Extra Jumbo fret ends

[posite63]

I've got a couple guitars with extra jumbo frets. They're ok, I don't hate them, don't love them either. But what drives me insane is that I feel like I'm driving over railroad tracks when I slide up and down the neck. It's on the ends, the same place where sharp ends would normally catch your hand, except they're not sharp, just bulky and tall. It's actually fairly distracting.

I'd imagine that I can file them to lower the profile on the ends enough that that don't catch so much, but I'd fear altering the fret top where the string contacts. Anyone ever dealt with this problem?

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[Clint 55]

Re: Extra Jumbo fret ends

Yap, I had that same prob with my 6100 ultra jumbos. So I rounded them off with a quarter round file. Took me a whole day because I went thru the grits for all 42 fret ends individually. You can also do it quick where you just file them then drag 800s down all of them.

 

[posite63]

Re: Extra Jumbo fret ends

I'll give it a shot. Did you do anything like taping off the frets so only the ends you were rounding were exposed? I'd hate to eat too far in on the frets or something.

This is one of those things I'm always hesitant to do without proper preparation since you're removing material that can't be replaced.

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[Clint 55]

Re: Extra Jumbo fret ends

Yes, tape everything off including the frets and fretboard. Scotch tape could work well. I used masking tape last time and I'd wear thru it quickly.

 

[ICTGoober]

Re: Extra Jumbo fret ends

I've been doing repairs for 40 years. Buy a 3 corner fret rounding file from StewMac, or some of those Fret Erasers. Or take it to someone who knows what they're doing (and no one who works at GC knows what they're doing, OK?). If they did, they'd be working elsewhere.

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Extra Jumbo fret ends

What would be the purpose of using a flat file to create a round end instead of using a round file to create a round end?

 

[ICTGoober]

Re: Extra Jumbo fret ends

What would be the purpose of using a flat file to create a round end instead of using a round file to create a round end?

It's called finesse. If you ever saw a real craftsman use one, you'd know. Since the majority of my industrial training was in tool and die making, hand files are my favorite tools for shaping materials - wood, metal, plastic, whatever.

Round files are for lazy people satisfied with a half-ass job.

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Extra Jumbo fret ends

That still doesn't explain why using a quarter round file which will give you a perfectly rounded end easily is bad while using a flat file which could give you a rounded end with more work if one is a craftsman is good.

 

[ICTGoober]

Re: Extra Jumbo fret ends

It's in the wrist.

Have you ever looked through the online catalogs of StewMac, Luthiers Mercantile, or the like? Check out all the files for installing, repairing, and maintaining frets. Most all are flat files. What you are talking about is a Gurian file, thusly:

Gurian files are limited by their design to only fit certain fret shapes. Once that fret has been leveled a couple times, it's no longer round like the Gurian file. Gurian are fine for new frets, but not used frets.

Flat files can be wielded to form ANY shape, provided the user is hip. And apparently, since flat files are the MOST COMMON tool used by builders and repair guys.... you getting my meaning? There is more than one way to skin a cat, and you seem to be insisting that there is ONLY one way.

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Extra Jumbo fret ends

That makes sense. Although the quarter round file won't fit the fret perfectly, I found it much easier and faster to rough out the fret end than the 3 corner file, and you can still finesse it. I can see other files being necessary to further work the end.

 

[ICTGoober]

Re: Extra Jumbo fret ends

As I said, I am quite comfortable using files - and I have a BUNCH. From $100 sets of Grobet needle files, to large Nicholson mill and bastard files, vixen files, rasps of all kinds, you name it. I even have some diamond grit files for times when chatter is a problem. I'd estimate I have about $2000 in files. I even have a custom made file for fret work that's about the size of a block of cheese and weighs a couple pounds.

Here it is: