Dressing the frets on a 90s Fender USA Stratocaster
The original frets were very worn
Check the neck is straight
Before doing any levelling, you need to be sure that you are working with a straight neck. I’m using a Stewart MacDonald notched straightedge which allows me to read the fretboard. I adjusted the trussrod until the fretboard was flat.
Use a marker pen
I have marked the top of each fret with a marker pen. This is so that I know when all low spots have been removed.
Stewart MacDonald Fingerboard Levelers
To do most of the work I used a Stewart MacDonald fret leveler with 180 grit carborundum attached with double-sided tape. It quickly cuts through the frets to give an extremely flat surface. You need to ensure that you closely follow the radius of the fretboard.
The marker pen works
You can see here how the marker pen shows up any low spots that remain to be dressed out.
Nearly there now, time to switch to a finer abrasive
Nearly there now, time to switch to a finer abrasive.
Stewart MacDonald Diamond Fret Levelers
Using a Stewart MacDonald Diamond Fret Leveler
To smooth the fret tops I use a Stewart MacDonald diamond fret levelers in progressively finer grades. These are industrial diamond-coated steel blocks which are great for leveling frets. Again, you need to ensure that you closely follow the radius of the fretboard.
Drop the tongue
For a super-low action it’s a good idea to file a slight fall-away on the tongue of the neck.
A selection of fret-crowning files
Using a fret crowning file
The next step is to restore the rounded crown to the top of each fret. This is done useing fret crowning files. I have a selection that I choose from depending on the size of the fret and how much metal need to be removed.
Crown to give a "landing strip"
The idea is to end up with a “landing strip” about a millimetre wide on the top of each fret. I’ve highlighted it here with more marker pen.
Micro-Mesh soft touch finishing pads
Micro-Mesh soft touch finishing pads
Now that the frets are level and crowned it’s just left to polish them. I used Stewart MacDonald Micro-mesh soft touch finishing pads to remove any sanding marks remaining on the frets and to buff to a high polish. This process also ensures that the fret ends are gently rounded and comfortable for the player.
Lemon oil applied to the fretboard
Here are the frets after being polished with Micro-mesh.
Lemon oil applied to the fretboard
All that’s left to do now is to clean the neck of any metal particles. I use lemon oil to do this which ensures that the fretboard is clean, smooth and a joy to play.
A nice clean fretboard
The owner was pretty pleased too
“Just wanted to thank you for a great job on my guitar! The action is superb and now allows me to play in a more relaxed way when required as opposed to fighting with it all the time. It feels much ‘slinkier’ overall. The electrics mod is also spot on and the push button tone pot works a treat. Don’t know whether it is psychological or not but the guitar actually feels a bit more responsive and alive now.”
Hi
I have an American Strat that I bought last year. It’s frets appear dented already. Is this correct or do I need it repaired so soon?
I hope you can advise
Regards
Adrian
Hi Adrian, Fret wear depends on a number of factors, e.g. how much you play the guitar, your playing style, type/material of strings etc.. All frets wear eventually and need maintenance once the wear starts to cause buzzing, choking or dead notes. The frets can be dressed a few times before needing to be replaced, and if yours are giving problems, maybe it’s time for a fret dress?