How to get rid of sharp fret edges | Guitar Tech Tips | Ep. 7 | Thomann

Sharp fret edges can make a guitar / bass feel really bad to play. It can even be dangerous: you can cut your fingers so you're better off fixing it as fast as possible.
This time Kris shows you how to file the fret ends and how to make them shine afterwards. :)

It's not very complicated and this simple upgrade can make your guitar / bass feel like a premium level custom shop instrument.

Interesting bits and pieces:
0:00 Introduction
0:20 how come frets become sharp?
0:46 you need this to file the fret ends
1:23 is the fret too long or just too rough?
1:50 this is how you file the fret ends
3:34 what's with Gibsons with neck binding?
3:50 stainless steel frets
4:01 polish the frets after filing them
4:34 time for a test ride :)

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[StandingTallChannel]

There's something very soothing about the sound of the file rounding the fret edges.

[guitarguy]

Metal shavings on a pickup: Use modeling clay (Play-Doh) to remove them. It works great!

[paulcamus]

I've been playing forever and am terrible when it comes to maintenance. I love this series. Great job Kris and Thomann!

[mygtare]

I used just the fret polishing erasers on the fret ends of my mid tier ibanez & they came out great. Nice and smooth, no filling or sandpaper. They never felt sharp to me, just wanted a more "premium" feel to the fret ends, while I was polishing my frets anyways. 🍻

[epf]

Thanks for the video-- Armed with this info, I did a 20-minute "quick and dirty" smooth-out of my frets. Never did this before but figured I'd give it a shot since the side of my index finger was getting cut up by the edges! Did NOT remove the strings. My issue was with the treble-side edges, so I just did those: Taped off the treble side of the neck with blue painter's tape, all the way up to where the binding meets the frets. Took a small hobby file and filed each fret edge as you indicated, giving each one clearance by pulling the high-E string out of the way. Then I folded up a piece of 320 grit sandpaper into a little pad and fine-sanded each edge, then finished with 400 grit sandpaper. Huge difference, and just 20 minutes invested. Contrary to some of the comments here, I didn't worry about the pickup: I have a closed pickup and the only slightly magnetic parts are the 6 screws.. I don't even think any filings got on them, but I just wiped them down to make sure (I don't see what problem it would cause anyway).. One afterthought is that my guitar is originally from FL, now in AZ 2 years or so.. fretboard may be shrinking due to dryness...Now that I've done this, maybe keeping board oiled may slow down future shrinkage?

[LanceJordan]

Always put tape over pickups BEFORE STARTING. Or remove the neck. Metal shavings will ruin pickups down the road if you don't.

[user]

That muted rasp sound at 4:50 was sick

[m...]

This is a great video on the topic of fixing rough fret ends...clearly explained, wonderfully illustrated and presented in a way that is positive. Great resource for anyone that ever hesitated making small adjustments to their personal guitar; and if you own multiple guitars, this can literally save you tons of cash and time (since you won’t have to take your guitar to the luthier). Thank you!!😁

[song]

the only good video actually rolling the edges 😍
thank you thomann and kris

[stephanematis]

I tape the pickups. I hate just the idea of metallic dust being collected there. Yes, OCD.

[kleof.]

The best guitar gear channel out there ( in my opinion)

[michael_caz_nyc]

Great info Kris. I just did my new Sterling Stingray SS-4 Bass, and it now-feels . . . just-as -good as my Suhr Strat & Taylor Acoustic. I also like to "gently" go-over the Fret Ends with an extra fine mesh pad ( after filing ) - really puts the Finishing-touch.

[bldallas]

Great stuff. I’ve been filing my own fret end for probably 10 years. The one thing that always bothers me is how many times I have to go back and “re-round” (repeat the process) because I either didn’t do it enough or I created new sharp edges. In other words, when I feel the frets as I go, they feel good to great, but when I’m done and run my hands the length of the neck, they still feel “rough”. I’ve got a practice neck that I bought off Alibaba for cheap, so I’m trying some new things like buffing with fret erasers. Anyhow, thanks for the video.

[shreepadgandhi]

Very neatly explained...
I have never filed my guitar frets.
Bought a Harley Benton 12 string.
It plays nice, looks good but has sharp frets. Why dont they smoothen it before selling?
Anyways, liked your video.
Thanks from Pune, Bharat (India)

[tragedician]

Chris, need to know your THR settings at 4:40. Love that chunky Strat tone! Great video!

[ncc]

Very helpful. I bought a EOB strat and although is a good guitar it came with fret and neck issues.

[stoutlager]

It took me one attempt with ordinary needle files to come to the conclusion that a purpose made fret dressing file was worth the money. It can absolutely be done with hardware store files, just very VERY slowly and carefully. You can also grind down said cheap files to create a safe edge but I didn't have very good success with that; it's hard to get the right bevel angle on the file edge for it to avoid scratching the fingerboard but also still make contact with the base of the fret.

[edjefferson]

I had to do this to my Custom Shop bass. I practiced on a $99 Epiphone first. A good skill to learn.

[yetimatzenightcat]

Oooooh a gibson special 🎸🔧🪒👈
I prefer to stay with harley benton 🌞🤟

[nitrogen_]

To my opinion, the simplest way to get rid of that fret sprout is just to give the fretboard the necessary moisture.
I bought a Fender J Mascis Tele a couple of days ago, it's a very nice guitar, but it had a substantial fret sprout. May be it was stored not properly somewhere with extremely low humidity. I've ordered the bevelling file and the fret file online to fix that, but meanwhile I oiled the fretboard and the back side of the neck with Dunlop Lemon Oil twice (once a day). After two days there is no fret sprout at all. I'll keep the ordered files (they're still in transit) for future projects.
So personally I would rather first try my luck with humidifying the fretboard before filing or sawing something.