Best tutorial for fretwork/leveling and dressing?

[ragamuffin]

So i've had three Warmoth necks now, and I've been fine with just sanding the fret edges smooth and polishing. IMO the fretwork has been fine by me; at least as good as most production guitars.

However, I know that a lot of people recommend doing a full level+dress on new necks, and say that it takes the necks up to the next level.

I'd like to at least learn about the process. Where's the best tutorial for fretwork on a new neck? What tools do I need? (I already have a fret end file that I got with a kit from Stewmac)

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

Stew Mac has some great instruction dvds that I’ve use to learn the craft, but I really like Marks work, especially on the fret ends, and I’ve seen/felt some of his work firsthand, and it is quite nice.

https://youtu.be/qVWUUwYCnHA

 

[PhilHill]

There's the Stew Mac stuff, which is good. There's a guy called Twoodfrd out of Canada on the tube that really knows his business, one can learn a lot from his videos. There's an outfit called Stringtech Workstations that features a pretty good repairman, also out of the Canada.
For simple "get er' done type of work there's a guy called Rosa String Works. He's from Missouri so he can get a little corny, but he gets good results and doesn't always subscribe to the fancy way of doing things. It can be hard to find good info sometimes. as there are a lot of people giving their opinion's and often their "expertise" can be suspect. Plus so many of them have brand new way's that are much "better" than the traditional methods. Or so they say, but considering that some of them are younger than the Alvarez flattop hanging on my wall, I wonder how much knowledge they really have about the traditional ways. Anyway, I digress. (And we all know how painful that can be.) Good luck on the search for knowledge......... :icon_thumright:

 

[stratamania]

If you want to invest a little cash these would be of help depending how deep you want to get into it.

Fret Work Step-By-Step

https://www.stewmac.com/luthier-tools-and-supplies/supplies/books-plans-dvds/fret-work-step-by-step.html

Dan Erlewine's Fretting Series

https://www.stewmac.com/luthier-tools-and-supplies/resources/books/fretting/dan-erlewines-fretting-series.html

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

I think Dan Erlewine’s Fretting Series is a good start if you want (and I think you should) learn more traditional methods.  You’ll learn the basics and the why of the craft before taking your skill to another level.  I learned from these, but also from Neal Moser who is also a good friend, and during the brief year that I worked at Warmoth nearly 11 years ago, I plagued Ken with questions and he passed on not just some great tips, but the science behind the value of those tips.