Fixing Guitar Fret Buzz : Guitar Fret Filing

Filing is an important aspect when fixing guitar fret buzz. Learn more about filing frets in order to eliminate a buzz with expert tips in this free guitar video.

Expert: Dan'L Terry
Bio: Dan'L Terry is a nationally award-winning artist/designer. His art has been exhibited in national juried shows and museums, on the covers of books and magazines, and in feature films.
Filmmaker: MAKE | MEDIA

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• guitar maintenance
• guitar equipment
• guitar set up
• guitar repair
• guitar
• fixing
• repairing

[Cochise4343]

they do a nice job, they jus need to make it all ONE video rather than having lik 500 one minute vids.

[jcline6542]

This is a good way to damage your instrument. If you have never done fretwork before I recommend trying this on a piece of junk guitar first. Actually, to make sure all of your frets are uniform, you need to do a full fret dress. If you file down one high fret and go too low, you are pretty much screwed, and at least will need a pro fret dress or at most a refret. A guy at a guitar store screwed my guitar up this way. I eventually had to have my guitar refretted.

[29dave]

Before filing any frets, I recommend adjusting the truss rod on the guitar. I only had one note buzzing on my guitar -- it buzzed whenever I held the first fret on the high E string (the F note). I considered filing down the second fret. Instead, I lowered the tension on my truss rod by turning it counterclockwise. The buzzing is gone now!

[pharcouff]

Holy shit.. You don't do it like this.

My god..

I have done many a guitar & this method is definely not practiced.

Best way is to get a good file, long metal ruler & spanner to adjust the neck. Without strings, pull it straight then file the other way so the files rests on many frets & away you go. Finish off with steel wool then brasso. The action on my old Gibson is still good 40 years later!

[RustyPease]

@nusstu he means you can't play rock anymore on this fret lol ... joke aside; if the fret in the middle is too high it wil "rock" like a see-saw ... on the front and the rear fret , but if teh fret has the same height as the fret in front and rear it will stay staedy and not "rock" (swing ^^)

[theghost2987]

@nusstu lef or right

[nusstu]

I dont' get the part on rocking? He's using a steel plate and what doesn he mean by "no rocking"? Does rock the plate back and forth or left and right? Thanks.

[rikinoki]

what , what is good , put the string back on low action , i wanna to see to hear , i dont believe this

[snanna4]

wow man! your guitar designs are fantastic.

[LeonoSalomo]

@vibratingstring: I think u are right.. the buzz fret will become lower than the higher fret & it cause a new buzz on a higher fret and so on. I think the best thing to do is simply to adjust the truss rod, action or just buy and change a new bridge or the nut or refretting the worn out fret by a good luthier

[laitela01]

@Cochise4343 for that reason you have playlists. You dont have to navigate through the whole video to find the part you want to watch

[vibratingstring]

How come there is no checking of the leveling across more than three (3) frets? That is a recipe for disaster--you could create a "wave" so that the one that is ostensibly repaired is now too low, and you buz on the next higher fret...