Making the Firefly FFDC-FFTC a Pro Level Guitar VIDEO 1

[@bluematrix5001]

THE GUITAR INSPECTOR GOES WILD SHOWING HIS TAPE TRICK!!!! 👋👋👋

[@DominionFretWorks]

More than an Inspector..... LOL These are fun video to make ! Thanks for commenting ! !

[@ThePopRockchannel]

WOW, THE GUITAR INSPECTOR GO NUTZ IN DETAIL AND PATIENCE ..I DO WANT TO KNOW WHO HE IS WHEN INSPECTING OTHER THINGS LOL 🤪.... GREAT VIDEO!!!

[@DominionFretWorks]

Thank You for the SUB ! ! ! Welcome to the channel !

[@guitarblaster8805]

Great video Mr Guitar Inspector, can't wait for the next video, thanks!

[@DominionFretWorks]

Thanks for commenting and letting me know you like the video.

[@markclyce5509]

We really like watching you.We all learn alot.

[@johnrenshaw9688]

Hi from Spain, video 1 is the most informative and professional way I have seen to create a fret level as accurate as possible. I like to work on my own guitars and will be applying your method and procedures on all of them when I next change the strings. I am looking forward to the next video numger 2, kind regards,John.

[@DominionFretWorks]

I also have a FFMN group of videos for you to check out ... Fret leveling... info there as well ! along with a ton of other stuff ! Thanks for commenting and letting me know you liked the video ! That means so much to me... !!!!!

[@NS-hs6lt]

Love the budget upgrading. Also some of the old and under appreciated vintage and cheap instruments being tuned up would great too.

[@DominionFretWorks]

I have an 89 Peavey Active Nitro here that will be getting some work done to it. Not a cheap guitar to pick up used.. You can find them for 400.00 to 650.00 used. This one was picked up for 500.00 and has some problems. That will be coming in the next few months. Also have a Firefly FFST Relic that we will be doing some work to after the review of the guitar.

[@bluematrix5001]

Mr Guitar Inspector... when you put the new sandpaper in the block would not create a tiny variation because the sandpaper would not be perfectly flat on the block?? flat and affect the sanding? also, the sandpaper that was wasted because was sanding the frets that were a bit high the whole block would not be perfectly flat either? great video!!

[@DominionFretWorks]

Every time I put new paper on my sanding beam I clean the beam.. I make sure the surface is clean. Then I make sure the paper is laying on the beam flat. As far as your high frets... Yes , If you have a high fret the beam will not be level across the hole neck. Another reason why I use 1200 G paper. Until the beam is hitting ..... 50 to 60% of the frets you could be out of plane to the neck. That is why I say in the video, I'm looking at the flat spot in the fret .. looking across all the frets to see if it's cutting evenly. Just because you have all the frets on a plane (level) doesn't mean you have the frets on the same plane as the adv. plane of the neck. Your shotting for the same cut or offset from the wood on the fret board to the top of the fret on the 1st fret to the 14th /15th fret. The fall off from the 15th to the last fret 22nd or 24th. doesn't do this. So, form the 14th /15th fret this plane will not be parallel to the fret board. Where in from the 14th to the 1st your shotting for Parallel. If your using relief in the neck you want the same offset from the top of the fret to the fret board 1st to 14th. If the offset is not the same, then the relief amount is unknown due to the offset being wrong. The gage could read .5mm of relief.. on the wood fret board. But if your frets are cut " level " with relief of .5 mm you still have no neck relief.

[@bluematrix5001]

@@DominionFretWorks thank you Mr Guitar Inspector, you Rock, your videos are great and fun, thanks for sharing your knowledge!!

[@glenfreeman8520]

Great stuff you’re doing ,I’ve learned a lot from your videos.I learned in my teens on an electric guitar taking lessons at H&H music.(it was stolen and I never had another electric guitar till now ) I was inspired by Neil Young ,Cat Stevens..acoustic style guitar playing so I have been playing acoustic guitars off an on for 40 years ,I played an acoustic rhythm guitar for my brother in his country band for a short time .I bought a Firefly FFST a few months back like the one you did a review on ..(Purple and Black) It played great right out of the box for my amateur playing .Your detailed videos have taught me what to look for when checking out a guitar. I’m retired now and have plenty of time to take my new electric guitar playing to the next level..I’m sure my neighbors are aware that I now have an electric guitar …Keep those videos coming

[@DominionFretWorks]

Electric Guitar is just fun !!! I like my Acoustic... but my Electrics get 85% of my time! The Firefly FFST I did the review on.. That guitar still has the best Ball End Fret job I have even seen to date. I really want to install a JB in the bridge of that guitar.

[@RaymondLandis]

Excellent! ...as always. I learn so much from watching your videos!

[@DominionFretWorks]

Thank You for letting me know you liked the video. This is our 2nd Budget to Pro Build. I already have the 3rd budget guitar picked out for the next build ! And getting ready to start working on the next GUITAR REVIEW ! about 3 weeks out on that. Video 2 on the FFDC will be very soon !

[@RobVespa]

This video is exactly what I needed to see. It was informative and helpful. What a valuable resource. Thanks for sharing. Looking forward to the next steps. All the best.

[@DominionFretWorks]

Thank You ! Happy to see everyone liking the "How to Videos". They are fun a make!

[@s0uldrift3r]

Greet video! Thanks!!

[@DominionFretWorks]

Thank You ... Glad you liked it !

[@Mr.PhatsVarietyVibesShow]

this looks super complicate should we hammer down or lightly tap down the frets with a brass hammer before we go into using the sanding ,& black marker stage to make sure they are in all the way in? I might have to do some of this type of work in the case I buy a used or brand new guitar . maybe might have some issues..

[@DominionFretWorks]

If you're going to do that I'd use a fret press tool.. Just using a hammer... I would not do. There is a place to tap slightly on the front with a hammer maybe it's just loose on one end... But always better to use the proper radius fret tool to make sure the fret is pressed in without damaging the top of the fret... Or putting a kink where you hammered.. The radius tool keeps the fret right ....

[@Mr.PhatsVarietyVibesShow]

good point . @@DominionFretWorks

[@DominionFretWorks]

Second video is up ..... The next part !@@Mr.PhatsVarietyVibesShow

[@johnp.johnson1541]

Straight or level? Would not being straight be a function of the next having been seated properly when bolted onto the body? Isn't the bowing reflective of not being level? Thanks in advance for your time to answer.

[@DominionFretWorks]

It's a plane. Most call it level. When you have a HIGH fret... the beam will not be parallel to the neck... (maybe it's not seated right maybe all the other frets were crowned to heavy) So, you have a High fret, and it is seated right... for this discussion. Your beam now is riding on that high fret. And the next highest fret ... As your sanding, I watch the flat spots on the frets... The crown of that fret can be different than the fret next to it... These frets have been leveled and crowned before. So, you don't know the radius of the crown. That radius can change the flat spot in the fret. A larger radius crown will give you a wider flat spot. That all I'm saying in the video... I try to look at what the frets are telling me... and look to see if I'm cutting in the same plane as the neck. Just because you have " leveled the frets" doesn't mean that the " level plane of frets is parallel to the fret board wood. Remember we also have fall off... from the14th/15th fret to the 22nd fret. So, the term Fret Leveling is miss leading. There are so many things to think about when doing this... keeping a consistent cut across the fret .. You don't want a 12-inch radius fret board with a 16-inch radius fret... When you cut to much from the center of the fret this is what happens. I try to point out all these little things as I work. You start to get a feel for the work after time. You see something and the hazard light goes off. Only due to seeing problems in the past with other guitars that have had ... Bad crowned frets.... Frets cut more in the center changing the radius of the fret board. uneven shelf on the top of the fret as your sanding.... Bad crown?? Wrapped neck?? You have to make a call as you're doing the work. The more leveling jobs you do the more you will start to see problems .... before you cut too far and have BIG PROBLEMS. you will also start seeing ... Oh ... I know what going on Here or There due to past work. I'm just pointing out things as I work. I hope it is helpful. I hope I answered the Question. Not sure if I did or not.

[@johnp.johnson1541]

@@DominionFretWorks Thanks for that detail. I await part 2 to better understand the process of upgrading the guitar. And from that I will learn more from you.

[@jerrydover4140]

First off, I appreciate the information. I have an Epi LP custom shop 2nd that I picked up to learn to do my own work, as well as customizations. It's 14 years old, and I picked up for a decent price. My question is, while doing a fret job, what fret should I start to taper down to the body? Is that good practice on all fret jobs? Also, how would I determine that frets need to be replaced?

[@DominionFretWorks]

You know this is something that most say 14th / 15th fret... Then the fall off. There really is not a rule. I will tell you this ... 1/2 step down tuning and drop tunings the strings just move more.... So, the fall off is to help with that.. It also helps the choking off of notes when the action is set low when playing in that area. If you use neck relief, .5mm with a little fall off from the 14th fret. ( I use two strips of the blue tape and this tape is every thin ) with 9-42 strings and .06 action height low e and .055 high E. I would say this is the sweet spot. .07 on your low E and .06 on the high E will also help with your notes ringing out better. You will also find your pickups will sound better in this area.... I sure someone has the reason why ... some tech thing on why this happens. Changing your action height does change the overall sound of the guitar. But back to where all this started... I do the 14th Fret / 15th fret. Then start your fall off.

[@jerrydover4140]

@DominionFretWorks Thanks, I found the answer to my question regarding when it's time to replace frets. LP definitely needs work, but it has tone for days. I found it in a pawn shop and haggled for a while, pointing out various things that needed repair, and I guess he got tired of looking/listening at me, and we met at a fair price imo. 🤣 Also, I've seen a humbucker that can be split into a p90, but I can't recall who makes them. Are you familiar with them? I was thinking of either replacing pups with those or '59s.

[@DominionFretWorks]

@@jerrydover4140 I know Seymour Duncan makes a p90 with a single rail next to it.... It's like a p90 hybrid. I've always wanted to buy one...

[@jerrydover4140]

@DominionFretWorks P-rails, that's it. I think that's what I'm going to go with since there's quite a few tone choices with them. Since you work with wood, I have a strat style maple body that's about 37 years old that I'm wanting to put the new neck on that I recently got. Would it be a bad idea to route out a hole for the spoke wheel truss rod adjuster on a body that old that's been sealed/painted? It's basically relicing itself with paint coming off in big patches that I'm going to work with to relic, get smooth transitions, and shoot some clear over. Just wanted to get your advice before I make a mistake to a body I've had for so long. Thanks, and keep up the awesome work!!

[@DominionFretWorks]

You can do it.... Check the body for cracks around the pocket... Season cracks and or drying cracks. If there are any around where you will be routing, you can seal the cracks with CA glue. CA is then and will flow down into the crack if you have any. Just make sure your router is at speed and cut slowly. Use a template so your pocket is even. Always test your template to make sure your rub-bearing offset is correct. If you have some scrap maple to test the RPM of the router is better. There will be a sweet spot for the RPM. You can look up bits on-line from manufactures to find what they call Feed and Speeds. This will give you a starting place. If you can't find anything then your scrap maple will be your test part for 2 things... 1) make sure your Jig / Template is correct. 2) make sure your RPM is good for the wood. most people run the bits to fast ( RPM's to fast ) this can make the wood burn in corners and blow out when exiting the material. The big thing is EXITING the material... this is where tear out / blow out will happen. You can also put down tape on the top finish to help with the finish chipping. It's a Relic so maybe you don't care if it chips a little. But tape does help with chipping. You shouldn't have any problems with the older body as far as routing. I work with a lot of Old Heart Pine Reclaimed material.. The biggest problem is tear out when exiting the part from the side without a retrack when exiting. You retrack from a closed pocket... in your case one side will be open. So you will have to exit the side of the work . But it is not hard ... just do some testing on some scrap first. @@jerrydover4140

[@garettbodel3002]

Where do you get that guitar I haven't seen them put that out in like a couple

[@DominionFretWorks]

Firefly brings them out from time to time.... This one was ordered 3 months ago. They should be making more ... they sale well for them I think... It's a good guitar right out of the box.... Thats why it's a good guitar to take to the next level ! there is one listed on REVERB reverb.com/item/78165039-firefly-ffdcd-red I paid 190.00 guitar and shipping from Guitar Gardens.

[@dean828]

🎸

[@BackWoodsBillyCraftBeerReviews]

Personally I like your channel...Honest Reviews... Great Luthier Tips... I have seen others worried about the post ...Some Say a little wiggle room is good once under tension it will be fine.. IMO Teflon Plummer's Tape works good at making a solid connection & reduced slippage while still having give . The eraser trick.. Something else I learned from you... You are very through... With the string's I'm surprised that you didn't use a winding tool.. Or the one that goes on a screw gun for speed... TEMU, Alie-Express, $2.50 . For screw gun socket for winder. Saw that originally from Tom Webber Eddie Van Halens Luthier. & Several other bands as well. Also same seller's as above $2.00 each guitar strings stretchers.. Looks like a disposable razor 🪒 with the head removed..My guess is that someone that invented it got the idea from the razor 🪒. Tom uses 3 so they don't over heat to stretch the strings. They are $20 a piece from them but Chinese knock offs $2.00 a piece. BTW both products made in China. My wife and I each have 6 a piece. It makes stretching Strings Fast... This is Why I love KZbin you can learn so much so fast. In the old days it was word of mouth & books. Thanks So Much for Sharing Your Knowledge.. Cheers 🥃🥃 🍻 🎸 🎵🎶

[@DominionFretWorks]

I had a string winder LONG TIME AGO... Damage my head stock... I know they are great .. But I just have not went back to try one after my mistake with the tool. Notice I said MY MISTAKE... I should buy one again..

[@BackWoodsBillyCraftBeerReviews]

@@DominionFretWorks have you seen the string stretching tool plastic like a disposable razor 🪒 with out the head . TEMU Alie-Express $2 .my wife and I each have 6... it's also a time & hand saver.