First attempt at fret-levelling: which file?

[Annoying Twit]

I wish to have a go at fret-levelling a bass.

From what I hear, the method is to draw black lines on the tops of the fret. Then to VERY GENTLY slide a file without a handle down the frets, being careful to observe that the black is being removed from the frets evenly. I repeat this across the fretboard until I'm complete. This is all done after strings are removed, the neck is removed from the body, and the truss rode slackened to allow the neck to become completely flat again.

I've read that just a fret level can be done independently of a fret re-crowning. That levelled (only) frets are not as good as fully re-crowned frets, but are still playable. So, I could do the levelling as one 'thing' that I do, and perhaps re-crown the frets at a later time.

My question is - what grade of file should I use? I will be borrowing one from a machine shop, and they have a range of them.

PS: I have a plan B if I completely stuff things up - if I ruin the frets, I'll be back on here talking about defretting a bass.

[Kiwi]

Crowning the fret means less pressure is needed to make clean string contact. Also fret levelling is normally done with carborundrum abrasive paper stuck to a straight edge, not a fret file. Crowning fret files are cheap too - less than the straight edge. If you like low action, you'll be better off getting a straight edge that can slip under the strings while the neck is in tension.

[Kiwi]

Also: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/196455-diy-fret-leveling/"]http://basschat.co.uk/topic/196455-diy-fret-leveling/[/url]

[Ou7shined]

You need very straight beam to level the frets... and personally I wouldn't level without a crown.

[Annoying Twit]

Thanks. I was thinking of levelling everything as on a post on the Seymour Duncan site. [url="http://www.seymourduncan.com/forum/showthread.php?168216-How-to-properly-level-and-crown-frets-for-the-DIY-er"]http://www.seymourdu...-for-the-DIY-er[/url]

But, doing an individual fret, only after checking that it's high, seems a better option. E.g. as in this:

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c527_CtazOQ[/media]

I don't recognise the thick pad with fine grit sandpaper that he uses to polish the frets. E.g. at 3:35 into the video. What is that stuff?

Looks like it's a good idea for me to take a step back, and at first just obtain a fret rocker to check for high frets. And, then to consider my next step once I've actually identified a problem. Otherwise I risk breaking the rule 'if it ain't broke...'

Should I buy a £40 secondhand bass (they come up occasionally) to practice this on?

Edit: I just remembered that I have a random guitar neck lying around. I've verified that the truss rod seems to work (nice and firm, loosened properly), and it seemingly does. It's a guitar neck, but does have reasonably chunky frets. Though, looking along the neck, it might have a slight twist.

Edited December 17, 2013 by Annoying Twit

[gabson]

This is how I do my fret dressing, instead of a file I use a beam with abrasive paper stuck to it. I like to use a larger area.

There's a detailed photo story on my website here:
http://jacksinstrumentservices.com/fret-dress.html

-Jack

[Annoying Twit]

Thanks. I've looked through your pages, and see the potential difficulties in a full fret dress. Like many others, you use a long straight edge to equalise the heights of all frets at once.

I'm now the owner of a WH Smith metal ruler cut into a variety of lengths, which I'm planning to use as a fret rocker. Stage 1 will be to look for high frets, and see if I find any. Trying these straight edges on the random guitar neck I have here gives some indication of high frets, but the amount that the straight edge rocks on those frets is very, very, small. Barely noticeable. I'll see what I find when I get home. (All my basses are currently migrated to home). I'm now a bit hesitant to attempt a fret level/dress without solid evidence that there is a problem that needs to be solved. Both of the basses I may do this too are fairly new though bought second hand) and there is no real evidence of fret wear, certainly nothing that (I would expect) a silver polishing cloth wouldn't fix. Thinking now, I'm not sure that I've really approached setting the truss rods scientifically enough, and perhaps I should do that again, using feeler gauges to check that the relief is as generally recommended. Perhaps my not being able to get a really low without buzzing is for other reasons than high frets. I've just googled an interesting method of setting relief, so, I'll do that tonight, after straightening the neck then checking for high frets.

An alternative is to simply pay for a fret dress by someone such as yourself, or much closer to me: http://www.leicestershire-luthier.co.uk/services.html#fret If the bases I'm considering hacking myself were ones which I thought sounded really good, then I'd definitely be looking into that. But, at the moment I have one bass I really like the sound of, which I'm not touching, and two others which are just 'OK'. Hence I don't want to sink too much £££ into them right at this moment.

[Kiwi]

The problem with doing each fret is that its level will only be relative to its neighbours, not to the string. If you don't have low action, it probably won't matter though. But a flat beam will ensure a more consistent result .

[Annoying Twit]

I see your point.

I used my pseudo-fret rockers to test my Rockbass and Shine SB26.

For the Rockbass, even though I hadn't flattened the neck (it was fairly flat anyway) I couldn't find more than the very slightest at the limits of detectability rocking. Which seems to suggest that the frets are fairly even anyhow. I tried a test I read about, which is to lower the action until there's mega buzz, and then see if you get the same amount of buzz from the lower, or upper part of the neck. I found that at very, very, low action, there was buzz in the middle of the neck, but not at the ends. I wonder if this is indicative of the next itself not being straight as per the diagrammes on Jack's website. I've shimmed the neck on this bass, which improved the action. But, I can't get below a medium action (or what I think is a medium action) without buzz.

For the Shine SB26 there was easily noticeable rocking all over the place. And quite a few frets would rock at one side of the neck (same frets but adjacent to different strings), but not at the other side. This bass has two truss rods, and I'm concerned that they may not be at the same tension. When I've adjusted the truss rods I've tried to make the same changes to both sides, but there may have been some drift, and the bass was in an appalling state when I received it. Looking down the neck, I think I can see a slight sideways twist. If one side looks a bit higher than the other, how should the truss rods be adjusted to compensate for/fix this?

If the method of doing single frets by filing parallel to the fret is not a good idea, then what about the method [url=http://www.seymourduncan.com/forum/showthread.php?168216-How-to-properly-level-and-crown-frets-for-the-DIY-er]recommended on the Seymour Duncan forum[/url]. This uses a single file instead of a long straight edge, and the file is moved gently down the neck across all the frets. The file itself acts as a straight edge, but isn't long enough to cover all frets. The movement of the file is along the neck, and repeated across the neck so that it doesn't file away the radius of the fretboard. Marker pen is used to visually check that the frets are being filed evenly. Is this a good way of doing it? If not, where do I get a really big straight edge?

Edited December 19, 2013 by Annoying Twit

[bertbass]

I'd use a 2 ft spirit level with some fine wet & dry double sided taped to it myself.

[Ou7shined]

And you'll need a notched straight edge so you are sure the neck is perfectly straight before you start levelling.
This is the one I made for myself. I couldn't conceive of doing the job without it.

[essexbasscat]

have a look at the fret levelling beam on e-bay, does the job a treat

[GILLY]

I bought one of these:

[url="http://crimsonguitars.com/shop/fret-levelling-file"]http://crimsonguitar...-levelling-file[/url]

He does a much more detailed video of how to file and polish frets, but I cannot find it. In the meantime, here is a brief description of the file. I spent an afternoon on my Tanglewater and had astonishing results. It turned an ok bass into one with an action as low as any bass I have ever played (at any price):

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3qWmjcBDvM&feature=share&list=PLp6z5fUMeeAZrNTNXQvd24F0_kFTVtPN0[/media]

Edited December 19, 2013 by GILLY

[JapanAxe]

I think if I tried to level a fret it would be like Father Ted trying to knock a dent out of a car..

[Ou7shined]

[quote name='JapanAxe' timestamp='1387486545' post='2312675']
I think if I tried to level a fret it would be like Father Ted trying to knock a dent out of a car..
[/quote]

[Annoying Twit]

The notched ruler shown by Ou7shined seems a good idea. I can buy 24" rulers on ebay, though perhaps buying one at Halfords or somewhere would be better. I'd hav to ask our machine sho if they have a drill press for adding the notches as I don't have such equipment myself. I presume a reasonable way to build one is to lay it against the neck, mark with pen where the frets are, and then drill. And that the notches can be a bit on the big side so that they clearly miss the frets, with the straight edge working as long as there is plenty of straight edge remaining between them. Such a straight edge could also be used to help me equalise the tension on the two truss rods on my Shine bass. I could get the neck flat on both sides, then remove equal amounts of tension from each side.

The Crimson Guitars fret levelling file looks very much like a portion of a normal file cut to length and with a bit of wood stuck on the back. It's much more refined than that, but couldn't something similar be made by sticking a piece of wood onto a file to make a handle?

The fret levelling beam is interesting, but is a significant investment. If into the future I can do my own fret dressing, then it will pay for itself. I feel the files I bought for filing nuts have already paid for themselves. But, I'm not sure if I'm going to get all the way to doing my own fret dressing to a good standard.

I must admit that I'm tempted to go the route of passing a file down the neck, with or without a lump of wood stuck on the back. At least for the first try. Though, a spirit level with some double sided tape attached fine grit sandpaper is also a cheap option. As pointed out however, checking the neck is as straight as it will go is the first step.

Edited December 20, 2013 by Annoying Twit

[GILLY]

Here's the extended video:

http://youtu.be/FcPS8b6qnpo

The Crimson file is a decent bit of kit I have to say. I even invested in some jeweler's rouge and some felt pads for my dremel - worked a treat but you need to wear overalls or and old coat.

[geoffbyrne]

If you want someone to do it & you are in the Leicester area, I can recommend The Guitar Shop in Ibstock. They did a superb job for me on a jazz box and it came back with an obscenely low action.

G.