Stainless Steel Frets on Tele Ultra Luxe .... a little sharp?

[telemnemonics]

SS does not remain the same dimension any more than nickel silver when a neck shrinks in dry winter heated house or AC.
Why one neck shrinks more than others resulting in fret sprout could have many reasons that do not help fix the problem.

Could be the neck shrunk in storage and shipping if it is new, might come back if home is not too dry or you leave it in the bathroom fora week.

File the fret ends is a fix but not if you are a butcher!

 

[DrBeezus]

My $150 guitar didn't have sharp frets. I damn sure wouldn't accept it on something 20x the price.

What's that have to do with anything? It doesn't matter the price, what matters is how well it's maintained. Humidity control is the easiest thing you can do yet hardly anyone bothers with it. I have over 30 telecasters and not one of them has ever bowed or had fret sprout. Gee I wonder why?

 

[robt57]

I have to agree with the too dry opinion. Sitting in a house or studio in A/C continually like a self defrosting fridge WILL dry and shrink wood.

Or too much time in a dry hot attic or trunk etc.

Easy enough to determine with a meter and probs.

 

[vancouverthunder]

Here are a couple pics. The top view shows it may just have been cut and not filed at all. Its my first time with stainless steel frets ....all my other guitars feel much better. You would think that this is the first time they put SS frets on a Tele and that it is the "Ultra Lux" model it would go through extra quality control.

 

[vancouverthunder]

Compare this to my Les Paul Standard

 

[Wallaby]

Yum.. tasty, tasty nibs

 

[Mike Eskimo]

Frets don’t sprout

Wood expands, and contracts.

And stainless steel frets sound like crap

Ting/zing/ping !

Awful

 

[RockstarChris]

Here are a couple pics. The top view shows it may just have been cut and not filed at all. Its my first time with stainless steel frets ....all my other guitars feel much better. You would think that this is the first time they put SS frets on a Tele and that it is the "Ultra Lux" model it would go through extra quality control.

That looks bad imo, like they forgot to round off the edges on the fret end. Whats with all that glue splatter too? With what this guitar costs you shouldn't have any sharp fret ends or sprout. Blah blah blah humidity, the wood used in these guitars should be highest quality, not prone to causing sprout. I’d consider sending it back for warranty repair or replacement.

 

[jrblue]

Fret sprout is one of several reasons why SS frets are overkill for almost all players. Yup, they'll last and last, and be a big PITA if the original fret job ran the frets all the way to the very edge of the board, creating a nice little sharp and annoying seasonal hacksaw with strings. I hope you find a way to make it go away. "Permanent" frets are only a plus if the installation is truly exceptional. And not all fretboards cause sprout, even in places, such as where I live, that have extreme seasons.

 

[shallbe]

Here are a couple pics. The top view shows it may just have been cut and not filed at all. Its my first time with stainless steel frets ....all my other guitars feel much better. You would think that this is the first time they put SS frets on a Tele and that it is the "Ultra Lux" model it would go through extra quality control.

That is terrible. And pretty sloppy work on a guitar that expensive.

Here are the SS frets on my old Suhr. Nicely rounded and rolled edges. Still perfect after 13 years of heavy play. Murphy loves T-types.

 

[Swirling Snow]

Here are a couple pics. The top view shows it may just have been cut and not filed at all. Its my first time with stainless steel frets ....all my other guitars feel much better. You would think that this is the first time they put SS frets on a Tele and that it is the "Ultra Lux" model it would go through extra quality control.

The first picture shows that the frets are properly rounded, and the second close-up shows there are no file marks. Nice job.

What you've been told about wood shrinking and fret ends is true. They can only trim them back to the wood at the factory. If the wood shrinks away in transit or during storage, then there's nothing the maker can do - it falls on the store. But the store is caught, too. We kept electrics in the front room, and acoustics in back in a humidity controlled room. The electrics acclimated as they hung there and I kept after the neck and frets. The acoustics had no problems, being held at 42% from shop floor to store wall, until they went home.

As the current owner, care of the frets now falls to you. Please, just take it to a luthier.

 

[vancouverthunder]

Fret sprout is one of several reasons why SS frets are overkill for almost all players. Yup, they'll last and last, and be a big PITA if the original fret job ran the frets all the way to the very edge of the board, creating a nice little sharp and annoying seasonal hacksaw with strings. I hope you find a way to make it go away. "Permanent" frets are only a plus if the installation is truly exceptional. And not all fretboards cause sprout, even in places, such as where I live, that have extreme seasons.

I bought the best sprout file I could find on Amazon. I think I will take my time and make the frets absolutely perfect. This guitar is a keeper for me and I might as well learn how to do more than change strings.

 

[vancouverthunder]

The first picture shows that the frets are properly rounded, and the second close-up shows there are no file marks. Nice job.

What you've been told about wood shrinking and fret ends is true. They can only trim them back to the wood at the factory. If the wood shrinks away in transit or during storage, then there's nothing the maker can do - it falls on the store. But the store is caught, too. We kept electrics in the front room, and acoustics in back in a humidity controlled room. The electrics acclimated as they hung there and I kept after the neck and frets. The acoustics had no problems, being held at 42% from shop floor to store wall, until they went home.

As the current owner, care of the frets now falls to you. Please, just take it to a luthier.

Thank You. I will try fixing myself, I should learn how to do this as I have several guitars. Just never had this problem.

 

[Guitharley]

That is terrible. And pretty sloppy work on a guitar that expensive.

Here are the SS frets on my old Suhr. Nicely rounded and rolled edges. Still perfect after 13 years of heavy play. Murphy loves T-types.

Absolutely love that beautiful suhr ..my favourite colour combo