“Breaking In” a Guitar

[Gtrjunior]

Re: “Breaking In” a Guitar

Re: “Breaking In” a Guitar

First, a question.... Aside from a guitar thats been played to where there are grooves in the frets, or a guitar that has rough or sharp frets, how does one know whether or not a particular guitar needs the frets done? My only experience ever having fretwork done was not so good. Was on a LP Studio. Was my first Gibson and the most expensive guitar I had at the time. I wanted it to be as good as possible, so I took it to a local Luthier and when I got it back, it was awful. The setup didnt work for me and he did what I think was known as a school bus crown on the frets and I hated it.

I’ve never heard of a “school bus” crown but I suppose that’s an accurate description.
But you pretty much answered your own question.
You need fret work when you lose that crown and the frets have become flattened out form being worn down. Also, the ends of the frets can begin to protrude from the side of the fretboard and need to be filed back. Or when you have a high/low fret and they need to be leveled due to a string fretting out on a high fret etc.

I’m not sure what happened with your studio...maybe that guy just didn’t do a good job. Typically when a fret dressing is done correctly, it’s a night and day difference. One of those “I didn’t know it was that bad!” moments.

 

[Chris Pile]

Re: “Breaking In” a Guitar

Re: “Breaking In” a Guitar

I have an idea what a school bus crown might be.... The guy leveled the tops of the frets to be flat, but didn't actually crown them - which is filing and shaping with sandpaper back to a full radius so that the string only touches in the center of the fret (where it would intonate the best).

 

[ehdwuld]

Re: “Breaking In” a Guitar

Re: “Breaking In” a Guitar

I have an idea what a school bus crown might be.... The guy leveled the tops of the frets to be flat, but didn't actually crown them - which is filing and shaping with sandpaper back to a full radius so that the string only touches in the center of the fret (where it would intonate the best).

That's how I interpreted that
School Bus Crown = half finished

 

[dave74]

Re: “Breaking In” a Guitar

Re: “Breaking In” a Guitar

School bus should mean a gentle crown,,,,,,,,but it really comes down to how well he did, not what he calls them.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: “Breaking In” a Guitar

Re: “Breaking In” a Guitar

NEVER use steel wool on any electric guitar. Scotchbrite is the way to go - it's non-metallic and therefore non-magnetic. Also, as it breaks down into crumbs, it doesn't hurt your fingers. If you must use something metallic - use brass wool.

OMG! Another time when I totally agree with Goober.

Yes, Ehd, don't use steel wool! (unless you want your pup full of metal dust and your fingers full of tiny no-see-um slivers).

 

[Jacew]

Re: “Breaking In” a Guitar

Re: “Breaking In” a Guitar

There are magnets in your pickups. The crumbs can get in the pickups (especially if it has no covers), and short it out. It's not unusual for electric guitars to have problems with static electricity (due to the finish), and the crumbs can scratch the guitar. You certainly don't want them to get inside your control cavity to mess up your pots or jack. Steel wool crumbs are insidious - they get into everything eventually.

I used to mod my guitar years ago on a table at the garage. Pickups we're full of metal crumb as a result. I just wiped out what I could and didn't thought about the whole thing. Hasn't made a difference...

:drive:

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: “Breaking In” a Guitar

Re: “Breaking In” a Guitar

IME, a very large percentage of guitars need initial fret work, nut work, and bridge saddle work right out of the shop. A new or improved nut, a quality professional fret dressing, and a fine tuning of the bridge saddles are hands-down the best modifications you can make to most new guitars. It's well worth the $100 to $150 a good guitar tech will charge you, in my opinion. You can do the work yourself too; it's not that hard. It just takes time and a couple of specific tools...and the practice to build the required skills.

This is not the kind of thing that will "break in" over time. It is the kind of thing that needs to be got right from the start, and then maintained as the guitar ages.

Finishes, fretboard edges, and even the "feel" of potentiometers sometimes, are the kinds of things that "break in" nicely over time. But the frets, nut, and bridge are "where the rubber meets the road," so to speak. They should be set up perfectly from day one, and maintained throughout the life of the guitar.