Help, sudden fretting out on Tele

scarry67

Might be odd weather changes but suddenly my 50s hot rod Tele is fretting out alarmingly on treble strings at 8th fret. Mostly fine elsewhere and relief seems fine with lowish action. Should I tweak the truss rod or give it some new strings and await Autumn?! Might a higher fret have lifted a little? Can't see anythkng amiss...

RaymondLin

probably due to the sudden heat in the weekend?

scarry67

And heat now replaced in Kent by torrential rain. It's got a compound radius neck but that shouldn't matter and 10-46 strings on. I'll hope for a natural return to previous before taking neck off...

ICBM

Is it only at the 8th fret and nowhere else? If so the 9th has lifted.

If it's more around that general area the neck has probably got a very slight back-bow or a hump from humidity changes.

scarry67

It is mainly on the 8th as you bend g, b or e strings. Can I do anything safely to adjust 9th fret? (What I've heard called tamping down a fret.)

57Deluxe

Yes this happens - moisture, humidity etc... But sometimes all that is needed is careful inspection of where the actual spot is that is fretting out and typically it will be found that there are one or two raised frets in relation to their neighbours.

You can use a fret file to take the unevenness out (expensive beasts!), and this is often requiring a trained tech if a complete neck needing attention. However, if this is only now coming to light, it probably is only the slightest of passes of a file or pumice stone to flatten out the rogue fretwire... Worth a looksie...

HAL9000

I blame the government Cobra committee for raising the fret level.

octatonic

Sounds like a raised fret but the only way you'll know for sure is by checking it.

Buy one of these: http://www.stewmac.com/Luthier_Tools/Types_of_Tools/Straightedges/Fret_Rocker.html

scarry67

I've fiddled around for hours with saddles and string height. Some improvement but 0th fret is very slightly raised I think. Will leaved it for a while and change strings before any filing!

Maynehead

If a fret is high then no amount of fiddling will correct it. It will always be high and will always cause problems when the action is low.

Best to remedy the cause than to work around it.

I'd use a fret rocker (or thick credit card if you don't want to buy one) to check along the 9th fret for any wobbles (do this with the neck flat or slightly relieved, never back bowed). Mark the section along the top of the fret that wobbles with a permanent marker, then take some 280 grit sand paper and sand down the marked section.

If you rub along the fret with the sandpaper wrapped around the tip of your finger there will be no need to recrown the fret afterwards. Keep sanding and checking until the wobble lessens or disappears, but don't over sand it as you can't put material back once it's gone.

You'll also want to put masking tape either side of the fret being worked on to protect the fretboard.

scarry67

Credit card method reveals tiny wobble on the 9th fret so I'll head for sandpaper and attempt the job. Thanks for help.

Setzer

These might help and are not expensive.

https://crimsonguitars.com/shop/fret-polishing-rubber

scarry67

Well, I did it carefully and made some improvement. Slightly nerve-wracking but a success. Guitar is always left out (my only elecric) so I'll be interesed to see how neck reacts  winter & central heating, etc. 

impmann

If it gets worse again, the fret is loose and needs resetting into the board. A little superglue wicked under it and some clamping (g clamp with some spreader pieces of wood) will reseat the fret.

However because it has been sanded, it may then be too low compared to the rest of the board and so it may need the rest of the frets dressing to suit it.