refretting a Fender stratocaster PART 2 (evaluation and reading the neck)

[kammhron]

Awesome info. I could listen to this guitar talk all day!.

[mooney1862]

Any proprietry wood filler treatment I could use to make the surface a little slicker??

I have made a classical guitar before, so have a few skills, I'm really going to consider re-fretting this... thought your series is very good, there are one or two issues I don't understand, so expect a few questions.. thanks for posting ,, it's certainly appreciated by me ... AWESOME!!

[smbstressfest]

@mooney1862 What do you mean by "slicker"? If you mean smooth and highly polished just sand it up extra fine and polish with 0000 steel wool before fretting.

[mooney1862]

@smbstressfest atahst's just what I meant, but the wood seems very dry and quite porous, i have used a cabinet scraper on it, but ithink it might need some sort of oil on it . I'll try to video it and post so you can see what I mean.. thanks again for a great series... kudos

[mooney1862]

hey .. watched through most of this series and will be watching the rest. I have an old 70's Tele, and teh fingerboard is pretty much busted up surface wise, and teh frets certainly need replacing. My question is, that the finger board is very shallow, so not sure how much I can take off the surface to take out all the major holes and pits. Also the f/b seems quite porous. there is only about 1/32" between fret bottom and neck. Is there any proprietry wood filler i could use..

[smbstressfest]

@mooney1862 You'll probably have to refret without leveling the fingerboard much at all. Those thin veneer boards are a real PITA sometimes. Don't obsess over taking every little wear spot out, just focus on making sure the surface is true for the frets to be installed correctly. The fingerboard didn't wear underneath the fret crowns, concern yourself only with that area. And DON'T use wood filler, it will look like crap and sometimes the wear spots are aesthetically correct for an old guitar.

[jjobie]

Is the binding on Gibson guitars the main difference between refretting a Fender neck vs. a Gibson neck?

[smbstressfest]

@jjobie Not all Gibsons have fingerboard binding, but when they do it's a tie between the binding factor and the fact that the necks are set as opposed to bolted on. The latter changes your strategy for installing frets higher up on the neck, making it a little more time consuming typically.

[SuperGuitarpractice]

superb videos!

[lonestar7703]

Hello. How much to refret a gibson 335 with binding? thanks

[smbstressfest]

@lonestar7703 I have replied in a PM.

[cdemanelis]

HAHAHAHA!!! Thats awesome. Any comments (points to floor) Thats some funny shit.

[jmhatutube]

Where did you learn how to do this. This is something I would like to do as a side business but I'm not sure exactly how to approach the learning process. Any advice would be appreciated.

[smbstressfest]

@jmhatutube I learned primarily by reading and experimentation. I'd say you should start by reading every book you can find on the topic of guitar repair. At some point you'll be eager to put to use what you're learning, but proceed with caution on inexpensive instruments first. All too often, people make the mistake of trying to work on guitars professionally before they've practiced on POS guitars first. Don't take on that Les Paul refret until you've done a few yard sale axes first.

[JgHaverty]

@smbstressfest screw books. I just got done doing my first fret leveling from watching your videos...

You should really have a DVD dude...

[BjKnight91]

Would the Compound radius vs the traditional have an effect on intonation? I would rather have less comfort and rely on my playing skills rather than to sacrifice intonation. Just wondering if that could be the case.

[smbstressfest]

@BjKnight91 No, a compound radius fingerboard will have no effect what so ever on intonation. 

[PaliGapSRV]

@smbstressfest

Hi, my guitar sounds just like this one with the fret buzzing and the muting. Do you think I could get away with just getting the frets leveled, or should I go for a refret? I think there 6105.

Thanks for all the videos BTW.

[smbstressfest]

@PaliGapSRV That's impossible for me to say unless I saw the guitar.

[bluesdog88]

Hey Jason, thanks a lot for the fretting series, its looks so much easier when you see someone doing it, and the tips on problems you might encounter are very handy too.I recently put together a strat from parts, the warmoth neck was absolutely beautiful, the hefner body neck pocket was too small,the internal routing was too small and there were no holes for the strat or the bridge support which I thought was ordinary considering the price I paid.

[bluesdog88]

Hey Jason, thanks a lot for the fretting series, its looks so much easier when you see someone doing it, and the tips on problems you might encounter are very handy too.I recently put together a strat from parts, the warmoth neck was absolutely beautiful, the hefner body neck pocket was too small,the inernal routing was too small and there were no holes for the strat or the bridge support which I thought was ordinary considering the price I payed.

[bluesdog88]

Hey Jason, thanks a lot for the fretting series, its looks so much easier when you see someone doing it, and the tips on problems you might encounter are very handy too.I recently put together a strat from parts, the warmoth neck was absolutely beautiful, the hefner body neck pocket was too small,the inernal routing was too small and there were no holes for the strat or the bridge support which I thought was ordinary considering the price I payed.

[PSNgregiskool]

Is that Stewie on your tool box back there?

[jkodee]

very thorough, thanks

[paulk2225]

Thank you, great video series.

[rocknrolldaddio]

very intelegent subject matter. you are a good teacher. you have taken a hard subject and, made it clear and concise.

[iloverush123]

Is this the same on a bass? I have a Mexican Jazz Bass that plays fine until you get to the 15th, where the notes are so bad, it's essentially unplayable. I did what I think to be a comfortable playing setup on it with the same action most bass players I've seen use. Is this a problem with the setup, or a fret problem?

[smbstressfest]

Reading and evaluation of a bass neck is mostly the same. There are other considerations due to the extra length of the neck that would be difficult to get into here. But, yes pretty much the same.

I'd have to see you bass to really be sure but if you only have trouble above the 15th fret and you have a typical action on the instrument, it's likely you could have a rise or something. What exactly is it doing or not doing? Be specific and I'll probably be able to help more.

[iloverush123]

I'll make a video.

[smbstressfest]

No guarantees I'll be able to figure it out from a video. A few empirical measurements would be helpful so I can determine how low your action is. But I'd really need is to see it to be sure. I'll do my best to help, but medical doctors don't make remote diagnoses and I can't either.

[MICKEYISLOWD]

@smbstressfest hi jason do you do any scalloping work i would like to see how this is done properly as i want to scallop my pacifica 1221 guitar ive watched other u tube vids of this being attempted however they seem to be unproffesional in their methods it would be great if u could do a vid on this kind of work...

[smbstressfest]

Yes there do seem to be a lot of amateur scalloping tutorials out there. I typically don't offer scalloping as a professional service because I do it by hand and it takes a lot of time and would cost the customer a lot of money. If I do have one of these jobs come up though, I'll most definitely do a video series.

[cricketrider]

what can you do to adress "rubber neck" i have an S101 sg that is a cheap guitar but you know how you play something long enough you get attached to the feel of it and that is the case with this one for me so i would really like to improve the stability of the neck (note that the back plate on the s101 is i bit smaller than the fenders and what effect does this have ?

[hellsingevil1]

Excuse me Good Sir I have a question, I own a Fender Starcaster and theirs a proplem I have, you see the strings are to cloce to all of the Frets on the neck and when I play, the notes will sound dead on the first and second fret plus the neck is a bit curved.

Do I find some new frets and refit them to the neck or buy a new neck for my guitar, also this is a dumb question but I use gauges 9-42 I want to use 10-46 gauges do I get a nut to fit the 10-46 gauges and will it affected the frets

[smbstressfest]

First take the guitar to a local music store and have a repair tech take a look. It sounds like all you might need is a setup. Also, regarding the string gauges... a factory string nut is usually cut to accept many different gauges of strings so you should be ok in that department. Have somebody perform a setup first, if there are other problems the tech will likely catch them.

[hellsingevil1]

Thanks for the Advice Sir

[Stratblooz]

Thankyou very much for these videos Jason I've been waiting a long time for something like this to come along ;-D

[legacykev]

Hey man .. GREAT videos! I am really enjoying them. I have a small issue or two with my new American Deluxe strat. For one, I cannot get the low e intonated, as the pocket is all the way back in the bridge. I tilted the neck a bit, but still not enough play at the bridge. You are super knowledgeable, and I would appreciate an email with your thoughts. Also, getting some buzzing on certain notes from the roller nut. Suggestions please :) .. and thanks for these great vids.

[jumpskirt]

Fantastic videos! Thanks so much for sharing this. You can tell you have "the touch."

[joshmrtn94]

I wish u were in Knoxville, Tn just in case I ever needed 2 get my guitars worked on. Ur the only guy I know of who actually seems 2 know what he's doing. The thought of letting someone other than u work on my guitar scares me now. XD

[smbstressfest]

Hey thanks for the vote of confidence. If you ever do need work, contact me on here. You could always ship your guitar to IN...

[vanhalenfan96]

my les paul copy fades out when i bend between the 12th fret to the 18th fret do i need to refret my entire guitar

[smbstressfest]

That could just be a setup issue. If you have a very low action on almost any guitar, that could happen. It's also possible that you have a rise in the tongue (the fingerboard extension over the body). It's difficult to diagnose via message on here, but first things first... would you say that your action is very low?

[vanhalenfan96]

well its kinda in the middle of high and low but its only on the

E,B and G string between the 12th and 18th fret should i send a video of it

[smbstressfest]

Yeah, you could do a video. Another few questions, how long has your guitar been doing this? Has it gotten progressively worse over time? What gauge of strings do you use, and what tuning are you in?

[vanhalenfan96]

well its a guitar i got used at a music store im in standard e tuneing ill send a vid

[6Vital6Remains6]

Hey buddy! Just want to say you really know your stuff! Awesome vids, keep up the good work!

[vintageleon76]

Hi Jason. Leon from Arkansas Here. I called the other day. If you can send me your email, I can let you know what I have. Sorry I have not had time to call you back, Super busy at the radio station.

[smbstressfest]

Hey Leon, I sent you my e-mail address in a private message.

[TheLivingDeadOne]

Lets say,. I took a protractor, and a large piece of cardboard, made a 3 circles, 9.5, 10, and 12" circles. I put the butt end of my neck on it, and it looked close to a 10", would that work to determine the radius?

[smbstressfest]

That should work fine, yes.

[psychodeathmonkey]

Hey i have a bit of a question. My strat has been having a little bit of issues since i got it. Everytime i play it i have to make adjustments to the saddles to avoid fret buzz. But i am pretty sure that the nut rattling is causing some weird noises going through the effects loop and amp. Playing at high gain thats kind of embarassing if i were in a live scenario. What could i do to stop the nut rattle?

[smbstressfest]

By "nut rattle" do you mean that the string is buzzing open? If that's the case make sure first that your neck isn't back-bowed and then check to see if it looks like the nut slots have been cut too deep. If they have, that will require professional repair.

But if by "nut rattle" you mean that the strings seems to vibrate behind the nut creating odd noises (usually worst on the A D and G string on a strat)... then you can help by winding extra string on to the post for more downforce...

[smbstressfest]

That's mostly it, I think another reason I said that was that I associate bound fingerboards with set neck guitars. I approach these refrets a little differently since I don't use my arbor press. Also, I tend not to use CA glue on the set neck instruments. So for me, it's a totally different type of job. Removing the frets is mostly the same, you just need to be careful around the binding as you mentioned.

[smbstressfest]

Why are you considering having one installed, are you having tuning issues?

[horseslayer1]

awsome

[davegtr1]

Very thorough and articulate presentation/demonstration. I wish Jason were here in San Diego so he could do my three necks! Might even consider sending them his way for refretting. Nice guy and a very thoughtful approach.

[jacwilts]

Jason, Thank you for your work and taking the time to post this. I look forward to viewing the whole series. This is very informative, and a truly great service.

[btwade212]

Great job!

[dickdogginit]

i have a question i have a maple neck fender when i finish/lacquer this do i need to pull the frets are do i even have to finish/lacquer the board?

[smbstressfest]

Of course you don't have to finish a fingerboard ever, several manufacturers are know for their "raw" necks. The frets don't need to be removed to spray a finish. The traditional Fender way is to just spray right over the frets. The finish will come off when you level and polish the frets durning the leveling process.

[robbelt]

Very detailed and through.