Ranking The Top 10 Guitar Fret Polishing Systems 

00:23 Steel Wool amzn.to/3lJwX2z 01:45 D Addario Fret Polishing System imp.i114863.net/LMYvY 02:46 Miracle Polishing Cloth www.stewmac.com/luthier-tools-and-supplies/supplies/cleaners-and-lubricants/miracle-polishing-cloth.html 03:48 Gorgomyte Cloth www.stewmac.com/luthier-tools-and-supplies/supplies/cleaners-and-lubricants/gorgomyte-fretboard-conditioning-cloth.html 05:16 Lizard Spit Polish Kit imp.i114863.net/Kr52a 06:35 Dunlop Fret Kit imp.i114863.net/qQdNn 07:56 3M Polish Sheets amzn.to/3faSCOo 09:36 Micro Mesh pack amzn.to/32SXSkU 11:09 Music Nomad FRINE Kit imp.i114863.net/kydQM 12:49 Fret Erasers www.stewmac.com/luthier-tools-and-supplies/tools-by-job/tools-for-fretting/polishing-and-abrasives/fret-erasers.html

I just go old school...angle grinder followed up by a blow torch.

I just used a fingernail buffer stick divided into 2 grits on each side - It cost me $2.50 with truly beautiful results.

When I want to clean my frets I just play 'em some yoko ono - scares the crud right off them in no time ! Of course there's an obvious down side to this method.

And that's the type of content I'm subscribing for ! Well done Phil !

Oddly enough, I just did one of my guitars today! I generally do the frets when I change the strings. Today I used Gorgomyte because I have it and I'm trying to use it up. What I found a while ago is that virtually any automotive aluminium or chrome polish will work great, and you'll get far more product for your money. You can also use auto paint polish. I found this out when I sanded and polished out a 10 inch long scratch on the upper bout of one of my Strats. I was using Meguiars Ultimate Compound to remove the fine scratches from sanding it out, and decided to try it on the frets. It worked great! The advantage, in my mind, is that I have one product that covers two things. Taking fine scratches out of my finish, and polishing my frets. It also did wonders for my finished maple finger board. For $15-20 bucks for a 15.2 ounce bottle, I don't think you'll find a better bargain. In fact, you may need to buy more guitars just to use it all up in one lifetime.

The following description is my method of getting perfectly rounded hemispherical fret ends mirror polished frets and fretboards all at once. First of all I get the assortment pack of 3M trimite polishing paper from Rio Grande jewelry supply because you get two full size 8-1/2" × 11" sheets of six different grits, a total of 12 sheets for $11.95. Everybody else charges $17 and up. Amazon's prices $16.95 and all of them only give you six sheets, one of each Grit whereas Rio Grande gives you two sheets of each grit. The Grits are as follows green 30 Micron 400 Grit. Gray 15 micron 600 grit. Blue 9 Micron 1200 Grit. Pink 3 Micron 4000 Grit. Mint 2 Micron 6000 Grit light green Almost White 1 Micron 8000 Grit. I do not waste time taping up my fretboard or waste the tape it takes to do this. I use a fret Guru ultimate fret in file starting from left to right I go up from the bottom where the Fret meets the fretboard and over 2 light Strokes on each side of the fret, both left and right sides. I go left to right on the left side and then come back right to left on the right side knocking off the little Edge where the bevel and fret meet. I chamfer this little Edge of the bevel. This is my rough shape for my hemispherical fret ends. I use the fretguru ultimate fret in file because it will not Mar up your fretboard. Afterwards I hold the 1/8 sheet of the 3M trimite polishing paper folded in a tri-fold pattern at approximately a 35° to 45° angle running up and down the fretboard approximately 16 times on each side of the neck. I use the same Grit starting with the green coarsest 30 Micron / 400 Grit and I polish the side of my Frets and the fretboard at the same time using my finger. Your finger will go up and over the top of the Fret a little but you will have very little pressure on the top of the Fret this will prevent you from wearing away the top of the Fret and knocking your fret level off accidentally, you will also be polishing the fretboard at the same time since it is not taped. You will notice a little piece of the fretboard in the center between the frets on the first five Frets that doesn't get polished where your finger does not overlap. You will have to rub the little piece of the fretboard in the center between the two frets. After you get to the fifth fret or so you will notice that your fingers overlap in the center and you will no longer have to rub that little piece because the Frets are close enough together so that when you rub on the right side of one fret and the left side of the other fret your finger overlaps in the middle. Do this the entire length of the fretboard rubbing the left side of one fret and the right side of the other fret as well as the fretboard after having run down the sides as I described above. Repeat with each successive finer grit until you get to the finest one micron 8000 Grit. This will give you perfect the rounded hotdogs or hemispherical ends on your frets, it will leave your Frets looking like polished chrome or mirrors and leave your unfinished Rosewood, ebony, Etc, fretboard looking like a polished Rock, shining like lacquered Maple even without a finish on it. Once you try this method you will never do it any other way. It doesn't leave chemicals everywhere, no steel wool dust, everything looks spectacular and you accomplish everything at once. Be sure you mark the back side of each piece of the finest 1 micron / 8 thousand Grit paper because the color is so light you will easily get the back and the front mixed up. The backside won't do anything as far as polishing up your fret and fretboard. I made this mistake several times until I started marking the backside of the paper so I would know which side was which. Feel free to call me at 910-818-3279 anytime night or day. God bless y'all. Jimmy in NC....

Great video Phil!! Thanks for including us!

For Polishing only. Music Nomad Frine and Fret Guard with Dremel and Cloth polishing wheel. Fast and does not take metal away. Most people have a Dremel or equivalent. Gorgomite is ok but more like Steel Wool without the mess. Erasers and the others take off too much material. I level, crown, dress all my guitars and have a small community of guitarists I do that for. They all come back for the same treatment. Buttery smooth frets that look like jewelry. Great video.

I got the Music Nomad kit and cleaned up my Dad's American strat. Man what a difference!

Every time I check out this channel I learn something new and useful! Thanks Phil! Keep Rocking!!

Music nomad makes great stuff. Always clean my guitars with their cleaners and polish

great video Phil, excellent topic and to the point with no BS. This is why we subscribe. Thanks for all your great videos, you've taught me a lot :)

Phil, I love watching these types of videos. I didn't even think about anything other than steel wool, and now I've got a few things to check out. Thanks for your hard work buddy!

Always informational content. Thoroughly enjoyed. Keep up the great work.

Great video! Also, I really like the new shop area you told us about on the Live Stream! 👍

Thank you for making the Top 10 Fret Polishing Systems video, very informative . Your video gave a great overview of all of these products and have made it easier for me to purchase these products.

Cheers Phil .... we all have to start sometime and this has certainly opened my eyes ... appreciate the time and effort 👍👏👏👏👏👏

I use Nevr-Dull wadding metal polish. For $9 at Walmart, a whole container will last for years. It shines, and polishes the frets to a mirror shine.

I enjoyed your comparison demo. Thank you for throwing in the money to bring this to us.

Great video as always Phil. This was great for me as someone who is just starting to learn guitar.

Great video. Straight to the point and really thorough.

Man, thanks so much for this videos! I have spent days researching al of these products until i came across your video! It included everything I wanted to know. I wish I had found it sooner. lol

Loved the video. The more opinions on these products there are the better. There might not be a huge demand for this type of content right now but vids like this will be relevant forever. Thanks

This was awesome Phil. I've been looking for something to clean my frets and this video will help me decide.

Thank you so much for this review. It was excellent. You answered every question I had before I made my purchase. I appreciate you for sharing your knowledge, time and for teaching the world. Much success.

Nice video Phil. I just started using Frine. I like it the best of all the methods I have tried. Keep up the great content man! Looking forward to the podcast Friday.

Why is it that when I look for something guitar related your channel is the one that has the content right away? You rock, Phillip. Thanks for all of the information I've gotten from you!

Great video. Super valuable insight. Thanks Phillip!

Great comparisson test, Phillip. Thank you, and best wishes from th U.K.

Thanks for doing this video Phillip. Very helpful. I had only used the MusicNomad Frine system before.

I THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!! I'm a beginner, trying to learn about the instrument I've loved all my life! Overwhelming & intimidating at first, little bits coming together making sense helps me a lot! You break it down so it doesn't seem so scary! Helps me a lot!👍🎸

Thank You Very Much for this! I was going to order some more Gorgomyte but I think I will do with Miracle Cloth and the 3M cloths and a fret guard. You did us all a great service by doing the hard work and letting us take advantage. Best Regards and Best Wishes!

This was a very informational needed video. Everyone should learn to do at least this level of maintenance of their guitars as way to be familiar with the health of their instrument. Finally, for me its a good feeling knowing when I see those polish frets it was from my work. Good one! Thanks!

Subscribed! So helpful, thank you so much.

Workshop looks great! Thanks for the review. I was due to buy another polisher and now I know what I'll get.

Really nice video. I shared it in my face book group.(Grandpa Dan's Precision Guitar Works) Thanks for taking the time and money to put it all together. Please keep this kind of videos coming...

Great comparison Phil!!! We love your content 😎👍👍👍

Love your work.

Very informative. Thanks!

Great video. Thanks for the hard work.

Great comparison. I just ordered the Music Nomad Total Fretboard Care kit that also includes the F1 fretboard conditioner for about $25. I’m glad to see that the fret polisher works so well.

Awesome, thanks for this!

In all honesty, AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME video, this will help so so many people and your honesty truly goes along way, once again great video and hope to see much more, would like to see you do a video on polishes and explaining what finishes benefit from what polishes and how to safely clean finishes according to type of finish (NITRO/POLY etc) Love the channel, Again Awesome Video. Hope All Is Well - Kevin

Thanks for this video I was literally thinking about this topic today and was going to look up how to polish my frets.

Thanks for this video Phil! EXACTLY what I needed. I used the miracle cloth to clean, then the micro mesh to polish. I'm ashamed to admit I've never bothered polishing frets. I always clean the fretboard and treat with lemon oil, but never polished the frets. It made an astonishing difference in feel and playability afterwards. Also it's incredible seeing how much dirt and tarnish comes off on the cloth. I wish I would've known this years ago!

I cant play guitar at all, but i love this channel and learning a lot.

The video I've been waiting for during my whole (short) guitar making carrier. Thank you ! I was relieved that the fret erasers weren't last in the ranking

SOOO HELPFUL! Thank you!

Great video. Thanks for this Phil!

I really appreciate this video Phil. Been using several of these systems since originally watching this video back when it came out. Find myself using the SM Fret Erasers and the 3-grit polishing stick that I've seen you use too from StewMac.

SUPER HELPFUL

I've been playing a JS12 dinky for 3 years now and I really needed this. Great video

I have watched your videos ( & subscribed) and they are informative , interesting and beneficial. The fret cleaning was not "exciting" but I learned a lot. Thank You for all your hard work with these.

Awesome informative video Phil! I bought the 2,000 to 10,000 grit sandpaper from Amazon. I regret not taking before and after pics. I inherited a 2002 Goldtop LP that's been in its case since 2006!

What a cool comparison! Thank you so much! 😁

Phillip - thanks for this really helpful video. I took your advice about "for the long haul" and bought the StewMac Fret Erasers. Although cleaning/polishing is not a very exciting subject, it's such a valuable video for so many of us guitar owners. Molto Grazie!

Thanks Phil. Would love a video on rounding fret edges with micro mesh!

Great video, good to see a comparison of how the systems work and it looks like a combination of a couple is best. I’ve gone for the 3m sheets and the little orange patches. I already have fret guards. No Stewmac in the UK so I’ve gone to small local shops.

Buying sandpaper from stew mac is like buying candy at the checkout. (Overpriced)

Awesome content!!

I just did ( both ) my Suhr strat & Taylor 414ce-R with the Music Nomad frine-kit and they came out Fantastic. Bending notes are a breeze. I also try to use fret-guards whenever possible.

A nail buffer block works Ok too. You might even be able to “borrow” one... Really like these types of videos Phil

Thanks for the advice, nice video😎

Gorgomyte fan here, never saw a reason to switch. May try the Miracle Cloth tho.

Great video! I was wondering what to use to polish frets. This helps greatly!

Thanks as always for a great comparison. You Rock brother 👍🇺🇲🏁

Awesome review. Thanks Phil.

Literally came to my same conclusion, I use the mesh sheets to clear away scraping and finish off with Gorgamyte. I’ve been using Gorgamyte for years for not only for the frets but it works great on non-maple fretboards as well! Now I need to check out the Miracle cloth and save a few bucks, thanks for putting this up Phil!

Thanks much and using your advise.

Great info. Thanks Phill.

Excellent video!

Big fan of the music nomad. Great for a beginner!

Thank you very much for this review

Stew mac pulled a fast one on the small guy. Gorgomyte has been around forever and if I recall the only place you could get was from Gorgomyte themselves or Stew mac. Nowhere else had it. Good on Stew mac on saving us money AND selling the other guys product too. Great video Phil, Thanks.

Good stuff, thanks!

Phill you forgot one....and you introduced me to it....Micro Mesh pads...they work great ..no more steel wool shavings all over the guitar.. I start with 1500 than 3600 than 8000 or 12000 to finish. Great shiny and slick as ice.

To polish frets I use Mothers Mag and aluminum polish.It gives a great shine to the frets and has just the right amount of grit to give a beautiful finish to them.

Great video, ty!

Nice vid, I’ve always taped my fretboard and used a fret guard with Nevr-Dull wadding, and then buff it off

Excellent video, thank you very much!

Thanx Phil, great video. God bless.

I use miracle cloth for about a year now and it's still polishing like the first time I used it. Great product, especially considered how cheaper it is than the rest of the competition.

Great stuff mate

the 3m sheets are the best n no mess!!! love them n cant recommend them enough!

Thank you Phil!

Great video Phil! I’ve used a product called Never Dull, which is cotton wadding impregnated with some type of cleaner/polish. It’s not abrasive, but cleans and polishes frets quite well. But I just got a set of Hosco fret erasers. They look just like the StewMac product, but you just get three, for about $15-20. As usual, excellent video!

EXCELLENT VIDEO! ⭐️⭐️ Super informative. ⭐️⭐️ The only thing not covered is using a Dremmel tool with the buffing tip with some polishing paste on it. This method works about as well as any, and is about ten times faster to finish a whole neck with.

Great video. Thank you. . Just a note, I have only polished 2 guitars, I used Mothers metal polish with a Dremel white soft polishing wheel. Came out nice. Cheers

Great video!!!!

Great info. I picked up the erasers .

A while back I bought a headlight restoration kit from Rain X to polish and restore the headlights on my truck. It was $11. Came with 3 grits of micro mesh sanding blocks, a micro fiber cloth, and a huge tube of polish. That’s what I’m using now for fret cleaning.

Love this kind of video. Would love to see a fret board oil comparison.

Thanks that is really helpful

That’s pretty useful, I’ve just bought a Harley Benton with pretty rough frets, so I’ll use one of the solutions

Great vid 👌

Nice review!

thank you for the video!

Excellent comparison video.

Thanks Phil