Part 1
  
When to Dress Frets
 
A Closer Look
 
A Good Candidate
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Part 2

Checking for Loose Frets
 
Protecting the Fingerboard
 
Protecting the Top

Taping upper Frets

Exposing upper Frets

Trimming tape flush to the Neck

Protecting the Fingerboard Nut

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Part 3

Leveling the Frets

A factory Fret Dressing File

Removing scratches made by File
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Part 4

Crowning Frets

The Crowning File

Shaping the Frets

Steel Wooling Frets

Hand buffing the Frets
 
Oiling the Fingerboard

Polishing the Guitar

Restring the Guitar
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Part 1

When to Dress Frets...

     These frets are well worn. Notice the wear is evenly distributed on all the notes. If this guitar was kept in tune properly, one could assume the soundboard was well "broken in", loud, and moved freely at all half-steps. But the strings no longer press to a centered peak of a fret. Now the string lies in a trough with a shortened scale length. Tone, sustain and pitch are compromised.

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A Closer Look...

     The upper fret has worn about 15% of height. The frets could be dressed, crowned, and polished with satisfactory results. Ideally frets should be dressed at the first sign of wear.

     The lower fret has worn near 50% of height. Dressing the frets would significantly lower the fret heights and affect playing ability. The worst frets could be replaced with new ones and dressed down to the lowest remaining wear resulting in a great deal of work with a quality of 80% at best or...? This guitar is getting new frets.

Ancient Myth- Shorter frets will allow smoother sliding up the neck and increase players speed.

Actually, lower frets will affect a player in several ways.

• In rapid left hand fingerings the finger tips are more likely to rebound from the fingerboard lessening string contact to the fret causing loss in clarity, volume, and sustain.

• Lower frets will decrease finger angle and wrap-around effect when bending strings.

• Left hand vibrato is less effective.

• Lower frets weaken pull-offs.

__________________

A Good Candidate...

     The frets on this guitar show early signs of wear. This is a good contender for fret dressing.

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