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View Full Version : Frettin' about my frets



Laird
Jul-18-2009, 1:27am
I'm having an odd thing happen with some of the upper frets on my Eastman, and would welcome your diagnosis. On the E string, all the fretted notes are nice and orderly half-steps till I get to the thirteenth fret, which jumps a whole step and plays the same note as the fourteenth fret. A similar thing happens on the other side: the G string is fine until I get to the fourteenth fret, which buzzes, and then jumps a whole step at the fifteenth fret, which plays the same note as the sixteenth.

Now, I'm wondering if this has anything to do with the radiused fretboard. The actual frets LOOK fine to me--no obvious wear on this two-year-old Eastman. I'm willing to get new frets put on (maybe with a little more spacing for my pudgy fingertips). Will it require new frets, do you think? Or is this a simpler fix that I could get by sending it off to Mandovoodoo (and I notice Steve doesn't replace frets).

Any advice, kind folks?

Patrick Gunning
Jul-18-2009, 1:31am
You need to get those high frets dressed and crowned. What's causing this (IMHO, plus I'm not a luthier, so take this for what it's worth) is that the fourteenth frets and sixteenth frets are too high (elevation, not pitch), and there isn't enough string clearance for you to fret at the previous frets without it contacting those high frets. Unless these are really old frets or there's something very abnormal going on, you probably shouldn't need a refret, but a filing down, a dressing, and a recrown should take care of it.

Dale Ludewig
Jul-18-2009, 7:36am
This sounds like a classic case of high frets, perhaps caused by neck movement, maybe not. Did you lower the action recently? (Drop the bridge height?) Regardless, it sounds like you need a little fret dressing. If you don't have confidence in doing this yourself, take it to a qualified luthier. It's easily accomplished usually and there ya go. How stable is the humidity in your house? It only takes a little change to make things act up depending on the neck construction, like truss rod being firm without any backbow. If have any doubts re: humidity, get a gauge and watch.

jim_n_virginia
Jul-18-2009, 7:50am
yep sounds like you need a fret dressing. if you have a straight edge put it up against the frets and see if it rocks any. It doesn't take much at all.

Bill Snyder
Jul-18-2009, 7:54am
... I'm willing to get new frets put on (maybe with a little more spacing for my pudgy fingertips).

I am curious about that statement. You can not space the frets out differently than they already are. That would ruin your intonation. You MIGHT be able to get a new nut cut with the strings spaced a little wider side to side and that might help.
If you need the frets spaced out further you would need an instrument with a longer scale length such as a mandola (tuned a 5th lower) or perhaps an octave mandolin (tuned an octave lower).

sunburst
Jul-18-2009, 8:19am
Before you start filing (dressing) frets...
Often high frets (what you undoubtedly have) can be driven level or nearly level with the rest of the frets. If you (or someone more qualified?) check the frets with various length straight edges and find high frets, start by trying a fret hammer on them and see if they can be driven level with the other frets. If the frets are glued in, heating them first, before hammering or clamping, will often accomplish the same thing. Much less filing and crowning is needed if the frets are leveled first.
Those frets are in the area of the neck joint, and that's a common place for "things" to happen with frets, it could be wood movement, it could be neck joint movement, but it probably isn't serious, and it will probably be easily fixed when it comes time for a re-fret, but until that time, leveling the frets should take care of it.

Laird
Jul-18-2009, 12:17pm
I am curious about that statement. You can not space the frets out differently than they already are. That would ruin your intonation.

Shows how much I know! It makes perfect sense that it would ruin the intonation, now that you mention it. No, I guess I"ll just get those frets dressed and keep working on getting just the tip of my fingers into those upper frets.