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Private member DiscussionGeneral

Fret Crown File Marks

Hi Everyone, What do you feel is the best way to remove the file marks from the frets after leveling and crowning with a fret crowning file? I'm happy with the shape and overall feel of the frets after crowning so this is an aesthetic issue more than anything. These are the files I'm using. The centered versions of 150 & 300-grit: https://www.stewmac.com/luthier-tools-and-supplies/types-of-tools/files/stewmac-compact-z-file-…

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Private member
I have found that if I don't hit the frets with 320 paper, I am likely to see some scratches when all is said and done. 320, 400, 600, steel wool, and then whatever further polishing you want to do (h…
Private member DiscussionAcoustic Repair

Refretting a Stella Harmony from 1964

61 year old Stella Harmony with brass frets. Fret board is poplar. It needs refretting and I want to try doing it myself given the cost of the guitar was $70 bucks, hiring a pro will cost way more. Any recommendations on Fret wire? I can't find Fret wire that is an exact match. Current frets are 1 mm wide, a hair over 1 mm high and the tang looks to be 2.5 mm deep. Has anyone regretted one of these guitars?

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Ian Davlin
Not this particular model, but I have had a crack at some older pearwood boards before. Here is a list of things to look out for. Fingerboard is brittle. Extra care for removal of frets. Fingerboard i…
Private member DiscussionElectric Repair

One Low Fret: Replace the fret vs. re-level the entire board

There's a video on YouTube from Chris @ Highline Guitars who wants about "proper use of a fret rocker": One thing that surprised me in the video was his suggestion that "your best option to deal with a single low fret is to re-level the entire board." I commented "Why don't you just replace/crown the low fret instead of taking the time to re-level/crown the entire board?" His claim that "it tak…

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Ian Davlin
I didn't watch the whole thing, but the idea of people accendentally going after low frets because of the fret rocker has been something I've been on about for a while. In gereral, when I level a boar…
Private member DiscussionGeneral

Fretwork Processes...

Hey everyone, I could use some advice as far as the fretting process is concerned. I’ve been doing guitar repair since around 2008, I opened my business doing guitar repair in September of 2021, and I’ve always felt that fretwork has been the most challenging part of this job. I’m getting to the point now where I finally feel like I’m getting the hang of it, but I’m not where I want to be yet. I should mention that I use the Erlewine…

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Private member
Hi David, I'll throw my two cents in here. Rather than go through my thoughts on the entire fret level and crowning process, I'll toss some of my observations in. Firstly, if you haven't watched it, I…
Private member DiscussionAcoustic Repair

Fretting a fret slot that won’t hold the fret

Hey all, I’ve got a Prewar Martin on my workbench (1932/33 0-18) and this thing has unfortunately been through the guitar center wringer. I’ve had to reset a fretboard that was glued down with Gorilla glue and as well, rejoint the neck and underside of the fretboard. I had to repair a large deal of tear out that was sitting underneath their fret job and because of that I now have a brittle fret slot all up the board that will not hold a fr…

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Gotta rig up something like this. Been using that clamp for years. Just got the Jaws II a couple weeks ago.