Problem Fret Guitar Repair

[@slolarcarter6332]

i'm sure i speak on behalf of all you avid subscribers that we wish your mom a speedy recovery. Thanks for all the videos, keep up the great work! Cheers folks

[@sickofakes]

Loving the hd quality Dave ,I could watch your vids for hours and often do....cheers. Tim

[@lzxlmx]

Dave, I'm glad to hear your mom is getting better. Hope it continues that way. Thanks for this video.

[@WoodesosGuitarMods]

Always love seeing your videos. Though, and I speak for myself only, I'm all for repetition of the entire set of steps. I know you've done certain things in other videos, but I love seeing it all. It's why I keep coming back. That and your effervescent personality;-)

[@martyg565]

My sister bought a seagull acoustic when she was in America. It's a lovely guitar!

[@Trainwreckontario]

All the best to your mom from me too David, my own mom is 80. I hope she gets well soon.

[@Aint1S]

He cleans fretboards with Ronson lighter fluid. I've never heard of using simple green to do fretboards... Simple Green contains acids, that'll damage your neck if you do that too much. The wood will retain it over time. I like the Ronson Lighter fluid (for Zippos etc.) approach, it works good.

[@Aint1S]

Ahhh, you got me Davey! I was thinking Mean Green & couldn't figure it out. Simple Green is a base, reported to be @ pH 9.5 and just shy of ammonia. So long as someone doesn't use a cleaner with citrus extracts or vinegar based solvents on their fretboard, you sir, are right on the money! (Or vomits on their guitar and uses it, then it would be pretty reactive.)

[@Happy-Me.]

Cheers Dave. I'm going to have a go at this under the guidance of a friend this week. Quite scared but should be fun. You make it look so easy!!

[@harryfatcat]

Dave, can you talk about adjusting the individual pole pieces on pickups? Glad your Mom is feeling better!

[@LocoPCtheoneandonly]

exactly my point ... polymerized linseed oil (not the highly flamable raw lindseed oil)plus tung oil and old english lemon oil.. the combination I found to be best at least for my guitars fingerboard (danish oil smells good too!)

[@mikepville1]

great video,glad to hear your mom is doing better.

[@MrJohnnyDistortion]

Great to hear your mom is ok and cool vid. Love those SG models.

[@ch8049]

Beautiful set-up Dave...👍🏻

[@ttharle27]

This video answered my question from the last video. Thanks Dave! Cheers!!

[@eddiecarlcalhoun]

happy to hear your mom is doing better.....nice guitar by the way....

[@gillespoirier9559]

eddiecarlcalhoun

[@Rohance8]

I have a cosmetic fretboard problem I'd like some advice on Dave if possible. All the frets on my new purchased tokai seem to not sit flush with the rosewood. As though the slots the frets sit in havent been sawn deep enough? Its a tiny gap like .3 mm but its buggin me. Could I try tapping them down with a block and acrylic Mallet or whut? Theres no buzz it plays nice. But these gaps stare back at me when im playing. Cheers.

[@randolphpatterson5061]

Dave, I thought I should pass on my bit of experience with Simple Green. I'm not in dispute with how or why you use it, but a word of caution is in order. I once had a job as a temp at a signmaking shop. We had a contract to make dress-up lighting for a snowmobile manufacturer, and the LED lamps were to be installed in clear plastic tubes, which were subjected to some light grinding & drilling. We then washed the tubing with Simple Green. Before long, a number of the tubes were cracking into small chunks, similar to a broken car windshield. In search of a cause, we did a number of A/B tests as we went through the list of fabrication procedures, and determined that the Simple Green was attacking the chemical composition of the plastic tubing. We stopped using it and switched to a different product. So, you can see why I'm telling this story. It seems that Simple Green can be harmful to some man-made materials, and in our case it was the plexiglass tubing. Also, it seems that the places where the tubing was drilled or ground on were where the product was disintegrating the plastic, and spreading into the rest of the tubing from there. Sorry, but I never knew the exact type of plastic the tubing was made from. It was very similar to plexiglass, however. It is recommended on the instructions to dilute the Simple Green with water, reducing its strength, for most cleaning applications. I wouldn't want anyone working on a guitar or amp to find this out the hard way, perhaps on a vintage pickguard or truss-rod cover, or an old plexi Marshall control panel. Thanks for reading, and I hope this helps. I always have a blast watching (and learning from!) your videos. Evade the gooch!

[@zippoguy101]

Glad ur moms better hope she stays well thanks for the great videos man

[@radianteclipse132]

Quick question for you, Dave, How do you clean pickups that are plated like that? I have guitar i had to do a few small repairs on and when i do repairs i normally clean them and make them pretty again. "Removing the DNA" as you say. :P But the pickups are covered in sweat and other stuff that im not quite sure what it is. I don't want to damage the hardware, so any tips?

[@nijrem]

Love your repair vids (new subscriber here from the Netherlands ;) ) and the jokes and fun that go along with them! Gotta love that Molson Canadian.. Gonna attempt some maintenance/setup on my Ibanez & Squier acoustics, I'm no stranger to setting up my basses but shaving the saddles of an acoustic..Still a bit scary... Good place to start (and potentially screw up) though I guess haha!

[@FenderAmericanTele]

Dave how do people get dents in frets? And how do you help fret life? I'd like to know so I can avoid it.

[@dcp10200]

I have to say my epiphone sg was set up really well when i got it (i think they set it up before i got it) and the pick ups are quite good aswell

[@MiseryFields]

Hey, Dave, I got a guitar with a twisted neck. Like, it actually has a very slight corkscrew thing going on. Can I fix this or is the neck firewood?

[@seasonedtoker]

Have you made sure this fret wasn't high because it was loose or not seated enough?

[@danwoods4862]

yo Dave, does it matter which way the screws on the saddle are facing?

[@fvfarrell]

Davey. Thanks for sharing your knowledge, I just got a junk rick 12 string 330 cloneish guitar. It looks like it will be my first guitar to set up. Can you give me the nut height number please and any tips about working with a 12 string. When I play a D cord the G string is sharp. If I. Play it open string or if I play the 12th fret its in.

[@dmedicFF]

Glad to hear your Mom is better!

[@yoheff988]

What's the final grid sand paper you use before you give the final polish the fret?

[@FenderAmericanTele]

I guess since I'm a "light" fret kinda guy I don't wear/dent mine much? I only ever needed 1 guitar to have a fret redress and that's because I got it used from another person. How they took care of it I don't know lol I've seen some luthiers do setups and they don;t do half of what you do. You put a lot of care and a good amount of time into what you do. I wonder what the average span of the frets on a guitar that's played frequently is.

[@tta4454]

hi dave,what do you think of seagull guitars?thank you for the helpfull videos.

[@UptownMovies]

I appreciate a careful craftsman. (And you get to play the guitar at the end of a tune up.)

[@mexicanmaggot666]

I really enjoyed these SG videos, they're my favorite Gibson guitars ever. Not a huge fan of the Les Paul, I like it, but it's not really my thing. (I can hear guitarists all over the world holding their LPs and ready to smash my head with them... lol)

[@levonsyers7751]

Glad to hear about the mom being okay. Sent mine a text telling her I loved her. I have a Gibson All American II (Melody Maker) that I'm currently using as a guinea pig while I watch your videos, all of which are hilarious. Do you have a specific website you use to order measurement tools, truss rod adjustors, etc.?

[@davidkennedy1271]

I have a question Dave. I've been trying to get rid of the buzz on the E and A string of an acoustic guitar. I've noticed that even though most of the frets are level....as I dress say the 4th fret it makes the next fret high. (all the frets above the 4th are level using a fret rocker) I used the thomas ginex leveler to do a overall level. My hunch is I need to work up the neck to about the 9th or 10 tenth fret.....then check the relief....have a small amount in the neck and it will resolve any small level problems in the middle area of the string length. The action is a little below average height.....not much...maybe 1/64. I'm just dressing the areas under the E and A strings. The buzz seems to be moving up the neck as I dress each fret. Am I on the right track or is this a problem with the overall level of all the frets? I'm just doing individual frets/buzz....I leveled the neck when I did the overall fret dressing.

[@l3ftnutwarrior]

At 2:13 you sound like Gob from fallout 3 when he's banging on the radio and says "work you stupid thing".

[@TMS5100]

the ph of simple green is about 9.3, which is slightly alkaline -- not acidic. about the same as baking soda.

[@SixSixthSix]

good to hear that you mother is in the clear. cheers man

[@Expedient_Mensch]

Beer o'clock. My favorite time of day too.

[@Chiro75]

Dave, I got a sweet USA Peavey Fury (1992) that has a couple high frets, bass side only, around 17th and 19th fret. Should I try to tap down with a soft hammer or file them down?

You might want to also do a bearing and brush job on that vac motor.

[@thestgch]

hey davey how will i know when i need to get my frets recrownded ive had this guitar for a year and played it damn near every day for atleast an hour

[@BigWilleyMusicandFun]

thanks i think i can handle that, and glad to hear your Ma is doing good

[@gitaarmanad3048]

A little twist in the neck isn't all that bad. The only problem is that the twist is in your head all the time. People exaggerate this shit, The only thing that is important is that there's leveled frets under each individual string. I repaired guitars for over thirty years. Forget the problem. It doesn't exist. Cheers!

[@FenderAmericanTele]

I have guitars from 1998 and earlier and they never have had/never got any dents in the frets. I play them constantly so there has to be more to it than just normal playing. Like fretting notes too hard. I fret lightly ,but I know some people dig in.

[@JulianZeezer]

What's preferable: rosewood or ebony?

[@ozzymack574]

Awesome info..Im working on an SG myself they seem to have issues at same fret..Go figure..thanks man!!!

[@IRepWA]

It looks like the 15th fret is the one that is buzzing and you file down the 16th fret. Is that what you did? My 17th fret buzzes so would I file down the 18th?

[@planetsab]

17th buzzes because the 18th is too high and prevents the 17th from running

[@quido1360]

What is the proper string height suppose to be?

[@TelepathicTraffic]

Thanks to your videos I've been able to identify several issues with my guitars and set them up, thanks much Dave. Question, I think I have maybe 2-3 LOW frets on one of my guitars. Bonehead question, but is that overly problematic or only if a fret is HIGH? The guitar seems to play OK as is ...

[@erosar10]

Hey Dave, I have a Duesenberg guitar that has some frets that are dented. I'm from the US, is it too much of a pain in the ass to send it over the border to you to have it refretted?

[@Jem7Vellz]

Does linseed oil work on maple fretboards?

[@giolomateo2972]

What is better? Fixing crashed fretboard or buy a new neck?

[@robertmzauner7363]

Morning DaveI don't have Linseed oil but I do have Teak oil. I heard you could use Teak oil also, is that true or a Goooooooch?

[@5urg3x]

Can I ask you for your opinion on this -- Why don't rosewood / ebony fingerboards get a finish on them usually, for electric guitars? I will commonly see this with maple fingerboards, but that's it. Wouldn't it make sense to protect the wood from being damaged (scratched / dented etc) and also protect it from grime / dirt, and also negate the need to use those wood oil products on it?

[@ZachKyew]

Maple fretboards have a sort of "generic" sound. It doesn't seem to make a difference wether or not they are finished. However, rosewood and ebony have distinct sounds, and the characteristics of the wood have a better impact on the sound of the instrument with an open grain.

[@onpsxmember]

Maple is hydrophilic, it loves moisture. So you have to add the finish to protect the wood. rosewood and ebony are very oily woods from a tropic climate. They're full of their own oils and would rott in the jungle if they'd suck up water like maple does. You don't have to protect those with lacquer, cause they're hydrophobic. Maple is great when finished. Hard and durable. I'm personally not a fan of rosewood cause the grain loves dirt so much. Ebony is my favorite while I also have a soft spot for phenolic fretboards like ebonol. It's the same material used for bowling balls. Easy to clean, very stable and cheap. No old tree was chopped down for it. To get back to the oils: In most cases there is no need for oiling a fretboard. They have their own oil, while your hands give oil as well. The problem is often how guitars are stored. Warmth/Cold isn't really the problem but humidity is! Get a good humidifier/dehumidifier to keep the humidity level the same over the year. If you want to oil your fretboards, don't use any organic oils cause they can turn bad. Get in a pharmacy and ask for white filtered mineral oil. This is also used in medical procedures and is as clean as it can be. Just use it if they're very dry and don't let it sit on there long. Just put a little on a rag instead of pouring it on the fretboard (don't get a load in the fretslots). Take it off just after you finished applying it on all the frets.

[@wizardz7938]

I tried to re-fret my guitar and it didn't make a crown more like a round and when i level it makes a crown is that strange?

[@lesnagy3539]

There are some guitar repairers that absolutely refuse to use any oil of any kind on a rosewood fretboard..No Lemon oil. No linseed.. It seeps into the fret slots and loosens the actual fret.. There is a lot of debate on this practice.. Besides it being a flytrap for every form of dirt and dust. Water and a rag is preferred. I tend to agree with water only in this regard..

[@onpsxmember]

That is all that is needed IF the humidity is kept at the same level.

[@onpsxmember]

This comment is old but I leave it for others as well cause I somehow forgot to add this for the oil fans who like the nice look. All organic oils can go rancid. If you want to oil the fretboard (rosewood..aka palisander...it isn't really "rose" wood) get in a pharmacy and ask for white mineral oil. It is filtered and as clean as can be to make lubes and ointments that are sold for treatment. It's cheap and not that mineral oil scented like crazy with that probably carcinogenic like those air fresheners for your car. While the "jungle"-ish woods are used to high humidity and have a lot of oil themselves like Ebony, maple hasn't lots of oil and loves humidity like a Junkie. That's why they get their clear coat.

[@mratkins7458]

hey dave how bout fixing a small nick on top of fret board ona maple neck i dinged it a little ?

[@mratkins7458]

hey thanks man didnt think of that tried a spot of putty but liked your idea better you the man !

[@mratkins7458]

so how does one get lucky enough to get their worked on from the master ? lol

[@mratkins7458]

im in pa bro where u at ?

[@mratkins7458]

i have a strat copy that i bought on ebay theres no markings on it and im converting it over to fender by parts .i bought the noiseless jeff beck pickups for it vintage bridge pick guard neck plate etc n head stock sticker

[@mratkins7458]

thanks ill be checking out your vids they are alot of help and you know what your talking bout thanks

[@chavarigo]

and arround how much is this job cost?

[@gitaarmanad3048]

One has to wonder. How can one fret come up? I would try a carefull blow with a soft hammer and fix some fast glue after that. Nine out of ten times it does the job.

[@AllThingsTechSC]

Sweet.

[@Headwind-1]

why is the neck pickup tilted back like that

[@TheGuitarist7000]

My 9th fret on E is broken, but I'm so afraid to try this myself. I'm definitely gonna snap the neck or something. Anyone know how much stores usually charge to fix this?

[@danielcastillo1225]

Nice job

[@gillespoirier9559]

when you change frets on a neck with zero fret is the zero fret same gauge as the rest of the frets

[@onpsxmember]

It can be the same gauge or more. Some of the headless guitar/bass manufacturers use the exact same stainless steel fretwire for all the frets. Some have them all at the same height when the neck is completely straight, but if you add a little relieve on the neck, the zero fret will b slightly higher than the rest of the bunch, which is enough. Take your time and gather lots of information about your instrument and how to do the job. Be cocky...call the company, send a message, look for manuals they gave luthiers/shop owners... It takes longer than usual nutjobs to tweak something, but when it's done you have a great sound, low action, can easily switch to different strings.

[@MrRoden96]

Both! and get well soon to your mom

[@paulprospero3731]

Glad to hear that your ,mom, is on the mend . Be cool

[@donfieber4495]

what was the guitar dave was working on when he said guitar fuckery

[@thcenturymanthcenturyManpart]

Will be happy

[@MrRoden96]

Best thing to clean a fret board with is Elbow grease!

[@rockolav]

nice video .....

[@WoodesosGuitarMods]

Oh and good news about moms! Mine cooked me and my family roast tonight. Gotta love European moms!! Eat, eat...

[@MrAndrewkheinrich]

GET WELL MOM!!!!! yes I'm yelling. She must be half-deaf with a musician son like you Dave......

[@levonsyers7751]

Thank you!!

[@newboldmusicman]

very informative..thanks...

[@KeatonTait]

nice

[@typeonegfr]

Camille was much more fun to watch polishing the frets ;o)

[@LocoPCtheoneandonly]

Best thing to clean the fingerboard is Danish Oil !!!

[@EPSGplayer]

Is replacing frets on an epiphone even worth it? Wouldn't it be the same price to just buy a new guitar?

[@henkgrui]

+EPSGplayer Well that's of course personal choice, sometimes it's more a emotional value...

[@lavasmokechile]

What kind of beer do you drink? That looked like an interesting bottle. My wifey doesn't like beer in the house (ex-husband had drinking problems, so I guess I inherited the drinking stigma), so I keep it stashed in the basement under the pool table!

[@lavasmokechile]

Good stuff. Cheers! . . . I was watching your videos to learn how to take care of a buzzing fret. Mine occurs at the 6th fret and is very noticeable when the b-string is fretted there. I was thinking about getting a fret hammer However, I have also seen a video where a repair man hammered a piece of board that was pressed up against the unsettled fret.

[@lavasmokechile]

One more thing Dave, I recently recorded a karaoke themed song set to the music of Margaritaville (called Karaoke-ville). I would be honored if you checked it out. The guitar I'm playing is the one with the problem fret, but luckily,that fret isn't being used. You would have to go to my channel to find it, since links aren't allowed anymore.

[@lavasmokechile]

This video "matched 3rd party content" but not the 3rd party I expected (Jimmy Buffet). Instead, someone in Lady GaGa's camp said that something about this composition reminded them of her song "Marry the Night." I listened to some of her song, and there's nothing that I could find, so I disputed it under the "fair use act." I usually post the fair use act info for all cover tunes anyway to cover my bases, but some people have nothing better to do than pick on the little guy!

[@FenderAmericanTele]

I guess it's all chance. I used .009's all the time with low action. I just recently started using .010's and I just don't like it. I just wish long life to my frets I don't want to have any of my necks to need a re fret lol

[@Ariz04]

hey ... dave ... i watched your vid and i learned a lot.....its great! .... can u also make about checking if the neck is aligned...........i got that problem with my guitar (epiphone SG pro) same guitar................... thogh i dnt know if their aligned or not ... a friend just tell me about that.... so i justwanna make sure..... THNKS ......n GOD bless ur mom .. ( ^_^)/ .....>>>@Dave's World of Fun Stuff

[@Ariz04]

easy ways....

[@rustedraven]

cheers to you dave... the best to your mom. you use 'boiled' linseed oil?...yes?

[@alext9067]

Why take the strings off so fast. The true neck geometry would be with the strings on, no?

[@m00plank90]

I'm guessing that when I hit my high fret with a hammer, that wasn't in the book? 😁😁😁

[@sybrae]

It's unavoidable. String tension causes fret dents when you play a fret enough.

[@Aint1S]

I'd use Everclear before simple green lol...

[@Denae2239]

Frets cause so many issues, why don't people just have the painted on instead, and then you can play without any fret buzz and still sound fine as long as it's painted perfectly

[@DackxJaniels]

ready teddy Because then you'd either have to have steel tipped fingers, or have every note except the open ones sound muted? Are you serious? do you think the only purpose of a fret is to show where to put your fingers?

[@mr.sycophant9590]

DackxJaniels Actually, you don't need frets in order to make sound, but, yeah that was a stupid thing for him to say.

[@DackxJaniels]

Like I said, they'd be muted

[@mr.sycophant9590]

DackxJaniels I don't think you're catching my meaning. It could have no frets and you could play the guitar just the same, you would just need to know where each note begins and ends on the board to play efficiently.

[@DackxJaniels]

Achtung! I know exactly what you mean, but the flesh on the side of your fingers, no matter how hard you press down on the string, would severely hamper the vibration of the strings, effectively muting it the same way it does when you use your strumming hand to mute near the saddle. The purpose of a fret isn't to show you where to put your fingers (look at a violin or a cello), but to make sure the notes ring clearly. The reason a violin doesn't have frets is because the string rings while the bow is being drawn against the string, not because violinists are badass enough to know where to put their fingers to play clear notes. Please do not make me reiterate this again!

[@CS_Murphy_R9]

Just hypothetical but what would you have done IF you filed down too much of that frets height? Fixing a high fret here or there looks easy enough but i have read horror stories about guys that have tried it. They filed too much and then that fret is now much too low for the fret before and after.

[@carlrudd1858]

Simple - don't file too much. How hard is that?

[@bsul03420]

What the hell's happened with the volume?

[@s76fitz]

Mr. Les PauL broken right eLbow grease .

[@thcenturymanthcenturyManpart]

Now can you please break it in three pieces please and we will be happy

[@papawheelie920]

Great News about your Mum!

[@lavasmokechile]

Just found out about your Mother so I wanted to add some more good karma he way. Hope all is well.

[@josephtheconqueror]

Second!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@thestgch]

alittle bit theyer getting pretty dull looking

[@carlrudd1858]

silly person doesn't grasp the simple fact that a fret way up the neck like that is never going to be affected by the trussRod adjustment, which mostly alters action at the nut end of the neck.

[@schmoshi]

Shouldn't you first protect the board before filing? Use masking tape or something.

[@andrewdarnley4608]

The pro's like Dave don't seem to need the safety nets like us amateur repair guys and weekend warriors do. But at approx 3:05 he does say if you're worried about scratching your fretboard then tape it up.

[@yoheff988]

What's the final grid sand paper you use before you give the fret a final compound polish?