refretting a Fender stratocaster PART 18 (recrowning/polishing the new frets)

[danbenkert]

Thank you so much Jason this has made my fretting jobs that I do on my many guitars much better!!

[42lynchmob]

why are the tangs going all the way across??  rosewood fretboards different from maple necks or what???

[smbstressfest]

@42lynchmob I don't follow? As long as the fingerboard is unbound, you can undercut the tangs or let the go all the way to the edge and file them flush. I tend to go with the latter unless I have a specific reason not to.

[journeyquest1]

Looks nice. Lots of tedious work. Sad that so much of this work goes to some spoiled rich "kid" or guitar hack who has to have the best regardless of talent. I just look for a good Epiphone or Fender standard and set it up and learn to play with it the way it is,like so many great guitar players have done through history. I am intersted in the gold frets that are supposed to have nice tone and wear longer?

[smbstressfest]

@journeyquest1 The Jescar "gold-evo" frets are indeed more durable than standard 18% nickel silver. I'm not trying to be a wet blanket, but any difference in tone is likely to be almost imperceptible by the human ear. If you want this wire, it's probably best to choose it based on the aesthetics and durability.

[jsxtal]

@smbstressfest its still a different tone and feel whether the instrument is drastically different, or hardly noticeable at first. In my opinion, i feel that the best work that can be attained in this area of the bass, is the type that takes a while to really appreciate. I love understanding and gaining the most from work at a later time. Journey quest i think your opinion is a quite jaded, while warranted.

[smbstressfest]

@jsxtal Until somebody does a well designed placebo controlled double blind study on the tonal differences among different fretwire alloys, I gotta stick with the null hypothesis. After all, everything we say here is just anecdotal and speculative. I'll gladly revise my position in light of new evidence, but the emperor still looks naked from where I'm seated at this moment.

[gary97209]

Great series Jason. You also have taught me how to solder.

Regarding the flap-sanding method for semi-crowning the frets with the rubber pad/sandpaper.

I think I see what might be a better way? Use the other end..the square end and place some self-stick sandpaper ALMOST to the end. That way the sandpaper would hit the sides or the frets but then the rubber tip would ride over the frets top without the paper touching the top of the fret.

Just a idea from watching.

[UVDan]

StewMac loves you. 8^) I have an 80's Epi LesPaul100 with a bolt on neck. It needs a refret badly and now I think I can get-r-done. Thanks for this series. It is what I needed to boost my confidence. I just need to save my pennies for the tools.  It is possible to do this without that fancy neck jig right?

[smbstressfest]

Oh yeah, I'd say most people refret without many of the tools I use. The neck jig specifically is a tool for the serious professional, or at least the serious hobbyist. You could of course make one rather than buy one too if you're so inclined.

[UVDan]

Thanks.

[BigAndouille]

I have an Allparts neck with frets that seem to hang when running my finger lengthwise on the board. I'm assuming this is normal for new frets? Got it second hand with zero wear. Not sure of Allparts finish work to begin with.

Anyway, would this finger technique be appropriate to smooth the tops of the frets? Seems like it would, but I have no fretwork expce. I've done wood and finish work in other hobbies, tho. I don't have the tools or confidence to be filing frets or leveling them.

[smbstressfest]

If the tangs protrude slightly and feel sharp on the sides of the fingerboard, you have a dry neck. If you're referring to the fret ends being sharp, you'll want to mask off the fingerboard and do a little fret end dressing (there is a video in this series that deals with that operation too). If you have doubts on your ability to handle the work, find a professional to do it. A lot can go wrong if we mess with guitar frets without having experience. And always practice on scrap first :-)

[BigAndouille]

I wasn't very clear about what I meant, sorry. I was referring to the crowns, Through a more in depth inspection, there were some burrs and flat spots due to a half assed leveling job done by the previous owner, or maybe Allparts.

However, through the use of techniques in this video series, I now have a neck with leveled, smooth, shiny, polished frets which will hopefully play very nicely! Thanks again for posting videos like this, it's a huge help to diy'ers like myself!

[smbstressfest]

Always glad to help.

[kasen728]

Good video =) btw Im loving your shirt ^^ Zelda is amazing!

[shredacuda]

Hello, i just had a guitar refretted and the guy that did returned it to me with many dead frets on the upper fretboard. He said he did them all individually, no leveling with a longer leveling tool. Is this as wrong as i think it is?

[smbstressfest]

By dead frets you mean that the strings were noting out or being choked off? Like a fret buzz or just no note at all?? Unless we're talking about a PLEK machine, there really is no such thing as LEVELING frets individually. Saying that begs the question, level to what? You think it's possible he have meant they were INSTALLED individually? Bottom line though, a newly refretted guitar should play pretty damn good, otherwise I'd be foreced to question the competency of the repair tech.

[smbstressfest]

Is the guy gonna fix it and make things right?

[shredacuda]

Dead frets: totally choked off. It sounds like he puts the frets in, cleaned the ends up as best he could, then crowned and polished without actually making them all the same height.

[smbstressfest]

Yeah, I hope that didn't cost you more than $50 LOL... you're going to have to get them leveled. And given the poor workmanship, I'd check to make sure they're all seated correctly and not loose. Whether a professional does it or you do it, a refret ALWAYS should have a light fret leveling. And are we sure the action isn't just too low? Does the fret job look ok or can you tell that it's garbage just by eye?

[smbstressfest]

Can you post a video response and show me/demonstrate what it's doing?

[shredacuda]

the original frets were very low (worn). But the action was amazing with 0 buzz. Now the action is very high with lots of choked frets. I'll try to do a video but i've never posted on youtube.

[nsc217]

Hi Jason... will this method work if I had to take a lot off the frets so that they're flat on the top? (MUCH more so than yours).

[smbstressfest]

If you're too flat you'll to use a recrowning file. Otherwise you're note won't be leading off dead center of the fret and the intonation might suffer. How flat are we talking? Can you measure the height of the fret as installed and leveled vs an uninstalled fret, what is the difference?

[slash78]

haha yes is the same guy I gues... :) nice job man!!

[theshyguitarist]

Nice videos. I thought I'd mention that you remind me of Sean Astin....that guy that played Sam Gamgee in Lord of the Rings. No offense. ; )

[dubox37]

hahahaha i completely agree!

great fret work by the way!

[twoboots4you]

The Musician's Den needs to make it's new slogan: "Let the middle take care of itself ! ". I'd buy that T-shirt.

[luigipod]

4:07 :-! even if the neck is supported... I'd better watch out not to set my weight onto it ;) :)

[smbstressfest]

I can assure you that I'm quite careful.

[smbstressfest]

Well, normally when you do a refret, the fingerboard is leveled somewhat. If you do many, many refrets. You'll thin it out to the point where it's no longer thick enough to accommodate the tang of the fretwire. You don't want to saw into the neck proper, so at that point you'll either have to remove material from the bottom of the new fret tangs, or replace the fingerboard. We're talking MANY MANY refrets before this would happen under normal conditions.