Fractal Talk

@DrewJD82

Couldn't help but think of you...


Preset: https://g66.eu/images/presets/cc-presets/Money_Lead_1_Brit_Floyd.zip




Just so happens I recently got a black pickguard for my OG MIM Strat I need to re-fret.

IMG_2504.JPG

(before anyone says it, it's a 1-ply guard, that's just the protective film, not a middle white ply you're seeing)
 
Always love the black on black!

Good luck with it.

Hahahah well, I attempted my first and second re-frets on it and stopped partway through 2nd when it was looking exactly like the first. It just dawned on me right now what I did wrong; I didn’t buy a sanding beam and after installing went right to a fret rocker where I inevitably found all the frets unlevel and sanding them individually just made more uneven spots, I thought I could sand my way out of it, but the frets have less material than the original frets I removed that were 25 years old! :rofl

I now have a goal of making @Eagle so impressed with my fret ends he comes back to the forum.
 
Hahahah well, I attempted my first and second re-frets on it and stopped partway through 2nd when it was looking exactly like the first. It just dawned on me right now what I did wrong; I didn’t buy a sanding beam and after installing went right to a fret rocker where I inevitably found all the frets unlevel and sanding them individually just made more uneven spots, I thought I could sand my way out of it, but the frets have less material than the original frets I removed that were 25 years old! :rofl

I now have a goal of making @Eagle so impressed with my fret ends he comes back to the forum.
Do you have a fret press? Or just hammering them in?
Yeah a sanding beam is very useful - what did you get?
How are you taking care of the fret ends?
 
Do you have a fret press? Or just hammering them in?
Yeah a sanding beam is very useful - what did you get?
How are you taking care of the fret ends?

I have all the cauls and I have a heavy duty drill press, now. I hammered them in originally, both times. And I likely did a shit job at removing any excess material from the slots.

Another mistake I made back then was buying all the tools on Amazon and the files I got for the frets just chewed right through them. I did get a decent Stew Mac crowning file and I believe I have a Stew Mac fret-end block/jig, but the files I used to dress the ends just ate them up. I don’t have to cheap out on anything moving forward so I’m just going with Stew Mac and Music Nomad files, beams, finishing materials.
 
Definitely worth the loot.

I know they say its poor form to blame your tools. I don't do that, I guess. I just praise really good tools. :D

Hahahha well, there’s certainly credence to that because if you have to blame your tools, it’s still on you who decided to purchase them!!! :rofl
 
  • 100%
Reactions: KFF
Hahahha well, there’s certainly credence to that because if you have to blame your tools, it’s still on you who decided to purchase them!!! :rofl
FACT.gif


I hadn't actually thought of it like that... wise man!

Its been years since I've bought a shite tool. If I fuck up... its ALL on me. :rofl
 
I have all the cauls and I have a heavy duty drill press, now. I hammered them in originally, both times. And I likely did a shit job at removing any excess material from the slots.

Another mistake I made back then was buying all the tools on Amazon and the files I got for the frets just chewed right through them. I did get a decent Stew Mac crowning file and I believe I have a Stew Mac fret-end block/jig, but the files I used to dress the ends just ate them up. I don’t have to cheap out on anything moving forward so I’m just going with Stew Mac and Music Nomad files, beams, finishing materials.

Nice - I had the Music Nomad crowning file but I prefer the Fret Guru diamond dagger as it seems to leave a narrower center line.
I also watch out for StewMac 50% sale here and there and accumulate fret related tools that way.
 
Nice - I had the Music Nomad crowning file but I prefer the Fret Guru diamond dagger as it seems to leave a narrower center line.
I also watch out for StewMac 50% sale here and there and accumulate fret related tools that way.

I definitely need to keep an eye out for those sales as well. I made a spot in my apartment I can put a table/bench and rather than buying a ton of pedals this year I just want to stock up on tools for repair/modding.
 
Has anybody here ever tried one of these Hosco fret crowning tools?

https://www.philadelphialuthiertool...ltimate-fret-crowning-optimizer-ufo1-1-1-1-4/

The concept seems really solid to me, but before I spend $100 on a tool I will use maybe 3 or 4 times in my life, I would like to hear more feedback than what I have found online.

I haven’t, but I’ve ordered a bunch of stuff from Philadelphia Luthier Tools before and get the idea they don’t mess around with junk. Seeing a $100, japanese-made fret file on their site is like seeing a $12K Fender Custom Shop Strat on Wildwood’s site, not out of place at all.
 
Never skimp on tools. A quality tool will make the job easier to accomplish, yield better results, and will last a lifetime. A cheap tool can yield poor results and may not even survive one job.
 
Back
Top