How to Level, Crown and polish your frets

[@MetalheadOv666]

Pro tip - while the final sanding of the frets up to 2000g whip is what I do, but use an eraser, the kind that are about 2” long and an angle of each end. Cut the piece of sandpaper the width of the eraser and double the length of the eraser and put Ofer top of the eraser and sand out your marks and scratches that way. Much easier and fast that doing in with your finger with tiny pieces. I also taper the frets from the 16th fret down to the last fret for even lower action. Also if you don’t want to spend the money on Stewmac tools I have the Fret Guru level beam, crowning and fret end files and they’re great! Not much cheaper but like them better than these especially the crowning file. Everything in this video is great and to the point so good job with the shorter type video instead of being like an hour long.

[@greggheslin2724]

This is the best instruction video I’ve viewed and learned more from… the parchment paper and caliper is a game changer, thanks a whole lot for that tip!

[@HowdiesWoodwork]

Fantastic step by step instruction. After watching, I'm ready to tackle the frets on my first guitar build. Thanks for making this video!

[@PriZeMaN1]

Perfect, thorough and super easy to follow, thank you!

[@fatpotanga]

I’m literally doing my first ever fret level/crown etc right now on my first ever build so very helpful- thanks!

[@gabrieltfreitas]

Did it work? I’ll start my first this week… 🤞🏻

[@fatpotanga]

@@gabrieltfreitas yes, it did! This video was so helpful, just take your time and it’ll be perfect. If you’re interested here’s a 4 min super edit of the full build - the first guitar I’ve ever attempted to make kzbin.info/www/bejne/r2mWaYWkj8-Vppo. I enjoyed it so much I’m halfway through guitar #2 and have just got the frets in. Best of luck

[@deanallen6461]

Great video,good to see it done by an expert 🤘🏻

[@peterlucas8629]

This is exactly how i do my frets, great video of how it should be done.

[@barondavis5692]

What l learned from your post is to pay someone to do it. Thanks

[@stevebeaudoin7234]

Great informational Your explanation was good. It's scary enough to redo frets but you Made it alot better to understand. Thank you

[@wulf67]

Great video!

[@robertcampbell6253]

I’m a lefty so I start marking my frets at the last fret and go up ( and that’s the only reason I noticed you marking the frets like I do but you are a righty )so I don’t get sharpy ink on my hand and aslo I don’t rub the fresh ink off the fret but I will definitely be using the MDF/ wax paper trick for sure thank you

[@RickyD1968]

Awesome Video !!!

[@billvillamusic3625]

Hey David, thanks for the video 👍

[@davidwood351]

Excellent instruction. I’ll be doing this in a couple weeks to my salvage project. This gives me more confidence.

[@garagemasterguitars]

How to mask the fretboard. Excellent - I'm pinching that idea :)

[@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.

[@cherryrosemontino7416]

Oh my red guitar ❤❤❤

[@dustinlathen43]

Great video. Really appreciate the thoughtful explanation and thorough process. I realize I have been polishing the frets with too many grits 400,600,800,1500,3000,5000. Gonna try your method.

[@eworcustomguitars]

Yeah I get great results finishing them off with my dremel tool.

[@solderbuddy]

The stages dont matter as much in the sanding process as much as how much you are going at it with each fret. I've done with 600, 800, 1000, 1500, 2000 and then dremel polish

[@mattomon1045]

Great job Dave

[@Dodzee.44]

That's a fret Job👍🙏

[@shootsnscores-cja]

Terrific all-around video. I'm an older beginner guitarist who's equally interested in working on my guitar. Bought the Stewmac "fret erasers" but have been unable to get that awesome mirror finish on the frets that you were able to get with your Dremel.

[@batman6540]

Do you have stainless steel frets?

[@lex.cordis]

That is gorgeous. It looks very similar to the Carvin/Kiesel Allan Holdsworth Fatboy model. Incredibly similar. At any rate, that's a beautiful guitar and I love that color as well. What's the color called?

[@markheiliger9825]

Very, very interesting, great instruction! You did a great job on the frets. I have a couple guitars that need leveling, crowning, and polishing. I think I can do it, but, way harder and more time consuming than I thought it would be. But, for the kind of results like you got - it will be worth it. Thanks!

[@Thoracius]

Very cool radiased edges on that body. Have always thought Strats would look cool like that as well. l think I'm going to do the same in my current custom design.

[@thebluesrockers]

Sorry, not sure how to call this but what tool is best to make the frets more playable. My squire stat has sharp inner frets that tear the hell out of my finger tips. I don't have fret buzz, action is low and intonation is spot on. But sliding notes rips my finger tips bad. The fret ends are bad too, but the inner frets are the worse I've ever seen on any guitar.

[@joeking433]

How do you level a multi radius neck where it's maybe 9.5" at the nut and 12" at the body? Seems impossible to do perfectly. Plek machine maybe?

[@jonahguitarguy]

Looks great Dave. That is pretty my same process which I got from Dan's fretting video. Glad to see you haven't drank the fret eraser cool-aid.

[@eworcustomguitars]

I have tried those erasers they sit in my drawer not touched

[@jonahguitarguy]

@@eworcustomguitars,same here

[@joeking433]

Here's a tip, use a feelers gauge to check that the neck is straight. Better than a light.

[@jimbaaab]

Thank you. What is the compound you use on the dremel?

[@timwhite5562]

I used to repair guitars, but as of the last seven or either years I work as an amp tech 92.4% of the time, and a luthier 7.6% (I don't know if those are accurate, but decimal points really make them seem real, right? 👍). Anyway my comment is about ad hoc tools. Because I only rarely work on guitars these daysand theyre mostly mine and a few others, combined with the fact that I've always been someone that believes in "share that knowledge," I find more and more often that I no longer have the tools I need…mostly because I've confused sharing the "knowledge" with sharing the "tools." That isn't a good habit to get into. Over time I've found things that work as well, and sometimes better than the expensive Stew Mac, and definitely better than the cheap Amazon tools. The last leveling I did using old worn out knife sharpening stones. I had some of the diamond ones that look like a plate with red dots on them. The dots are the actual abrasive. I must stress that they were fine grit, and they had worn down quite a bit, but it took ¼ of the time to level them.* Another thing that I've been using a lot are the Arm & Hammer magic eraser sponges. They work really well to clean frets and hardware, then afterwards I use treated jewelry polishing cloths. They usually come as two pieces of cloth stitched together at the top: one white and the other some color. I breathe on the fret, then rub it with the white (treated) cloth, then buff with the colored (plain cloth). After a few wipes the frets have a mirror shine and it feels like you're bending the string on glass. A lot of people complain about glossy nitro neck finishes, especially when they're newer because they can get sticky. A remedy has always been to scuff up the back of the neck with 0000 steel wool. I find the magic erasers work much better: they don't remove nearly as much finish, and they pull the dust you've created off of the neck. With steel wool it can be too much, and it leaves a lot of the dust there. You end up just rubbing it back into the finish. Plus it can feel odd, with the sponge you just give it one up/one down and you should be okay. What's left just feels like a satin or matte finish. 👍 *I should add that I've been hand sharpening knives for 30 years, and doing fret work for 20. You might want to stay away from diamond if you're working on nickel frets, they can take away a lot of metal, very quickly: try ceramic or natural stone. Diamond are great for stainless steel though.

[@eworcustomguitars]

Thank you very much Tim for your comments! I really appreciate advice from long time luthiers. I have a lot to learn and I’m loving learning it.

[@jesterraj]

can you link the polish you used...thanks

[@Capoman1962]

I agree with most of what you say, but would like t comment on relief. I’ve played electric guitars and many acoustic instruments over the years. I agree to level flat and adjust relief with the truss rod. The thing I’ve noticed over the years is that electrics in general don’t need any relief. Acoustics are a different story. If you are playing over a mike or playing in something like a bluegrass band, you tend to play louder and harder, and relief is a necessity. A straight acoustic neck played hard will buzz far more easily than one with some relief.

[@BricksJamRoom]

What I learned: can you imagine how expensive a guitar would be if they actually did this at the factory!

[@kevinking2468]

May I ask what fret polish you are using with the Dremel tool?

[@eworcustomguitars]

That is the metal polishing compound I use for stroping my chisels. I believe I bought it from woodcraft online.

[@michaelbaldwin6543]

You mentioned at the end that you use boiled linseed oil. Is there a reason you chose that oil instead of some of the others used like lemon oil?

[@eworcustomguitars]

There are several penetrating oils that work well for fretboards I have used others but right now I have the linseed oil.

[@randad]

It's a terrible choice for rosewood fretboards. BLO is not a penatrating oil. It's a hardening finish. It's fine for maple to use as a sealant/finish, but it is not a nourishing oil. Use mineral oil on rosewood. It will actually soak into the wood and not harden (polymerize) on the surface like BLO will.

[@SteveRozzano]

How does one do this on a 12-16" compound radius neck?

[@lovecraftmusic8717]

Do I necessarily need a filer?

[@jimsilva8079]

I understand the logic behind making sure the fretboard is dead flat before commencing the leveling work. But I’m also wondering if the neck should be pre-stressed, so to speak, to simulate string tension that might cause bowing (however slight) after the strings are tied and tuned?

[@eworcustomguitars]

I just believe if the frets are flat relative to each other fret while the neck is perfectly straight then while under tension they will still perform as needed

[@jimsilva8079]

@@eworcustomguitarsMakes sense. Thanks for the reply.

[@MuRpHMaN64]

how do you polish the scratches off the very top (thin line) if youre not supposed to hit it with the sand paper as you do the sides of each fret? i level with 400.

[@christianleetrager4605]

Which Dremal wheel? And what is that bar of polish?

[@eworcustomguitars]

The wheel is just a felt polishing wheel I think I bought from amazon and the bar is a fine polishing compound

[@710clique9]

when you create fallaway wouldn't there be I different height between the 6th and 5th fret, and wouldn't the fret rocker rock on that spot? please advise. thanks!

[@truthhelps2012]

No because where the fall away starts, that first fret is lower than the one behind it and the next one is successively and only slightly lower as well. So if you put your rocker on the first fret that was not touched during the fall away, the next one will be lower and the next one will be lower than that and therefore it would not Rock on the one in the middle. Same goes for all the frets touched by the process of doing the fall away. Rocking occurs from high frets not lower ones.

[@rectifymaster]

How do you like my V-shaped fret file idea?

[@PK22-b7v]

You should have patented your idea. Stewmac is making a killing with your idea !!

[@PK22-b7v]

Are you using the center z-file or the offset z-file ?

[@eworcustomguitars]

I use the offset z. I flip it every few strokes. It really works well

[@chrisjferro7808]

When youre sanding the frets to get the lines and scratches/gouges out AFTER crowning, dosent that take your leveling job out of whack? What grit is comfortable and suitable to be able to sand the tops of your frets with without taking material off to unlevel the frets?

[@deemorty6831]

you have to sand after crowning to remove those crowning file marks. at around 20 minutes he talks about grits and how he avoids sanding the top of the frets. lots of good info in this video, and tricks I want to try of his. Though I use the z crown file without a handle and prefer taping the board off with stewmac tape dispenser with 3 different widths of tape (I can get tighter to the frets this way and it's fast)

[@thawthaw03]

Wish I had this patient 😂😂😂 but too much to pay someone to do it too

[@solderbuddy]

One question, why is it better to use a radiused sanding block instead of a straight profile? Arent radius sanding blocks used primarily for the neck radius it self?

[@eworcustomguitars]

I get that question a lot. I guess it just makes sense to me to use the radius block. Next time I’m using the flat beam to see if I like it better

[@solderbuddy]

@@eworcustomguitars i will be testing flat beam soon with an old acoustic from the 1980's ill let you know how that goes

[@theostragonidis7548]

@@solderbuddy And?

[@KingCaptain17]

God bless you

[@SergioChiappe]

One comment for you... TETELESTAI!!!!!

[@thetruthinhim8862]

I like your blue bracelet "Tetelestai"... which means "It is finished." Quoted from the most popular and important person in all human history. The redeemer of man kind, Jesus Christ.

[@jameshutchinson2361]

All stewmac tools wow you must be rich.

[@eworcustomguitars]

Not rich just bought them over a long period of time

[@danmills8521]

Measuring, scribing tape for the board? Coloring the frets for 5 mins each?, Jesus this ain’t a darn beauty contest man, made it harder than it has To be

[@ElephantTusks]

Which Dremel model are you using in the video? Also which pad and compound? Thank you.