# Need Help lowering the frets and recrowning



## Lul4Arm (Jun 10, 2021)

I live in the Toronto area and was wondering if anyone here has the knowledge and willingness to discuss this with me. If you happened to also be in the GTA and had the correct equipment I would ideally love to learn how to do this and would obviously provide compensation.

Any help is super helpful lol

Jesse


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

Everything for building and repairing stringed instruments! - StewMac


Luthier tools, guitar parts, and supplies for instrument builders, repair shops, hobbyists, and players worldwide. Same day shipping, free technical support, 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed!




www.stewmac.com


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

https://www.youtube.com/user/stewartmacdonald/videos


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## nnieman (Jun 19, 2013)

I’m not in the gta but I can answer your questions if you have any.

Nathan


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## Lul4Arm (Jun 10, 2021)

nnieman said:


> I’m not in the gta but I can answer your questions if you have any.
> 
> Nathan


the first question is whether it's something an amateur can do.


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

Lul4Arm said:


> the first question is whether it's something an amateur can do.


You need some basic quality tools. They are expensive. When you are done with your frets you most likely will need to redo the nut. A set of nut files is around $100.


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## Lul4Arm (Jun 10, 2021)

I spoke with the builder just know and he believes it needs a set up and not a fret adjustment at all.


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## Latole (Aug 11, 2020)

player99 said:


> You need some basic quality tools. They are expensive. When you are done with your frets you most likely will need to redo the nut. A set of nut files is around $100.


And practice on many cheaps guitars. 
I do this job, not easy ; practice practice and parctice.


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## Silvertone (Oct 13, 2018)

Lul4Arm said:


> I spoke with the builder just know and he believes it needs a set up and not a fret adjustment at all.


Did he not do a setup? If I build something like a kit guitar for someone to finish. I usually would not do a complete setup. I would cut the nut deep enough to hold the strings and intonate. I would also not do a fret level, crown, dress and polish. If you are looking to do this. You will need some specific tools, as has been mentioned. Nut files, sanding beam, crowning file, dressing file, and some way of polishing the frets. You would also probably need some feeler gauges to adjust action and the usual screw drivers and truss rod wrench for adjusting bridge saddles etc.

Cheers Peter.


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## Lul4Arm (Jun 10, 2021)

Silvertone said:


> Did he not do a setup? If I build something like a kit guitar for someone to finish. I usually would not do a complete setup. I would cut the nut deep enough to hold the strings and intonate. I would also not do a fret level, crown, dress and polish. If you are looking to do this. You will need some specific tools, as has been mentioned. Nut files, sanding beam, crowning file, dressing file, and some way of polishing the frets. You would also probably need some feeler gauges to adjust action and the usual screw drivers and truss rod wrench for adjusting bridge saddles etc.
> 
> Cheers Peter.


This isn't a kit guitar. It was a trade and it's a little over a year. I'm thinking it's never been properly set up.


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## Latole (Aug 11, 2020)

Before to start working with tools on guitar, you need to know how a guitar work, what kind of work your guitar need.
Begin to study with this book if you want to buy only one ;


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

Be careful with Stewmac. They are selling very expensive tools, not all are necessary. Cheaper and "potentially equivalent" (or not) tools can be found elsewhere.


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## Latole (Aug 11, 2020)

player99 said:


> Be careful with Stewmac. They are selling very expensive tools, not all are necessary. Cheaper and "potentially equivalent" (or not) tools can be found elsewhere.


Any link ?


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

Latole said:


> Any link ?


There was a thread about tools awhile back. One supplier iirc is in Spain? Someone will remember.
?


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## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

Solo sells tools: 


https://www.solomusicgear.com/product-category/luthier-tools/


I've never dealt with them, but I've heard and read good things.


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## nnieman (Jun 19, 2013)

Most of my luthiery tools came from
lmii
Philadelphia luthiery supply
Bow river tone woods
Lee valley
Japarts
George heinl 
Made them myself

Avoid the cheap Chinese tools on eBay- they are usually cheap for a reason.

A level and crown is something that an amateur can do…. But it’s also real easy to go too far.
I inagine that most of us started as amateurs and there are very few trained luthiers on this forum.

Nathan


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## THRobinson (Jun 29, 2014)

Sadly not local and my truck died... can't physically help... but... Crimson Guitars on YouTube, not so much the new stuff, it's gotten boring, but his old stuff when getting started was informative. Also a guy in Hamilton has some helpful videos... twoodford? I believe.


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## zztomato (Nov 19, 2010)

Good advice is a bargain, bad advice is very expensive. 

If you do get into fret levelling, you need to learn how to read a neck to determine what needs to be done. Then you need to know how to handle it. There are endless rabbit holes to go down on the internet but it's best to just learn from someone. I used to occasionally do a setup course for people willing to pay me shop time. I could only cover the basics in a few hours. Ironically, those that paid me to teach them just became regular clients. 😆
If you want to get into fret levelling there's way more to it than just levelling the frets. If you go to "luthier school", it's a few months of intensive training, not a few hours on a Sunday afternoon. Anyway, every luthier/tech has their own process. Lots of similarities but never totally the same. Learn from someone and then adapt. But learn the skill of reading the neck- that is the most important part.


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