Fret dressing your guitar.

admin

I laid off four years on guitars, hardly picked one up; I sold the shop, I'd had enough for awhile, it wasn't fun anymore.  Then for some reason I got crazy to get at them again.  Here's an example of a pretty simple task you can do to your guitar if needed.  Friends found out I was willing to work on guitars some and I'm back in the saddle as much I want to be. Problem:  the frets get worn from playing and eventually you have 6 shallow grooves cut into the Nickel alloy frets where the strings pass.  This groove causes a buzzing sound (the sound  is from the string rubbing on the fret just below the one ya' got your finger on. The solution is to bring all the frets (or some of the frets as needed) back level with no grooves.  This can be done on a guitar usually 2x before you need to REfret the instrument.   Often the frets are grooved only where you play, like the first 5-6 frets for example.  Additionally true Vintage or historical or family heirloom guiitars should be approached as something NOT to screw up. so, take your time. Place the guitar face up on a soft towel.  Prop up the neck 3-4 inches with  a wooden neck brace/stand; a  U shaped piece that is protected for scratching (leather, rag etc). Loosen the strings and put masking tape right up next to the frets on each side.  Around the 6th fret you'll just do one at a time the tape will be too wide.  Tools:  a small triangle shaped file, sandpaper 220 grit and some real fine like 5-600.  A polisher, a Dremel or the like.  Some polishing pads for Dremel or as I do clean cotton squares that are spun onto the Dremel bit and used as polishing pads.Picture #1  1st fret-done, 2nd polishing, 3rd sanding, 4th dressed, 5th filing, 6th markedMark the first 5-6 frets with a magic marker and let it dry.  Take the triangle file and GENTLY press and move from bass to treble parallel with the fret. Let it cut a little, take it easy.  You should see some magic marker dots left which are the grooves. Continue with the file working from the edges/sides lengthwise following the mushroom shaped crown of the fret. Reshape it round and go till you just barely eliminate the groove. Don't just run it flat across the top, Take it easy, filing marks you make  will have to be sanded out, Less is more. You want to follow the curve as best you can.  Don't get into the wood, take it easy.  If you are careful you can shape it 1/2 round as it was or if you need more tools   you can buy a 1/2 round crowing file. This shapes the crown for you.  StewartMac.com  has them.Pic 2 is tools So, it is clean no grooves and shaped 1/2 round, now sand the filing marks out, 220 then finer, and polish it with Turtle Chrome polish.  Silver polish is too fine, Chrome works good.Continue up the neck until you see no grooves and then just polish   frets to the end.  If, you get  to a 2nd set of grooves up the neck because someone played a lot there,  it is a little tougher. Start from the bottom #1 fret to beyond the last fret with grooves and dress off those frets. Otherwise you'll have some high ones in the middle that will buzz.  Beyond the last damaged fret you are ok. Pic 3 done, ready to stringString it up and go thru the neck note by note.  If you find a buzzing spot,  dress the one just below it. Continue this patiently till you got no buzzes.  pic 4 new nut, old plastic nut, and piece of bone materialNeck may need truss rod adjusted, that is another topic.    This Guitar, 1960's Sunburst Epiphone.  He inherited this piece from his Granddad so we're mindful of that as we go. Less is more, the more original I keep it with fewer changes and holes etc, the better. This guitar  will get a new bone nut to replace the plastic one. That is almost done in the last pic  that pic also shows some frets shined up.   I'm going to install an ~in the sound hole~ pickup and  jack and preamp so he can play his Guitar in church.       The first pics from this mornings work:oh i forgot, enjoy, Bret Attached ImagesLast edited by PapaLion; 10-20-2010 at 08:49 PM.Lincoln Power MIG 215Lincoln WeldPak 3200HDLincon ProCut 25Lincoln WeldanPower 225 AC/DCIf all else fails... buy more tools
Reply:Very nice Bret. Where was your shop?If you ever come to Tucson there is a new restaraunt with a guitar/music theme. There are vintage guitars on the walls along with vintage concert posters, and there is live music. It is called Tremelo and it is at the Foothills Mall.Miller Challenger 172Miller Thunderbolt AC/DC 225/150Miller Maxstar 150 STLVictor 100CVictor JourneymanOxweld OAHarris O/ASmith O/A little torchNo, that's not my car.
Reply:I do go to Tucson some, as my daughter is finishing med school there this year.  I'll try the place, Hard Rock is fun, always guitars too oogle.  My shop was in Yuma, in Tucson there is Harvey at Rainbow Guitars. He was a Fender dealer, vintage stuff too, he sold some guitars to the Stones as I recall.This thread is just tools and techniques for fun. RU in Phoenix or Tucson?Lincoln Power MIG 215Lincoln WeldPak 3200HDLincon ProCut 25Lincoln WeldanPower 225 AC/DCIf all else fails... buy more tools
Reply:I'm in Tucson. Yes Rainbow sold some stuff to the Stones all right. Some years ago they were booked for an evening concert here. My wife to be was eating lunch at a cafe next door to Rainbow when she saw a limo pull up to the back door and Kieth Richards got out and went in the back door. Of course she ran right over there but they insisted he was not there.Miller Challenger 172Miller Thunderbolt AC/DC 225/150Miller Maxstar 150 STLVictor 100CVictor JourneymanOxweld OAHarris O/ASmith O/A little torchNo, that's not my car.
Reply:Here's a link to Tremelo, there's a gallery showing all the guitars, you will probably be able to id  ID them all.http://www.cafetremolo.com/Miller Challenger 172Miller Thunderbolt AC/DC 225/150Miller Maxstar 150 STLVictor 100CVictor JourneymanOxweld OAHarris O/ASmith O/A little torchNo, that's not my car.
Reply:Not uncommon as U re string the guitar to find a fret or two does buzz somewhere.  I did on this one at the 13th fret on the D string... file down and re-crown the frets from just past that buzz down... and taper off till you get no buzz, a little goes a long way.  Sometimes a neck adjust will help too.All done, sound hole pickup just slides in before you string it, the end jack is soldered to the lead from your pickup.  You can plug into the P.A or amplifier. from here... or add a pre amp on your belt and then on to the P.A.  I made up the small lead to go from the guitar to the preamp on his belt.  A sound hole pickup is much more effective at giving you real good reproduction than a piezo/crystal pickup under the saddle. piezos have uneven pressure problems and they often sound shallow and thin.  These might not be as kool looking, but they sound way better and are removeable if you must. .    I drilled one hole, the one for the jack... 7/16" wood bit nice and sharp. HAND turn it with an auger handle like you would thread a hole. No 1/2" high speed drills needed, no tearing wood mess either . Then use a small rat tail file to relieve it a bit and it all goes smoothly.  Total cost on parts about $200. Grandpas 1968 Epiphone slope shoulder Acoustic ready to go to church. enjoy, Attached ImagesLincoln Power MIG 215Lincoln WeldPak 3200HDLincon ProCut 25Lincoln WeldanPower 225 AC/DCIf all else fails... buy more tools
Reply:Hey, PapaLion, dont forget to oil that nice rosewood fretboard   i use lemon pledge, but Ernie Ball makes a really nice fingerboard wipe now.got a pic of the new nut after the grooves are cut?  what kind of grooves did you cut?  I have an electric with V grooves in the nut (with locking tuners) and it stays in tune very well.
Reply:LemOil does the trick, clean and lasts.  Lemon Pledge... has silicone but shuldn't be a bad thing?  The nut i use is a hunk of bone,  I like to start with one not pre shaped or any grooves pre cut.  I shape it on a Delta 1" sander mostly,  No cutting just sanding.  Width is the  real critical thing, it has got to be tight.  It should take strong fingers to pull it out as you test the fit.  CA/Superglue a few drops and clamp for a few mnutes.There are sets of fret files which work great.  I notch just a tad and set the strings up and then eyeball the thing for a long time from angles. Each string is a different diameter but equal spacing is important.  Trust your eye.Then the slots get cut  to a near final depth. As you cut the string slot with the file,  angle the  groove down toward the tuners at about a 30 degree angle or a bit more..   String it and  bring the guitar to pitch and adjust the neck relief if needed.Finally cut down each of the six string grooves one at a time a tad more until the string height at the first fret is good. Too low it buzzes (and UR screwed start over at step one)  too high and you have to press too hard to play  "cowboy chords".  String should sit up out of the  slot 1/3 and not be buried in a deeply cut slot, kills tone and volume.  Aok to file off a little of the top of the nut and reshape if needed as U go. Some electrics are normally loaded with real light strings and a setup with a very low fast action  so the musician can play very fast.  Normally, the string angles away from the nut and down to the tuners which provides the tension to stay in tune, and the force rests on the nut   The tuner doesn't hold back the string from slipping it just lets string in and out to tune.   In a few models Locking Tuners are a kind of German thinking, precise, beautiful,  extravagant and really do provide some WHOA to the strings too.  These guitars often have a little nightmare screwed on at the bridge called a Floyd Rose Whammy.   They balance the entire energy and tension of the strings and all the whammy vibrato pulling by the musician  on two hardened steel razor edges which bite into posts set into the guitar face.  This wears quickly and  so micro tuners for each string at the bridge/tremelo were added.  This added  more complexity  and numerous parts. Then because they still got some slipping at the nut, they upgraded  to a metal nut to lock the strngs down  with a little bar and allen head screws... Them D@#$ strings can't go nowheres...   I made some good $ setting them up for guys who would bring in a guitar with the string resting on the fretboard, totally unplayable.  They had been screwing around with post height and tension until it was totally unplayable.   God Bless Floyd Rose, he helped me stay in biz.Last edited by PapaLion; 10-28-2010 at 08:38 PM.Lincoln Power MIG 215Lincoln WeldPak 3200HDLincon ProCut 25Lincoln WeldanPower 225 AC/DCIf all else fails... buy more tools
Reply:Like to see guitar players & Luthiers on the board.Yeah, I agree you always want to keep the neck straight when doing any fret work. Also, a good metal straight edge helps confirm the neck is true before you start going after those buzzy frets.I always use pledge on my guitars as well and have never had a problem. When it gets into the bridge area and machine heads often I may switch from cloth to q-tips and even to tooth picks to clean hard to reach areas especially if it is a new acquisition or the instrument has not serviced in a while. Most times I will dis-assemble the whole bridge and clean screws, saddles etc. with a dremmel tool. I strongly advise against doing this with bridge parts mounted. If you miss you could gouge something like the finish or pick guard. Then of course re-intonate the guitar afterward. On rosewood necks & such every once in a while (like every 2-5 years) I will use boiled linseed oil. I was told a few decades ago that this was great for the wood and keeps it from drying out. I never researched this personally but I have never had a problem with a few vintage axes that I own. It looks like a brand new neck right after a boiled linseed oil treatment and for quite sometime.Keep pickin!ArtHobbyist but love the arc.Bobcat 250Shopmaster 300DialArc 250DialArc HF-PMillermatic 180WC115aS-21EHF251D-1Max Star STLHobart HandlerLincoln 135
Reply:There is a spendy jig you can buy from a luthier supply place, "guitar fixer" tools, parts and accessories company. The idea is to keep the neck straight and tensioned as you work, even though the strings are removed. You clamp the guitar to it, it has dial indicators and everything.  I took a look at the thing years ago, went home and got a hunk of aluminum, and made one. I use it some. There are other ways too.   For this  crowning I just used a magic marker and mark the buzzes, loosen the strings and crown the frets as as needed, re-string and go again.  Wiorks fine.  Yup, a dremel is our friend, not our good friend but useful  An ultrasonic cleaner surplus from a dentist office works great to clean small parts, fill with alcohol. Yes, boiled linseed is fine for rosewood, it can leave a residue, less is more. We've had a thread or two on guitars, pics etc.  Lot's of weldors play guitars. I'm going to make some tools soon for some more advanced neck building techniques,  jigs etc.  Working with metal is a useful skill, and I now have  a secret weapon to advise me and do things I can't... coupla hundred WW  guys with excellent fabrication knowledge and ability.   for ex: Any fellas here have a CNC metal fab setup for short runs on small parts?   .Last edited by PapaLion; 10-30-2010 at 06:27 AM.Lincoln Power MIG 215Lincoln WeldPak 3200HDLincon ProCut 25Lincoln WeldanPower 225 AC/DCIf all else fails... buy more tools
Reply:I bought one of those stainless steel string spacing rules from Stew-Mac for doing nut work. It works on any stringed instrument nut & wasn't too pricey.
Reply:Yup, Stew Mac has it all. Spendy but excellent stuff.  I've seen fellas print off a template from some computer program which references  the width of the nut, like 1 11/16" for ex:. They  glue it lightly to the top of the nut and cut at the lines. That is dead on. I can do it well by eye, if patient.  If you start doing nuts  just order 3-4 pieces of the bone... sanding is way easier than cutting to shape it.  You can glue down a coupla little  pieces of  100>220 sandpaper as sanding blocks  and have it done in a few minutes.  Should fit hand tight. Glue in with a very thin coat of Titebond II, clamp overnite and give it a try next day. You will maybe need to do two or 3 to get the hang of it.  Figure and trace the height by running a fine pencil line using the first fret as your reference guide, that'll get U close. .How do u get the old nut out?  Carefully  Ok, small xacto knife blade to edge it so the paint is free of it.  Then take a small nail set and tap the end just a little from bass to treble end.  Go to the other end and tap it again.  Keep that up till it loosens.  IF you tap it from the side you might crack out the nut slot so go easy.  Nut material varies. Bone is good, Fender makes a ground up bone dust in epoxy formed under pressure nut which is really good.  Ivory from Wooly Mammoths is classy and works well, very dense.  I like brass too, but that is for a guitar where you want some clear noting and brightness.  For ex: Slide .  The Floyd Rose lock downs are stamped steel. Here is one I did for me to play slide like blues legend Elmore James on an old Supro Belmont, like his.Nut is brass and the saddle has bone  "Teeth"  to get some brightness, Strung heavy and tuned to  Open E. Attached ImagesLincoln Power MIG 215Lincoln WeldPak 3200HDLincon ProCut 25Lincoln WeldanPower 225 AC/DCIf all else fails... buy more tools
Reply:Well, I can't help showin off one of mine too. My little blonde partscaster. My crappy cheap digital camera doesn't do it justice but the finish actually came out great. If you can't tell it's a swamp ash body with a Mary Kaye finish. I have quite a bit of old legal elephant ivory so I turned the control knobs myself & made an ivory dice for the switch tip. The control plate is ebony which I inlaid with pearl & engraved. Lollar p/u's & Callaham hardware.
Reply:Very Keen indeed.  Telecaster design is so good. Leo Fender was a machinist and stamping  guy, not a musician at all. He was  blue collar working fella who  had a real clear head on his shoulders.  To that end he produced in the early 50's what most feel is the best original guitar design ever, the Telecaster.  Now, 50+ years later many people build their own version.A parallel would be the 32 Ford in hot rodduing. Piirana has created a very special one,  Most folks just assemble them. from standard  parts.. the closer U R to a scratch build from wood, metal and wire,  and Ivory  the more respect ya' get.   The blond finish is a very personal thing, just like real blonds, Ash, Honey, Mary Kay etc...  Hard to do well.   I  am a huge fan of Teles, homebrewed or factory built. "Rock a Billy is too music, Marty Stuart told me so." PapaLion 2001Lincoln Power MIG 215Lincoln WeldPak 3200HDLincon ProCut 25Lincoln WeldanPower 225 AC/DCIf all else fails... buy more tools