Modding my '52 AVRI Tele with 7.25-9.5 compound radius neck

[Bad Influence]

The other day I played around with my buddys partscaster tele with a compound radius neck and immediately fell in love with how good it felt. Is it possible if I take my '52 Avri tele to a proffesional to set it up to compound radius? And Is it worth it? Any suggestions other than buying an aftermarket neck?
Many thanks

 

[telex76]

It could be done. Might cost more than a new neck though.

 

[TmyBmore]

Sounds like a new partscaster is in your future. Or a new neck.

 

[rze99]

Don't waste your money.

A good luthier can achieve the same/very similar effect by stoning the frets to your preference.

I have the frets on my 7.25 radius frets stoned to a 10 radius. this can easily be graduated up the board if you prefer. I've been doing this for decades and highly recommend it.

 

[Bad Influence]

Thanks for the replies.
Yes a new partscaster is an option. But where I live it is much harder to accomplish it.
Rze99, I've read about this stoning the frets somewhere else. But to me the frets on the 52 AVRI looks so small compared to my medium jumbo equipped strats. Did you do it on your guitars with vintage style frets? BTW wouldn't the stoned frets wear out quickly?

 

[rze99]

Thanks for the replies.
Yes a new partscaster is an option. But where I live it is much harder to accomplish it.
Rze99, I've read about this stoning the frets somewhere else. But to me the frets on the 52 AVRI looks so small compared to my medium jumbo equipped strats. Did you do it on your guitars with vintage style frets? BTW wouldn't the stoned frets wear out quickly?

I've done this to genuine vintage and new guitars alike since the 80s.

Unless the frets are already exceptionally low to the point that it needs a re-fret, there is only the subtlest of changes. But they do make a big difference if you are playing string-bending styles and appreciate a low action.

It doesn't make the frets wear out quicker; frets will wear at whatever rate the prevailing combination of factors dictate. But, yes, a little more is taken off the centre of the frets themselves to achieve the flatter fret camber. But that's OK. It's visually barely noticeable.

I've pretty much ONLY done this to vintage and vintage-style frets to to eliminate choking.

The guy that switched me on to this, if I recall correctly, was luthier Rob Armstrong (who has built for Mark Knopfler, George Harrison, Alvin Lee, Gordon Giltrap and others... nice article here about him rebuilding his workshop after a fire http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/coventry-guitar-maker-fights-back-3053017) who did some set-up work for me in the early 80s to a USA strat that was choking out on the upper registers. He transformed that guitar with the fretwork. I also had it done to my '75 Strat, vintage style telecasters, the lot.

Any luthier worth their salt will do it. For UK people, recently my stoning work is done by Tim Marten, Denmark Street, London, who was Jimmy Page's guitar tech http://www.timmartenrepairs.co.uk/ and Chandler guitars before then. (link removed)

 

[Bad Influence]

That's very good to know rze99. Thanks a lot for the response.
I think I'll go for this.

 

[rze99]

That's very good to know rze99. Thanks a lot for the response.
I think I'll go for this.

Cool. Do let us all know how you like the outcome. If nothing else the fret stone, done well, will provide a tangible improvement in playability.

 

[moosie]

You have pretty small frets on a pre-2013 AVRI '52. Might not be enough meat to compound the frets. Which means you also might not have enough meat for a simple fret dress next time you need one. Pretend you need one now, and do a refret. During the refret, either put larger frets, and compound those, OR with the frets off, compound the board. The latter works great, but with a maple neck it'll need to be sprayed. Then while you're at it, replace the tiny frets with stainless tiny frets, and you're DONE. For a decade or two.

 

[rze99]

You have pretty small frets on a pre-2013 AVRI '52. Might not be enough meat to compound the frets. Which means you also might not have enough meat for a simple fret dress next time you need one. Pretend you need one now, and do a refret. During the refret, either put larger frets, and compound those, OR with the frets off, compound the board. The latter works great, but with a maple neck it'll need to be sprayed. Then while you're at it, replace the tiny frets with stainless tiny frets, and you're DONE. For a decade or two.

Yes, I don't know the frets of a pre-2013 AVRI '52. Certainly a re-fret gives you a the opportunity to get exactly what you want from the outset with zero compromise.

I'd recommend to go to a trusted and recommended luthier to assess the frets you have in the first place and tell the person what is your desired outcome. If it can be done with the existing original frets without compromising a sensible fret height (and all mine have so far), then you're good to go for a reprofile. A re-fret on a maple board can be expensive I hear.

 

[moosie]

Those frets, if I recall from playing a new 2010 in a store, are like my '69 Thinline AVRI. Mine average .031" tall. That's brand new. Also depends what you like. I like short frets like that, but not too much lower. That painted-on feel makes me have to play too carefully to get clarity.

To avoid choked bending, you'll probably want to compound that 7.25 up to 9.5 not on the 21st fret, but at the 12th or 14th.

Assuming your frets are .031 like mine, compounding the fret tops isn't going to work. Eyeballing with my radius gauges and a micrometer, this would take the top-center of the 14th fret down by .025", which on my frets would leave a mere .006".

Compounding the board during a refret is a 'better' way (assuming you need to refret anyway) because then the profile is baked into the fingerboard, and any further fret levels and refrets just follow the wood.

 

[Bad Influence]

It's a new made in 2015 version. (Can you see the photo?)
I see enough height on the frets but either stoning the frets or leveling the fretboard, I've pulled the trigger on this. I will meet the luthier next week and see what he has to say. Hope it won't hurt financially
Will surely post the results for any future referance. Thanks again.

 

[nycThinline]

The other day I played around with my buddys partscaster tele with a compound radius neck and immediately fell in love with how good it felt. Is it possible if I take my '52 Avri tele to a proffesional to set it up to compound radius? And Is it worth it? Any suggestions other than buying an aftermarket neck?
Many thanks

Your neck is worth a fair amount on ebay. Get yourself a neck to the specs you like and play it for a few weeks. If you still love the new one sell the avri and it should more than pay for the replacement.

 

[moosie]

It's a new made in 2015 version. (Can you see the photo?)
I see enough height on the frets but either stoning the frets or leveling the fretboard, I've pulled the trigger on this. I will meet the luthier next week and see what he has to say. Hope it won't hurt financially
Will surely post the results for any future referance. Thanks again.

Ah. Not trying to nitpick wording here, but Fender dropped the RI from the post-2012s. The older ones were AVRI, the newer simply AV. It's picky, but one of the few ways we have to identify the models, which are different in various specs. For example, the frets are called simply 'vintage' on both, but the newer models' are taller. My post-2012 AV58 and AV64 average fret height is .048", vs .031" on the earlier AVRI Thinline. So probably plenty of room on yours to compound just the fret tops.

 

[Bad Influence]

Oops, sorry for the misleading info. I did not know the difference between an AVRI and AV. And really that's useful info. You are great help. Many thanks.

 

[moosie]

No worries. I shouldn't have assumed. When I read that it was a 2015, I re-read the thread looking for some other clue that made me think it was earlier, but nope.

Good luck at the luthier's.

 

[Sea Devil]

7.25" - 9.5" is the perfect compound radius, IMO.