Installing stainless steel frets in a bound fretboard

This video explores some of the challenges you might face when installing stainless steel frets in a guitar that has a bound fretboard.
flameguitars.co.uk

[@supernoobsmith5718]

BEAUTIFUL job.

[@dieterjosef]

I watch this video again, and I want to give a fav again. Thank you for explaining and showing this all.

[@stevedimebag]

Really nice video. Always love your attention to detail and knowledge on all matters repair.

[@D4veJap4n]

You’re such a professional. I would have no problem trusting you with my guitars when they need work. Especially as we share the same island. Cheaper shipping!

[@flameguitars5770]

Unfortunately not a tropical island! Thanks for the encouragement

[@GB-iy3wt]

Fantastic work! Thank you so much for sharing with us

[@reening]

this guy is a living national treasure

[@RetroPlus]

Truly professional, i learned some great things from this

[@cugir321]

Your file method is great....notching the wood for the fret tang to be filed. I've had problems with SS frets popping back out in places if the radius isn't perfect and the slot is not perfectly clean. Pre Spot leveling is something most videos don't talk about. Bravo to you. It makes all the difference when you run the long leveling beam over all the frets. Removes alot less metal off the frets. I use a 5 inch piece of 1" x 1" ebony or rosewood with sandpaper. I think every video should tell you to rocker the whole fret board and do a basic spot level on the higher spots (doesn't have to be perfect).....at least get them close before the big level. This is something that took me years to figure out. It's the difference between taking .004 off the frets or .010 off the whole set of frets and getting them too low. Anything much below about .040 creates a whole nother set of problems. Newby's need to know the potential problems. Don't get the frets too low. Radius the frets properly, especially SS frets. Clean the slots well, get the correct fret size or size the slot well so the fret is tight but not too tight. If the tang is too wide you can create other problems like truss rod adjustment problems. Be sure the end of the fret board is not raised otherwise you need to taper the last 14 frets (without frets) of the fingerboard sloped at 0 to .015.

[@flameguitars5770]

Thank you. I think when working with stainless steel frets you have to develop or modify you installation technique. For me it's about installing the frets in a way that you have to do as little levelling as possible.

[@emilecote6475]

Thank you for making these videos! You're a pearl.

[@flameguitars5770]

Thanks. Hope you find them interesting.

[@JohnVieto]

Awesome video. So good.

[@noelzhu1986]

16:40 absolute genius method. My guitar choked out so much because of those higher register frets.

[@stu-j]

Definitely a job i want doing on my telecaster but I've never done a re fret on a maple fingerboard only ever rosewood. I've been putting it off for about 5 years and only have about one more re level left in the frets ( typical soft fender nickel frets). Stainless is the way to go as its my almost full time gigging guitar. Great job

[@doyouluvit]

Awesome video. Loved every second. Amazing work sir!

[@flameguitars5770]

Glad you enjoyed it.

[@ramalhaisp]

Nice fret ends!

[@165strat]

wonderful explanation of great work. If I may respectfully add which was not visually covered for the unfamiliar viewers the step of making sure the neck is straight and un-bowed prior to starting the process. Thanks for the great videos.

[@flameguitars5770]

I agree, an essential part of the process.

[@johnvrabec9747]

Very relaxing, watching this level of craftsmanship. I am not a patient person most of the time, I could never be a luthier lol You almost have to have a Zen quality to perform this and perform it well. No rushing allowed lol Great job!

[@henryhunter5026]

Excellent job. Stainless steel is not the easiest material to work with but I would imagine that the new frets should last almost forever.

[@DavidLewis-lk4bk]

QA these days with new guitars, if the frets are this good it IS a sign the frets have been redone 😅

[@stratnut]

Lovely job 👍. That Stewmac file looks pretty nifty. Thanks for sharing

[@personal2809]

i like that fret rocker/file idea. i wonder if you put a straight edge on it that the abrasive section is actually level with the smooth sections

[@stratnut]

@@personal2809 Same thoughts. What happens when the abrasive section wears down a bit?

[@personal2809]

@@stratnut right, granted it would take a while. i suppose as long as it isnt taking off too much material it would still remain useful

[@edwardkendall3905]

Interesting indeed.

[@jo231288]

Thank you for this video.. its really good.. i wanna ask you. If the tools are special for stainless steel grind. Thank you

[@philgallagher1]

I've always been told that SS frets play havoc with your tools, and you seem to agree. Do you keep a separate set of tools just for this job? It seems to me that, particularly things like your diamond stones would be unusable for "flatwork" after tackling SS fret ends. Great tip about starting at the body end (or the dusty end in my case!) as the neck gets progressively wider down there. Saves having to recut frets if you overdo it with the tang nippers! Re: fall away at the body end - I have no business down there, but will do it anyway next time I dress the frets to avoid choking! Thanks for sharing your years of experience and knowledge!

[@flameguitars5770]

You do need specialist tools if you are going to regularly tackle SS fretwork. Standard nippers for cutting fret ends that you might buy from a hardware store will not cope with SS frets. There are a lot more tools around that allow you to work with SS frets. But they are a lot more expensive than tools you might use for nickel frets.

[@leandropaul7576]

This is a great video. I have a question, what is the radius of that fingerboard and what is the radius of the frets before installing them? I've heard SS frets don't adapt so easily to the radius of the fingerboard. So, what is recommended considering the above? Thanks for sharing your work.

[@flameguitars5770]

I think this was a 10" radius. You are right to say that bending the frets too much prior to installation can cause problems. I would probably have given the frets an 9" radius before fitting them.

[@clutch2827]

NINETY SIX dollars for that StuMac fret kisser. Their stuff must have some gold content or something. Also, what about nut height?

[@craig.encinitas]

Do you need to refret with a larger size wire, or will the same size fit in? I’d like to go with larger stainless steel frets.

[@BagusWibisono]

What is brand and type of this frets?

[@BarrySW19]

Just curious, I think my Gibson is going to need this before long, and it has the fret board binding over the fret ends. Is that something which can be preserved if re-fretted with stainless steel?

[@flameguitars5770]

Technical it is possible to keep the nibs. But to get the frets of exactly the right length is difficult. Slightly too short and there is a gap between the fret end and the nib where the top E string can get stuck. Too long and the nibs might be pushed out. So possible but very, time consuming, and therefore costly. Most people just accept that the nibs are lost when the guitar is refretted.

[@johnlannikk2701]

I notice you did not use tape on the binding to prevent scratching, I guess it depends on your skill level?

[@nethbt]

You can actually get away with stainless not being levelled, I've done this so many times, just run through the whole fretboard several times and tap every inconsistencies

[@personal2809]

first comment wooo! i have an ibanez i want to do this to. thanks for doing the video

[@flameguitars5770]

Congratulations! Uploaded 5 minutes ago. Hope the video is useful

[@edadpops1709]

Id like to know what is the covering on rhe body ,looks like a jacket 🤔

[@flameguitars5770]

I have one of these for electric guitars and one for acoustics. They just protect the body whilst I am working on the guitar. My mum made them for me!

[@edadpops1709]

Your moms awesome. Would you be able to post on instagram a few pics of the body jacket? My wife has skills in sewing and Id like her to do something similar for me. You know a major problem of men in sheds is a way to protect the work. Thanks and am enjoying your channel

[@davekiddie4467]

Which table are you using on the nippers

[@flameguitars5770]

Sorry, dont understand your question

[@davekiddie4467]

@@flameguitars5770 the interchangeable table for the fret nippers, they come with 2 sizes

[@flameguitars5770]

@@davekiddie4467 I cant remember now. That said, I no longer use the Summit tool. It failed on me and I had to upgrade to the Stewmac fret tang nipper.

[@davekiddie4467]

@@flameguitars5770 Ok, I have the StewMac and it has 2 tables, I was just curious, thanks.

[@davekiddie4467]

How long did your fret kisser last. I assume it's not good for SS

[@flameguitars5770]

Seems to be still working fine

[@davekiddie4467]

@@flameguitars5770 thats good to hear, that little tool is worth it's weight in gold.

[@marcomagnoni7341]

Come al suo solito lavoro eccellente ... non capisco l'investimento su una chitarra sostanzialmente economica - capotasto da sostituire pickup terribili ecc

[@Jah_Rastafari_ORIG]

Aren't you concerned with those bits of fret tang getting embedded in the carpet on your workbench...? Yikes...

[@flameguitars5770]

Yes, I always give the work area a good clean before moving onto the next stage.

[@carmineredd1198]

@20:16 the neck bindings look split and ruined