Bummer

[RU36]

Got my neck in the mail the other day.
Maple warmoth headstock,
ebony full scalloped 24 fret
straight 16 radius
Clear coated it and mounted it on the Z body no problem.

Turns out I have some high frets and am gonna have to do some fret work to get it dialed.
I ended up ordering the tools from stew mac instead of paying for it to get done I figured I would learn to do it myself.

Anyone have some good tips on fret leveling?
I ordered one 4" and one 8" 16inch radius sanding block
Some fret files for crowning
and some nut files to lower the slots a bit.

Any advice would be awesome

 

[blue313]

I recommend Dan Erlewine's "Fret Work Step by Step" for the fret side of things.

But in the mean time...check out this series of videos.  It's a twenty two parter covering a refret on a Fender Strat.  The leveling part comes later on (part 13ish), but there's a lot of good basic information.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tka_BQ_tl1U

 

[Steve_Karl]

Thanks Blue ... cool vids.

 

[jackthehack]

I don't care for and never ordered a scalloped neck, but have you taken a metal straight edge and  made absolutely sure that you've adjusted the truss rod/neck 100% true? Where are your frets "high"? I've bought more than 25 necks from Warmoth for my own builds and upgrades I've done for other people and never had an issue yet.

A pic, more information and string height at various frets might help us give you better guidance, if there actually is a defect you might want to return the neck, have you called Warmoth?

 

[-CB-]

Ya know... I really doubt your're going to have to level anything with a sanding block.  W's necks are simply not that far out of kilter.  In all the necks I've gotten from them, about 8 so far, I've had only one fret with any issue... one single raised fret, and it was fret twenty-two, last on the neck.  I just tapped it down and its been great ever since.  Doing a full fret level is quite nearly unheard of on a new Warmoth neck.  I'd look at a plastic mallet from Home Depot and tap the things down before I did ANY leveling.  Trying to level a raised fret is like chasin' yer tail.  Any competent repairman would tap everything down first, before starting any sort of fretwork.

 

[RU36]

Ya know... I really doubt your're going to have to level anything with a sanding block.  W's necks are simply not that far out of kilter.  In all the necks I've gotten from them, about 8 so far, I've had only one fret with any issue... one single raised fret, and it was fret twenty-two, last on the neck.  I just tapped it down and its been great ever since.  Doing a full fret level is quite nearly unheard of on a new Warmoth neck.  I'd look at a plastic mallet from Home Depot and tap the things down before I did ANY leveling.  Trying to level a raised fret is like chasin' yer tail.  Any competent repairman would tap everything down first, before starting any sort of fretwork.

Ya that's almost exactly whats up with my neck.
Its one fret, the 22nd on a 24 fret neck that sticks up.
I put a straight edge on it and it rocks time.

I tapped in just like you said but even then it is still high.
I measured the side of the neck where you can see all the fret slots in the finger board and the slot for the 22nd fret is about a 64th of an inch shallower then the ones around it. Thus the fret is riding high.
I have already filed it down and to make make it playable and have painted the neck which I ordered unfinished so I am pretty sure the warranty is toast.
Now I am just waiting on a crowning file to come in the mail to re-crown that fret.
Unfortunately I didn't catch the high fret before I clear coated and mounted the neck.

In addition to the one high fret the neck could use some slight leveling in the area between the 15th and 24th fret.
I guess I am just the one guy that gets the occasional neck that's less than perfect.
S*!? happens


On the bright side the rest of the neck is straight as an arrow and does not buzz at all.
Even with the nut not yet filed and the fret dressing not done it is SUPER FAST!
So its gonna all be ok in the end.
I like to set up my necks really flat and like the action super low. About 3/64ths of an inch at the 17th fret on the bass side and a little lower on the treble side. I usually just pay someone to do the leveling and set up but I might as well just get the tools and learn how to do it.

Everyone always says they don't like the scalloped necks.
To me its not much of a difference because I play very light.
The added advantage is that the strings bend very easy and and the vibrato is much more pronounced.

 

[RU36]

I recommend Dan Erlewine's "Fret Work Step by Step" for the fret side of things.

But in the mean time...check out this series of videos.  It's a twenty two parter covering a refret on a Fender Strat.  The leveling part comes later on (part 13ish), but there's a lot of good basic information.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tka_BQ_tl1U

Those videos are awesome and very informative thanks!

 

[RU36]

I don't care for and never ordered a scalloped neck, but have you taken a metal straight edge and  made absolutely sure that you've adjusted the truss rod/neck 100% true? Where are your frets "high"? I've bought more than 25 necks from Warmoth for my own builds and upgrades I've done for other people and never had an issue yet.

A pic, more information and string height at various frets might help us give you better guidance, if there actually is a defect you might want to return the neck, have you called Warmoth?

I don't have a decent camera, only my camera phone and its not detailed.
But I have checked it with a straight edge. Yes the neck was totally flat and I am 200% sure its a high fret.
The straight edge teter toters on the 22nd fret and its visually obvious that the slot for that fret is not as deep as the other ones around it.
Its not the end of the world.
The rest of the neck is killer and after I fix it I will be all set.

 

[stubhead]

I had a high fret on a 24-fret, seven-string neck. Maybe not coincidentally, it was the 22nd... maybe Warmoth's machines can't quite press the frets in on the longest necks? There was glue filled in underneath it, so tapping it in wasn't an option. However, I have already been doing my own fret work for a long time, including full level-crown-polishing, so I had all the tools. I don't have anything resembling Stew-Mac tools* but -
it's understanding the procedure that matters.

Dan Erlewine's "Guitar Player Repair Guide" is a book that also contains all his fretwork info, as well as everything else you need to know to get very, very far. Any little straightedge that lets you "rock" across three frets will work, on singles. I level frets with abrasive paper wrapped around an old, flat, unused 8" sharpening stone... as long as you ink twice, it's actually pretty foolproof. You have to think about string path, and intent.

*Except these:
http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Nuts,_saddles/Special_tools_for:_Nuts_and_saddles/String_Lifter.html
http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Fretting_supplies/Polishing_and_abrasives/Fingerboard_Guards.html

These are both totally neat-o products I use a lot. Most all of my files are from/for something else than guitar work... jewelers, gunsmiths and locksmiths use all the same tools (and more!) but they don't pay Stew-Mac quite such a premium.

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Nuts,_saddles/Special_tools_for:_Nuts_and_saddles/Feeler_Gauges.html

Ummm - check your auto parts shop, for that much money you can buy three of 'em, with 20 blades each. :toothy12: However, a crowning file, a Zona saw and a few nut files are essential. I like LMII & Lee Valley when I can't find a tool at the hardware store.
http://www.lmii.com/

...and INTENT. and patience....
There's a lot of jewelry & gunsmith tools on the internets. :hello2:

 

[-CB-]

Its one fret, the 22nd on a 24 fret neck that sticks up.
I put a straight edge on it and it rocks time.
I tapped in just like you said but even then it is still high.
I measured the side of the neck where you can see all the fret slots in the finger board and the slot for the 22nd fret is about a 64th of an inch shallower then the ones around it. Thus the fret is riding high.
I have already filed it down and to make make it playable and have painted the neck which I ordered unfinished so I am pretty sure the warranty is toast.
I like to set up my necks really flat and like the action super low. About 3/64ths of an inch at the 17th fret on the bass side and a little lower on the treble side.

Warmoth cuts the slots on a gang saw, like everyone in the industry.  Its virtually impossible to have one shallow slot.  They also fill the slot edge, but this is sometimes not totally without a little bit of void.

When you tap in a fret, you usually gotta give it a fair amount of oomph with a plastic mallet, on a SOLID bench top.  This is not something to be done hand held, or with the neck on the guitar, and your guitar in your lap - or on a bench not properly supported.

Since you filed it... now you gotta deal with it.

Your string elevation is beyond the mechanical/physical/mathematical capability of the string envelope if any bending at all is going to be done.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

It is possible that the frets on the fretboard extension might not seat properly due to the fact they are just hanging out there.  No matter how solid the workbench, the fretboard might bend a little to absorb the pressure because there's no neck behind it.

 

[jackthehack]

Couple of tips, when tapping in ferrules/frets/etc., always put a doubled thick towel underneath the body/neck to ensure you don't gouge/dent the wood underneath.

If you're trying to tap in a fret in the extention area, go to a hardware store and get a pack of door/window shims and put one in between the extension and the flat surface as not to break/damage/bend the extention

 

[ironeddie]

Ya know... I really doubt your're going to have to level anything with a sanding block.  W's necks are simply not that far out of kilter.  In all the necks I've gotten from them, about 8 so far, I've had only one fret with any issue... one single raised fret, and it was fret twenty-two, last on the neck.  I just tapped it down and its been great ever since.  Doing a full fret level is quite nearly unheard of on a new Warmoth neck.  I'd look at a plastic mallet from Home Depot and tap the things down before I did ANY leveling.  Trying to level a raised fret is like chasin' yer tail.  Any competent repairman would tap everything down first, before starting any sort of fretwork.

Ya that's almost exactly whats up with my neck.
Its one fret, the 22nd on a 24 fret neck that sticks up.
I put a straight edge on it and it rocks time.

I tapped in just like you said but even then it is still high.
I measured the side of the neck where you can see all the fret slots in the finger board and the slot for the 22nd fret is about a 64th of an inch shallower then the ones around it. Thus the fret is riding high.
I have already filed it down and to make make it playable and have painted the neck which I ordered unfinished so I am pretty sure the warranty is toast.
Now I am just waiting on a crowning file to come in the mail to re-crown that fret.
Unfortunately I didn't catch the high fret before I clear coated and mounted the neck.

In addition to the one high fret the neck could use some slight leveling in the area between the 15th and 24th fret.
I guess I am just the one guy that gets the occasional neck that's less than perfect.
S*!? happens


On the bright side the rest of the neck is straight as an arrow and does not buzz at all.
Even with the nut not yet filed and the fret dressing not done it is SUPER FAST!
So its gonna all be ok in the end.
I like to set up my necks really flat and like the action super low. About 3/64ths of an inch at the 17th fret on the bass side and a little lower on the treble side. I usually just pay someone to do the leveling and set up but I might as well just get the tools and learn how to do it.

Everyone always says they don't like the scalloped necks.
To me its not much of a difference because I play very light.
The added advantage is that the strings bend very easy and and the vibrato is much more pronounced.

I may be too late in replying to this one... but here it goes.  Fret levels are not fun to do your first time.  I would suggest finding a good guitar tech and getting him (or her) to go through it with you.  The key is to not just work the part that is giving you grief.  What you do to one part of the neck must be done to the whole thing to keep the frets all uniform.  Long even strokes are the key.  When you go to do your crowning and polishing,  remember to dress each fret until the flat spot in the middle of the fret almost (but not quite) disappears.  You can then polish with steel wool or a dremel with a polishing wheel.  Good Luck!

 

[simple]

Should be careful using a Dremel tool. The Dremel polishing wheel can heat up your fret alot and melt the glue that is helping hold the fret in place. The fret tang itself is still there so that's a saving grace against the heat but it is something you'll want to keep in mind.

 

[-CB-]

A little Mother's polish is all I've ever used....

 

[Unwound G]

To me the most important tool is SteMac's Fret Rocker ( http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Fretting_supplies/Leveling/Fret_Rocker.html ).

This little gizmo will determine which fret needs work to be done on as expounded above.

 

[-CB-]

Maybe its my eyes.. being over 50... (ahem), but a strong backlight and good magnification... any ol' machinist striaght edge will do for the lengths we enounter (hint- machine fixture triangles are FLAT and on ebay for a song in "black oxide" finish).

Thing is to not go overboard.  The Warmoth fret simply cannot be that high.  The fretboards are very flat.  Very.  The frets sit flush on the fretboard... or very very close to it.  Or at least they're supposed to.  The thing to do is CHECK not the fret top, but the fret bottom.  Its skirt.  Make sure its DOWN.  If its not down, you can heat the fret and seat it.  Super glue is not too good at rehardening "as strong" but it will soften,  and will resolidify to a point.  Its insurance.  The tang is good to go, it has glue filler (even compromised as it is).  I'd strongly suggest seating it at room temperature first as a try.  It takes a bit to do, not just a light tap.  Use a plastic mallet or a press with a caul.

I've seated frets on MM necks... they're awful as shipped.  Just terrible.  Seat them, and you'll find they not too bad.  Hint: you can seat them, then run superglue under the fret skirt, and it will wick under the fret and help keep it in place.  Just a quick line and fast wipe, and thats it.

Epiphone's are also noted for irregular fret seating.

Never level a fret unless its fully seated first.  Doing otherwise will run a big risk of bad tone on that fret, since its not seated, not making contact, it will be dull sounding or even deat note sounding.

 

[Unwound G]

Maybe its my eyes.. being over 50... (ahem)...............

CB, I am in your age regime so the eyes are not the best detection tools.  That is why I need the Fret Rocker that even a blind man can detect which fret needs to be lowered.

 

[-CB-]

True, but what if you got a low one that needs jackin' up?

No offense to Jack... <G> but I mean to say, if you have a low, or partially low fret (only some if it is low) then it might be harder to find - without the "seemores"

 

[Unwound G]

That low one will "rock" or "seesaw" when the Fret Rocker shifts down to the next three frets.  In cases like this, you have to bring all the frets below it down or replace it with a taller fret wire and level that down before crowning it.  This rarely happens on a new Warmoth neck though.