gmann
Friend of Leo's
This is what I do. It does make a difference. Everybody comments on how well my guitars play and my ability to set them up. I actually do good setups but the thing that makes the difference is the polished frets.
Polish 'yer frets!
- Thread starter sbpark
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This is what I do. It does make a difference. Everybody comments on how well my guitars play and my ability to set them up. I actually do good setups but the thing that makes the difference is the polished frets.
No, the Gorgomyte also has a mild abrasive that will take out light scratches and nicks and eliminate that gritty feel as well. That's why I was agreeing with you about those rough spots on your Casino. I experienced the same thing with my ES 339.
There were also a couple of small scratches on the tail piece and it took care of those as well. It's not just a simple polishing cloth and you can tell that when you have it in your hands.
I've done six of my Teles and my Epi with one package of the stuff using one 2" square per guitar as they suggest and I still have enough left to do my two basses. Not a bad deal for $10 and the ease of not having to mask the fret board since it won't damage it and will clean it as well.
I'm not suggesting your method isn't just as good but after reading about how much of a PITA it was to tape off your fretboard I'd thought I'd at least suggest something that I've used personally that has also worked well and with less of a hassle.
I like positive results but I'm also lazy and look for the most efficient ways I can find to maintain 10 guitars and basses. The more time I spend on maintaining them the less time have to play 'em.
A $1 per guitar is expensive JF? I'll be able to do all 10 of my guitars and basses with one package that ran me $10. If I had to do them all once a month or more I'd say you're right but they don't need this more than two or three times a year and there's no residue or filings to clean up.
I just buff them out with a micro fiber cloth and build up a little heat while doing it. I guess I could use a buffing wheel but that seems like a bit of overkill to me when they're already smooth as a baby's bottom when I'm done.
I never have and never will have steel wool anywhere near any of my stuff but I do admit those fret erasers would have probably been my next choice if the Gorgomyte hadn't worked as well as it did.
As for the taping and all the rest all I can say is "why you all want to work so hard"?
JayFreddy
Poster Extraordinaire
The fret erasers are $14 for two on eBay.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fret-Polish...912?pt=Guitar_Accessories&hash=item1c4990b650
Plus, they last for years. Seriously, fret erasers are to fret polishing what peg winders are to string changing... Once you've used one a few times, you'll wonder how you ever survived without it!
Will fret erasers completely replace steel wool and/or polish? No, probably not, but they're so much easier and cleaner... If you haven't tried them yet, you're in for a nice surprise.
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JayFreddy
Poster Extraordinaire
I posted while you were typing... As I said, I've heard good things about the Gorgomyte as well, but the fret erasers are still more economical, and cleaner too. Some people like the smell of the Gorgomyte and the maker claims it's good for your fingerboard, but if it's got metal polish in it, I'm not sure I want it on my skin for prolonged periods.
I got my fret erasers a year ago. I've only used two of them, and even those two still look new. Between me and my students, I probably set up at least two guitars a week. That's 100 per year... At least.
The cost savings is a huge motivator for me, but the absence of chemicals AND the great results seal the deal...
As I said before, TRY THEM... You won't regret it.
People were wary of ball point pens at first too...
I use a four-sided nail buffer. I get them for about £2.00 in Boots here in the UK, and I'm sure they will be easily found in the US. In effect they are a bunch of micromesh pads on foam backing. Easy to use, cheap to replace, good smooth frets!
I'm glad I'm not the only one wondering what all the fuss is about.
Iceman
Tele-Holic
^^^this
you can make these with the hard plastic a lot of stuff is packaged in.
polished frets is as important as new strings IMO.
drmcclainphd
Tele-Afflicted
A lot of good suggestions, even including some differences of opinions. Those just make for more options.
I prefer 1000 grit black silicon carbide (3M wet-dry type generics) paper over steel wool because the latter breaks up into conductive/magnetic particles that can eventually, or sooner, end up in string windings, pots and pickups. The same can be said of fret dust, depending on the material. For one or both, reasons one should cover the pickups well, as in the photo (good job). Cleaning any up afterwards can be done by dabbing with a piece of painter's tape that leaves no residue, such as Frog Tape. On some jobs that are going to require more extensive filing, I've put a single width layer of double-sided ("carpet") tape around the target area.
My usual method is to tape or directly glue a piece of the paper to a chunk of 2x4 as a sanding block. It needs to wrap up along two sides of the block, and any rubbing has to be done along that dimension so the paper doesn't snag on the frets. One sheet of paper will make two good sized blocks, and each will do 10 to 20 polishing jobs.
I like using a block because it focuses the pressure evenly, making it more visible where the polishing has been and needs done, and you can better follow the radius this way and even bevel/round the ends of the frets a bit. It also makes the work go faster and reduces the possibility of nicking the fretboard. Before doing this the neck should be adjusted to dead flat, or even a bit slightly back bowed, so the block rides on the frets evenly or else more in the middle than the ends. For the most part I've found that adjusting them dead flat at this stage produces a very sight forward bow once the strings are tightened, that usually requires little or no additional truss rod adjustment for proper gapping, for closest and most even action almost, but not quite, to the edge of the occasional buzz. My only exceptions to this are my resonators, when they're about to put on a heavier set of strings, like reso's or a mixed collection from two sets for DADDAD tuning. Those have a significant backbow when unstrung, and I'd just as soon leave it as is if possible once intially set, rather than flattening then re-bowing. You can follow any lengthwise unevenness in a such a case by sight, just as in following the radius.
Something this all has brought to mind is the possibility of using a piece of angle iron or some such as the block instead. More weight would mean less pressure applied, making it easier on those of us whose hands are less than 100% willing participants due to damage or just being older than we wish they were. It also raises the possibility of attaching some magnets to the metal to keep any magentic detritus attracted to it rather than the nooks, crannies and more sensitive locations where it might otherwise find itself.
All that said, I do this for speed and even up- and down-sliding, as I don't do side bends at all. In fact, I have to focus so as not to bend accidently and throw off my tuning, because due to the claw and the hammer somebody has apparently seen fit to replace my right and left hands with, respectively, most of my guitars get strung with .009s, if not .008s, and I require a very close action that previously I only preferred. For Nashville tuning, the situation is even worse. I've adjusted by learning to fret without using my thumb so much. Close action and polishing make this easier for anyone to learn. If speed isn't a good enough reason, consider stamina and accuracy. If your fretting hand gets tired, it gets sloppy. Plus, tired reduces playing time, and while none of us will live forever, we'd all like to be able to play forever, right?
Besides, polished just looks prettier. Before polishing the frets, my FR-48 looked like a tennis racket designed by JPL for lunar deployment. Now it looks like they actually belong on this guitar.
(PS: If anyone has any logical explanations as to why Fender had one dot placed at 12, but two dots placed at 15 and 19, I'd love to hear them. They don't even have to be correct, as long as they're more entertaining than "oops".)
I prefer 1000 grit black silicon carbide (3M wet-dry type generics) paper over steel wool because the latter breaks up into conductive/magnetic particles that can eventually, or sooner, end up in string windings, pots and pickups. The same can be said of fret dust, depending on the material. For one or both, reasons one should cover the pickups well, as in the photo (good job). Cleaning any up afterwards can be done by dabbing with a piece of painter's tape that leaves no residue, such as Frog Tape. On some jobs that are going to require more extensive filing, I've put a single width layer of double-sided ("carpet") tape around the target area.
My usual method is to tape or directly glue a piece of the paper to a chunk of 2x4 as a sanding block. It needs to wrap up along two sides of the block, and any rubbing has to be done along that dimension so the paper doesn't snag on the frets. One sheet of paper will make two good sized blocks, and each will do 10 to 20 polishing jobs.
I like using a block because it focuses the pressure evenly, making it more visible where the polishing has been and needs done, and you can better follow the radius this way and even bevel/round the ends of the frets a bit. It also makes the work go faster and reduces the possibility of nicking the fretboard. Before doing this the neck should be adjusted to dead flat, or even a bit slightly back bowed, so the block rides on the frets evenly or else more in the middle than the ends. For the most part I've found that adjusting them dead flat at this stage produces a very sight forward bow once the strings are tightened, that usually requires little or no additional truss rod adjustment for proper gapping, for closest and most even action almost, but not quite, to the edge of the occasional buzz. My only exceptions to this are my resonators, when they're about to put on a heavier set of strings, like reso's or a mixed collection from two sets for DADDAD tuning. Those have a significant backbow when unstrung, and I'd just as soon leave it as is if possible once intially set, rather than flattening then re-bowing. You can follow any lengthwise unevenness in a such a case by sight, just as in following the radius.
Something this all has brought to mind is the possibility of using a piece of angle iron or some such as the block instead. More weight would mean less pressure applied, making it easier on those of us whose hands are less than 100% willing participants due to damage or just being older than we wish they were. It also raises the possibility of attaching some magnets to the metal to keep any magentic detritus attracted to it rather than the nooks, crannies and more sensitive locations where it might otherwise find itself.
All that said, I do this for speed and even up- and down-sliding, as I don't do side bends at all. In fact, I have to focus so as not to bend accidently and throw off my tuning, because due to the claw and the hammer somebody has apparently seen fit to replace my right and left hands with, respectively, most of my guitars get strung with .009s, if not .008s, and I require a very close action that previously I only preferred. For Nashville tuning, the situation is even worse. I've adjusted by learning to fret without using my thumb so much. Close action and polishing make this easier for anyone to learn. If speed isn't a good enough reason, consider stamina and accuracy. If your fretting hand gets tired, it gets sloppy. Plus, tired reduces playing time, and while none of us will live forever, we'd all like to be able to play forever, right?
Besides, polished just looks prettier. Before polishing the frets, my FR-48 looked like a tennis racket designed by JPL for lunar deployment. Now it looks like they actually belong on this guitar.
(PS: If anyone has any logical explanations as to why Fender had one dot placed at 12, but two dots placed at 15 and 19, I'd love to hear them. They don't even have to be correct, as long as they're more entertaining than "oops".)
Wrong-Note Rod
Poster Extraordinaire
I looked at it online and I'm interested. Seems like a fairly quick way to improve the frets during a routine string change. Do you rub the cloth in a specific direction, say neck to bridge (horizontal) or vertical, or does it matter which way?
Its not about keeping them 'shined up', it's about making them smooth. A smoother fret allows for WAY easier bending and also is easier on the strings. If you play tons of country and do a lot of pedal steel licks, etc. it makes all the difference. If you drag your fingernail across the frets before polishing on my Casino you can feel a lot of rough spots and resistance. After polishing they are as smooth as glass.
In order to get those rougher frets to shine up given your method (to just drag the string across the frets while playing) took well over a year to happen on my AVRI. You can tell in the spots where I do lots of bends the frets are obviously smoother, but other spots I don't bend as often still can be rough. Laugh all you want, but I have no problem investing a small amount of time and cash to do something that takes hardly any effort to make my guitar much more enjoyable and easier to play.
Looks like I'll be investing in a few fret erasers and some protectors and see how that fares for the next guitar. Small price to pay and don't have to break out the Dremel or polish.
Mr. Park, I certainly wasn't laughing at you for maximizing your guitar's playability and enjoyability. I'm learning so many things on this board that are certainly beneficial practices that have never occurred to me but seem to be standard operating procedure for so many. Strap length opinion, buying only guitars that weigh under X number of lbs.,...up to and including devices which "play in" an acoustic guitar through vibration....
When I put in a "LOL" it's as much laughing at myself for being such a geezer...don't mind me and please continue to love and care for your instrument the way that you appreciate it the most!
JayFreddy
Poster Extraordinaire
Get some fret erasers and you can Swahili 'em!...Now should I russian or polish my frets?
Get some fret erasers and you can Swahili 'em!
Lol, I like that!
give the frets a quick swahili and they'll be like new.
JayFreddy
Poster Extraordinaire
Ta-dump... Chhhh!
I'll be here all week! Try the veal! lol
I'll be here all week! Try the veal! lol
I've done several of my guitars with Never Dull on recomendation from someone here on the TDPRI. Man, it makes such a difference! My Les Paul frets were tarnished and now they are like a mirror.
The smoothest guitar I ever played was Jimmy Page's purple Les Paul with the Trans-Performance tuning system on it. I couldn't believe how well that guitar played. I'd love to find out what his guitar tech does.
The smoothest guitar I ever played was Jimmy Page's purple Les Paul with the Trans-Performance tuning system on it. I couldn't believe how well that guitar played. I'd love to find out what his guitar tech does.
On my Rosewood necks I wet the entire fretboard down with Lemon Oil and rub the whole neck while it's still wet with #0000 Steel Wool.
The Lemon Oil acts as a lube, cleaner, and conditioner, and the #0000 scrapes the buildup off and shines the frets.
I just did a Tele that hadn't been touched in over 20 years. Every fret was completely coated in rust. Took all of 3 minutes to get the frets and fretboard looking like new.
Neverdull is good stuff, but it leaves an oily residue behind. Not sure what it is, but it smells good.
The Lemon Oil acts as a lube, cleaner, and conditioner, and the #0000 scrapes the buildup off and shines the frets.
I just did a Tele that hadn't been touched in over 20 years. Every fret was completely coated in rust. Took all of 3 minutes to get the frets and fretboard looking like new.
Neverdull is good stuff, but it leaves an oily residue behind. Not sure what it is, but it smells good.
grandstick
Tele-Holic
I took an old business card and cut out a fret slot with an Exacto knife. I lay that over the fretboard and polish the fret with a MicroMesh sanding sheet.
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