Fret Leveling DIY

Step by step leveling of a single fret keeping the pivot point in the same place

There are more than one way of skinning a fret (and it doesn’t have to cost a fortune either)

You have to be careful with fret leveling for the simple basic reason that you can’t put back fret metal once you’ve taken it off. You need to know what you’re doing and what to expect – but once you are clear about the steps, then the good news is that you don’t have to spend a fortune on expensive tools to do this pretty radical and transformational job. You can spend a fortune if you want but it isn’t necessary and this last weekend I did fret levelling on two guitars; one the lo-tech, lo-cost way and the other a mid-priced, higher-tech way.
For each of the stages in fret levelling here are some of the alternative tools you can use. The first option is always the cheapest; the others can get really expensive.
For example:
Checking the straightness of the unstrung neck before you start – metal straight edge c. 500mm long OR a custom-built metal fretboard ruler with fret slots
Checking the frets for height – A credit card OR a custom-made steel fret rocker with 4 different length sides
Masking off the frets – Good old-fashioned masking tape (that you’ll have to split into thinner strips at the high frets) OR a set of thin metal fingerboard protectors with cut-outs for the frets
Levelling the high frets – A 9v battery wrapped in 320 grit abrasive paper OR a regular small diamond file OR a specialist fret-levelling file OR a wooden or metal radius block with abrasive paper stuck to the underside
Re-profiling the fret after levelling – A small flat or 3-sided diamond file OR the edge of your fret-levelling file OR a purpose-built diamond crowning file

Step by step fret levelling

Step 1

– Checking the neck

My living room workshop – note Chinese Guitar Sceptic’s YouTube tutorial on computer

Slacken off the strings and remove them. If you’re working on a guitar with a Tune-o-matic bridge you can remove the strings and bridge in one go (makes it easier to refit afterwards). Once that’s done, check the neck for straightness using a metal rule (lo or hi tech!). To level frets effectively it’s important that the neck is straight when the strings are off. Make a truss rod adjustment if required to add or remove the relief of the neck. I can never remember which way to turn the truss rod – the internet will tell you so make sure to check!

One cut will give you 4 different lengths of side – perfect!

Step 3

– Masking the fretboard
Mask off the fretboard (lo or hi tech!). If you’ve only one or two small bits of high fret to treat, then only mask either side of those parts. If you have a lot to do, then go ahead and mask the whole fretboard for safety’s sake (unless you’re using the metal fretboard protectors in which case you’ll just move them up the neck as you go).

Masking off the fretboard on my DIY SG

I recommend masking tape for this simple reason: once you’ve done the whole neck you can then mark up the masking tape to show which frets need treating and where. This is useful because as soon as you do the next step with abrasive paper or fret levelling file you will lose your permanent marker showing you which part of the fret had the problem. Marking the masking tape gives you a guide that will stay there the whole time.

Step 5

– Fret crowning or re-profiling
Now you have a number of frets (sometimes all of them) whose tops are filed off and flat. They’ve lost the smooth rounded profile of the original fret and if left this way will be unplayable (and will ruin the intonation).
Referring to my diagram (above) file down the sharp edges of the fret (lo or hi tech!) to leave a very thin strip of un-filed metal (indicated by marker pen) in the centre of the fret. This ensures that the pivot point for the string stays at the correct distance from the nut as it was. If you get this wrong the difference may be only as little as 1mm forwards or backwards (see diagram) but it will had an adverse effect on the intonation of the guitar.

Step 6

– Smoothing the finished frets
At this point, work with various grades of abrasive paper (600, 1000, 1500, 2000, 3000) to smooth off the frets until they are shiny. Your aim here is to work gently; taking off only as much as is needed to make the fret smooth but not take off any height from the crown of the fret. Work with your fingers, NOT a block, allowing them to travel up, over and down the frets to ensure all sides get equal attention.

Step 7

– Polishing the frets
Finally take some metal polish and a cloth and carefully polish the frets, taking care not to soak the masking tape (it may NOT do your fingerboard any good). Once this is done, peel off your masking tape and PRESTO! your new, smooth frets. Play a series of scales all the way up the neck to see how different your guitar now sounds; how cleanly it plays the notes without buzzing or choking them off.
NOTE: If you use the fret levelling file approach (as I did on my Harley Benton) you may find that you still have one or two slight buzzes by the end of this whole process. If this is the case then you can schedule a ‘lo-tech’ spot-fix of any remaining high points the next time you change out your strings. I suspect the reason I had one or two high spots left over is because the fret-levelling file is less subtle a tool than the 9V battery/abrasive paper combination.

Step 8

– Re-setting the relief on your neck
Once you’ve restrung your guitar, you will need to check your neck for straightness and add in (or take out) whatever amount of neck relief suits you. In my case with the Harley Benton I had to make about a 1/2 turn on the truss rod to straighten it with the strings off. By the time I’d added the strings back on and I’d tried them out I decided that the relief that their pressure alone created was enough so didn’t add any more relief with a truss rod adjustment. Maybe it would sound better if I did; it’s one of those things I won’t know until I try. You can be sure that plenty of people out there have plenty of different views about whether a dead straight neck or one with a bend in it works best. I’m opting for a hair’s breadth to the bent side of straight… if you know what I mean.