101 Guitar Fret Care: How to Level, Crown & Dress Frets on Your Guitar | DIY

[@premierguitar]

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[@banjomechanic]

I worked with Dave in a repair shop in Nashvegas and you will not find a better fret job anywhere. He sets the bar for me when I’m doing fretwork. Paste wax and the thin CA is some straight method. Best technique hands down.

[@kennhern]

This made me a bit confident to start doing my frets on my guitar. All I have to do now is to get the right equipment and practice on some beaters to get some experience

[@mkscustomcreations1061]

Crazy, that may have been the first time I have heard someone discuss fallout at the heal and how to deal with it when leveling frets. Would have never known and would have just leveled everything as is.

[@1ceratops]

At Last! A sensible, easily understood guide to fret levelling!

[@Hue_Jasss]

Word of warning...if you are doing this on a set neck or neck through guitar, either do not do the steel wool bit at the end, or mask off your pickups first, because you will get tiny steel fillings all over your pickup magnets and potentially down inside the pickups, which will be impossible to remove

[@tarmacrat1]

Great no frills and fast instruction. Good job Dave

[@1man1guitarletsgo]

This is a good video, packed with useful information. I've done many levelling jobs, and agree with Dave's methods. I refretted my Telecaster last year, and foolishly didn't pay sufficient attention to seating the frets. Luckily, I realised this just as I was starting to level them, so I got some CA glue in there, locking them solid. That did a great job, and the guitar plays really well now.

[@TheGalilee416]

The best video I've seen on neck work. Thank you Dave!

[@gearViewmirror]

First time i’ve someone explain the importance of glueing the frets👍🎸🤘

[@premierguitar]

Glad you liked it!

[@OttoVonRaz]

I’ve never seen anyone share that steps!!! Huge in my non-experience.

[@DatHombre]

Me neither lol. And Im watching this for a Squier Classic Vibe, so now I don't feel too good about it haha. I don't wanna attempt to pull the frets out, so I think Ima just pretend I didn't hear that lol. Maybe I'll hit them with a mallet a few times before starting, but otherwise I'm just gonna hope that since no one else ever seems to mention it, it's not too big of a deal. I hope.

[@peterjohnjoseph]

I know you've been working on guitars 20+ years just based on the fact you have the exact same Stu-Mac tools I bought in 2005. Those new black straightedges look sexy as hell, but the old silver one has been one of the most used tools I've ever owned. I just grabbed one of the shorter under string beams. Just using the longest one I kept taking too much off. With a short one I can hit the highest frets first and then level the rest with the big one to them. Otherwise I'd still have marker on some frets and I'd level the other frets way too much just to get the high ones down.

[@MascarasMil]

Thank you. I appreciate people that take pride in their craft! I learned a lot!

[@premierguitar]

Thanks for watching!

[@8sun52]

OK. Thank you Dave for useful info... My Epi acoustic PR 150. I've had it ten years. It's standard tuned and drop D for some songs. So I don't use it exclusively. I think the very extended dry weather has made the top which the bridge/saddle mount on, drop down more so than usual. This has revealed the very, very slight inaccuracies of fret height between the 11th 13th and 14th frets. This is causing string buzz. One song brings me up there and so now I'm buzzing. I think I can get away with just using the crown file on the high frets. Just going little by little. I want to just losen the strings enough to prop them up with two wood dowels so I can slip the crown file underneath them to file down the high fret. Then tune up and see if it was enough. I'll also first mark the fret with a black marker. Today I got rid of slight string buzz of the 11th fret high E string. I used that black Emery 414 sandpaper. The other strings at the 11th fret were fine. I first tried to Krazy glue it down but it didn't work. I think it was down as far as it can go. It was just that fret wire was imperfect or a wood thing going on... I've used a humidifier to bring the bridge and saddle back up. But I think I want to try to have it played with no buzz even when it sinks down to its lowest level from low humidity. I have to shop around for a good quality crown file. A good fret end file too.

[@klepetar]

8:10 i have been doing frets for 20+ years.. and this is something that i just learned from this guy.. that is why my fret dressing was 'defective'.. i 'm happy to have found your video ... thanks

[@premierguitar]

That's awesome!

[@angrybuzzy]

This is an amazing video. Thanks to David Johnson and Premier Guitar for posting this!

[@premierguitar]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@JeremyEllington]

Incredibly well done content and instruction. Even the videography and media quality is great here. Nice job, folks.

[@premierguitar]

Much appreciated!

[@northtexasluthier2249]

I saw a YT video the other week where the guy had a bit for his drill press that would crown and bevel fret ends perfectly and consistently. I wish I knew where it came from. Looking down a neck at fret level separates the boys from the men when it comes to crowning and beveling ends. I think you have to do about 30 necks before you can really be satisfied with the results. This is especially tricky when dealing with existing binding. Not for the faint of heart:)

[@docholliday9926]

Good to know anyone can do these repairs. Anyone who happens to have professional tools.

[@CannedClorox]

Lmao Or anyone with some ingenuity? You don’t have to buy the stew Mac shit to do it, just have to know what you’re doing with what you’re using

[@tracydee4681]

Great job, dude! I'll have to check out your shop!

[@bobholst874]

Thanks for explaining fret bar tool. I got one in a kit of tools to set up my Les Paul copy Firefly fflp Classic. I found this guitar has a 14 inch radius. I bought it second hand and found it a bit hard to play after changing from overwrap on the stop to through the stop. I do recommend the notched level for testing truss rod, as it is a way to know exactly what relief you prefer and of course action height. Great video!

[@alandust2188]

What grit sandpaper are you using on the understring leveler?

[@tudore_jams]

What grit sandpaper would you recommend to use with a fret leveling beam?

[@Macmarr]

Very detailed and professional approach. However, we find that when looking for high frets by putting a straight edge across three at a time, it’s not uncommon that only part of a fret is high. We have a brass piece with a cut-out. Placing it on the high section of a fret and tapping it with a small mallet usually reseats the fret. Our preference is to do that before we resort to filing down the offending fret.

[@jcthewizard]

@Macmarr - Dave actually pointed out using a segmented straight edge that sits on the fretboard at 3:00 min.

[@curtrod]

​@@jcthewizardnot what dude was saying

[@curtrod]

yep

[@HorsemenAntiques]

What grit did you use for the leveler?

[@HarryDime]

Very informative thanks. Just a question though.. What is the sanding grit of the fret level? Is it a 400?

[@dukeofearl4117]

What grit do you use on the bar? Do you start with a lower grit and work your way up to a finer grit? Or do use the different grades of grit when crowning and polishing?

[@ericwatler23]

Great information sir!! My telecaster Squier has a weird D chord sound sounds like it’s out of tune even after I tuned it, and I think this might help

[@Tier_1_Golf_Academy]

Did I just miss it, or was there no mention of what grit sandpaper should be used for the initial leveling? Not to mention the differences in working with nickel vs stainless frets? A lot of good information, but just enough information for a stone cold beginner to completely ruin their guitar 😬 Details matter, especially with fretwork.

[@AWMJoeyjoejoe]

There are so many videos out there and they all succeeded in putting me off working on my own guitars! Lol

[@wayynnee]

4 months late, but he did mention the grit of sandpaper. He said he uses “400, next 600(or 800), and then 1000. Wouldn’t go lower than 400 cause it’ll be too aggressive against the frets.” He didn’t really touch on much of the nickel v stainless steel frets though

[@singularity360]

@@wayynneethat’s the sanding After the leveling. He does not mention grit for the beam level.

[@armandoaguilar7640]

At 11:16

[@matthewlalic708]

Where’s the notched straight edge to straighten the neck? No taping up the fretboard? Where’s the radius block in his method after the fret level with the bar? WHAT A WANKER!

[@incognito7597]

nice to know what grit paper to use,often left out of videos.

[@adoubleU587]

No one has ever mentioned glueing the frets down. Very interesting. I’m practicing in a $20 Kirk Hammett practice guitar I got before moving onto my MIM strat.

[@tbdog99]

Awesome....how do I remove wax from a varnished maple fingerboard? Or, do I tape the board before gluing frets, as done with block (pearl) inlays?

[@musoseven8218]

Great video. Tools have developed a lot in recent years - I never knew. It's been a long while since Ive dressed frets. I didnt know that many of the overseas Fenders didnt have their frets glued in. The truss rod adjustment always concerns me as its down to experience and feel. Less is more in my world. Next time my System 1 strat needs strings, Ill do the frets too. ✌️👍💜😊

[@kimmossige263]

How do you know what angle the truss rod should be adjusted, before levling and sanding? Such great and informative video btw. Having some fret issues on my GB10SE, and doing individual filing witn sandpaper. Had some various luck with that

[@premierguitar]

Glad it was helpful!

[@OttoVonRaz]

Thanks for this Dave. Do you have to use the fret rocker after crowning? I’ve leveled an entire board, crowned, and found I had uneven frets! Maybe I needed to glue them down initially???

[@michaelkrailo5725]

But how do you know if the frets are not already glued in? I have a 2000 Telecaster with the truss rod adjustment on the head stock. I think I paid around $850 for it at the time. The frets have always been buzzy and made me quit playing several times in frustration. Same story with just about every guitar that I ever purchased. Finally picked some pro tools to take care of all the issues myself as this looks fairly straight forward to do now that I know what fall away and crowning is. Are the tops of the frets still a little flat after you are finished or are they perfectly crowned?

[@DHgtr1]

Hi..Great video.....one?? .....when using the sandpaper u didn't hang the head off the table like with the sanding beam..any reason? Thanks Dave

[@KillerKev1961]

Outstanding! So when doing this on a set neck, basically I would support the neck along its length, headstock hanging off?? I understand I dont use muscle, rather I use finesse, yes??

[@claudevieaul1465]

"A lot of overseas makers"... Really? I'm sorry, but I've had 2 Gibsons - "proudly made in the USA yeehaw!!!" - over the years, and they were absolutely terrible, including the frets. Especially considering the prices they went for. Couldn't fix the issues, and I did try. Both were sold cheap, because we, in Europe, don't trust Gibson anymore to deliver up to its (largely self proclaimed) reputation. So, you're very welcome to keep American overpriced stuff - I'm only *ever* playing Asian made instruments, because they play and sound great - mainly 90s and current Epiphone models (Korean and Indonesia) and mostly my early 80s Aria Pro-II (Japanese). Unbeatable 🤘😎🤘

[@jessicamckinney7508]

Wouldnt measuring how level the board is from the already unlevel frets give u a false reading?

[@chadandrews98]

thanks. Do you have experience with Warmoth necks? Do frets often need leveling?

[@p_1210]

You should be using a notched straight edge to check neck straightness otherwise your just checking it with unlevel frets!

[@kj6qvb]

Gluing frets in also makes it harder to refret the neck if and when the time comes to do so. And with that soft Indian Laurel, pulling the glued frets will almost certainly pull out some of the wood as well, possibly beyond repair.

[@keithw203]

You can take a soldering iron with a bit of solder, run it across the frets. That will heat up the glue and release it.

[@kj6qvb]

@@keithw203 In theory, yes - that may help. But if the fret wire is the correct size, pre-bent to the fretboard radius, and installed correctly, there should be no need for wholesale gluing.

[@shaneclark1977]

Raking the frets: at the point where you have dressed and used the fret file, you wrap sand paper around your finger and swipe up and down the fret board. Doesn’t this damage the fret board? I know you put wax on it and I’ve seen folks use the blue painters tape. Does the wax stop the sand paper from damaging the fretboard?

[@douglasalvaradocorrales]

Beautiful... two thumbs up 👍👍 Thanx!

[@FriedEggsandJellyfish]

You know this man is a true craftsman when he busts out a Stewart Mcdonald straight edge before they made the name change to Stewmac. bad ass! hahaha

[@EyesOpen369]

Painters tape would be great for saving time on messing up the wood also....

[@keithw203]

Especially the purple “delicate surface “ type

[@frankfigueroa2093]

I have some little divots around the cowboy frets, when can you tell that this job isn't worth the trouble? Or will the frets just be too low to crown them. Its a shame cuz there's plenty fret left.

[@LordMegamind]

Should I release or tighten truss rod to make neck straight before levelling?

[@curtrod]

straighten it as probably needed, most necks have some relief 😊

[@hobbaswaggle]

this video is awesome! thank you so much!

[@premierguitar]

You're so welcome!

[@TheScaredofsilence]

Thanks for the video. But I don't mess around with Fall Away and I've never had a problem. Just my experience.

[@GraemeSPa]

I am about to refret my 93 maple neck Stratocaster as the wear is getting to be a problem. I have a set of Fender frets, precut and pre bent as I don't have all the fancy luthier tools and don't want to buy them just for this job. I have ordered a notched fretboard level as I want to start from a flat fretboard. I am undecided about the wear on the fretboard varnish - a lot of it has gone under 30 years of finger wear - it would look better revarnished, but if I sand it and revarnish , then I feel I am erasing a part of the guitar's history I have a question about levelling - at manufacture the fret slots are all machine cut to the same depth and the frets pressed in. On a home refret, if one fret is higher than the other. then could it be that it is not properly seated and a tap with a mallet might bring it back into line? - after all, the frets are all made from the same wire profile.

[@RsSquier51]

You should remark the frets before you crown them. Makes it easy to see when you get there. Tape the fret board before all of the sanding and then no scratches in the wood.

[@tomekhoryzontalny9252]

That were my thoughts as well.. .but then I watch movie till the end and understood his approach :P He just have enough exp to know when he can take shortcuts :D Good job! :)

[@DRTYKILMONGOOSE]

Great Video I mean AWESOME Thanks

[@Hysteriskull]

I LOVE these videos. As a guitar repairman, these are like money in the bank. LOL

[@stilljustaguy]

Why? What’s he doing wrong?

[@ergohogg]

Been doing fretwork for quite a bit and for novices, I would say use a notched straight edge. Using just the normal straight edge on top of frets you know are not straight to start with may make a bad job worse without all the proper experience.

[@mathtrixmusiclix4248]

Why do you glue without pressing frets in?

[@Rockandrollgeerage]

I read an article that even the American made fenders do not have glued in frets? Is thus true and why not?

[@timshawguitar]

Excellent video, thank you!

[@snapfinger1]

Players will beat a path to your door if you have these skills & tools or a plek machine.

[@setyabudi8414]

See you. It seems like a long time to me from 1985 to now. I realize that there are many mistakes, especially from myself, in dealing with various electric and acoustic guitar problems. Until now I have not witnessed changes that result in accurate installation. Leveling seems to be the mainstay and the pressradius tool is the main pressure. There are many other factors beyond that that must be considered. Until now I have concluded that many people lack enthusiasm for guitar problems. So I feel this is the best. Even though there is a lot that has been missed. Hopefully this can be my reflection. Have a good fight. My greetings from Indonesia. If you need help, I'm ready to do it as long as it's not part of my confidentiality in handling especially freting.

[@jeffreyquinonez8964]

Damn I wish I could move my hand that fast when you did the 1000 grit lol.

[@liquidsnake6879]

When you level, don't you need to use the radius blocks? Don't the frets themselves follow the radius of the fretboard? If so wouldn't the levelling process with a flat block mess up the radius?

[@armandosinger]

No, here’s why. The leveling beam is 1” wide. The frets are curved in a radius, so only part of the arc is touching the leveling beam. So the straight beam allows you to follow the radius if you move it side to side as you are moving it up and down. The biggest benefit of the straight leveling beam is that it allows you to even follow a compound radius, which is not uncommon. (That, plus you don’t need to buy a bunch of different radius blocks to match every radius.) The benefit of the radius block is you can move a bit faster because it levels the entire width of the frets at once, as you move it back and forth. But then you cannot do compound radius necks so you need a straight type anyway. If you’re doing diy work, the straight leveling beam can do everything well. Maybe a high volume shop would also stock up on a bunch of radius blocks, but I see plenty just using a flat beam.

[@JTB--]

Very Educational. Fun watching a Real Pro work.

[@RichardGarcia93]

Nice! I just got a job as a starting tech and so I’m learning on the job. This is pretty helpful.

[@premierguitar]

Glad it was helpful!

[@medmusic7977]

Stewmac of course

[@Allguitarinfo]

on a beater squier huh

[@premierguitar]

Those usually need the most work.

[@George_Taylor_]

Bro, don't you think it's about time after 20 years to invest in the notched straightedges? I mean, you're checking the neck for straightness by laying that standard straightedge on top of frets that you JUST DETERMINED WEREN'T LEVEL WITH EACH OTHER.

[@curtrod]

The devil is in the details!

[@runepanix1]

15:03 Your big reveal is hidden behind those annoying video suggestions at the end. I was enjoying it until then, and now I'm frustrated. This is someone's fault!

[@McFlyGuitarsandStuff]

Pulling out Frets that are not seated completely on a Squier and reinstall them with glue? Who would pay what this job is worth on a Squier?

[@jbsguitars8373]

Great video, that work cost more than the guitar Probably

[@scottgroves5204]

Glueing frets in is a no no...If you use the proper frets with the correct woods the never need glue!

[@curtrod]

lots of good information, and people are making good comments, but one is missing, when you crowned the frets you are only doing the middle parts of them and not the edges, you even said do it from here to here as if you should only do the middle parts, big mistake, and yeah marking those frets before you crown makes a big difference so you can see what you're doing exactly, that's the point right?, teaching people how to do this step by step, don't leave out any steps!, haha

[@mikemmarshall8201]

I think I'll leave it to the pros. I'm afraid I'll ruin my guitar

[@matthewlalic708]

Where’s the notched straight edge to straighten the neck? No taping up the fretboard? Where’s the radius block in your method after the fret level with the bar? I’m glad you’re not massacring my guitar lol,,, WHAT A WANKER LEARN TO DO THE JOB RIGHT!

[@curtrod]

true all of this, he also crowns the middle of the fret senses just do it from here to here and he's not crowning the whole threat on the sides

[@chuckbluz]

I call BS on "gluing frets increases sustain" or whatever nonsense you spouted. It helps hold the fret in, that's all. It's not required.

[@sleepskateboards5710]

Wait till you have a fret come up from the fretboard, cause it wasn’t glued from the factory. That rattling sound will do wonders for your sustain.

[@egdeltar]

You couldn’t be anymore wrong chuck. Glueing frets absolutely increases sustain. That’s a fact.

[@themichaelharris]

Bad take alert

[@TheBoomtown4]

“It merely keeps the frets from falling out of the fretboard” seems like a decent bonus even if it didn’t increase sustain.

[@jesterman1302]

My dillema is can I trust myself to do this to my favorite guitar (she needs it)?!