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Fret work on my first build.....
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Author:  Chris aka Sniggly [ Tue Sep 30, 2008 9:48 pm ]
Post subject:  Fret work on my first build.....
Okay...so now I know why luthiers hire apprentices.

It's so they don't have to do all that cotton pickin fret leveling and crowning and polishing!!!!

I am looking for tips. Tonight I leveled the frets cuz I had a high one on the 12th. Crowned them all over again with hand tools I got from Stewmac. Then I taped...and taped....and taped...and taped. Then I polished and polished and polished. The only thing I didn't mind was the leveling. I got red sharpie on my fingerboard and the subsequent acetone took some of the color out of the board..... :x

Sure it looks good...feels great...but geeeeeezzzzz gaah

So...tips on making this process faster and easier..and more enjoyable. I am already planning on figuring a way to make my dremel polish them. There has got to be an easier way to put the crown back on.
Author:  George L [ Tue Sep 30, 2008 11:07 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Fret work on my first build.....
I feel your pain and hope your query generates many helpful responses. So far, the only dressing I like is served with turkey.

George :-)
Author:  Setch [ Wed Oct 01, 2008 5:38 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Fret work on my first build.....
The best solution is more painstaking preparation, and practice pressing or hammering the frets. In time, you'll find that a properly surfaced fretboard, and evenly seated frets, need virtually no levelling, and acordingly, very little crowning.

This is what to shoot for!
Author:  Hesh [ Wed Oct 01, 2008 6:49 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Fret work on my first build.....
As Todd said good fret work does take time even for the pros.

And as mentioned a uniform methodology for pressing frets can greatly minimize the need to level them - see Mario's article in GuitarMaker a couple of years ago.

Fret work is a bit like DNA too in that the maker or repair person leaves a signature in how they do the ends etc. And the spectrum of work, from crap to excellence, is very wide with fret work.

If it is taking you a long time relax, it takes me a long time too. Instead I would be more focused on your results and how well you can set-up a guitar. That's the goal - playability.

It sounds and looks to me like you are doing a fine job! [:Y:] [clap] [clap] [clap]
Author:  Barry Daniels [ Wed Oct 01, 2008 8:30 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Fret work on my first build.....
Practice makes perfect. Offer free fret level/buff jobs to all your friends. Eventually, you will get your techniques and process down to a reasonable extent. Takes me about an hour to go from raw frets to a leveled and buffed fret board. But it used to take more like 4 hours when I was first starting out.
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