Thank you for sharing your experience and its awesome results. At 65yrs. I think about what is going to happen with all the guitars that Im accruing at the end. However, useless thoughts as such seem to go away as I prowl the pawn shops for another needy guitar adoption. Grooming a new puppy (old guitar) is very gratifying to me. Time is of essence. Lol. I thank God for you. You are a teacher who wastes no time. You've shown me how to save time with grade A results as my fret work abilities become 'more shiny'. 'Right On' and thanks again. P.S. 'Have Amazon will Travel' ordering that file.
I took your advice and ordered a baroque file. I build a dozen or so custom guitars a year and am amazed I didn’t find this earlier. Works great and is now my go to crowning tool. Appreciate you posting this vid. Saves me a substantial amount of time in the shop. More time to make dust, lol.
I really like how you stressed consistent, repeatable results. When you're kicking out multiple necks, the ability to have them all come out identically is paramount.
Dude, I've been doing this with sandpaper down to 12,000 grit cloth, ruining my hands because I didn't think those polishing wheels would put that good of a shine on. You have proved me wrong and now I will use my Foredom and buff wheels. My profile pic is a nut made of Fossilized Walrus Ivory and I'm willing to bet it would work there too.
@Guns and Guitars I recently bought a fret crowning file almost identical to the one you have only unbranded with a black handle for about 15 bucks free shipping on ebay. It works unbelievablely for the price and hasn't warn down at all after use on a couple necks. Thanks for all the vids!
Hello past and present Dan, thank you for the years of content that we're all able to go back and reference! I'm working on a 12 string for a friend right now and needed to come back here for a reference.
@@GunsandGuitars Hey man, big fan! Quick question though... I've used a dremel and a polishing wheel before, but it get super dirty right away. Sans using a new wheel for every fret (which is a bit ridiculous) do you recommend using the same dirty wheel on every fret to polish? Thanks for all of your work! Have a great day! Clay
Gotta say this video got me motivated a while back to clean up some fret work a few months ago. Wanted to say thanks for all the tips and tricks! Now If I get some buzz, I just shake it off.. use my fret rocker and get them in line.
What a truly fantastic channel. Dan is a great, entertaining and inspiring host. I have always wanted a top end guitar but could never justify the cost. However, I like great value (I'm tight) and Dan has de-mystified everything for me from electronics, to maintainence to upgrading. I have described him as inspirational because he has made me feel brave enough to build my own guitar. As I like unusual, I've bought a cherrystone headless guitar kit for £98.00. I'm hoping to fit it with Epiphone LP pups and I will finish it in Yellow wood stain and TUNG OIL. My wife also benefits as I've promised to take a week off work to clear the Attic. What she doesn't know is that I'm doing it to create a guitar mainenance work area in which to build my guitar...and make my own tools.
I am just getting into fret leveling and crowning, a result of a need after i bought an Ibanez RGD71ALMS, and you can't get the action low enough on the higher registers without fretting out. I found your information and presentation here SUPER clear, concise, detailed, and helpful. So really appreciate it man. I also subbed.
Well, I’m hoping you give those frets a closer examination. It could be because of angles, but the fret you polished, looked as though it was more flat than round at the top. The polishing with a dermal with a cloth wheel, I started using about 10 years ago, and it sure beats hand polishing. Years ago, an elderly gentleman, helped me with my first guitar on the do’s and don’ts of setting up my own guitar. I didn’t have a clue what a luthier is/was or that Mr. Rose was a luthier. In saying this, it’s great to see young gentleman as yourself, willing to share knowledge such as this. Because of the person I mentioned, the ability to make needed repairs, set ups, etc… were usually not very costly, the first guitar I bought from a person who played but wanted other things, was a badly damaged Fender Strat. As I said, I wasn’t quite 12 in 1970, when I pulled the covers to check the pots, there was only 3wires connected, it took the better part of the next 6 months and most of my paper route money that I didn’t have to save. Never got to actually play that guitar through an amp, other than testing control pots and pick ups, we went on vacation for several weeks,and someone broke into our home, took my acoustic and that one. Thing I always wondered, did I make that old guitar sing again? It was still beat all to crap, but with the repairs and only what was a have to new part, it should have came alive for the right person. Never did find out what year that guitar was made. If looks were a tell tale, I’d say about 50:
Hey Dan! Love the videos. Thanks for being so open with sharing information! In the spirit of such, one great time saver is; put a strip of tape (whatever brand and tack you prefer for fretwork) on either side of the neck. Then, if you're inclined to tape between each fret, when you pull up each side strip, it takes all the others with them! Cheers!
Dude, I have tried ALL of the fret crowning files you can buy on Amazon including the stew mac Z-File (which is VERY good, but also $124) and hands down the BEST file I have ever used is the FretGuru dagger 2.0! It makes the job a breeze! Super quick and it never gets dull. Just brush the teeth out every couple frets with a brush (it takes 2 seconds) and your good to go. Its the only file I use now. they also have top notch customer service! P.S I have no affiliation with fret guru, I just love their products.
all items and tools that were needed i had access to at work, so i took a day and damn this is soo much easier with real tools and not just tools you have laying around at home!
I am into guitars and used mostly rifles for hunting when I was young. Since my father’s passing many years back I never touched a gun. My wife, miraculously has a large interest in guns. I will be watching for gun advice as well.
Thanks for sharing,awesome job. One other thing that I saw on another channel was, the sharp corners of the frets can be sanded or knocked off. By using an 100 grit foam sanding block. From Harbor Freight. This tip works excellent. However you need to go lightly with the sanding. I tried it myself and was very pleased with the results. Love your videos. Take care, GF1. 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😎
I stopped using a Dremel to polish frets because it's way too easy to heat up the fret, melting the glue and causing the fret to move out of alignment. If that happens you're going to have to re-dress the frets again. Now I use steel wool to polish the frets by hand and find it's actually quicker than the Dremel and generates no heat. Cool video - thanks for sharing.
Great video. The only thing I would like to point out is the use of an adecuate dust mask or respirator. You don't want to be breathing those particles in the long term.
I bought this file and fret errasers and a small cheap leveling beam online for cheap, all has worked good enough for now. I have been using fret errasers and then metal polish paste ( Wenol ) takes a while with awesome results. Also have stewmac polishing wheels for dremmel, havent used them much
For anyone watching now, if you use the dremel and jeweller’s rouge wear a mask as it fling’s everywhere and you don’t want to breathe it in. Plus do not get the frets too hot or you’ll break the glue you used when re fretting. The skipping to the buffing stage will create shiny frets but you do need to smooth the tops of the frets also as they may look shiny but still feel gritty when bending if you don’t go up all the grits. If you’re doing a budget guitar at a budget price then level crown use scotchbrite red the grey then steel wool and dremel. As you can’t charge for much time. The scotchbrite pads do a great quick job. You can have quick and cheap or quality and expensive. If you want high quality you can’t skip stages
I bought the crowning file when you originally posted this. The seller recently contacted me to ask about the product (I saw your other video that they recently changed that file, but I have the older one). I've only used it on one guitar so far, but it was easy to use. Thanks for the video.
Hi Dan, great tips. From my experience, you can save more money if you use Jif cream detergent instead of the polish you used in this video. I usually use 800 sand paper then apply jif cream over the fret and use the back soft side of the sand paper to polish it. It works like magic. I'm sure you can save more time and effort if you use the rotating shaft.
Heh....I have the same "Dremel" and agree I like it a whole lot better. Never thought the flex extender was a worthy purchase, but this has convinced me.
hiya, here's a trick i use when crowning and polishing frets. This idea was born out of pure laziness, I use a 3" wide piece of painters tape. I cover the whole neck with 1 strip of tape from nut to base. Push tape tightly around the frets using a piece of fairly sharp scrap wood. Run an exacto knife down the sides of the fret, pull strip of cut tape off of the frets. You now have a completely taped neck with nothing exposed except the frets. very easy now to do all frets without pulling off and relocating dozens of strips of tape. Hope this helps
Guns and guitars. Man, am I glad, I ran into your video yesterday. You talked about the file. And you used it and I saw how fast it cut. I ordered one the very minute I saw that video. $25.00 at amazon. It came today. I just used it. And, I am amazed at how fast it cuts and round the fret. I did 7 frets in about half hour. I have bought a Stewmac for 80 bucks two years ago. And, I fine that the $25.00 one does a better job. With that file it would had taking me an hour or more to do just 7 frets. So, thank you for your videos and have a great day or evening.
Just returned one of these files today and went back to my triangular file. Much more control and easier to use, in my experience. Neat trick w/ the polishing wheel, though.
Thanks Dan the work that you do is awesome Christmas Santa Claus gave me two Bass, a Yamaha and a Ibanez keep on doing what you doing brother it's a blessing
Dan, I don't know how to get a hold of you directly so I'm leaving this here instead. just bought one of the Kaish Baroque fret files based on your recommendation. Please be advised that they have changed the design since you received yours; the file they are now shipping is junk. The slots are supposed to be 1/2/3mm, are actually 2.4/2.5/3.2mm. They are also not profiled properly and are ridiculously course, probably sub-80 grit. Fortunately, the new design is easy to spot. While your file has flats between the file slots, the new design is completely round between the slots. This file is to be avoided at all costs.
I got the gen 3 off eBay, came in the same small soft case and instructions but I couldn't get on with it as a fret file, used it once maybe so a bit gutted about that, I did suspect if it was a different design or knock off copy due to the rounded edges but no idea, looking for recommendations for more though, just bought the kalico fret file which is great but would like to try another slotted one.
Hey Dan! I found your channel over a year ago with the strat ebay kit. Since then I rebuilt a squier Tele, am bulding a bass kit, and have a no name tele waiting for some attention. This quest of yours is awesome. I haven't found many other sources to help with DIY guitar building and actually have been told by several people to leave these things to professionals ( I didn't listen to them) but I'm very appreciative of the fact that you repeatedly update us on better ways to do things as I would not have made the jump into this hobby without your channel.
I like that you are doing your own Rickbass. Now, when you make mine, I want a Maple deep-set neck like a Brubaker but with an MTD profile. A rear route control cavity with no control cutout but room for 4 controls and a preamp and bat. No pickup route. I'm routing for a killer soapbar in a more slightly more forward position than Musicman. Like the early Rick single pup bass. I really like The Anthony Jackson single pup sound. Can I buy just the neck and body! I'm so excited!!!!!!
Nice! I have three Guitars that need this done and this will help me alot! BTW, that Polishing Compound is Jewelers Rouge. If you reload and tumble your Brass, you can add some shavings of it to Corn Cob or Walnut Hull media, for a little brighter shine.
What I was taught from repair school is after crowning, mask off the board and use the meat of your middle finger. Wrap the sandpaper around it so that you're holding the flaps between your index and ring fingers, and run the paper back and forth across the whole length of the board from 400 to 800, then polish the tops vertically with 800. Buff with compounds or 0000 steel wool and you get frets that feel like absolute butter, and refined crowns to boot.
Harbor fright has a foot switch that you can plug your rotary tool into for hands-free on-off switching. It's awesome for a lot of tools. I keep a power strip on my desk that foot switchable.
Great timing, Just got a 200 buck Jag which looks like it sat in a slightly damp area. So the polishing wheel trick is perfect. I look forward to a raid on Harbor Freight for the wheels and compound as the highest frets need a bit of polishing. I really hated using steel wool.
Quick hint- adhesive backed sandpaper is expensive. Get yourself an Elmer's glue stick. Works great. Saves money by using store bought paper. Just make sure to not let the glue harden by leaving it till next day. Just peel it off after use and a damp paper towel removes the still soft glue.
Fret file ordered! Thanks for the review, it pushed me over the edge.
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Sensational! Just as I wrote a shopping list so I can level and recrown the frets on my two guitar (the oldest one actually requiring a total refret), this video comes up in my recommended section. Thank you YT and thank *you*
Can’t beat a number 4 cut triangle file, a saw sharpening file. Put it on a sander to create a safe edge then sand up to 800 grit to stop it marking the fretboard. Job done
I use abrasive PAPERS for all fretwork. It's easy to cut some grooves into pine scraps - In fact, you can drill A HOLE THROUGH A BLOCK then slice through the hole giving you two different depth grooves. You can line this with leather, innertube rubber etc.I don't really ever have the chance to damage the neck with anything metal at all.
Fret rubbers are pretty good, they basically replace sandpaper at various grits but much easier to use. You can get them from StewMac, Crimson Guitars and also Hosco make some as well. If you want more rounded fret ends (more comfortable to play, higher end feel) then you'll need a fret end dressing file. There's loads of videos around of how to use them correctly to get the perfect shape. Good luck with your new venture. Also check out Autosol polish, I think it is a chrome polish, seems to be popular for frets.
Be careful when buffing frets or you can undone the leveling. Also make sure you can touch the fret after and while buffing since they are usually glued in and the way to get them out is to use heat. Buffing them too much can cause excess heat and the frets to move depending on the initial installation.
Thanks Dan! I actually have e some stewmac files currently. But it's good to know that there are much cheaper file options. I strayed away from others for the same reason you did. Glad I stumbled across this video! Great time-saving tips!
Good stuff! Here's an idea I recently came up with. Taping off the fretboard is very time consuming and tedious. Why not just make a fretboard protector like Stewmac sells using a couple of the thinner steel blades from a cheap feeler gauge set? Just lay a blade on each side of a fret and then tape the ends to secure...done! Also, when leveling the frets maybe use a leveling beam (homemade will work) that is long enough to cover all of the frets and instead of sanding up and down the fretboard (you will always be removing more material from the middle of the fretboard that way) sand from side to side so that you will be removing the same minimum amount from all of the frets. It should also make keeping the fret contour easier. Finally, if you don't want to buy or make a notched fretboard straight edge you can get the same result using a regular straight edge and 3 small flat pieces of hard material of the same thickness. Place one close to each end of the fretboard and one in the middle and simply get them level to each other. You could tape them down to hold them in place while adjusting the neck if needed. Honestly, I haven't tried any of these methods yet myself but it all makes a lot of sense to me. I'd be interested to hear what you and others think!
For bad fret ends i've been getting excellent fast results recently with a fret end beveling file to round the bevel on the fret ends, then round the ends and roll the fretboard edges simultaneously with some 60 grit. Then clean up and polish as desired. But most guitars just need the 60 grit. Believe it or not, you can also get good fast results with 60 grit and a power sander.
Hey Dan. I'm a new sub. I have watched some of your videos over time, and you have taught me, a beginner, several things. Just wanted to thank you for your hard work, and teaching us the shortcuts you find. You're a good dude.
When doing any kind of fret work, I always put 2 strips of tape all the way down both sides of the board BEFORE taping off the frets. That way you avoid getting any compound on the side of the board PLUS it means that by simply removing the side tape, it takes all the fret masking off with it!
Yeah that is a great tip, only reason I don’t do that is because I don’t tape off the whole fret board, just the frets I’m working on at the moment, because I peel and reuse the tape (because I’m a cheapo)
Try powdercoating tape: no residue, holds up to 400F, protects fingerboard, slick surface. I switched over to crowning/polishing single frets & moving the tape, too!
Awesome short cut, for fret work, I always dread fret work because of the amount of time consuming sanding and sanding and more sanding, or filling and filing some more filing, then the polishing and OMG my hands!!! I Like your channel I always get something new from your videos, thank you and at some point (when I can) I will show some support, somehow, someway... 🎸😈🎸
Great Channel, I'm new at Guitar setup and you have made this very easy to understand and how to do it cheap, what's better than that. I also like the humor that goes along with your videos. Thanks Dan!!!
I thought myself incapable of building my own guitar. But thanks to your videos, I've built my own, and it came out pretty well. I just need to level, crown and polish the frets, and make a few minor adjustments to the action. It already has a really great sound, and it's made from cheap parts from China. It makes me wonder whether I'll ever buy a guitar again, when I can build my own to such a good spec with so little money. And it's fun :D
A really good polishing compound for a final polish is Autosol. It's an automotive chrome polish and it will make your frets extremely smooth and shiney.
Hey Dan, great video. I was looking at the Baroque crowning files and I was also concerned about tool longevity. Seems pretty decent. One thing to keep in mind when using polishing compound is the heat generated. You need heat to polish, but too much heat can unseat your feet causing bigger issues. Best not to linger on one fret for too long. I also use this process for final polish. Works great!
One thing a lot of people don’t realise with diamond files is that you don’t use force, be gentle and allow the diamonds to cut, also use cutting fluid.
You should check out the Rio Grande website. It's a jewelry supply. After your filing, instead of sanding by hand they have different bits for the dremel for sanding. They have radial bristle disk and knife edge disk that are made of silicone rubber and other flexible materials with grit embedded inside made for shaping and finishing jewelry. They come in all grits from 20 to way into the thousands for polishing. Now they are not cheaper!! But they are way more accurate and would make the job easier and way faster.
Great vids and builds you do, love it! I do scratch removal with rubber blocks 400, 600, 1000..mostly super bright already ..but agree with the dremel with blue paste and then a softer wheel and red polish makes em mirror bright..
Hey Dan! Love all that you do - and I'm very interested in (almost) everything related to building and maintaining instruments. I was wondering if you would consider making a (or several) tutorial video for the different aspects of elevating the quality and playability of a guitar? Like you did on here, with the frets? I'm talking a video that delves into the basic terms, tools and 'moves' used in achieving the same quality of results as you. I'd especially like to see such a video of you explaining the pickup circuits and techniques used to properly shield pickups. Lot's of love from Denmark!
Get your sanding material from auto parts suppliers. I also believe in having as many different sanding materials as possible. I use high grade jewelry polishes, and fingernail files for minor fret jobs. I have high end tools, but the most used tool is a modified bastard file, I use it to remove burrs protruding frets especially from being dried out. Your regular masking tape is fine, especially when doing short term jobs. To reduce tact, Just place it on your shirt and peel off, that will reduce the adhesive properties. I also go ahead and mask the entire board before doing any work, it just takes one clumsy episode and that $150 fretboard is wrecked. I keep straight razors around to cut tape narrow enough to fit a 24 fret scale. There is a method using sanding blocks, radius beams, and credit cards srapped.in sanding mesh that also works. It is a little messy, but I use it when I need to get a rolled edge feel. Makes a new fretboard feel like it is an old buddy that has been on a 1000 gigs. Look up Rick Turner's Renaissance Guitar, he gives the credit to another amazing luthier. Best of luck!
greeting from argentina... seems i am the 1st one licking this video... i like your way to teaching how to building guitars... i am following you from a week now, and will keep on doing it so. rock on !
Awesome video, as usual, Dan. I'm learning so much from you and I'll definitely be able to take better care of my guitars with those tips! God bless you, man
Hey Dan, Thanks for the review. I had been looking at that one's like that, but was debating on which one to roll the dice on. Now I know! Best of luck on the custom line and can't wait to see more of it!
For newbies.....if it's the first few times you level a guitar be aware you may get the frets low to get it perfectly level.....at about .036 you'll start having problems with that type of crowning file....to crown lower frets you may have to use a file. I usually get about 5 or 6 guitars crowned out of those type of crowners (cheap diamond chips). A regular file with smooth edges last's a very long time....I got maybe 15 guitars out of one and it's still good....but takes forever to crown...a regular file does a better job in my opinion. I always use 3 pieces of masking tape to protect the fingerboard with a file.....even with smooth edges can still mark the board. Those crowning tools are nice for touch ups.....I have a guitar that has a high 13th fret only under the thin E string. I will tap it down to see if it needs reseated...then glue in. Can level it and do a quick recrown at that point. Just loosen the e,b,g strings and move them over....recrown the area of the fret, hit with steel wool and be done. (be careful with steel wool and a pickup...cover the body well))
Thank you for sharing your experience and its awesome results. At 65yrs. I think about what is going to happen with all the guitars that Im accruing at the end. However, useless thoughts as such seem to go away as I prowl the pawn shops for another needy guitar adoption. Grooming a new puppy (old guitar) is very gratifying to me. Time is of essence. Lol. I thank God for you. You are a teacher who wastes no time. You've shown me how to save time with grade A results as my fret work abilities become 'more shiny'. 'Right On' and thanks again. P.S. 'Have Amazon will Travel' ordering that file.
I took your advice and ordered a baroque file. I build a dozen or so custom guitars a year and am amazed I didn’t find this earlier. Works great and is now my go to crowning tool. Appreciate you posting this vid. Saves me a substantial amount of time in the shop. More time to make dust, lol.
I really like how you stressed consistent, repeatable results.
When you're kicking out multiple necks, the ability to have them all come out identically is paramount.
I love him because he's a cheapo, but a damn smart cheapo
Best compliment I’ve ever got
Guns and Guitars make the ES 335 you cheapo
I wish I knew about his channel two years ago.
took the words out of my mouth
I wish I'd known about this channel six years ago when I was studying guitar building and maintenance
GUNS AND GUITARS?!? Why have I never heard of you?! This is my dream channel and most perfect channel.
Dude, I've been doing this with sandpaper down to 12,000 grit cloth, ruining my hands because I didn't think those polishing wheels would put that good of a shine on. You have proved me wrong and now I will use my Foredom and buff wheels. My profile pic is a nut made of Fossilized Walrus Ivory and I'm willing to bet it would work there too.
@Guns and Guitars I recently bought a fret crowning file almost identical to the one you have only unbranded with a black handle for about 15 bucks free shipping on ebay. It works unbelievablely for the price and hasn't warn down at all after use on a couple necks. Thanks for all the vids!
Hello past and present Dan, thank you for the years of content that we're all able to go back and reference!
I'm working on a 12 string for a friend right now and needed to come back here for a reference.
That body shape looks great! Has a Gibson M3 vibe to it. Classy and practical.
Thanks max!
I see more of that classic Ricky look.
@@GunsandGuitars Hey man, big fan!
Quick question though...
I've used a dremel and a polishing wheel before, but it get super dirty right away. Sans using a new wheel for every fret (which is a bit ridiculous) do you recommend using the same dirty wheel on every fret to polish?
Thanks for all of your work!
Have a great day!
Clay
Look like a pine wood...... No bueno
Gotta say this video got me motivated a while back to clean up some fret work a few months ago. Wanted to say thanks for all the tips and tricks! Now If I get some buzz, I just shake it off.. use my fret rocker and get them in line.
What a truly fantastic channel. Dan is a great, entertaining and inspiring host. I have always wanted a top end guitar but could never justify the cost. However, I like great value (I'm tight) and Dan has de-mystified everything for me from electronics, to maintainence to upgrading. I have described him as inspirational because he has made me feel brave enough to build my own guitar. As I like unusual, I've bought a cherrystone headless guitar kit for £98.00. I'm hoping to fit it with Epiphone LP pups and I will finish it in Yellow wood stain and TUNG OIL. My wife also benefits as I've promised to take a week off work to clear the Attic. What she doesn't know is that I'm doing it to create a guitar mainenance work area in which to build my guitar...and make my own tools.
I am just getting into fret leveling and crowning, a result of a need after i bought an Ibanez RGD71ALMS, and you can't get the action low enough on the higher registers without fretting out. I found your information and presentation here SUPER clear, concise, detailed, and helpful. So really appreciate it man. I also subbed.
Well, I’m hoping you give those frets a closer examination. It could be because of angles, but the fret you polished, looked as though it was more flat than round at the top. The polishing with a dermal with a cloth wheel, I started using about 10 years ago, and it sure beats hand polishing. Years ago, an elderly gentleman, helped me with my first guitar on the do’s and don’ts of setting up my own guitar. I didn’t have a clue what a luthier is/was or that Mr. Rose was a luthier. In saying this, it’s great to see young gentleman as yourself, willing to share knowledge such as this. Because of the person I mentioned, the ability to make needed repairs, set ups, etc… were usually not very costly, the first guitar I bought from a person who played but wanted other things, was a badly damaged Fender Strat. As I said, I wasn’t quite 12 in 1970, when I pulled the covers to check the pots, there was only 3wires connected, it took the better part of the next 6 months and most of my paper route money that I didn’t have to save. Never got to actually play that guitar through an amp, other than testing control pots and pick ups, we went on vacation for several weeks,and someone broke into our home, took my acoustic and that one. Thing I always wondered, did I make that old guitar sing again? It was still beat all to crap, but with the repairs and only what was a have to new part, it should have came alive for the right person. Never did find out what year that guitar was made. If looks were a tell tale, I’d say about 50:
Hey Dan! Love the videos. Thanks for being so open with sharing information! In the spirit of such, one great time saver is; put a strip of tape (whatever brand and tack you prefer for fretwork) on either side of the neck. Then, if you're inclined to tape between each fret, when you pull up each side strip, it takes all the others with them! Cheers!
Bought one of these files the other day. Made my fret crowning job so much easier
Dude, I have tried ALL of the fret crowning files you can buy on Amazon including the stew mac Z-File (which is VERY good, but also $124) and hands down the BEST file I have ever used is the FretGuru dagger 2.0! It makes the job a breeze! Super quick and it never gets dull. Just brush the teeth out every couple frets with a brush (it takes 2 seconds) and your good to go. Its the only file I use now. they also have top notch customer service! P.S I have no affiliation with fret guru, I just love their products.
all items and tools that were needed i had access to at work, so i took a day and damn this is soo much easier with real tools and not just tools you have laying around at home!
I am into guitars and used mostly rifles for hunting when I was young. Since my father’s passing many years back I never touched a gun. My wife, miraculously has a large interest in guns. I will be watching for gun advice as well.
If your fret bars are only tarnished, you can use a white soft art eraser. I learned that trick years ago at Mars Music.
Thanks for sharing,awesome job. One other thing that I saw on another channel was, the sharp corners of the frets can be sanded or knocked off. By using an 100 grit foam sanding block. From Harbor Freight. This tip works excellent. However you need to go lightly with the sanding. I tried it myself and was very pleased with the results. Love your videos. Take care, GF1. 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😎
I stopped using a Dremel to polish frets because it's way too easy to heat up the fret, melting the glue and causing the fret to move out of alignment. If that happens you're going to have to re-dress the frets again. Now I use steel wool to polish the frets by hand and find it's actually quicker than the Dremel and generates no heat. Cool video - thanks for sharing.
Great video. The only thing I would like to point out is the use of an adecuate dust mask or respirator. You don't want to be breathing those particles in the long term.
I bought this file and fret errasers and a small cheap leveling beam online for cheap, all has worked good enough for now. I have been using fret errasers and then metal polish paste ( Wenol ) takes a while with awesome results. Also have stewmac polishing wheels for dremmel, havent used them much
For anyone watching now, if you use the dremel and jeweller’s rouge wear a mask as it fling’s everywhere and you don’t want to breathe it in. Plus do not get the frets too hot or you’ll break the glue you used when re fretting.
The skipping to the buffing stage will create shiny frets but you do need to smooth the tops of the frets also as they may look shiny but still feel gritty when bending if you don’t go up all the grits.
If you’re doing a budget guitar at a budget price then level crown use scotchbrite red the grey then steel wool and dremel. As you can’t charge for much time. The scotchbrite pads do a great quick job.
You can have quick and cheap or quality and expensive. If you want high quality you can’t skip stages
I bought the crowning file when you originally posted this. The seller recently contacted me to ask about the product (I saw your other video that they recently changed that file, but I have the older one). I've only used it on one guitar so far, but it was easy to use. Thanks for the video.
Really needed this for an old bass I got with a wacked up neck. Keep doing what your doing please
Dude I'm so glad I found you, I'm about to start my first build on a Squire Stratocaster and these videos, MAN! Do they help!
Hi Dan, great tips. From my experience, you can save more money if you use Jif cream detergent instead of the polish you used in this video. I usually use 800 sand paper then apply jif cream over the fret and use the back soft side of the sand paper to polish it. It works like magic. I'm sure you can save more time and effort if you use the rotating shaft.
It’s good to see that this is turning in to a business for you, man. There are not enough custom builders out there.
Heh....I have the same "Dremel" and agree I like it a whole lot better. Never thought the flex extender was a worthy purchase, but this has convinced me.
"Good to see you"
*Deep insecurity kicks in*
"Well by that I meant ...."
F
Yes that lays him right open to trolls..does'nt it!
can you spell ICUP
I'm glad you went over this method. I wondered if I could use my dremel/cloth wheel to polish my frets, thanks Dan!
I bought my first kit last night ebay prs bass. Nervous and excited. Thanks master Dan
How is the Baroque Fret Crowning File now after 4 years?
hiya, here's a trick i use when crowning and polishing frets. This idea was born out of pure laziness, I use a 3" wide piece of painters tape. I cover the whole neck with 1 strip of tape from nut to base. Push tape tightly around the frets using a piece of fairly sharp scrap wood. Run an exacto knife down the sides of the fret, pull strip of cut tape off of the frets. You now have a completely taped neck with nothing exposed except the frets. very easy now to do all frets without pulling off and relocating dozens of strips of tape. Hope this helps
Thanks Dan! I’ve been looking around for a fret file. I’ll give this one a shot.
Just bought a crowning file and wished I’d bought it YEARS AGO!! Well worth it. Good luck with your guitar line - I’ll keep an eye out \m/
This. Is. Awesome. Thank you Dan and everyone for the suggestions!
Guns and guitars. Man, am I glad, I ran into your video yesterday. You talked about the file. And you used it and I saw how fast it cut. I ordered one the very minute I saw that video. $25.00 at amazon. It came today. I just used it. And, I am amazed at how fast it cuts and round the fret. I did 7 frets in about half hour. I have bought a Stewmac for 80 bucks two years ago. And, I fine that the $25.00 one does a better job. With that file it would had taking me an hour or more to do just 7 frets. So, thank you for your videos and have a great day or evening.
Just returned one of these files today and went back to my triangular file. Much more control and easier to use, in my experience. Neat trick w/ the polishing wheel, though.
thanks for this one dude, you have convinced me to finally buy a dremel.
Thanks Dan the work that you do is awesome Christmas Santa Claus gave me two Bass, a Yamaha and a Ibanez keep on doing what you doing brother it's a blessing
Dan, I don't know how to get a hold of you directly so I'm leaving this here instead. just bought one of the Kaish Baroque fret files based on your recommendation. Please be advised that they have changed the design since you received yours; the file they are now shipping is junk. The slots are supposed to be 1/2/3mm, are actually 2.4/2.5/3.2mm. They are also not profiled properly and are ridiculously course, probably sub-80 grit. Fortunately, the new design is easy to spot. While your file has flats between the file slots, the new design is completely round between the slots. This file is to be avoided at all costs.
Thanks for the info! I’ll look into this and maybe see if I can get a sample of the new files to review.
I also had this problem
You have the choice of gen 3 or gen 4 , pick gen 3
There was a choice btwn gen 3 and gen 4, return and pick gen 3 you'll get the round one
I got the gen 3 off eBay, came in the same small soft case and instructions but I couldn't get on with it as a fret file, used it once maybe so a bit gutted about that, I did suspect if it was a different design or knock off copy due to the rounded edges but no idea, looking for recommendations for more though, just bought the kalico fret file which is great but would like to try another slotted one.
Never dull wading works very well also can be bought at a local Walmart or auto parts store also great for removing dirt off of an older fretboard..
Hey Dan! I found your channel over a year ago with the strat ebay kit. Since then I rebuilt a squier Tele, am bulding a bass kit, and have a no name tele waiting for some attention. This quest of yours is awesome. I haven't found many other sources to help with DIY guitar building and actually have been told by several people to leave these things to professionals ( I didn't listen to them) but I'm very appreciative of the fact that you repeatedly update us on better ways to do things as I would not have made the jump into this hobby without your channel.
You should have a video installing frets man, your videos are getting more awesome every new time
What a great tip! My frets have never been shinier. Thanks, Dan!
Thanks for this; just spent a stupid amount of time with finer and finer sandpaper to dress some frets.
Next time will go much quicker!
One of the better videos I've seen on the subject. Makes sense.
You make the best tutorials on the interwebs! And they're always super entertaining to watch. Keep up the good work man! \m/
I like that you are doing your own Rickbass. Now, when you make mine, I want a Maple deep-set neck like a Brubaker but with an MTD profile. A rear route control cavity with no control cutout but room for 4 controls and a preamp and bat. No pickup route. I'm routing for a killer soapbar in a more slightly more forward position than Musicman. Like the early Rick single pup bass. I really like The Anthony Jackson single pup sound. Can I buy just the neck and body! I'm so excited!!!!!!
Nice! I have three Guitars that need this done and this will help me alot! BTW, that Polishing Compound is Jewelers Rouge. If you reload and tumble your Brass, you can add some shavings of it to Corn Cob or Walnut Hull media, for a little brighter shine.
Great tip, I haven’t gotten into reloading yet though haha
Just bought and used the baroque file... ITS AWESOME
What I was taught from repair school is after crowning, mask off the board and use the meat of your middle finger. Wrap the sandpaper around it so that you're holding the flaps between your index and ring fingers, and run the paper back and forth across the whole length of the board from 400 to 800, then polish the tops vertically with 800. Buff with compounds or 0000 steel wool and you get frets that feel like absolute butter, and refined crowns to boot.
Harbor fright has a foot switch that you can plug your rotary tool into for hands-free on-off switching. It's awesome for a lot of tools. I keep a power strip on my desk that foot switchable.
Great timing, Just got a 200 buck Jag which looks like it sat in a slightly damp area. So the polishing wheel trick is perfect. I look forward to a raid on Harbor Freight for the wheels and compound as the highest frets need a bit of polishing. I really hated using steel wool.
I bought one of those Baroque tools for my Fretwire Rickenbacker build. LOVE IT!
Quick hint- adhesive backed sandpaper is expensive.
Get yourself an Elmer's glue stick.
Works great. Saves money by using store bought paper.
Just make sure to not let the glue harden by leaving it till next day.
Just peel it off after use and a damp paper towel removes the still soft glue.
Thanks for all the tips. Great delivery of knowledge. Very mellow way of teaching....I love it!
Fret file ordered! Thanks for the review, it pushed me over the edge.
Sensational! Just as I wrote a shopping list so I can level and recrown the frets on my two guitar (the oldest one actually requiring a total refret), this video comes up in my recommended section. Thank you YT and thank *you*
Can’t beat a number 4 cut triangle file, a saw sharpening file. Put it on a sander to create a safe edge then sand up to 800 grit to stop it marking the fretboard. Job done
I use abrasive PAPERS for all fretwork. It's easy to cut some grooves into pine scraps - In fact, you can drill A HOLE THROUGH A BLOCK then slice through the hole giving you two different depth grooves. You can line this with leather, innertube rubber etc.I don't really ever have the chance to damage the neck with anything metal at all.
Fret rubbers are pretty good, they basically replace sandpaper at various grits but much easier to use. You can get them from StewMac, Crimson Guitars and also Hosco make some as well. If you want more rounded fret ends (more comfortable to play, higher end feel) then you'll need a fret end dressing file. There's loads of videos around of how to use them correctly to get the perfect shape. Good luck with your new venture. Also check out Autosol polish, I think it is a chrome polish, seems to be popular for frets.
0000 steel wool is also good but keep something magnetic around to make cleaning the splinters up easier
@@someoneelse101 Cool
Be careful when buffing frets or you can undone the leveling. Also make sure you can touch the fret after and while buffing since they are usually glued in and the way to get them out is to use heat. Buffing them too much can cause excess heat and the frets to move depending on the initial installation.
Thanks Dan! I actually have e some stewmac files currently. But it's good to know that there are much cheaper file options. I strayed away from others for the same reason you did. Glad I stumbled across this video! Great time-saving tips!
Good stuff! Here's an idea I recently came up with. Taping off the fretboard is very time consuming and tedious. Why not just make a fretboard protector like Stewmac sells using a couple of the thinner steel blades from a cheap feeler gauge set? Just lay a blade on each side of a fret and then tape the ends to secure...done! Also, when leveling the frets maybe use a leveling beam (homemade will work) that is long enough to cover all of the frets and instead of sanding up and down the fretboard (you will always be removing more material from the middle of the fretboard that way) sand from side to side so that you will be removing the same minimum amount from all of the frets. It should also make keeping the fret contour easier. Finally, if you don't want to buy or make a notched fretboard straight edge you can get the same result using a regular straight edge and 3 small flat pieces of hard material of the same thickness. Place one close to each end of the fretboard and one in the middle and simply get them level to each other. You could tape them down to hold them in place while adjusting the neck if needed. Honestly, I haven't tried any of these methods yet myself but it all makes a lot of sense to me. I'd be interested to hear what you and others think!
That is a great time and money saving tip. Thanks Dan!
i use a tringle file with an edge ground off safe for crowning. Takes a bit of skill but better control once you master it.
For bad fret ends i've been getting excellent fast results recently with a fret end beveling file to round the bevel on the fret ends, then round the ends and roll the fretboard edges simultaneously with some 60 grit. Then clean up and polish as desired. But most guitars just need the 60 grit. Believe it or not, you can also get good fast results with 60 grit and a power sander.
I just picked up the Stew Mac Centered Z file and I absolutely love it
Hey Dan. I'm a new sub. I have watched some of your videos over time, and you have taught me, a beginner, several things. Just wanted to thank you for your hard work, and teaching us the shortcuts you find. You're a good dude.
When doing any kind of fret work, I always put 2 strips of tape all the way down both sides of the board BEFORE taping off the frets. That way you avoid getting any compound on the side of the board PLUS it means that by simply removing the side tape, it takes all the fret masking off with it!
Yeah that is a great tip, only reason I don’t do that is because I don’t tape off the whole fret board, just the frets I’m working on at the moment, because I peel and reuse the tape (because I’m a cheapo)
Try powdercoating tape: no residue, holds up to 400F, protects fingerboard, slick surface. I switched over to crowning/polishing single frets & moving the tape, too!
Hi Dan, Thanks for the tips, I wish you all the good luck. Keep the train coming. Joe Moonpie Studio.
I'm glad to be a part of your journey.
Awesome short cut, for fret work, I always dread fret work because of the amount of time consuming sanding and sanding and more sanding, or filling and filing some more filing, then the polishing and OMG my hands!!!
I Like your channel I always get something new from your videos, thank you and at some point (when I can) I will show some support, somehow, someway...
🎸😈🎸
Great Channel, I'm new at Guitar setup and you have made this very easy to understand and how to do it cheap, what's better than that. I also like the humor that goes along with your videos.
Thanks Dan!!!
I thought myself incapable of building my own guitar. But thanks to your videos, I've built my own, and it came out pretty well. I just need to level, crown and polish the frets, and make a few minor adjustments to the action. It already has a really great sound, and it's made from cheap parts from China. It makes me wonder whether I'll ever buy a guitar again, when I can build my own to such a good spec with so little money. And it's fun :D
Awesome timing, I'm finishing my Rick bass kit tonight!
Super stoked to see/hear your custom guitars and basses.
A really good polishing compound for a final polish is Autosol. It's an automotive chrome polish and it will make your frets extremely smooth and shiney.
Thanks Dan. Been looking for a cheap crowning tool.
Hey Dan, great video. I was looking at the Baroque crowning files and I was also concerned about tool longevity. Seems pretty decent. One thing to keep in mind when using polishing compound is the heat generated. You need heat to polish, but too much heat can unseat your feet causing bigger issues. Best not to linger on one fret for too long. I also use this process for final polish. Works great!
One thing a lot of people don’t realise with diamond files is that you don’t use force, be gentle and allow the diamonds to cut, also use cutting fluid.
I gotta try that file. I normally use a 3 corner file the old school way but it is time-consuming.
I just love these built it yourself tips videos you make
Great job mate
You should check out the Rio Grande website. It's a jewelry supply. After your filing, instead of sanding by hand they have different bits for the dremel for sanding. They have radial bristle disk and knife edge disk that are made of silicone rubber and other flexible materials with grit embedded inside made for shaping and finishing jewelry. They come in all grits from 20 to way into the thousands for polishing. Now they are not cheaper!! But they are way more accurate and would make the job easier and way faster.
Great job! Love the Guns and Guitars concept. My two favorite things too!
Hey dan I just wanted to say thank you for being such a cool down to earth dude and content creator!
Dan-o, I’ve got a kit and a soldering iron on your recommendation, and you haven’t let me down. Fret file it is!
Great vids and builds you do, love it! I do scratch removal with rubber blocks 400, 600, 1000..mostly super bright already ..but agree with the dremel with blue paste and then a softer wheel and red polish makes em mirror bright..
I have one of these files. It's really good. Used it on my Custom 1986 Strat and it was awesome
I would love to have one of your guitars for sure. You do a great job. And you are on the bass side of things.Thanks for your efforts!
Hey Dan! Love all that you do - and I'm very interested in (almost) everything related to building and maintaining instruments.
I was wondering if you would consider making a (or several) tutorial video for the different aspects of elevating the quality and playability of a guitar? Like you did on here, with the frets? I'm talking a video that delves into the basic terms, tools and 'moves' used in achieving the same quality of results as you.
I'd especially like to see such a video of you explaining the pickup circuits and techniques used to properly shield pickups.
Lot's of love from Denmark!
I would love to see your DIY take on refretting a guitar. :)
Get your sanding material from auto parts suppliers. I also believe in having as many different sanding materials as possible. I use high grade jewelry polishes, and fingernail files for minor fret jobs.
I have high end tools, but the most used tool is a modified bastard file, I use it to remove burrs protruding frets especially from being dried out.
Your regular masking tape is fine, especially when doing short term jobs. To reduce tact, Just place it on your shirt and peel off, that will reduce the adhesive properties. I also go ahead and mask the entire board before doing any work, it just takes one clumsy episode and that $150 fretboard is wrecked. I keep straight razors around to cut tape narrow enough to fit a 24 fret scale.
There is a method using sanding blocks, radius beams, and credit cards srapped.in sanding mesh that also works. It is a little messy, but I use it when I need to get a rolled edge feel. Makes a new fretboard feel like it is an old buddy that has been on a 1000 gigs. Look up Rick Turner's Renaissance Guitar, he gives the credit to another amazing luthier.
Best of luck!
greeting from argentina... seems i am the 1st one licking this video... i like your way to teaching how to building guitars...
i am following you from a week now, and will keep on doing it so. rock on !
Federico Ferrari :
You’re licking the video?
You must be hungry, or very attracted to him.
Awesome video, as usual, Dan. I'm learning so much from you and I'll definitely be able to take better care of my guitars with those tips! God bless you, man
Thanks and god bless back!
Hey Dan, Thanks for the review. I had been looking at that one's like that, but was debating on which one to roll the dice on. Now I know! Best of luck on the custom line and can't wait to see more of it!
For newbies.....if it's the first few times you level a guitar be aware you may get the frets low to get it perfectly level.....at about .036 you'll start having problems with that type of crowning file....to crown lower frets you may have to use a file.
I usually get about 5 or 6 guitars crowned out of those type of crowners (cheap diamond chips). A regular file with smooth edges last's a very long time....I got maybe 15 guitars out of one and it's still good....but takes forever to crown...a regular file does a better job in my opinion. I always use 3 pieces of masking tape to protect the fingerboard with a file.....even with smooth edges can still mark the board.
Those crowning tools are nice for touch ups.....I have a guitar that has a high 13th fret only under the thin E string. I will tap it down to see if it needs reseated...then glue in. Can level it and do a quick recrown at that point. Just loosen the e,b,g strings and move them over....recrown the area of the fret, hit with steel wool and be done. (be careful with steel wool and a pickup...cover the body well))