I need some help with this neck I built

[blakejcan]

I set the neck straight. Leveled all the frets. Crowned and polished. They look pretty as can be. Did my normal strat set-up routine and have been diddling with the saddle height, nut & relief. I keep fretting out at the 6th fret and then the 10th-13th fret on almost all strings. The high E is particularly bad.

I am real sure that this being my first fret job I did not seat the end of the frets correctly and/or some of them did not have the fret slots cut deep enough so they are bottoming out and can't go down anymore. They all look flush but that can be a bit deceiving.

I tried to tweak the truss rod ever so slightly to see if I could improve anything but all that did was just shift the same problem around a bit.

My plan is to get the board back to what looks like a good level with some minor relief built in there and then bring the 6th fret down and see what happens. But what about the higher frets? 10, 11, 12, 13? Does that just need to be leveled off?

Thanks for the help. So close on this one

 

[GuitarDoc]

If the fret slot wasn't cut deep enough for the frets to seat completely, you need to remove the frets, reslot the board, then reseat them, then level ,etc.

If the frets aren't seating all the way down, the fret tangs may not "grip" in the slots and will be loose.

Yeah, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but it sounds like you've got to start over.

 

[blakejcan]

Appreciate the feedback. Can't feel too bad since it's all a learning experience at this point.

I don't think they will come up as I glued them in. But I see your point. I just want to get this playable. Not perfect necessarily. I already pulled one of the frets, deepened the slot and reset a new one. It was a bit brutal as the chipout was not so fun to repair so I'm hoping to avoid that if at all possible.

 

[GuitarDoc]

You should use the fret removing end cutters and chip saver guard from StewMac. Work slowly and gradually from one end of the fret.

 

[GuitarDoc]

By the way, what glue did you use?

 

[larryguitar]

Appreciate the feedback. Can't feel too bad since it's all a learning experience at this point.

I don't think they will come up as I glued them in. But I see your point. I just want to get this playable. Not perfect necessarily. I already pulled one of the frets, deepened the slot and reset a new one. It was a bit brutal as the chipout was not so fun to repair so I'm hoping to avoid that if at all possible.

Heat the frets with a soldering iron for a second or two before you pull them; the heat will loosen the glue (if you used CA, you'll see an actual little 'puff' as it lets go) and reduce the chipping.

This is also one of those situations where a notched straight edge is useful; you could read the neck while ignoring the frets, and try to find out what's going on.

Larry

 

[GuitarDoc]

Heat the frets with a soldering iron for a second or two before you pull them; the heat will loosen the glue

Yes, good suggestion. I have a special soldering iron tip that I put a notch in to fit on the fret without it falling off to the side accidentally. It also transfers more heat to the fret.

 

[blakejcan]

thanks guys!

I used CA glue from Stewmac. On my previous attempt at pulling a couple of frets I did not have the stewmac fret puller which is partly why the chipout was so bad. I was heating it up with my soldering iron and then using a thin card scraper to get under the fret. It went from like zero movement to "blammo! the whole fret (and chips) flew out on the ground. I just got the fret puller in the mail this weekend. Looks like an awesome tool to control the pace of removal.

This is probably a half measure but I'm thinking about pulling just the 6th, deepening the slot and then putting a new fret in there to see what that takes care of (or not).

 

[blakejcan]

Heat the frets with a soldering iron for a second or two before you pull them; the heat will loosen the glue (if you used CA, you'll see an actual little 'puff' as it lets go) and reduce the chipping.

This is also one of those situations where a notched straight edge is useful; you could read the neck while ignoring the frets, and try to find out what's going on.

Larry

I have a notched straight-edge and a regular straight edge. I thought I had it all flat. I think the problem is that right down the middle of the frets it's pretty close to flat. But on the edges (high E especially) the frets were not set properly so it's a bit wonkier.

 

[GuitarStv]

CA glue will come off no problem with a little heat from a soldering iron. Just pull 'em and give it another try.

 

[blakejcan]

Do you put solder on the fret too? I've seen people do that but I don't know why?

 

[GuitarStv]

Do you put solder on the fret too? I've seen people do that but I don't know why?

It can help to transfer heat from the iron to the fret a bit faster.

 

[GuitarDoc]

The fret pullers are great for the gradual and controlled removal, but you still need these to help prevent the fretboard from chipping:

https://www.stewmac.com/luthier-too...job/tools-for-fretting/chip-stoppers-set-of-2

 

[blakejcan]

yep. got a version of those coming.

you guys glue in your frets?

 

[GuitarStv]

yep. got a version of those coming.

you guys glue in your frets?

I think that all frets should be glued in. They just hold better (less chance of raising), and aren't really any more difficult to take off than hammered frets.

 

[GuitarDoc]

I always glue in my frets. Not only keeps them in, but I believe it gives a bit better tone transfer. It may be insignificant but it can't hurt. CA glue is good, but I use epoxy because it gives me more working time to make sure they are fully seated before the glue sets (and it doesn't soak into the wood and discolor the fretboard).

 

[blakejcan]

pulled the frets, fixed the board a bit, started fresh with deeper fret slots and new frets and what I hope is a slightly better hammering technique. Already looks a lot better. Bought the fret clamp caul thing that I plan to use after I flow in some thin CA glue from the sides. Pretty hopeful. Thanks all.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Do you pre-bend your fretwire to a smaller radius? My fretboards are 10" radius and I pre-bend my wire to about 8-9" radius. What that does is seat the ends of the frets first, and as you seat them completely it helps the tangs to grab in the slot better.

 

[blakejcan]

I buy the pre-cut and radiused stuff from stew mac and it is a greater radius than what I'm using. So far it's looking good. The caul tool I bought is awesome.

 

[larryguitar]

Plenty of folks have successfully hammered frets in for centuries, but I never quite got the hang of it. Pressing frets was a game-changer for me, and I think it really does make it easier to get consistent results.

Larry