Right then - I finally, after almost a year, got one of my guitars back from the mate of my brothers who had borrowed it for 'a couple of gigs'. It always needed a bit of a setup anyway, and I've changed the gauge of the strings to super-slinky so basically I've redone the lot - nut and bridge height, truss rod and intonation. I've managed to lower it to a level where, in combination with the lighter strings, it's actually really easy to play and I'm incredibly chuffed with it so far.
However, there are a couple of places it buzzes everso slightly, which I'd like to get rid of - I've adjusted the height back up a little in the meantime, but I hope to be able to sort these frets out and bring it down again. The setup can cope with it lower, so why not? :)
There's also a much bigger problem, in that parts of some frets (which are fine when the string above them is fretted) cause a buzz when I bend a string. Difficult to put into words really, but as an example, to bend the top E string by a whole tone at the 15th fret, the string ends up about halfway between where the G and the B are usually situated. The G and the B can both be fretted at the 15th with no buzz, yet the E string will buzz on, and even be muted by, the 16th fret when bent. That makes just about no sense to me at all in logical terms (why would the E string cause buzz when the G and B don't? They're in the same place at the time of the buzz :roll:), but it happens exactly like that. I really don't want to have to adjust the height any higher as the rest of the fretboard plays brilliantly.
I have never touched the frets on a guitar before, so I really don't know where to start. Is it something I'm best off leaving to a pro? Is it easy? Is it advisable? A freind of mine says "just go at it with a file then some emery paper", but if his DIY-guitar repair advice is on par with his technical advice that would probably result in the guitar catching fire.
Money's tight at the moment too, so the cheaper the better :wink:
Opinions?
Fret dressing? Isn't that something guitarists put on their salads?
"A cheerful heart is good medicine."
Isn't there something called "fretting out" that you get on guitars with small radius fretboards? I think it happens on Fenders, right? Is the guitar a fender-type?
NONONO, don't go after those frets with a file the sparks could cause a fire. In reality fret dressing is not hard as long as you know what you are doing. It does require a special file called a crowning file, and knowing the neck radius. :cry: I started to describe the process here, but is more complicated than most DIY's should handle. If you are pretty good at technical stuff there is a good article at frets.com. A good fret level and dress should not be terribly expensive. If you really want to try it your self email me and I will send you a tutorial on how it is done. good luck
Ric: *groan* :wink:
XG: It's a Marlin Sidewinder, variously described as strat-like but I strongly disagree... :)
GBagwell: I'll read up, price up and decide from there then I guess, and I may take you up on your offer if I get adventurous :) Thanks for the help.
Oh, and welcome to GN, too! :)
BEFORE you go at the guitar with any abrasives take a look at the problem fret!
Sometimes fret ends lift up, see if there's a gap between the fret and fretboard or see if you can dig a thin pick between the fret and fretboard.
A tight radius will "fret out" a bent note, some Fenders have this problem.
If you have a high fret sometimes you can gently tap it back down but if you are not sure of what you are doing then a fret dress should cost about $1.50 per fret. A crown and level job addresses all the frets but will cost a little more, there's a fair amount of time involved in it. Also, some expertise is called for, you can get in over your head with it pretty easily.
I have done guitars that the frets could be pulled out by hand but that's on the extreme end. Sometimes a drop of superglue under the loose fret will hold it down. Normal temp and humidity changes over the years will also work frets out and a light tap will seat them again.
When I die, I want to go peacefully in my sleep like my grandfather, not screaming......
like the passengers in his car.
Thanks Racetruck, I'll check for that too when I get home.
