Reagan was a great president he simply tried to tame the welfare state and he crushed all the inflation. He tried to pu back money in the pockets of WORKING Americans. Typically the people that got mad at trickle down economics back then were the same people that were on welfare since RR made them lazy bastids get back to work and earn a living!!!
I get your reasoning behind going against the length of the neck but FYI....The reason you DO want to sand via the length of the neck as opposed to width, is because you want to level per string section. You will end up having to remove less materiel if the frets vary x axis vs the y. You do want to sand across the width at the end but only with high grit paper to remove sanding scratch from the lower grits. You got away with your method here because you use 400 grit. On nasty level jobs where you need to use 220 or 320 going the length will be more accurate and allow you to remove less material since heavier strings will pit more than lighter strings if the guitar has been played alot.
I always cover the guitar when hammering in frets with wet CA glue, because one time I splattered specs of glue all over the body when hitting the frets with the hammer
Thanks for the lesson. Im starting to maintain my personal guitars, I've watched a few videos on this, and I actually worked autobody for years and wondered why all the other videos (except yours,) don't use the proper technique to sand a radius. glad i caught your page, nice work.
Great series , just watched all of them today . One thing I wanted to let you know , not sure if it has already been commented on , but episode 5 is not in the play list . I love watching people take a 'kit' guitar and make it their own . I too will get my chance at that some day . I really like to see what peoples' ideas are to what looks good and sounds good to them , and things like belly cuts on a tele style . That Crimson body of yours is gorgeous , and sounds good too . Thanks for the awesome build series .
I own your 6" sanding beam & Fret Rocker and use them often. Planning on getting that long neck rest for relief you offer. Thanks for the tips and to me your sanding idea makes sense since I grew up in body shops around wrench heads and have done a fair bit of body work myself in my teen years so yeah gonna try this technique and will let you know how it works out.
Aloha from Hawaii what are you using to remove the excess super glue with the q tip it looks wet when you are wiping away the excess Thanks in advance🤘🤘🤘
Man I love how you selected the sharpie like that haha. What is the liquid you are putting on the board and wiping off after hammering in frets? I know it is cleaning up the glue, but what is it? Cool video!
you don't want the beam cutting a wide swath, the frets are curved and the beam only contacts a small portion of the curve (really, a point at first). These beams are designed to use the narrow side, you want to level only a small cross-section at a time.
I've wondered for years why no one seems to make a truly full-length leveling beam. I've found the 16 and 18-inch ones take more material off the middle as they are always in contact with the center frets. Is this by design? What is the rationale for almost full-length leveling beams that contact the center frets at all times? In many ways, the shorter 8-inch beams make more sense, because the amount of contact on all frets will be closer to the same. Seems to me you'd either want true full length, or about 1/3rd length.
It's all preference and experience. PRS use a 6" file to level frets... If you thing of the board in 1/3s as you pointed out - The first third is cowboy chord area, the second third has the most relief and the highest 1/3 is where you solo. I like a little fall off on the highest 1/3, so the first and the second can be done with a 6" or 12" beam without worry. Sometimes I get a problem guitar and the long beam is the only way to sort out the problem frets. I hope that makes sense! Rock on!!!
@@SkyscraperGuitars Thanks for the reply. It kind of makes sense, as in the shorter beams 6", 8" and 12" all make sense, it's as I say the so-called 16" that seems odd, why be so close to full length, yet just under? And also this is the norm for manufacturing, with Stew-Mac being the only manufacturer doing a true full-length beam. I guess what I'm asking is, having explained the 6", 8, and 12", what made you choose 16" for the "full-length" beam? Why is it so close but not quite? Why not add 3" extra inches and call it a day?
@@replaceablehead Here's my take... a 22 fret strat scale is 16.91" from the 1st fret to the 22nd. I usually add fall off starting on the 15th or so... I am most worried about the 1st through 17. Everything above that will be on a different plane. Also, when you look at machining/lapping flat surfaces, you can always overhang about 1/3 of overall length as you will have 2/3 reference. That is generally accepted as a way to control flatness. Lastly (and maybe most importantly)... We made a batch of 20" beams WAY back. It took us 2-3 times as much labor on the granite surface plate to get the edges lapped in. We had to include that labor in the cost of the part and very few people bought them. I have one that I use all the time for sanding fretboards down. We have since started making radius sanding beams that are 20", 10" and 5" long. Those are machined (not lapped), so they are much more cost effective. The difference being, you need to have a beam for each radius you plan to use. This was MUCH more cost effective for our customers.
Great video. As a player I have done 6 string setups on my own stuff for a number of years, and after having some issues with my Schecter C1 (which I had been able to set to lower action than the SG, Paul, PRS or Gretsch..) I decided to do a fret level - just too many high frets when rocking. Prior to issues developing on the Schecter I could set to .75 mm on High E, 1.0 mm on Low E measured at 12 without issue. All frets were down properly, and I was pleased with the leveling, fall off and polishing. When I try to obtain those actions heights again though, all notes are clean on all strings, but bends on the high E and B strings above the 12th fret choke if they are more than a full step... unless I bring the action up of course. Looking for a little better if possible - Thoughts please.... Best regards and Thank you - Brad
Double check your relief . Sometimes a little tweak one way or another will fix little chokes, and, or a couple of dead notes, especially when they are together like you mention. I've had guitars that I'd swear that if it needed any adjusting, it would be "more" relief. Only to find that a little bit "less" relief fixed the issue.
@@glennjames7107 Thanks, that's exactly what the issue was. Current relief is almost nothing, with those tight action measurements. I know I may have an "animal" that has to be cared for and adjusted a bit more than most, but it sure does play well. A bit of an experiment on my part (:~> In respect to the relief, it's almost as though the neck moves in more than just a "bow or no bow" fashion a bit on adjustment, i.e. up or down a bit in relation to what a straight line (the strings) see...
I'm in the process of doing a refret. I levelled the frets and crowned them. I still have some high ones. Should I relevel the frets? Yes! When using a fret crowning tool, do you run the file on top of the fret or on the sides? I'm trying to do my first refret as you can probably tell. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!!!! Bradley
Thank you for this......but.... I need help.... lol..... after every single guitar i have made, after checking with notched straightedge, then stewmac leveling beam, then fret rocker then crowning and polish..... and fallaway ....then..... when i string up .. and put action at where normal factory specs are.... then.... i seem to get buzz from the middle that sounds like from frets where the neck is glued to the body at.... .... what am i missing or possibly doing wrong..... ... i definitely need to try beam going diagonally.... and ....maybe more support under neck..... ? ...any advice would be Greatly appreciated.....thank
That is an incredibly complicated question. The frets can be perfectly flat with no string tension, then the neck can do crazy things when you put strings on. The vibration pattern of the string is affected by how heavy you play, so that can cause trouble too. In some cases, you can pin point the trouble frets and slowly file them until you get rid of the issue. Some guys use an "I" shaped beam so they can sand with the strings on. I'd recommend using a 6" or shorter file/beam if you plan to do that. You can use a needle file and hit the tops of individual frets with the strings on until you get rid of the buzz, then de-string, re-crown and polish... You can also put a bit more relief in the neck, then reset the action and see if that helps. Sometimes that extra bit of clearance can make all the difference. Every guitar is different, so you have to be a detective and find out the best course of action. I hope this helps!!!
@@chrishunter9256 Don’t feel bad Chris. I have the same problem with a strat that I am having the hardest time getting rid of the buzz. I can’t seem to locate the exact point where it’s buzzing and it’s driving me crazy! Anyway, I wanted to tell you about a product called “Katana Fret Leveler”. It allows you to level frets with the strings on and whatever relief you like to keep. It’s basically a truss rod itself on a narrow I beam. It works really well. Do a search on TH-cam. I have no interest in the company but the product works but is expensive :).
This work is the fundamental, if you want a cheap 300$ guitar copy, in tune all over fretboard without buzzing, sounding and just as easy to play, as a 3.000$ custom shop Fender, Gibson or Rickenbacker. If the wood is excactly the same as the original, and the pickups are of the same type, no one will be able to tell the difference, playing and listening to the guitar.
I end up flattening the offending fret using anything besides just the crown tool and even though it doesn't buzz, it KILLS the tone coming off that note on an acoustic.....note sure how to correct that.....
Great video! I noticed when you’re creating the fall away that you still have sandpaper on full length of beam. Other vids I’ve seen they remove some of the sandpaper so the bare leveling beam rides on those 2 pieces of tape. Does it matter? Thanks in advance!
They are slightly different tools. If you are spot leveling or if you're trying to concentrate in one area, the straight beams allow you to do that. BUT, we are machining the first batch of SkyScraper Radiused Sanding Beams right now! We are hoping to have them ready just before the end of the year.
Beams that are smaller than the whole board are bad choices as they unevenly sand the frets. The higher register gets sanded more and will cause dead spots
is that intro music your own? sounds really good. do you mix yourself? or have someone else do it? great video as always. you should have way more subs than you do.
The intro is canned stuff... I wish I had time to record my own... I've done it for a few other videos on a different channel, but I just have too many thing I want to do in the shop. Maybe some day that will lighten up a bit!
Assalamualaikum. I've watched videos of various workshops several times. Same. Maybe it's my disorder. From 1985 until now he has done that. And the result is a defect. Finally I looked for solutions to various physical problems with electric guitars. Especially guitar necks. Unfortunately I can't share my knowledge yet. This can immerse my career in the world of guitar. Hope the channel is successful and considers this.
Thank you for this! Could this be applied to a bass? I have a 5 string (35” scale, fret 1 to 25 measure at just about 25”) but just bass in general, I always see these for guitar specifically. Any advice would be appreciated!
Yes. The process for leveling bass frets is identical. You have to be a bit more careful to support the neck so it doesn't bow under the pressure of sanding. The longer necks are WAY easier to cause deflection. Most bass players don't play above the 15th fret very often, so I don't always create fall-off like I do on guitars.
nice video and explanations - I'm going to try that figure 8 pattern you used when leveling the frets. i'm not entirely convinced, but i understand your reasoning.
If a surface plate is out by 0.010" then it needs re surfacing!!! I know because I've reconditioned loads of these!! NOW if you wanna talk about surface tables!!!!! Ive reconditioned loaaaaaaaaads of those too!!!..............0.010 is an unexceptional error in any surface plate or table and needs attention!! I think you are talking about 0.001" which is slightly closer!! and also 0.002" over a foot is not classed as a calibrated plate or table!! Us engineers work FKN close!!! BUT I do love your technique!! 🙂
Seems it would be wiser to put the glue on the fret and clamp it rather than hit it with the hammer. And watch yourself that when hitting it with the hammer the glue doesn't come flying out of the slot in your eyes or your clothes and such.
Aloha from Hawaii what are you using to remove the excess super glue with the q tip it looks wet when you are wiping away the excess Thanks in advance🤘🤘🤘
Very informative, nice touch with the VW tee shirt 💯🎸
You had me at Reagan Bush 84'. Still waiting for my frets to 'trickle down' and level themselves.
LOL LOL....brilliant!
Clinton put an end to that.
Reagan was a great president he simply tried to tame the welfare state and he crushed all the inflation. He tried to pu back money in the pockets of WORKING Americans. Typically the people that got mad at trickle down economics back then were the same people that were on welfare since RR made them lazy bastids get back to work and earn a living!!!
An absolutely beautiful guitar combined with a masterclass in fret leveling. Thank you for this video.
I get your reasoning behind going against the length of the neck but FYI....The reason you DO want to sand via the length of the neck as opposed to width, is because you want to level per string section. You will end up having to remove less materiel if the frets vary x axis vs the y. You do want to sand across the width at the end but only with high grit paper to remove sanding scratch from the lower grits. You got away with your method here because you use 400 grit. On nasty level jobs where you need to use 220 or 320 going the length will be more accurate and allow you to remove less material since heavier strings will pit more than lighter strings if the guitar has been played alot.
I always cover the guitar when hammering in frets with wet CA glue, because one time I splattered specs of glue all over the body when hitting the frets with the hammer
Thanks for the lesson. Im starting to maintain my personal guitars, I've watched a few videos on this, and I actually worked autobody for years and wondered why all the other videos (except yours,) don't use the proper technique to sand a radius. glad i caught your page, nice work.
I think it's called groupthink
Great series , just watched all of them today . One thing I wanted to let you know , not sure if it has already been commented on , but episode 5 is not in the play list . I love watching people take a 'kit' guitar and make it their own . I too will get my chance at that some day . I really like to see what peoples' ideas are to what looks good and sounds good to them , and things like belly cuts on a tele style . That Crimson body of yours is gorgeous , and sounds good too . Thanks for the awesome build series .
Fantastic info and great video!
I own your 6" sanding beam & Fret Rocker and use them often. Planning on getting that long neck rest for relief you offer. Thanks for the tips and to me your sanding idea makes sense since I grew up in body shops around wrench heads and have done a fair bit of body work myself in my teen years so yeah gonna try this technique and will let you know how it works out.
🧡👊🙏
I love the shirt!!
Very nice approach!!
RIP EVH!
Thanks for the lesson
thanks for the tips and guidance. It was super helpful 😍
I myself am from the auto world. It's a perfect crossover, in my opinion.
Awesome job, sir. It looks and sounds amazing
pretty cool guitar, nicely done video, like the lil EVH thing at the end, thanks
Good video. I actually on my own figured the across not up and down when leveling. But I'm still learning every day
Aloha from Hawaii what are you using to remove the excess super glue with the q tip it looks wet when you are wiping away the excess Thanks in advance🤘🤘🤘
I really thank you
Man I love how you selected the sharpie like that haha.
What is the liquid you are putting on the board and wiping off after hammering in frets? I know it is cleaning up the glue, but what is it?
Cool video!
Nice process. Worked great. Take care Greg.
Thanks Randy!
This was great. Thanks a lot. Very helpful.
Great guitar👍👍👍
Have a nice day💕💕💕
is there a reason you like to use the narrow side of the beam versus the wider side for your leveling work?
you don't want the beam cutting a wide swath, the frets are curved and the beam only contacts a small portion of the curve (really, a point at first). These beams are designed to use the narrow side, you want to level only a small cross-section at a time.
I've wondered for years why no one seems to make a truly full-length leveling beam. I've found the 16 and 18-inch ones take more material off the middle as they are always in contact with the center frets. Is this by design? What is the rationale for almost full-length leveling beams that contact the center frets at all times? In many ways, the shorter 8-inch beams make more sense, because the amount of contact on all frets will be closer to the same. Seems to me you'd either want true full length, or about 1/3rd length.
It's all preference and experience. PRS use a 6" file to level frets... If you thing of the board in 1/3s as you pointed out - The first third is cowboy chord area, the second third has the most relief and the highest 1/3 is where you solo. I like a little fall off on the highest 1/3, so the first and the second can be done with a 6" or 12" beam without worry. Sometimes I get a problem guitar and the long beam is the only way to sort out the problem frets. I hope that makes sense! Rock on!!!
@@SkyscraperGuitars Thanks for the reply. It kind of makes sense, as in the shorter beams 6", 8" and 12" all make sense, it's as I say the so-called 16" that seems odd, why be so close to full length, yet just under? And also this is the norm for manufacturing, with Stew-Mac being the only manufacturer doing a true full-length beam. I guess what I'm asking is, having explained the 6", 8, and 12", what made you choose 16" for the "full-length" beam? Why is it so close but not quite? Why not add 3" extra inches and call it a day?
@@replaceablehead Here's my take... a 22 fret strat scale is 16.91" from the 1st fret to the 22nd. I usually add fall off starting on the 15th or so... I am most worried about the 1st through 17. Everything above that will be on a different plane.
Also, when you look at machining/lapping flat surfaces, you can always overhang about 1/3 of overall length as you will have 2/3 reference. That is generally accepted as a way to control flatness.
Lastly (and maybe most importantly)... We made a batch of 20" beams WAY back. It took us 2-3 times as much labor on the granite surface plate to get the edges lapped in. We had to include that labor in the cost of the part and very few people bought them. I have one that I use all the time for sanding fretboards down. We have since started making radius sanding beams that are 20", 10" and 5" long. Those are machined (not lapped), so they are much more cost effective. The difference being, you need to have a beam for each radius you plan to use. This was MUCH more cost effective for our customers.
@@SkyscraperGuitars Thank you so much, I know it might sound silly, but I've been so curious about this, and now I get it, and it's so obvious.
Great video. As a player I have done 6 string setups on my own stuff for a number of years, and after having some issues with my Schecter C1 (which I had been able to set to lower action than the SG, Paul, PRS or Gretsch..) I decided to do a fret level - just too many high frets when rocking. Prior to issues developing on the Schecter I could set to .75 mm on High E, 1.0 mm on Low E measured at 12 without issue. All frets were down properly, and I was pleased with the leveling, fall off and polishing. When I try to obtain those actions heights again though, all notes are clean on all strings, but bends on the high E and B strings above the 12th fret choke if they are more than a full step... unless I bring the action up of course. Looking for a little better if possible
- Thoughts please.... Best regards and Thank you - Brad
@Garry miller - Garry, yes, that was the preface of my comment. And than there was a question.
Double check your relief .
Sometimes a little tweak one way or another will fix little chokes, and, or a couple of dead notes, especially when they are together like you mention.
I've had guitars that I'd swear that if it needed any adjusting, it would be "more" relief. Only to find that a little bit "less" relief fixed the issue.
@@glennjames7107 Thanks, that's exactly what the issue was. Current relief is almost nothing, with those tight action measurements. I know I may have an "animal" that has to be cared for and adjusted a bit more than most, but it sure does play well. A bit of an experiment on my part (:~> In respect to the relief, it's almost as though the neck moves in more than just a "bow or no bow" fashion a bit on adjustment, i.e. up or down a bit in relation to what a straight line (the strings) see...
I'm in the process of doing a refret.
I levelled the frets and crowned them. I still have some high ones. Should I relevel the frets? Yes!
When using a fret crowning tool, do you run the file on top of the fret or on the sides?
I'm trying to do my first refret as you can probably tell.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!!!!
Bradley
What kind of notched leveling beam would use on a fanned fret guitar 26.5 to 28"?
good video thanks!
20:14 rubbing compoound, thats the stuff
Thank you for this......but.... I need help.... lol..... after every single guitar i have made, after checking with notched straightedge, then stewmac leveling beam, then fret rocker then crowning and polish..... and fallaway ....then..... when i string up .. and put action at where normal factory specs are.... then.... i seem to get buzz from the middle that sounds like from frets where the neck is glued to the body at.... .... what am i missing or possibly doing wrong..... ... i definitely need to try beam going diagonally.... and ....maybe more support under neck..... ? ...any advice would be Greatly appreciated.....thank
That is an incredibly complicated question. The frets can be perfectly flat with no string tension, then the neck can do crazy things when you put strings on. The vibration pattern of the string is affected by how heavy you play, so that can cause trouble too. In some cases, you can pin point the trouble frets and slowly file them until you get rid of the issue. Some guys use an "I" shaped beam so they can sand with the strings on. I'd recommend using a 6" or shorter file/beam if you plan to do that. You can use a needle file and hit the tops of individual frets with the strings on until you get rid of the buzz, then de-string, re-crown and polish... You can also put a bit more relief in the neck, then reset the action and see if that helps. Sometimes that extra bit of clearance can make all the difference. Every guitar is different, so you have to be a detective and find out the best course of action. I hope this helps!!!
@@SkyscraperGuitars thank you so much, i will try like mad!
@@chrishunter9256 Don’t feel bad Chris. I have the same problem with a strat that I am having the hardest time getting rid of the buzz. I can’t seem to locate the exact point where it’s buzzing and it’s driving me crazy! Anyway, I wanted to tell you about a product called “Katana Fret Leveler”. It allows you to level frets with the strings on and whatever relief you like to keep. It’s basically a truss rod itself on a narrow I beam. It works really well. Do a search on TH-cam. I have no interest in the company but the product works but is expensive :).
great work mang and super nice guitar!
Thanks Randy! Feels like it took years to finish it... Probably because it DID!!! Take care brother!
what fret press are you using? if ever it's a diy, do you have any tutorials and the caul inserts you use also
This work is the fundamental, if you want a cheap 300$ guitar copy, in tune all over fretboard without buzzing, sounding and just as easy to play, as a 3.000$ custom shop Fender, Gibson or Rickenbacker. If the wood is excactly the same as the original, and the pickups are of the same type, no one will be able to tell the difference, playing and listening to the guitar.
No one can ever tell the difference.
Cross hatch sanding pattern everyone else has been doing it wrong. I'm a body tec
I end up flattening the offending fret using anything besides just the crown tool and even though it doesn't buzz, it KILLS the tone coming off that note on an acoustic.....note sure how to correct that.....
Great video! I noticed when you’re creating the fall away that you still have sandpaper on full length of beam. Other vids I’ve seen they remove some of the sandpaper so the bare leveling beam rides on those 2 pieces of tape. Does it matter? Thanks in advance!
Why not just manufacture radiused sanding blocks?
They are slightly different tools. If you are spot leveling or if you're trying to concentrate in one area, the straight beams allow you to do that. BUT, we are machining the first batch of SkyScraper Radiused Sanding Beams right now! We are hoping to have them ready just before the end of the year.
Beams that are smaller than the whole board are bad choices as they unevenly sand the frets. The higher register gets sanded more and will cause dead spots
is that intro music your own? sounds really good. do you mix yourself? or have someone else do it? great video as always. you should have way more subs than you do.
The intro is canned stuff... I wish I had time to record my own... I've done it for a few other videos on a different channel, but I just have too many thing I want to do in the shop. Maybe some day that will lighten up a bit!
Assalamualaikum. I've watched videos of various workshops several times. Same. Maybe it's my disorder. From 1985 until now he has done that. And the result is a defect. Finally I looked for solutions to various physical problems with electric guitars. Especially guitar necks. Unfortunately I can't share my knowledge yet. This can immerse my career in the world of guitar. Hope the channel is successful and considers this.
When leveling frets, shouldn't you be using a matching radiused block instead of dead flat one?
If I'm not mistaken, what he did here is flatten the frets to make sure they're level before radiusing.
Thank you for this! Could this be applied to a bass? I have a 5 string (35” scale, fret 1 to 25 measure at just about 25”) but just bass in general, I always see these for guitar specifically. Any advice would be appreciated!
Yes. The process for leveling bass frets is identical. You have to be a bit more careful to support the neck so it doesn't bow under the pressure of sanding. The longer necks are WAY easier to cause deflection. Most bass players don't play above the 15th fret very often, so I don't always create fall-off like I do on guitars.
nice video and explanations - I'm going to try that figure 8 pattern you used when leveling the frets. i'm not entirely convinced, but i understand your reasoning.
You could even think of it as a way to smooth out the frets on the last pass.
If a surface plate is out by 0.010" then it needs re surfacing!!! I know because I've reconditioned loads of these!! NOW if you wanna talk about surface tables!!!!! Ive reconditioned loaaaaaaaaads of those too!!!..............0.010 is an unexceptional error in any surface plate or table and needs attention!! I think you are talking about 0.001" which is slightly closer!! and also 0.002" over a foot is not classed as a calibrated plate or table!! Us engineers work FKN close!!! BUT I do love your technique!! 🙂
Seems it would be wiser to put the glue on the fret and clamp it rather than hit it with the hammer. And watch yourself that when hitting it with the hammer the glue doesn't come flying out of the slot in your eyes or your clothes and such.
seems like a smart guy except for the shirt
I dig the shirt. The good ol’ days I call em.
I have to agree! I wish we could bring Ronnie back.
Reagan 🤦🏻
Eff Reagan and Bush in 84..
And forever
That must be a really cheap guitar to have that many frets loose and I have never seen anybody super glue them but then I'm no professional.....
Aloha from Hawaii what are you using to remove the excess super glue with the q tip it looks wet when you are wiping away the excess Thanks in advance🤘🤘🤘