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Private member DiscussionRepair and Restoration

Fret levelling: How low is too low?

I finished levelling frets on a mandolin last week, and was surprised that the frets with the worst divots worked down to .020" Had I known that I'd go that low, I might have replaced them, but it's hard to measure divot height, especially those caused by thin strings. I haven't seen much discussion on standards for fret height or guidelines to know at what point should I switch from levelling to replacement. What standards are peop…

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I’ve found for most guitar players anything below .030” starts to get into refret territory. Might be different for mandolins though, I don’t work on many of those. I have a client that loves the fret…
Private member DiscussionAcoustic Repair

Fretboard hump above fret #12

Is it a common problem for the fretboard on an acoustic to develop a hump around Fret #12 and higher, where the neck meets the body? If so, what is the cause, and is there something that can be done, or avoided, during the initial build process? I have two quality Zager brand guitars that both have the problem, with the problem being worse on the cheaper model. I am a newbie to fret dressing and lowering, so I first tried adjusting the…

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Thanks for a great answer. I am a retired sonar engineer, so your explanation makes perfect sense to me. I figured it had to be almost an endemic problem with acoustic guitars.Next question: Can you r…