Kavanagh Customs

Any fretted instrument will eventually need to be refretted, it's a fact of life and there isn't any way around it. Stainless steel frets will last longer, but even they will eventually wear down to the extent that no amount of dressing and leveling will save them.

At this point it's worth calling in a professional. I don't say this only because it's one of the services we offer, but also because it's a very tricky task with potential to ruin the guitar altogether. Equally, the only way to gain the skills needed are through doing it, so using a technician or luthier who's replaced frets a thousand times before is always the best bet despite the costs.

However, for those of you who really want to give it a try yourselves, here are the instructions. It is, however, important that you be aware that these are instructions for working on an unbound neck - working on a bound neck is a whole different kettle of fish.

tools

First-off you're going to need some tools, these can generally be bought from most good hardware stores:

• Fret puller pliers
• Flush cut pliers
• Truss rod wrench
• Fret hammer
• Super glue gel
• Fret plane
• 1" file
• Fret crowning files
• 400 and 600 grit sandpaper
• 0000 steel wool
• Sanding block
• Cloth rag
• Straight edge

1. Turn the trussrod to it's tightest (but don't over-tighten it). This will bow the neck backwards and allow the fret slots to open up for easier removal.

2. Begin to remove the frets using the Fret Puller Pliers, starting at one end work you way across the board. Gently. Be very careful not to chip the fretboard. If you come across a stubborn one, use a soldering iron to apply heat to the fret before pulling it out.

3. Once all the frets have been removed, loosen the truss rod back to it's previous position.

4. Ensure that you have the correct frets and that the fret slots are the correct depth (this is usually either 3/64th" or 4/64th").

5. Bend the frets, ensuring that the radius is slightly over that of the guitar neck - this will allow them to dig in better when installed.

6. With a small drop of superglue in the fretslot, feed the fret into the slot, leaving some overhang on each end. Hammer the fret into it's slot paying special attention to ensuring that the fret is seated all the way across the board.

7. Repeat this with all the frets (protect the instrument body when fretting near the top of the neck), and use the flush-cut pliers to trim the ends of the frets flush with the edge of the fretboard.

8. With the 1" file, file down the sides of the frets flush on each side of the neck.

9. Using a dark-coloured pen, mark the top of each fret and then using the fret-leveling plane, begin the level the frets until the pen marks have all be totally removed uniformly across the top of the frets.

10. Place the straight edge across the tops of the frets and check for a uniform level.

11. Using the appropriate sized crowning tool, begin filing the top of each fret, paying special attention to leave a small hairline flat surface on the top of each fret.

12. With the 1" file again, for a 30° bevel on the ends of the frets down both sides of the fretboard and using 400 grit sandpaper, sand the rough marks on the top of the frets. Finish this with 600 grit and then 000 steel wool.

13. For a very highly-polished and professional look, buff the tops of the frets. Then string the guitar back up and enjoy the feeling of new frets under your fingertips.