The Fret Kisser

In this video, I will share my review of StewMac's Fret Kisser, a tool for spot leveling frets. If you would like to help support my channel and get something cool in return, please consider the following:
www.eguitarplans.com/
/ highlineguitars
The Fret Kisser: www.stewmac.com/luthier-tools...

[@bobless5517]

You explain everything very clearly. A lot of subtleties . A real teacher! Thanks!

[@HighlineGuitars]

You're very welcome!

[@bbilman056]

I had that exact concern, but I figured stewmac would never mess up something that basic

[@johnkirkpatrick1778]

While using a fret rocker seems intuitive (showing a fret which is higher that the ones on either side), you def need to keep in mind that one of the 'outer' frets may actually be lower than the rest of them: the fret rocker will still 'rock' causing you to remove metal from a perfectly dressed fret. This can get out of hand very quickly, as the fret after the 'low' one will also cause a rocking motion, meaning that a single low fret will result in the two adjacent frets being lowered unnecessarily.

[@bbilman056]

in that case every single fret would need to be leveled anyways. The only harm here is you'd be doing them one by one

[@fuzzymuppet1990]

I broke my hip 2 weeks ago and been stuck in the hospital, your videos have been helping me get through . Thanks for all you do Chris!

[@HighlineGuitars]

I hope your stay will end soon is a positive way! I'm glad my videos have lessened some of your suffering. Get well soon! My videos are just as good even when you're not in pain.

[@sparrowhawk81]

Get better!

[@fuzzymuppet1990]

@@sparrowhawk81 appreciate you!

[@3cardmonty602]

Prayers out to you for healing. Hope you’re doing better.

[@fuzzymuppet1990]

@3cardmonty602 thanks!

[@ovash1]

Awesome video. Thank you very much, you answered my questions.

[@originalkangarootoo]

Another great thing about this channel, is that I keep discovering tools I didn't know existed. I haven't built guitars in about 20 years, and I was never more than an educated hobbyist back then anyway. But I ever do return to it as a hobby, I know that this channel will have given me 90% of the knowledge I've gained since then.

[@michael_caz_nyc]

I love doing my own maintenance and set-ups. Phenomenal demo & explanation. I feel confident to use this tool.

[@domg7616]

I bought one a few months back. Bought some good luttheier tools. And videos like yours. Started working on a cheap squier strat as a work on guitar. And have loved it.. Getting it to play like a 1500 dollar guitar. Your videos teach alot with some e others on youtube also. Tha k you for your effort in all you do for us in KZbin land.

[@supernoobsmith5718]

Love the way you explain things. I've learned a lot watching just a handful of your videos. Really inspired to grab a few guinea pig guitars and learn how to work on frets.

[@stevenleek1254]

I've got one and love it. When I first find the high spot I might tap on it with a fretting hammer to make sure it's set. I might lock the fret down with glue. But, the Fret Kisser makes things perfect!

[@uptownphotography]

Excellent video! Great info. I have been on the fence for a very long time with this tool, but it is currently on sale for $79.99 and watching your video has taken away any fears that the tool might not work so great. It seems a very useful tool (from your video) even for a person like myself who is a guitarist who prefers to do most of my guitar repairs myself. (I have done many jobs like replacing pickups/pots, rewiring, intonation and setups, etc)... The only jobs I really have limited experience on is fret leveling. (I do own a rocker tool and a StewMac Fret End Dressing file, nut files and I own a 4 sided Crowning file)... I am convinced that I should buy the tool (based on your video) because I own 3 Gibson Guitars, One 12 string Ibanez, One Harley Benton LP (w/P90s), one Ovation and own a Benedetto. Thanks for doing the video! Phil NYC / Jersey Shore Area

[@joseluismazzoccoli7497]

thanks for the demostration

[@AcousticOne]

Thanks for the great demo and helpful information Chris…it really helps make the decision easier!

[@davekiddie4467]

Awesome tool, had this for a while 😊

[@BluesInSeattle]

Dude I love your videos. I learn something every time.

[@christopherhall5315]

One of my favorite tools!

[@waynehughes8297]

Very helpful, thank you.

[@piptyson5512]

Thanks Chris. I'll be waiting for the email when it's back in stock. This looks very handy indeed.

[@jrandallmoore]

Great video Chris! Thanks.

[@HighlineGuitars]

Glad you liked it!

[@harleyveejay]

Excellent video Chris, great camera work. A 100 bucks is a lot of money, but after seeing your demonstration, I think I'm going to buy one from Stewmac. Thanks

[@erichfrederick9229]

This video just sold me on the fret kisser. Your video explained it better than anyone. Great video. Thanks. I've been playing guitar for a long time now. But always took my guitars to the shop in town, for 2 reasons. I wasn't good at working on my guitars and I wanted to support the guitar shop. But I've been working on my own guitars more lately, and been looking for tools to work with that was straight forward and not too much of a hassle for to figure out. I've been watching your videos on knowledge. I found a few frets on my stratocaster that was high and wanted to spot level them without going through the whole process. This just helped me out👍👍

[@HighlineGuitars]

I hope this helps you to dial your frets. Doing your own spot leveling isn't all that difficult and it can be so rewarding.

[@homebuiltshop]

I also had the same thought about the abrasive possibly being lower than the outer ends. Good to know its not. I'll have to grab one now. Thanks for the review.

[@frehley6986]

If you need it to be more aggressive you can turn the kisser diagonally slightly and go up and down.

[@marcostassi4141]

Perfect video!!!

[@HighlineGuitars]

Glad you liked it!

[@fuzzymuppet1990]

20 mins cant wait !

[@FretFriendGWaL]

Mine just arrived yesterday! :)

[@toneconsultant]

Nice. I actually made an improvement to the fret kisser in my version of the tool, but money isn't an issue so sometimes I question myself if I should get one. Don't need it, but I love cool tools.

[@mjklein]

I found that the Fret Kisser is apparently more precise than my fret rocker. I found a few frets that checked high with the rocker but were flat under the Fret Kisser. Moving the FK took nothing off the supposedly high fret.

[@gelderlandproduction]

I'm gonna buy one for my guitar tech! (if he doesn't already have one.. )Thanks for the review!

[@86OEd]

That looks like a must have tool, thanks!

[@ibberman]

What a great tool, thanks for the video, I'll get one. UPS, oh no, "Sorry, this item is unavailable for purchase or backorder at this time." 😢

[@Raidogen]

Love your videos! I've used the fret kisser in the shop and i find that it grinds down high frets but leaves a tiny bit that is detectable by the fret rocker. Also, just so you know, there's a high-pitched squeal throughout the entire video.

[@HighlineGuitars]

I think it was my 3D printer running in the background.

[@matthewdrake9699]

No surprise they’re now out of stock!

[@davidebissoli]

It is called "Reference fret level" and it is my invention from 2011. Thank you for appreciating my work. Can you also support the original Buzz Killer?

[@HighlineGuitars]

I googled your invention and found your website. Very innovative indeed.

[@jayz6008]

I think more people would be outraged and backing you up if your products were more widely known. Your products are awesome and I have even bought the little bone , but you have zero ads and almost zero word of mouth . You should spread the word on forums more or just among the guitar community , I think your stuff has the potential to be very popular but the 2 biggest things I think your company lacks is exposure and ease of buying . Your website last I checked wasn’t very convenient to order from . Just my opinion .

[@davidebissoli]

@@jayz6008 Thank you! I will treasure your words.

[@wasteddude9387]

No offense, you probably decided not to use the following, but just in case… 1.) Use a marker (pen) to color the high points all the way down the neck. Then go back and file the marked areas until all the marked areas are gone. 2.) Take the strings off at some point, so you don’t have to keep retuning the guitar during the leveling process. 3.) Consider using a “hammer” to tamp down certain high spots so you don’t lose as much fret material over time.

[@aberhan]

Good explanation. On a side note I wouldn’t want a guitar neck with that inlay, I find it disconcerting.

[@HighlineGuitars]

I’ll keep that in mind if I ever make a guitar for you.

[@rshizuya]

All outta stock atm Neat tool to have Spot leveling makes SS fretwork far less tedious

[@abteenz]

I love your videos man! Do you make the fretboard dead flat before using the fret kisser?

[@HighlineGuitars]

Yes.

[@SixtyMeMz]

10:30 you mention only needing to buff and polish the newly flatted spot. You would say there is no need to go over the fret with a crowning file to reform the fret shape? I would love to hear your input; your videos have been a massive help and inspiration!

[@HighlineGuitars]

Common sense will tell you that the need to recrown depends on the width of the flat spot.

[@chrisault4575]

I've had a fret kisser for awhile now and have been thinking about using it again but am wondering if I had used it correctly before. When spot leveling, starting out with the rocker, should you start towards the neck (so 2nd fret 1st check) or start at the body. (I am thinking at the neck.) Then, when you find a spot, do you fix that one fret first and then continue on? I'm definitely not a luthier, just a hobbyist. and have had difficulty getting things right. Thanks for all of the great videos.

[@bahadortanzif8932]

Start at the body, go up... level. Repeat.

[@countzero5150]

I like the concept of the fret kisser, I've used it a handful of times but I don't like how it will scratch the frets to the left and right of the fret you're leveling. I'd like to see someone come out with their own take on it like the new music nomad crowning file or for stewmac to release an improved version.

[@HighlineGuitars]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/fpfVomOqft-hhc0si=ouNp5N-ZOsbySNnS

[@countzero5150]

@@HighlineGuitars that's the one. I personally have a set of stewmac crowning files but I'm all for companies coming up with improved tools.

[@HighlineGuitars]

@@countzero5150 I wish they offered lifetime replacement like Stewmac does. My experience with diamond grits is they wear out pretty quickly. I'll wait to see if Stewmac copies the Music Nomad crowing file then I'll buy it for $150 knowing they'll replace it as soon as it wears out.

[@Mee0tchy]

Great review thanks! What process or tool would you recommend if I have two frets in a row that are high? I love the concept of this tool, but not sure how I would accurately use it in my situation. Cheers

[@HighlineGuitars]

Same tools. Level one then leave the other.

[@sparrowhawk81]

How smooth are the non-grindy parts of each edge? I'm assuming they are fairly well polished so you won't end up inadvertently grinding down the "reference" frets on either side of the high fret. I have to say my only concerns with this thing have to do with it wearing down. But I guess the lifetime replacement thing takes care of that concern huh.

[@davepark1827]

how flat should the fret board be before spot leveling? or does the relief in the neck matter if only spot leveling? thanks.

[@matthewstephens6848]

Trouble with mine is that is will sand until there's no contact, but the fret is still high. I was hoping to find some nuance that I was missing while using it, but the truth is that it's an untrustable tool.

[@HighlineGuitars]

After using the tool and recrowning the fret (the key to success), do the strings still buzz against the offending fret?

[@matthewstephens6848]

@@HighlineGuitars yes sir. Fully crowned and polished.

[@francoisanon1389]

when you do verify the fret level the NECK shoul be put straight perfect before doing it ? or as i heard you do it after adjust the trussrod, tuning strings, intonation. I just want to be shure of the steps in order to do it right. Because i think when giving a small curve in the neck will change all of this.

[@adhaskym.a9536]

Hi. Do you ensure the neck is straight after removing the steings or remain where it is after string removal?

[@HighlineGuitars]

I ensure the neck is straight, but remember I only make brand-new guitars. It's different when working on used or vintage guitars.

[@MatthewSwasta]

OK, starting with the three where you first found a high fret, what if you go to the next three frets and find that the one closest to the neck of the first three was too low? Are you not now just chasing frets? Shouldn't we be checking the entire fingerboard before focusing on any one fret or area?

[@HighlineGuitars]

Obviously you should only use this tool after leveling all of the frets with a leveling beam or if you're on tour and have one high fret messing things up.

[@buckchaser4725]

Could you do the same thing using the fret rocker by adding a piece of scotch tape on each end to slide on the reference frets and adding a piece of fine sandpaper in the middle to cut down the high fret? (Assuming that you have the same thickness for the tape and the sandpaper)

[@HighlineGuitars]

No.

[@toneconsultant]

@@HighlineGuitars I'll share a nerdy note. Blue painter's tape is 1/2 the width of the sandpaper I have. I think it was .004 or .04. Sorry, I can't recall at the moment. Anyway, I doubled up the blue tape (so that's .008 or whatever the sandpaper was) and then used one piece of sandpaper on an old rocker. Results? It needed a little fine tuning, but it you can get there. I later routed out a 3/8" strip in a 3" long piece of wood. The depth was the same as a $4 diamond file I had laying around. Results? I do have to raise the strings out of the way, but the results are better than the Fret kisser because my file goes up and down the fret and not across like the fret kisser. Smooth fret! Highline, you're advance enough to do this. Give it a go. It could be sort of fun.

[@vw9659]

@buckchaser4725 modifying a conventional fret rocker would not be wide enough for fret "spot levelling". But you can make your own fret kisser with a short section of aluminium U-section (fits under a string), say 10mm wide. No need to use a mix of sandpaper and regular tape. Instead, cut a length of fine sandpaper (say 400 grit) to the same length as the aluminium. Then cut that sandpaper strip into 3 equal sections: stick one section "grit up" in the middle of the aluminium (for the fret to be spot-levelled), and the other two sections grit-down/smooth-side-up at the ends of the aluminium (with adhesive or double-sided tape). Thus the thickness is the same all along the length. Voila ! Fret kisser for less than $10. You can make several different lengths, for different fret spacings. I do still use a regular fret rocker to identify high spots though, and to check the spot-levelling work as I go.

[@kaganozmeric9822]

One thing which intrigues me most is some people claim that you cannot be sure if that certain fret is high because the adjacent fret might be lower than the rest. Now what is the possibility of having a low fret in a NEW guitar? I say new guitar because I want to rule out the fret wear. And how can you detect a low fret? Because using a fret rocker then becomes useless in that case. Logically to have a low fret you should either have a faulty fret which is thinner than the rest or you should have compressed the fretboard while pressing the fret. I believe both are very rare occasions

[@HighlineGuitars]

When it comes to leveling frets, you can't add material, you can only remove it. If you have a low spot on a fret, what you also have are adjacent frets that are higher. To level all the frets, you have to grind all the higher ones down level with that one low spot. That's what fret leveling is. If you have to remove more material than you think is appropriate, you need to re-fret the guitar properly.

[@kaganozmeric9822]

@@HighlineGuitars Thank you for the explanation. I understand the concept of fret leveling crystal clear. My question is not about a fret with a low spot, but about a fret or frets sitting completely lower than the remaining frets on the neck. How can you pinpoint such a fret?

[@HighlineGuitars]

@@kaganozmeric9822 attach a strip of scotch tape to a leveling beam. Color the tape with a magic marker. Run the beam back and forth over the frets with the side that has the scotch tape against the top of the frets as if you were leveling the them. The magic marker’s color will deposit onto the top of all the frets accept the low one.

[@kaganozmeric9822]

@@HighlineGuitars Thank you Chris. This is a clever way to spot them. In a gear forum somebody had written that you can paint all the frets with a marker and then use a levelling beam attached with a very fine grit sandpaper. The lower frets will remain painted after sanding. That might be a way, but eventually it is destructive even though fine sandpaper will not remove much material from top of the fret. And I would not be eager to go that way for a guitar with material or emotional value

[@HighlineGuitars]

@@kaganozmeric9822 What would be the point of identifying a low fret?

[@robertreid7678]

I find to spot level I just use my fret end file and a rocker . Works great

[@bluglass7819]

Still a little too pricey for me. I do love Stewmac though.

[@tonymartin4571]

Does the fretboard have to be completely flat, before using this tool? Or can you leave the amount of relief you had dialed in.

[@HighlineGuitars]

No, it doesn't need to be flat.

[@tonymartin4571]

@@HighlineGuitars What about recrowning after you’ve filed with this tool? Do you have a recommended tool for that or is it not needed?

[@HighlineGuitars]

@@tonymartin4571 kzbin.info/www/bejne/f3irkpajg9x3mdk kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z2aQe2qcmrWeZ6M kzbin.info/www/bejne/ioa4qHV_e8plhNk kzbin.info/www/bejne/m5DSZWOaqJKjpJo kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z4Wzmn-was1po8U

[@djb3545]

Do you re-crown afterwards or just polish fret.

[@HighlineGuitars]

If I had to take off a lot of material, yes. Otherwise I'll just sand and polish.

[@luisrovira2872]

Great for high frets. Are low frets not a thing? And what about adjacent high frets?

[@HighlineGuitars]

You can't add material, you can only remove it.

[@luisrovira2872]

@@HighlineGuitars Thanks. I understand. But if fret N rocks, and it's because fret N-1 is low, then removing material from fret N could make things worse, right?

[@HighlineGuitars]

@@luisrovira2872 No. Fret N rocks because it's high, not because fret N-1 is low.

[@hugosnyders4219]

@@HighlineGuitars Yes, but it sometimes happens that both N-1 and N are high and N-2 and N+1 are low. As a result N-1 and N will rock. So You have to fix them both.

[@jayz6008]

Is it possible to fret level the first fret with this ?

[@HighlineGuitars]

No.

[@PASHKULI]

On a compound radius fretboard, how is it possible to level the frets? Seems that the 3D geometry does not make it possible.

[@therileyobrien]

No need to overthink it. It’s still level under each string, just cone shaped rather than constant like a pipe. Just make sure you make straight passes in the direction the strings go with your leveling tool of choice. I use a precision ground square bar that is about 1” wide. I make straight passes and pick it up to move it being careful not to sand parallel to the frets very much. It’s really not much different and I’ve done so many that I hardly even think about whether the radius is constant or compound. I just do it to pretty much the same way for both.

[@donald-parker]

Three questions on using fret rockers: How can you be sure the rocking is a high fret? If you have a low fret you will see similar symptoms (and misdiagnosing one low fret as two high frets). And if you find a high fret (particularly if it is only high in the middle of the fret) wouldn't the first step be to see if you can tap it down before griding off fret material? Finally, you didn't mention this but I always assumed the first step before doing any fret leveling exercise is to make sure the neck is straight with your slotted straight edge first. Otherwise you end up removing fret material to compensate for relief (which wastes fret material and completely defeats the purpose of having any relief in the first place). If you leave the strings on and attempt spot leveling using this device, is it still not important to make sure there is no relief first (even if you need to re-introduce some relief after you are done spot leveling)?

[@jayrific]

Do you got your CNC in the background. The background sound is driving me nuts.

[@HighlineGuitars]

3D printer.

[@heY-iTs-nAtHan-0.0]

Where can I find you I’d like to get a refret on my guitar

[@HighlineGuitars]

I don't do refrets. Sorry.

[@heY-iTs-nAtHan-0.0]

@@HighlineGuitars ok thanks anyway

[@colinc6031]

Dude use it with the strings tuned to pitch. Critical....

[@HighlineGuitars]

Absolutely! However, when building a new guitar, you can use this tool for spot leveling BEFORE installing the strings and then AFTER installing and tuning to pitch. Doing it that way may reduce the amount of spot leveling you have to do with the stings in place and tuned to pitch. This approach is ideal since spot leveling with the strings in place and tuned to pitch is less convenient.

[@PASHKULI]

Fи#! me, this tool is £280. Damn!

[@espiritguitar]

To much long

[@HighlineGuitars]

That's what she said.

[@espiritguitar]

To much talk. You should do less talk and go the point ok

[@HighlineGuitars]

When you have more subscribers than me, I'll consider any advice you have to offer.