A Few Low Frets - What To Do?

[al heeley]

Hi gurus,

I'm doing a strat copy project with a nice maple neck, dead straight but poor frets. Up around frets 12 to 15 there are a lot of dead and buzzing spots even though the action is high. Looks like a couple of frets are too low for me to be able to get an acceptable action. Is there a way of actually easing up a couple of frets to be in line with the others? I've already smoothed and levelled them all off, and don't want to take any more off the rest of them, they are already looking a bit flat on top.

[Setch]

Pull out and replace the low ones. You can't coax them up without leaving gaps at which will absorb moisture and cause the frets to loosen and lift. It's that, or bring the rest down to the same level then doing some intensive recrowning.

[al heeley]

Pull out and replace the low ones.

Oo-errr, I was afraid you'd say that. I'm toying with the idea of ripping the lot out and putting some fatter ones in, only I'm now way out of my depth when it comes to guitar tweakery. I have no tools for refretting, only the advice and tutorials on this great forum.

[al heeley]

Pity these links are still invalid on the front page under Tutorials.

Fret Level and Crown: Author Steven Kersting

Photographic tutorial on fret leveling and crowning

Refretting a complete neck: Author Steven Kersting

Photographic tutorial on refretting a complete neck

[SwedishLuthier]

Try Stevens own Web-page http://www.skguitar.com/

The tutorials are there

[al heeley]

Thx Swed!

[Hoser Rob]

... only I'm now way out of my depth when it comes to guitar tweakery. I have no tools for refretting, only the advice and tutorials on this great forum.

First, go to www.frets.com ... the best web guitar and luthier resource around ... and look up "buzz diagnosis".

I don't understand what the problem with the fret levels are if, as you indicated in your first post, you've already leveled them. When you say the neck is dead straight did you measure it or just eyeball it? A difference of .005" or so will cause buzzing.

You need to get a good straightedge and a couple of good books. Start with Dan Erlewine's Guitar Player Repair Guide. Also frets.com which is the first place a pro luthier will send you to (unless they're flogging their own).

[al heeley]

thanks for the help on this, really appreciate it. I have the book ordered off Amazon. The neck looks straight but it obviously isn't. Looks like there's no quick fix for this - the perils of a cheap strat copy neck from ebay - but you have to start learning somewhere.