# When do you "dress" frets?



## sillyak (Oct 22, 2016)

Hey everyone. I'm quite new to guitar. I have this old Vantage (Horrible pic I know):
















Some of the notes have a deep enough divot on the fret that it causes a light buzzing when playing that note. Maybe 6 notes on the fretboard have this light buzzing. It is due to the divot, not the setup as the other strings on a given fret will play fine. I can eliminate the buzzing by making the action quite high. The buzzing is not noticeable when playing chords but is quite noticeable when playing single notes. I believe the frets are medium or maybe medium-jumbo (comparing to my MIM Tele).

Would this be a case where you would redress the frets? Is that even worth it on an old cheap guitar?


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## Jim DaddyO (Mar 20, 2009)

yes


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

If you don't think it's worth it on the guitar in question--then just use it for slide guitar--then the frets are merely a visual guide.
Or get a guitar without fret issues.

or have them dressed.

So you do have options.

Whichever you choose--enjoy!


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## JBFairthorne (Oct 11, 2014)

I don't dress frets until it's pretty much unplayable without getting them done. Rather than making the action super high, you might try adding a hair more relief to the neck. As far as whether it's worth it or not, a fret dress/level shouldn't be too expensive. I would consider it IF it was a guitar I liked and played regardless of the value.


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## epi 'sildo (Jan 7, 2017)

i always did it the old hard way one fret at a time with a straight edge blablabla, lol...to cheap to buy a kit...but there's this
FretRefinishing.com
Buzz-Off Fret Leveling Kit - Fix Fret Buzz - J.S. Bogdanovich Guitars
lots of diy options these days. and a stink guitar can be totally changed with a great setup.


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

Does the truss rod work?

A slight adjustment there can sometimes lift the strings over a buzzy spot. You will want to tighten an eighth or quarter turn. If you have cranked her half a turn, it aint gonna work, generally. They are all a little different. I see JB calls it "relief". We probably mean the same thing. Go with his terminology, he probably knows better than me.

Is that a locking vibrato system? That can really complicate tuning and intonation.


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## JBFairthorne (Oct 11, 2014)

KapnKrunch said:


> Does the truss rod work?
> 
> A slight adjustment there can sometimes lift the strings over a buzzy spot. You will want to tighten an eighth or quarter turn. If you have cranked her half a turn, it aint gonna work, generally. They are all a little different. I see JB calls it "relief". We probably mean the same thing. Go with his terminology, he probably knows better than me.
> 
> Is that a locking vibrato system? That can really complicate tuning and intonation.


To ADD relief (more bow in the neck) you want to LOOSEN the truss rod. Tightening it will straighten the neck. In this case, it may or may not solve the problem, but it's worth a try before you go spending money on a fret dress.


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## Guest (Jan 8, 2017)

It may help if you can provide a pic of the problem area.
Yours sounds like the frets are tall enough that you could sand/file away the problem.
There are youtube DIY vids that will take you step by step through the process.
However, if you're uncomfortable about doing it, I would consider taking it to shop and ask their opinion.

I had the same problem with a few frets on a bass when I first acquired it.


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## Midnight Rider (Apr 2, 2015)

I usually dress my frets when the temperature falls to about zero degrees celsius.


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## Jannetta Guitar Repair (Jan 27, 2017)

I usually dress my guitars once I get small divots. I like the frets as smooth and uniform as possible! I recently starting refretting with stainless steel to avoid the pain of dressing mine frequently. If the guitar has sentimental value to you then it may be worth having the frets dressed.


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## collector (Feb 12, 2017)

whats a stainless refret on a sg cost


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## Smylight (Jun 28, 2016)

epi 'sildo said:


> i always did it the old hard way one fret at a time with a straight edge blablabla, lol...to cheap to buy a kit...but there's this
> FretRefinishing.com
> Buzz-Off Fret Leveling Kit - Fix Fret Buzz - J.S. Bogdanovich Guitars
> lots of diy options these days. and a stink guitar can be totally changed with a great setup.


Has anybody with fret work experience used this kit? Sounds too good to be true, so I'm a bit skeptical...

What do you guys think?


Pierre


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## djmarcelca (Aug 2, 2012)

Rule of thumb for me...If the wear on the fretwire causes tuning problems, it's time to recrown


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## epi 'sildo (Jan 7, 2017)

Smylight said:


> Has anybody with fret work experience used this kit? Sounds too good to be true, so I'm a bit skeptical...
> 
> What do you guys think?
> 
> ...


i recently got a fret leveling block. its a radius type. 10 bucks on amazon. the frets i am dressing are 12" inch radius neck so the block is 12" radius. works great. whether you do it with that kit or a radius block or a flat level block its all the same. the diff is that that kit lets u do it with the strings on...but...theres clean up to think about eh? all blocks are basically the same idea. a piece of sand paper stuck to the underside of the block. in a scrape i would even try a drywall sanding block if i had to. on my guitar...not someone else's lol.

the steps:
1) take strings off.
2) adjust truss rod so neck is totally flat. best to use a proper neck level for this as your frets aren't level if you need to dress them. the proper level rests on the finger board via gaps over the frets. level about 26 bucks on amazon. but before i used to eye ball it.
3) anchor the git down securely so it doesn't move.
4) THEN put something under the neck to support it.
5) mark the top of each fret with a sharpie.
6) run the block 400-600 grit or so for first passes. lightly. let the block do the work. keep an eye on how the sharpie marks are disappearing.the high spots will disappear fast. the low spots will remain. but keep passing over the whole fret board. the object is for the highs to get as low as the lows. keep going til all sharpie marks are gone.
7) take a few light swipes with some 800 grit on your leveling block.
8) mark frets again for crowning. file the shoulders of the frets til theres just a little strip of sharpie left in the middle. it should be nicely rounded from the finger board up to almost the top of the fret. crown all frets this way. be careful not to remove any from the top of the frets. crowning file ten bucks on amazon.
9) polish frets with fine steel wool.

*makes a peace sign with both hands raised and says "i am not a luthier"*

edit: you say its an old cheap guitar...but you like it right? nows the time and opportunity to learn to do this for yourself. myself i'll be damned if i'd pay someone 100 bucks plus another 40 for setup for something so simple. it aint rocket science and guitar repair like this is not a "profession". its a little bit of know how and a little bit of elbow grease. thats it. common sense really if you just think about it.


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## Smylight (Jun 28, 2016)

Hey, thanks for the tutorial. Very helpful, concise and clearly stated.

I'm afraid I posted one link too many, namely to Bogdanovitch's page. The one I meant to gather input about is fretrefinishing.com's. The more I look at it, the less I like. ;-)

Can't believe those raised notches can do a credible job at crowning, that's why I'm asking whether someone has actually tried it.


Pierre


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## epi 'sildo (Jan 7, 2017)

best to keep it simple...and cheap!

edit: i never really looked into those two methods...just saw them and passed it on. i would stay with the usual methods. its (the kit) not very different its just complicated for the sake of selling something. it really just comes down to a level, block and sand paper, and a file. if you were very careful and mindful you could accomplish the job with what most guys got laying around the house. really. if you are careful. lol.


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