Targeted fret work

[alex1fly]

It's probably bad practice to do this, but what can you do to address the frets that get the most wear? Say your guitar has a bunch of fret wear and flat crowns on the 4-8th fret, middle strings only. Can you treat this safely without doing a full fret level and crown?

 

[Ascension]

No if you work those frets they will be lower than the rest. Only way to do it right is a full level dress and crown.

 

[Mincer]

I think you can target a few problem spots...a high fret here or there. Any serious leveling is going to cause problems elsewhere, though.

 

[Clint 55]

Get a neck with stainless steel frets and never get wear again.

 

[Bogner]

Yes ^^^ Stainless frets are the solution. Any refret is now stainless for me and if I can get stainless on the new buy/build I do it. It really does make sense, especially if you are hard on frets.

 

[GuitarStv]

Stainless steel frets are great . . . but they'll still wear out. It'll take probably four times as long as regular frets, but it does happen.

 

[ItsaBass]

If you have high wear areas that get significantly deeper than most of the frets on the neck, the best practice is to replace only the most worn frets. If you repeatedly level to match the worn frets, you'll be doing full fret jobs fairly frequently – several over the life of the guitar, if you keep it for 20 or 30 years. Plus, you're going to lose fret height and make the guitar play differently until you get to the time for a re-fret.

That said, if you really go through frets fairly quickly, just bite the bullet and get a full re-fret with stainless frets.

 

[vinta9e]

It's probably bad practice to do this, but what can you do to address the frets that get the most wear? Say your guitar has a bunch of fret wear and flat crowns on the 4-8th fret, middle strings only. Can you treat this safely without doing a full fret level and crown?

I totally go for a spot repair if I can get away with it.

 

[alex1fly]

Thanks! I'm not nearly versed enough in fret jobs to make this call, but asking a luthier to replace a couple frets and match existing is a little easier to swallow than a full refret. It's really just 3 or 4 frets right there in the middle that are worn down on this particular guitar.

 

[Mincer]

Thanks! I'm not nearly versed enough in fret jobs to make this call, but asking a luthier to replace a couple frets and match existing is a little easier to swallow than a full refret. It's really just 3 or 4 frets right there in the middle that are worn down on this particular guitar.

A good luthier can absolutely do that, although they might try to upsell the whole deal.

 

[idsnowdog]

I just use a felt block from Rockler and buffing compound to shine frets that show wear. If they get bad enough I also have a fret crowning file.

 

[Clint 55]

Stainless steel frets are great . . . but they'll still wear out. It'll take probably four times as long as regular frets, but it does happen.

I just examined the 1st warmoth neck that I did the level around June 2017. Almost No visible string wear AT ALL. Maybe some slight wear from strings. Mostly just nicks. Almost no material is missing at all. I could have it pristine without even going past 320 grit. As opposed to nickel where half the fret is gone after a month.

 

[Chris Pile]

As opposed to nickel where half the fret is gone after a month.

NO ONE could do that even if they played 24/7 with the tightest grip known to man.

 

[Clint 55]

Heh

 

[ehdwuld]

NO ONE could do that even if they played 24/7 with the tightest grip known to man.

Why do literal