 to 50% humidity. I have a special room for high end acoustics and it's very hard to keep it humidified in the winter. I have several guitars in the store with that same problem. The quality of the guitar has some bearing on it but it seems to be the finish on the neck that dictates the affect. High gloss finished neck seems to be less likely to be affected as a satin finish. With a little tlc you can fix it as good as new.