Fret Leveling - the hard way Vs the new easy way 

Is it Available in the uk?

If your sliding back and forth to level, even if it has the proper radius, wouldn’t the lower part of the file always touch the fret?

You need to watch more carefully. Depth off cut means all part of file, hence all parts of file contact at the same depth no matter what. Geometry and Physics. Even if the file is straight and has depth of cut limit, this is true.

Thank you

Except that it's going to leave you with a fretjob that still needs to be levelled and dressed in the conventional manner if you are chasing low action....as in, Gibson's standards for action from the factory, which isn't really all that LOW.

You'll get several more fret levels with FretMaestro as it removes the minimum material to get he job done better than ever. So it will be some longer time before having to replace the frets... $$$$

Agree. Stumbled on this yesterday after changing strings on my Strat and noticing some pretty bad fret wear. Have since investigated options over a wide range of prices. The best reviewed local luthier charges nearly $300 for fret job and setup and after further inspection I find I have several more guitars in need of the same treatment. On the subject of the minimum amount to be removed from frets for a perfect job, am I correct in thinking all frets need to be cut back to the height of the lowest point on the lowest fret? The spot with the most wear? I have decided to buy a basic set-up measuring set to establish radius on not only various guitars, but also various frets on a compound radius neck. I saw in another comment somewhere a question I shared about this being a new, and therefore unreviewed product. I think there may be a "chicken and the egg" component to this. If it is as good as it looks, it will get those reviews and by then it may well be too late and I may find myself at the wrong end of a long supply chain issue. FWIT I have contacted Steven with a few questions and he has been very helpful and quick in replying. Added to a system which will service all my guitars is the advantage, as he mentioned below, that I will get more fret job due to reduced removal of material. Not to mention the fact that I will be more likely to do them in the first place therefore keeping my guitars in better condition. Fret work has been the main thing stopping me from doing my own set-ups in the first place and this sounds idiot proof. I should be the ultimate test of that.

@@Jazman342 So I guess you might be what they call "heavy handed"? I am too, & I've learned to lighten my touch in a lot of areas, but how the hell do you lighten your touch with tremolo? You've got to dig in to get a clean vibrato with some staying power, so how do you do that with a light hand? I destroyed a poor MIM neck in less than two years. The poor thing looked like it had been targeted by a sharpshooter w/a BBgun. Any advice would be much appreciated, although you might be just as perplexed as me lmao. -Cheers

You bet!

I too came from the auto body business and was horrified at the process undertaken for fret leveling, thinking there has to be a better way.

That was also my first reaction when I saw how the old school tools and rules were used. I had paid for a fret level, it was not cheap, the results were acceptable in that the guitar played again without fret buzz, but I never wanted to pay for that again, especially because my frets were then a lot shorter and it was unlikely I could get another level on them using the old school tools and rules. That was the beginning of FretMaestro because today we have the ability to make better tools... that no one else did it before now I attribute to either stubborn pride or stuck inside the box blindness.

Or about $300 per guitar for fret level done right... so $2,100 for 7 guitars, and you still don't have the tools to do it really right on your own the next time.

That's the plan... get rid of old carpentry tools being used for compound radius frets.

So many of our customers are like you, they've have been working on guitars for decades. That speaks volumes.

On that Fender 15.75 I would not hesitate to use a 15... you put a 15 and 16 side by side, if they are not labelled in production the only way to differentiate is to mic them, you would have a really tough time seeing the difference by eye. Conical radius, (there is no such thing as a compound radius fretboard, I know it is common to call them that, but it is incorrect)... the cost of sending that out to get it done is more than 3 FretMaestros.

Oops - I see you've answered this question in previous comments 😉

FretMaestro can do conical fretboard frets. For example 10-12-14, measure the neck from nut (fretboard side) to outside last fret, divide by 3, so for example 21" /3 = 7 then measure 7 inches put down tape, write on tape which fret changes to the next radius, then measure the next 7 inches and repeat, etc. Yes, this does require 3 FretMaestros, but that has not deterred people from taking control of their conical radius level, radius and crown jobs instead of paying for the only other option, PLEK. Doing conical radiuses freehand is IFFY at best. There are two types, those that every fret is different, and those where the three radiuses are stepped. In either case the difference between a 10" and 12" radius is very subtle and the goal of achieving more accurate string action is still achieved by the stepping method. For the absolute purest, go with PLEK.

I get to make people happy... we guitarist no longer have to fret taking the guitar in for this and worrying if the guy is going screw it up or not, and then have to pay for that as insult added to injury. Been there done that... really did not like that at all. And either would anyone, but it happens all the the time.

The files will do the fret sizes... and use the V Narrow Crown file to dial in. For Conical Radius Fretboard, yep, you need 3... but would you really want to try and use guess work using flat beam and straight files. And what would it cost to tale it to a shop? Do the math.

Yes... and for now the FretMaestro looks like it is 50 years old out of the box... we don't make them to look like jewelry, we make them to do the job. The tolerances are vital. Cosmetics... nah... there are plenty of fret tools that glitter and shine like a diamond ring or such, like putting lipstick on a pig. Our central concern is that every fret is the same radius and height... those tolerances must be consistent. And that anyone can do it... no special skills or experience needed.

Thank you

Hmmm, FretMaestros are sold on Reverb, and you can also order direct and save a bit.

Actually wood moves as the grain settles to the truss tension, and since we're referring to using a sanding beam here, and you are aware of the value of thousandths, be very sure that the neck will move in thousandths until it completely settles after several small incremental truss adjustments along the way. Putting a straight rule on the neck right after adjusting the rod is a momentary read, the wood has not yet settled. You use the straight edge a few hours later to see if the true is still there, and of course the climate and humidity conditions cannot fluctuate too much. But whatever, because now we assume that the sanding beam is dead on and the sticky paper is a perfect gauge and so on... so many variables that if they are all leaning the wrong way adds up to trouble, or perhaps they all lean the right way, what luck. All of this is eliminated when you do one fret at a time, the width of the FretMaestro is .5" so will there be a bow or arch in any given .5" segment of the overall length of the neck... NO. As for fret buzz... fret wire is a .002" tolerance out of the extruder, and since the manufacturer does not say if this is +/- it is fair to assume that it is, hence a .004" variance is possible... so even a new guitar needs things cleaned up, which is why some sellers push for PLEK on new guitars. Ahhh, but that leaves the top of the frets flat. There is no absolute perfect... always some trade off... so if one is aware of all of the variables and trade offs and can measure those to their personal preferences then they can say with certainty that they are dialed in for themselves, but not for the next guy.

Me too. I know better than to think I can carve 22 symmetrical frets with a straight file and zero guides for precision control. And I don't think anyone can, no matter what they claim. No one is a robot.

How long does a diamond file last? How hard to you press the file?-- which you should not do. Stainless Steel is not very hard actually. Diamonds are. No Contest.

Fret level does not fix twisted neck. My view is that it is time for a new neck. As I understand it there is no real cure for twisted necks.

If the frets are off, means nothing to FretMaestro. If your necks are dried out or have been soggy in the past, you'll need to take a very close exam... look for parting line between fretboard and neck, delamination. If the neck is twisted, it's dead. So, all the death blows to fretboards and necks are not fixable with FretMaestro. But, these death blows are not at all common. You are likely in good shape. Where to buy: sixstringers.com/#FretMaestro%20Prices reverb.com/shop/guitar-picks-sixstringers-wild-plectrums

My question exactly- this is assuming you have a PERFECTLY flat and radiused fretboard, which is almost impossible for a guitar with a wooden fretboard.. The wood being organic and porous, even if sealed is still affected by temperature and humidity, causing very slight swelling and/or twisting along the board, which traditional fret leveling/crowning techniques are meant to correct. We're actually planing the fret crowns, not leveling them. If each fret is an exact clone of its neighboring frets in height, if there is any deviation in the fretboard at that spot, you will still end up with a high/low fret. Traditional leveling with flat beams corrects for these imperfections and changes in the board by sanding all the fret crowns down to the same plane. If you have a guitar that requires .020'' be taken off any fret, you have bigger problems and would need to remove all frets, re-radius the board, and install new frets. Even then, after fret install 99 times out of 100 you will still have to do some beam planing.. If I'm completely missing the mark here, someone please tell me. I mean no offence.

Not at the moment.

Using the crown narrowing file... get what you like. That's why I made them.

The difference between 12" and 16" appears large until you put them next to each other, put a 14" in between and you must look very carefully, and I mean very carefully to see the steps from 12 to 14 to 16. This is so subtle that free hand filing has no chance with it. So that leaves two choices... a PLEK, or 3 FretMaestros. I will make a video showing these and another series of radiuses stacked together and you can decide what is best for you. Customers are getting a set of three FretMaestro radiuses to do their compound radiuses.

Blue painter's tape... .005" gauge is the common. That is factored into the depth of cut. Use the gauge before tape. No need to tape everything. I tape for one fret, pick up the tape and move to the next, when not sticky enough then new tape. But.... you must first make sure on the 1st 3 maybe 4 frets that you found the dialed in depth of cut that will then work for all of the rest of the frets... then you are off and running.

Thanks. Very logical adding the .005" after original depth is decided Thanks, Great ivention..@@SixStringers

Pretty simple, set FretMaestro to the next depth of cut and take off .003" at most when the Maestro bottoms out. Or gauge it by sense to go less than .003". These are not the frets many people play, but if you do... you've been around long enough to know how to handle it with FretMaestro.

Yes, know what your radiuses are and use those FretMaestros. Sometimes a weird one such as 11.25" which I would use the 11.5" FretMaestro for, but that's me. No way freehand filing is going make it that good. People are buying FretMaestros for this application choosing this listing: reverb.com/item/78054296-fret-level-file-fretmaestro-any-4-ideal-for-compound-radius-frets

I was going to ask the same question! I have a few Fender Ultra guitars which all have 10” - 14” compound radius necks.

Yes, multiple Radius FretMaestros, and do not make the up scale frets shorter as so many think has to be... the compound radius combined with the fan of the string line already does that. for 10-14 the 10+12+14 is excellent... save some bucks and get the ANY 4 Set, if you play acoustic as well, add the 16" to that, you're set. I am making a video for Compound Radius Fretboards, hope to have it up this weekend. @@stoneglad

Yeah, get the 10+12+14 add in the 16 for acoustics, good to go. I am making a video for this subject, will be up this weekend. How to know where to use what radius... yes, the makers do not reveal this relevant nugget of wisdom, but 3 radiuses, divide neck into three zones... by equal distance - check the 3 FretMaestro to the Fretboard, use a flashlight to peep light to see the gap if any, likely in most case there will be a very slight difference between Maestro radius and actual radius as the fretboard is CNC machined... select the closet Maestro, locate the change of radius key frets. mark them... and take notes for future reference and tuck away in the Maestro Box or in the guitar case. Anyhow, more on this in the upcoming video. @@stoneglad

Yes, for sure. Available January 12. Please use the contact form: sixstringers.com/contact We will let you know the when... on our Reverb Store. reverb.com/shop/guitar-picks-sixstringers-wild-plectrums

I'll look into that. Thank you.

FretMaestro is not $80. The $80 is for the Dble side "V" Crown Narrowing File. In a couple of week we will have a FretMaestro Omni, universal frets. It is not as fast working as the radius FretMaestro but it does all frets. We designed it for Conical Radius fret boards. It comes with 3 diamond files, 150 grit for the heavy Leveling work, + 300 grit for finish + 240 grit "V" Crown Narrowing File that does not cut off the top, only the sides to narrow the crown because leveling frets widens frets, changes play feel and intonation. $200 When you consider that Big Luthier Tool seller sells 3 bent straight files designed only for crowning, for $385 .... FretMaestro is a bargain. The game of numerous different tools for leveling frets adds up fast.

Thank you

Yes, one would think the radius sanding beam is ideal, but as you said, a tough proposition to run it straight so as not to completely whack out the frets. Flat sanding beams suffer the same flaw albeit more forgiving, except now the fret radius is angular in a random way making it necessary to attempt reforming the fret radius with a straight file, which is counter intuitive for a compound radius fret. And eyeballing it is the only way, guess work, meaning that one will never get one symmetrical fret let alone 22 consecutive symmetrical frets. And straight filing has no depth of cut control and so it changes the fret height cut by the sanding beam. No matter what anyone says, flat beam and straight files are only good for getting so-so results. Geometry is the math; the math does not lie. And yes, the old school tools and rules that have been in play for far too long are adaptations of wood working tools for working frets... back in the day that was what they could do, and getting close enough to eliminate fret buzz was accepted because that was as good as it got. I think everyone knows, admit it or not, that perfectly symmetrical frets are the only way to maximize the guitar set up which in turn makes it truly possible to optimize play and intonation. Asymmetrical frets work, no doubt, have been from the beginning, but the tradeoff comes at the price of not getting optimized play and intonation. It really depends upon what one is looking to get from their guitar. The success of the PLEK is testament that there are enough players who do care. On a neck and fret board that are not damaged, and are machine made vs handmade... it is easy for anyone to Maestro their own frets to absolute precision symmetry, hence making it possible to maximize the setup and hence optimize the play and intonation. (Handmade fret boards made by a competent luthier are also consistent without bumps and rolling highs and lows the length of the fret board.) FretMaestro takes off the bare minimum amount of fret material to extend the life of the frets many times over. The naysayers claim that fret boards are bumpy, so that the only way to get same height frets is with a flat beam. Hmmm, the only bumpy fret boards I have ever seen are weather damaged by either too much or too little humidity. Finger wear on the fret board is a different story; FretMaestro bridges over them, they have no influence on how FretMaestro makes perfect symmetry of the fret. Also, finger wear never exists right next to the fret because the string angle off the fret makes that impossible, such that on either side of the fret there will always be at least .125" without finger wear, and the FretMaestro fits within the non-wear boundary. Necks on older guitars without a truss rod... that is why the string tension simulator was made. Guitars with truss rods; if the truss rod is not damaged it should be no problem to flatten the neck, albeit patiently. If the neck cannot be made flat, what happens when using a sanding beam? Trouble!!! In this understanding it is also understood that the sanding beam on a flat neck is also measuring to the fret board for fret height, even though the beam itself does not register off the fret board the way FretMaestro does, and unlike FretMaestro, a sanding beam destroys the crown and the radius of the fret while at once creating random fret height by the imperfect angular strokes that is the inherent nature of a flat sanding beam on a compound radius fret. Twisted neck... not a conversation... replace the neck. Dreaded "S" Curve - can be and has been successfully handled by FretMaestro. Impossible to do with a sanding beam. Customer Video entitled "FretMaestro to the Rescue" explains this. Not all "S" curves are fixable by fret work... more often replacing the neck is the only fix, or stripping off the fret board, replacing the damaged truss rod, and so on. Today there are only two ways to achieve perfectly symmetrical frets: pay for a PLEK service, or do it yourself with FretMaestro. FretMaestro cost much less, and you can use it time and again Vs paying again and again each time for a PLEK service.

No need. We are only work a .47" width of the fretboard... there is no bow or arch in .47" length of the fretboard. If you have that, your guitar is shot.

They do not all need work at the same time unless you are fixing them to sell. What's the deal ?

@@SixStringers Right. Fret leveling needed on a Tele, Gibson LP, and a Strat. Everything else is good. Thank you!

Well think about that FretMaestro is a cutting file that also will give you the radius and crown... So... use it to address the fall off. It's not rocket science. And of course the word substantial is misleading... whereas using a number instead of generality provides a clearer understanding of what you are referring to. Also... it is possible that one might have to deal with the 15th fret upward, not only the last 4 or 5. No matter... if a sanding beam and a straight file can fix this, then FretMaestro can and does too, because again, it is a cutting file, with the bonus that you get a perfectly symmetrical radius and crown at the same time.

Thank you

You cannot use it to level those, but you can perfect the radius and crown by being deliberate and careful. I will get around to making a video on this subject.

@@SixStringers Cool. Thanks..

I have never considered myself an accomplished player, there are so many who are so much better than I will ever be. It is one of those things in life I wish I had a greater gift for, but then the trade could be that I did not have the gift to work out FretMaestro. That's life.

Thank you Sir

Lots of people asked this... these are diamond files, much harder than the stainless steel. Use the weight of the file... do not jam it to the fret... then no issues as is true with all quality diamond files.

Check manufacturer specs, or but Radius gauges and check, be careful, use a flashlight to show gap is any, the difference between 10 and 12 inches is very subtle, the flash light will reveal that.

The Pro 11 saves you $385.00

Fret wire is +/- .002" tolerance out of the extruder. So unless it was leveled right from the seller... it needs to be done. Yes, we offer the Pro 11 that saves you $385 overall. sixstringers.com/call-to-order/

Yes, diamond files are much harder than stainless, and stainless is friendlier to the file than soft nickel that clogs a file file much easier.

I get that question a lot. You would need 3-4 FretMaestros. Or you would need PLEK. I would never consider freehand methods.

Sounds like you have a conical radius fret board. We have a new version coming out for that we call FretMaestro Omni. It handles all radiuses but is not as fast. That said, you will have perfectly symmetrical frets for peak play and tone. Contact us: sixstringers.com/contact/ and will let you know when available, we expect next week or the one after.

Don't fret the level, Maestro your frets. Anyone can do it better than a shop using old school tools and rules.

Of course. It is diamond, it will cut titanium.

It is a personal thing... I like to have the crown narrowing file and the 300 for smoothing out. But, if you don't need narrower crown and you are okay with smoothing with 1,200 grit paper, the 150 does it.

sixstringers.com/call-to-order/ Save when you buy direct. And we can talk and cover any questions you may have.

That is a Conical Radius 12"-16" We will have our new FretMaestro OMNI available in about two weeks made specifically for Conical Radiuses. Every fret radius is slightly different on a Conical. The OMNI references the fret board to achieve this. Fret Boards are not bumpy or uneven. As long the neck is not twisted or "S" curved, that it can be adjusted flat using the truss rod the fret leveling is easy with FretMaestro. Twisted necks cannot be corrected with fret work. "S" curves in some cases can be made to work, but requires judicious planning. For that see customer video "FretMaestro to the Rescue" here on You Tube.

Yes, no doubt about that.

Not really. You have two choices - PLEK ,and get flat top frets, and the tolerance is .001" no better, and of course that is excellent. Or like other Conical necks that do not change every fret because that makes ownership a nightmare for fret work, if not impossible... step the radiuses and get not exactly the same but really the same benefits of the conical incremental steps. Realize this... who is going to ever be able to level those without Plek or Maestro? No one, but I am sure many will claim the contrary. Good luck with that. So if you don't mind having to pay forever and ever for PLEK, because I don't see a another honest way of than Maestro, then sure. Replacing your frets that way, and that day will come... how much do you think for that and the PLEK to make the radiuses?

I think you are not following what is going on here. We are not taking preorders, we are in production and shipping, but we are swamped so the shipping is delayed. We have some radiuses sold out, customers want to prepay, we do not do that because we do not want to lose an order and not ship it. Meanwhile we are already upgrading machinery. But hey, thanks for the input. Maybe next time ask instead of stating something you do not know as a fact.

Well, one guitar at a time. You will save lots of fret material which means buying more time before having to replace the frets. Replacing frets is not cheap thing.

A compound neck is actually a conical neck vs the standard cylindrical. I will soon male a video detailing how this works. No need to flatten the neck. Use our Maestro gauge to ID the lowest fret, usually the one with wear marks such as a divot. For a new guitar... measure fret 1,2 or 3... set the depth and then easily make every fret an exact clone of the other in identical symmetry. This is a different approach to leveling, radiusing and crowning frets - we look at things from this new approach, not the the old approach.

Yes, but this require 3 to 4 radiuses. Will address this in a coming video.

Two places: reverb.com/shop/guitar-picks-sixstringers-wild-plectrums sixstringers.com/#FretMaestro%20Prices. (direct phone order and save)

Go to our website and use the contact form... we'll sort it out. Mention this comment.

The shipping is not high unless you tried to buy off the listing that says do not order from this listing because it is actually a "How To" to order options that Reverb doe not make available to sellers or buyers. Yeah that shipping is like $6,000 to make sure no one orders from that non-listing.

sixstringers.com/contact/

Look forward getting you on your way to precision awesome frets you DIY far better than a shop can with old school tools and rules.

The first time I saw flat beams and straight files with only eyeballing and guess work as the way to level , radius, and crown frets I was appalled. This is 2024, not 1924... we have the capabilities to make far better and far more logical tools today than to continue suffering using wood working tools, which is all that was available way back when, adapted for compound radius frets (long radius + crown radius), and yet it had not been done except for a $250,000 CNC fret machine. We use shaper blades and bits for everything else these days to produce precision shapes and dimensions, why not for frets. FretMaestro.

We will have them on Reverb on or about the 12th of this month, January 2024 reverb.com/shop/guitar-picks-sixstringers-wild-plectrums

Do the same thing but take the last few frets down .003". As for guitar body, non issue. Fret Maestro is 4" long Does not get obstructed by the body of the guitar.

We ship to Italy.

Yes, for sure. Available January 12. Please use the contact form: sixstringers.com/contact/

11.5" - I would use... it is next to impossible to measure that on a fret... stack an 11.5 next to a 12 you cannot be sure which is which. Requires machine shop instruments. Up to you.

Yes, because Reverb does not offer drop down to select options. A bummer on that. So, when you order, and add other files, we so know that because your name is there and we combine these in to a single shipment. The caveat is for international orders... that gets clumsy, but it has been working. Hope Reverb decide to offer sellers a practical way to offer options.

Typically 3

PLEK is great.... but from what I know it does not crown the frets, leaves them flat on top - on the other hand, it can also reshape a fretboard and slot it, awesome for restoring a vintage classic. Everything has strengths and weaknesses.

Good question. That depends on the starting height of the fret to the depth of cut of the FretMaestro. Say you have a divot that is .007" - and the fret height is .053" so you set FretMaestro to .051" which is a setting #3, you would be removing .002" material which in this example is .0013" more than the divot ... extrapolate form here. Basically you are looking at .0015" average gross tolerance in this regard. Did I understand your question correctly?