BYO - only a little way to go now!

Bones · August 2021

I make sure my fingerboard is dead straight before fretting. Then after I install the frets I level the frets. Just a good flat file (pick a straight one) will work but I have diamond sharpening stones that are dead flat. Yes you need to get a recrowning tool. Stew mac has them they aren't very expensive. Stew mac also has a lot of good info on fretwork. Books and vids. fret work is a whole other topic.

If you level the frets dead flat then the string tension once strung up to pitch will give you about the right amount of relief if your neck is stiff. But yes, that's why I like to use a dual acting truss rod. I put just a little pretension in it before I level the frets that way you can adjust both tighter or looser.

All that said I'm not a fretting expert. It is a real art. Check out the Stew mac vids and books. Those guys have it pretty dialed in.

jared · August 2021

Everything Bones said is good advice. Go for as flat as you can and hope the string tension provides the relief you want. It is extremely unlikely that you can get away with no flattening and crowning. I've probably fretted over 100 necks counting both new guitars and refrets and still always have to do a little bit of flattening and crowning even when everything has gone really well. A three cornered file will work fine for crowning frets and is a lot cheaper than fret files. You can just grind one of the three corners nice and smooth and round so you can work it close without marring the surface. I got one for free at a garage sale and ground it for my first guitar 25 years ago and have used it on almost every fret job since.Tons of info out there in youtube land on this process. Don't worry about the idea of making frets fall away as you go up. The usual action on these guitars is high enough on the bass side that you won't need that.