Replacing frets, DIY.

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capnkid

capnkid

Optimus Prime
This Kramer focus I have is actually a nice guitar with a real floyd rose on it. the frets are getting pretty low, and the do need replaced. I jack with everything else on the guitar, and I have a drill press. I think I saw a tool a stew mac that allows your drill press to install the frets.

What all would I need? Tell me if I have left anything out.

1. the pressing tool
2. fretwire
3. fretwire cutters
4. a file.
5. would I have to buy a fretwire radius bender, or do they sell the fretwire pre-cut to certain radius'?
 
I only have some of the tools, but you'll need a few different files, including a long flat file to level the frets, and a crowning file is nice too. They sell that, and also a three-in-one file for fret dressing. I have those two, it works OK for a hack kit.

I don't have the fret press, I just use a fretting hammer.
 
How much do you like that guitar?

You NEED to buy a good book on guitar repair and read the refretting section thoroughly. Then come back here and get advice from guys like Muttley and light. Only then can you really understand their answers. You also need to get a clunker guitar to practice on. A DIY refret is an attainable goal, but it's easy to ruin your fretboard so you need to give yourself every chance for success.

A fret job isn't really that complicated. The basic tools are not cheap but are affordable when compared to the cost of having the work done.

I hope you try it. Guitar repair can be very satisfying. You can also report back and tell everybody why refret jobs are so expensive.

Please, Please, Please do the homework first. and please don't try it without getting the right tools to do the job. this is very precise work.
 
I'll chime in here as well. A refret is a LOT of very precise work. Just removing the old frets can destroy your board, unless you are very good, very careful, and no-one has used epoxy or cyanoacrylic in the past on your frets. Then you need to find out what the kerf is, and get fretwire that will work properly, which means measurements within perhaps a couple of hundredths tolerance. You'll want to prebend them to match your fretboard radius, with just a very slight overbend so the edges seat fully. You can tap them in, which required a dead hammer, or press them in which calls for a press, either method takes some experience. Then you will need to dress them, which is really kind of an art form. I heard a lot of yowls when I recommended that someone could do their own nut here, which is about a zillion times easier than a refret. Out of all the work you can do on a guitar, though, this is the one thing I would always get a pro to at least advise me heavily on. Hope this helps.
 
A $5000 Martin is not a good choice for a first-try re-fret. A $100 Kramer is an excellent choice. Don't be afraid to mess with it. What's the worst that could happen?

Here's what you'll need; it's all available from Stewart Macdonald.

(1) The book "Fret Work Step by Step." ($25)
(2) Fretwire.
(3) A fret-pulling tool (you have to get the old one's out cleanly).
(4) Something to get the new ones in with. I use a fretting hammer ($17.50). The drill press thing will work fine if you're afraid of the hammer, but it's pricier.
(5) Some fret nippers. ($30 from Stew Mac, but cheaper if you buy the same thing from a hardware store.)
(6) Mill file. (You have to get the buggers all to the same height.)
(7) Something to smooth the tops with after you're done filing them even --- a block with different grits of sandpaper works fine.
(7) Triangle file (to round the top and the corners).
(8) Something to polish the frets with when you're done --- steel wool is good, then I like a dremel with a small buffing wheel and some jeweler's rouge.

Enjoy.
 
Kelby said:
A $5000 Martin is not a good choice for a first-try re-fret. A $100 Kramer is an excellent choice. Don't be afraid to mess with it. What's the worst that could happen?
Click to expand...

exactly.

i have a couple of cheap guitars that i'm getting geared up to do a fret level on.

i went looking for a flat single cut file today for fret leveling. it's not easy finding a truely flat file. i didn't find one. i'll probably go with something else for the leveling. i looked for a long, fine, sharpening stone but couldn't find one that wasn't too expensive. the short ones are cheap but i don't think a short one would give good results (i'm not trying it). i'm going to see if i can get piece of marble tile or 1/4" glass cut to size and use with some 600 grit sandpaper.

i went to ace hardware and harbor freight and picked up a set of feeler guages, a 36" straight edge ($3), a 6" rule ($2), a 8" single cut file ($3) and a needle file set ($4). i'm going to use the triangle file for crowning after smoothing it's sharp edges. the straight edge is a cheap aluminum one that i cut in half with a dremel. i'm notching one 18" piece to fit over the frets for checking fingerboard straightness. i checked the 36" rule at the hardware store against the others there and it looked straight when looking toward light. after i cut it in half i checked for a gap between the two pieces using a .001 feeler guage (there wasn't any). good enough for me and only $3.

one of the guitars (a strat copy) i'm planning to refret but i want to practice leveling and crowning on it first. i'm going to try a hammer first. if that doesn't work i'll look at the press caul. i still have to find something for leveling, pick up a dial caliper (digital at harbor freight for $15), and put together a fret bender. i have a 80 watt soldering iron and an old tip that i'll notch for heating frets before pulling them. i'm going to use some diy fret tang benders and straighteners. oh the fun. :p

capnkid, if you decide to do it, good luck!
 
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You can do a refret yourself but it requires a lot of patience and attention to detail and if this is your first effort I recommend trying it out on an old junker you don't care about trashing.

Unless you intend on doing a few in the future the basic tools alone will set you back a lot more than a shop refret.

Your first problem is getting the old frets out. The thing to avoid is chipping out the timber on the fret board as the old frets come out. This can be done in a variety of ways. A fret puller would be the best bet for your first attempt. If the old ones have been seated with a dab of glue which is often the case on a guitar that has been refretted, then heat from a soldering iron on the fret will loosen them. Most factory frets are not glued in, some are.

Once you have the old ones out you need to get the neck dead straight with the truss rod before going any further. Check it with a good straight edge. Once the neck is flat and true do any fine sanding to remove any marks dings etc. That you may want to remove. I do it with radius blocks and scrapers, a good hard flat sanding block will do but go carefully you don't want to mess up the profile.

Next clean the fret slots to get out any old glue and dust from the slots. They need to be CLEAN or you may have problems seating the new frets.

For an unbound neck you need to cut the frets just over length and press them in with an arbour press or caul with a dab of Titebond to hold them down. Not too much or the fret wont seat. You can use a pin hammer to seat them start at the edge and work the centre. The fret tang may also need to be widened as pulling the old frets may have opend the slots making the new frets too loose. You can do this by tapping the fret on the underside with the edge of a bastard file. Hole much will depend on the new tang and the width of the slot. Trial and error I'm afraid if you don't have experience of a few refrets.

I have in the past posted quite a few detailed descriptions of fret dressing so I'll be brief here.

Once you have the new frets in you need to dress the edges first you need to file them flush at around 55 - degrees. Then the top of all the frets are remove with a good perfectly flat file or stone. I have a selection of diamond stones and files I know are true. You know when the frets are all level as you will have a visible flat top to all of them. Next they need to be re crowned. You can get a special file to do this. It has to match the fret width or be slightly wider. You can do it with a triangular file with a safe edge but you will find it takes a lot of care and time. You'll have the fret board masked off at this point to avoid damage to the board. Now you can start polishing them. Start with 400 grit and work up to 1200 grit using your fingers. working along the neck. You need to remove all scratches and marks before final polishing with a buffing wheel and a little fine jewelers paste. pay attention to the edge of the frets to make sure they are not over hanging the fingerboard and their are no sharp edges. They need to be shaped with a very fine needle file to the traditional shape or a profile of your choice. Again make sure your file has a safe edge.

Having done all that you need to start on the setup. Things to look at here are resetting the action. Possibly re cut or shim the nut and saddle as the new frets will be higher than the old ones. check for loose frets or any that have risen. This can happen as you set the truss rod.

This is only a very basic description of a DIY refret process. To do the job correctly requires more tools and a good deal of experience. Other makers have different approaches to some methods but they have all arrived at them by adapting this basic technique. Once you have done around a hundred boards you start to feel that you are getting the hang of it.

Don't let that put you off because you can do a good job first time just don't underestimate the amount of time and cost involved as well as the attention to detail.
 
Where I live, there is no place that does this for 100 miles in each direction, maybe 200 miles.

So with gas prices, or even sending a neck through the mail, and the cost of a refretting would buy the tools, heck, maybe I might be good at it. I think it would be nice to learn. I will read everything I can before I do it.


There is a guy up here that builds custom acoustic guitars, he builds like 12 per year and sells them for thousands.
 
capnkid said:
Where I live, there is no place that does this for 100 miles in each direction, maybe 200 miles.

So with gas prices, or even sending a neck through the mail, and the cost of a refretting would buy the tools, heck, maybe I might be good at it. I think it would be nice to learn. I will read everything I can before I do it.


There is a guy up here that builds custom acoustic guitars, he builds like 12 per year and sells them for thousands.
Click to expand...
Go speak to him. He would be your best bet for success first time.
 
The first tool you need is to buy Dan Erlewine's book on fret work. Read that first, then start thinking about what tools you are going to need.

Here is my minimal kit:

Good straight edge
Truss rod tool
Fret pullers/cutters (I prefer to have a small puller and a larger cutter, but for years we used the same tool for both)
Soldering iron (heating the frets makes them come out easier)
sanding board (we use a 24 inch level with sandpaper on the side - for leveling the fingerboard)
hammer or arbor press (the hammer is fine, once you learn how to do it)
some way to level the frets (I like a big flat file in a custom made handle, but the Stew-Mac tool is fine, if too course; Frank Ford uses a #5 or #6 jack plane with sand paper)
some kind of file to recrown the frets (most old time experienced guys use a safed, big flat mill bastard file, but a the various crowning files are fine if you prefer).
a whole lot of different grits of sandpaper (from about 100 to about 2000-4000).



Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
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