Even better when you realize that you only watched the beginning of the video on Sunday because you had to take the son to a birthday party and then remembered on Thursday afternoon that you still have the rest of the weekly Ted video to watch. 😁
I realize it gets tiring to repeat instructions over and over but thanks for doing it. It is helpful (for me) to be reminded when there are so many details involved. As a hobbyist its often months between work on this level and it’s easy to forget the steps and options until you’re standing there with the tool in your hand. There are many resources for instructions out there these days but I like the level of detail, the discussion of related considerations and the speed of your videos so I prefer the twoodfrd way of doing stuff. 👍
I can so relate as a player. When I had my baby (Rick 4003) in for new frets, it was like... I've gotta play these frets for the next several years. I've gotta get it right! But in the end I realized it's not hard to adapt to different fret wire. Not on a bass anyway. I've never had a refret done on a 6-string. Maybe that would be different?
@@beenaplumber8379 I can imagine that's a tough refret with the board on a Ric. I have a 4003 and can't picture how you'd get the frets off without chewing up the board. Granted, this stuff is WAY above my skillset.
@@seanj3667 Yeah, that and the fact that the 4003 has such soft frets to begin with, so they're more likely to need it sooner doesn't help. The finish on the board forms a fillet with the original frets. He seems to have cut that down and leveled it before installing the new frets, which have no fillet. (I'm totally fine with that. I prefer the feel of it on my fingers.) The new wire is wider than the original, so he only had to level the fillet with the fretboard - no extra cosmetics necessary. Then there's the binding on the sides - the whole job was around $400, but it was beautifully done. The sustain and brightness are as remarkable as you might imagine, and I never did like the filleted frets. Whatever he did, it was great work. (Shout out to Willies American Guitars, Steve the luthier and repair manager, St. Paul, MN. I'd trust Steve with anything. He's had my Rick twice now, and I'm always scared to have it in the shop, but his work has been fantastic both times.)
This series is high quality instruction, not only with the actual philosophy of repairing these machines but also the realities of making a living at this craft. Among the top series of craft on the Tube that costs you only the time you spend up loading to your brain. Best regards.
09:05 OH. MY. GOD. BROTHER YOU JUST CHANGED MY LIFE WITH ONE DIAGRAM. How did I not know this sooner? I have a "jazz" (really it's a "rockabilly") guitar with this exact issue and I spent 70+ hours over the years when it began having this issue trying to get the intonation right and it has jumbo frets and I picked it up and took a look at it AND IT HAS THIS EXACT ISSUE (on a few frets). Solved it in 15 mins with a fret filer I bought 6 years ago and never used. Hot damn...
Nice work as per usual Ted. I learn so much watching your videos that perhaps I will become a guitar repairman/luthier in my next lifetime.. For the remainder of this one I’ll just enjoy your work. Carry on sir!
is it only me or this is one of a kind video? like a "101 - how to refret a guitar like a wise, calm, clever and centered pro". (I'm not a luthier of any sort, I just play guitar but I also enjoy diy)
Ted I am literally preparing to do my first ever full fret level and dress on a LP I just finished building.....my first LP after several successful tele builds. Can't tell you how great it was to have access to this video at this specific time!!
I’ve purchased several enthusiast made guitars in the last 10 years or so. I have yet to find one that had correct intonation. It seems everyone makes the same miscalculations.
@@ahf5471 that's too bad. My three builds are spot on but I take a lot of time and attention building guitars for myself that I play in live settings. I could imagine if I was building to sell and more focused on a reasonable compensation for my time the chance for errors would increase.
Not a joke, you are a genius, an example of passion. Not a great life here but your videos are medicine to me and helped to fix things on my "too many" guitars. Thank you!
Great work and thanx for sharing! The first electric guitar I ever played was a Les Paul jr. way back in 1968! My cousins had found one in a bunch of junk somebody had set out by the road after cleaning out their flooded basement. My uncle cleaned up the jr. and waved a magic wand over the Marshall 18-watt they also pulled out of the pile. We were banished to the pole barn after a few too many poorly and loudly executed attempts at various rock and roll songs of the day.
Excellent video! Tons of great info packed in here. I'll definitely check out your Canadian buddy for tools & whatnot, because I am not paying Stew Mac prices unless I absolutely have to. 👍
Hi Ted, probably one of your most fascinating and instructive videos to date - especially for those of us who play and work on electric guitars mainly. I also think - being 20+ years older than you I guess - that because you make your videos look so effortless, it can be easy to ignore the physical as well as mental effort that goes into working on a guitar setup and re-fret especially. As I get older I am noticing how much more tiring certain jobs can be - especially the polishing of frets which is why I now use a Dremmel to finish off the work whereas beforehand I would always go through multiple grits until I got that perfect shine ⭐ Really appreciated the tip about using the fretwire to recentre the curvature of the fretboard. This old dog learned a new trick there 🦮 Thanks again and love all your videos 👍
Perfect timing on this one, Ted. Frets have been a big part of this weekend for me. Last night and this morning, I’ve been wrestling with a 2 or three isolated slightly high frets on a Telecaster that I set-up a while back. They’re only under specific strings but not the same string. I’ve already tapped them to make sure they’re set. Was ready to drop the big bucks on a SM Fret Kisser, but they’re out of stock. So I used my engineering brain and made one, using a 4.5” “below string” leveling beam, double stick tape and a strip of 240 emory cloth. I cut a 1” piece and stuck it to the middle of the beam then cut two other short pieces to stick on either end, rough side toward the tape. Works awesome!. Now I just need to touch up the crowns and polish, polish, polish (those spots anyway).
The diagram about fret height was an eye opener to me. I have an expensive vintage guitar that I just cannot play well, it requiring harder finger pressure even though the action is very low. Now I realise why, thank you.
very interesting, never really understood what all went into a refret thank you for sharing the knowledge i swear this is one of my fave channels to watch when running arps on the guitar... the video was apropos being that is it "gibsunday" and i was playing my tv spec dc thanks again \m/\m/
Whether you know it or not you truly are the luthiers luthier your voice is calming, and your precision it's unprecedented, I haven't even met you and you are mentor
As always great info. Thanks. I learn so much from your channel. I was at my local guitar shop the other day and discovered a very crudely built coffin guitar case. inside was what is called a romantic parlor. It was a twelve string built in a Spanish style construction. The sound holes were two hearts. I'm hoping you can identify the maker for me. I believe one like it was purchased in Canada. I found one with google images. Thanks again.
Beautiful beautiful work as always Ted. And I love the way you approach every job in the most economic way ( no unnecessary fret end waste, no need for a brand new nut, …)
I use the diamond crowned tool for crowning. Gives the perfect rounded top that intonates great everywhere. I guess free handing can be accurate if you have the right technique and lots of experience. They are costly though. I bought one from japan hoping it would last forever. Medium side is done after 4 or 5 levelings.
Love this channel. Personally, I find somewhat narrow, taller frets to be best. Not ridiculously tall, but not "fretless" either. More like a "medium" fret wire, not overly low. I have guitars with frets like what I describe, as well as guitars with "jumbo" frets. For my money, the medium/tall are the best compromise re: playability and intonation.
Also, I had my strat re-fretted with larger frets than stock, medium to jumbo, and the guitar gained quite a bit of brightness, in not a good way. I'd be curious about your thoughts about that.
Another wonderful video Ted, thank you... Always the highlight of my RU-vid viewing week ! I'm collecting a modern Telecaster Elite for a friend from Cambridge, England later today without any strings on it. After watching ALL your videos and armed with some simple tools, I now have the confidence to set it up properly for him. I may even wear one of your T-shirts whilst doing so !! 😉
I can’t hear a difference with stainless steel frets over nickel/copper either. Your work is amazing and I so wish I could develop your level of care and patience.
@twoodfrd, on the subject of your flush cut nippers: I believe if you wear out any Stew Mac tools during normal use, they will replace them from what I understand. Of course, I've been wrong before.
Your the Boss Ted! Awesome video. I have an old guitar from the early 60's. It's a parlor, with no name inside. Its plywood and nothing in the sound hole. It belonged to my grandmother. It's got an FG5 on the back of the headstock and the front says Steel Reinforced neck in a triangle sticker. It plays very well but the actin is over 1/4 " high I borrowed the floating bridge and trapeze tail piece from another guitar. I think I may refret it to straighten the neck. It would be a great player. It looks like it has brass frets, but the fingerboard looks like rosewood. No radius, totally flat board.
When I was a younger man I always wanted a guitar with full binding including the neck, until I played it too much and realized I need a refretting and it's gonna be difficult to not only remove the frets without breaking the binding or when you're putting them in as well. No binding on the neck is what I prefer now
That fret clamp must be my favorite thing on these videos. It always hurts my head, when they show professional (luthiers or factory people) hammer frets in with a brass mallet and "Oops, dent..." :)
so ice to see the other half of the video. Great job. You have some skills. You can see all the love you put in your work. I have a LP myself and love the instrument. Gibson made a winner with the Les Paul. Bye... see you later. Bert from the Netherlands
Hi Ted.. Iove all your videos. Great to see you actually glue a shim on the bottom of the nut - I can't understand why more people don't do this, it's got to be better than a flimsy bit of verneer loose in the slot! If you haven't already - check out Sam Deeks method of fret levelling using an ingenious tool he calls "the banana". I'm sure you will find it interesting if not something you'd like to adopt.
13:10 Work hardening does indeed happen the more you "roll" a surface, but ... i have to wonder if 3 pointing it is enough. I think you'd get far better results if you (can) start with a tall shaped fret and then using a jig (something that loosely supports the T's flanges) pass the top surface with a hand held roller that slightly deforms the crown, pushing the metal as it goes. It would have to be a custom roller that conforms to the shape just slightly off. ALSO, very important. It would have to be polished and of a hard metal. I do this all the time (not specifically this) with old scissors i fix. I have an "awl" that's made out of stainless steel, that's been polished to perfection (looks straight out of a Escher painting, but as a thick "awl" of 15 mm thickness tapering to 5 towards the tip). I pass it over the surface of old scissors that have (or where i have removed) lost their nickel plating. I could plate them, but it's not worth the hassle of masking the cutting surfaces so i use this method to harden the surface of the metal. It never rusts after and doesn't ding anymore. I've some that i've done with this method for at least 8 years now that have been sitting in my semi-opened porch and haven't even so much as dulled. So there's truth to what Mr. Erlewine said, but i think that you need a bit more than just 3 pointing. Of course, it's entirely possible that they have some sort of roller that 4 or 5 points the wire. And if that machine puts pressure between two rollers, squashing the T, then it would work. jm2c
if you look close at the beginning, you can see the bridge has been replaced with one that's compensated for a plain G and also to correct the overly angled original, so the intonation is likely just fine
@@walterw2 With no actual proof of the current intonation, it’s inconclusive. This is of no fault to twoodfrd i’ll add, as he does great work and probably set it up as best anyone could.
Hey there, Ted! So a few years back I did a full refret on a 1964 Harmony H-19, that had VERY rolled over binding edges, which rendered very little playable fret surface to the outside of the E strings. In order to get a more usable fretboard width, I decided to sand the board down some. I was concerned with sanding through the block inlays, and decided to remove them first. Beneath the inlays in the rosewood board, were little risers made of a lightly colored wood, seemed likely to be basswood. The routes for the inlays didn't go all the way through the board, so I can't wrap my head around what the purpose for those risers were, beyond maybe just being there to help the semi-transparency of the celluloid inlay material to not be darkened by the rosewood beneath them? Curious if you or anyone reading this have ever come across this, and if the true purpose of them is known to anyone. Thanks in advance to any insight anyone has to offer!
I was just re-watching a video of Queen's set at Live Aid in 1985 last night. Your comments about individual preferences in things like fret height and string weight made me think of Brain May's technique on the Red Special. He must prefer a very light touch to be able to tap like that and make it look so effortless.
Ted as always awesome content!! I try to obsorb something from every video I watch of your, and in this video I may watch it again as I have a Tele parts caster I bought at a pawn shop. I don't know who made the body, and the neck is one of them pre 1995 licenced necks that has Fender lasered on the head stock. It did't play well when I bought it , but nor it plays pretty decent. I'd like to get some inexpensive tools and stainless fret wire, and refret the old turd with a end goal of maybe passing it on to my grandson, and maybe get him some lessons as I am a mediocer player at best. If the fret job turns out nice my grandson gets a decent guitar as I made a four position esquire harness for it and bought a used Dimarzio twang king pickup off of reverb cheap.
