fret levelling

[vtpcnk]

i have an old gibson lp dc jr, which frets out on the 17th fret on the first two strings (E, B).

the 16th and the 18th frets ring true.

but the 17th is muted and flat.

just want to make sure my understanding is right in this :

1. if the 17th fret is higher than the other frets, then it only needs to be filed down a bit, in level with the other frets and that should set things right.

2. but if the 17th fret is lower than the other frets, that could result in some major fret levelling all across the fretboard.

is the above understanding of the issue accurate? or am i missing other dynamics?

if it is case 1, is there any practical way for me to verify it?

i am going to take it to a guitar tech soon, but would like to have some insights on the issue before i go there.

appreciate the feedback.

 

[Alfang]

I'm not the fret leveling expert, but if 17 is too high fix that, if it's too low and all else is good, I'm not sure I'd level all other frets to fix a low 17th fret

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

Sounds to me like you may need a tad more fall away from the 15th/17th fret upward toward the bridge.  This is one of the areas where open notes or notes fretted lower are vibrating much more.  A tad more fall away will allow for free-er vibration while your notes played up there won't fret out.

 

[vtpcnk]

>Sounds to me like you may need a tad more fall away from the 15th/17th fret upward toward the bridge

what is 'fall way'?

appreciate it if you could elaborate more. thanks.

 

[Cagey]

17th fret is low. That's why the 16th fret is ok - the string doesn't hit anything while vibrating. That's also why the 18th fret is ok. But, when you fret on the 17th fret, the string hits the 18th fret because the 17th fret is low.

Depending on how close your action is, you may be able to raise the saddles just a smidge and get rid of the problem. Or, you could start lowering frets from 18 on. If it was me, I'd work on the 18th fret first, and see if that fixes it right away - it may.

If you have a good straightedge, you could check to see if there's any fall-away over the last 5 to 7 frets, and if not, add some. That would probably fix it, too.

"Fall away" describes a gradual lowering of fret height from about the 15th fret forward if the neck is otherwise flat. Not all necks need it, and it's not a huge movement. Usually just a couple thou or so.

 

[vtpcnk]

>17th fret is low. That's why the 16th fret is ok - the string doesn't hit anything while vibrating. That's also why the 18th >fret is ok. But, when you fret on the 17th fret, the string hits the 18th fret because the 17th fret is low.

so only the next fret should be addressed (18th)? not the earlier fret (16th)?

 

[Cagey]

It would appear so In this case, yes. It's possible the 18th fret is a tad high, rather than the 17th being low. Ideally, I'd put a fret rocker on that whole group to find out. In any event, you generally only worry about the frets along the speaking length of the string. Frets behind the currently fretted note aren't in the game any more.

 

[stubhead]

If you can find something reasonably straight with the right length on it, it's a "fret rocker." You need something that will span 3, 4 and 5 frets at that part of the neck in order to see which fret is off. I use some drawing triangles, but CD cases, handles, little pieces of... straight stuff.  They're all around you. And flattening the offending fret without having the means to "crown" it (round it off) again is not going to be a really good thing. Have you tried just pushing down on the 18th fret? It may have sprung up a bit, which can happen during seasonal changes. That cure is just a tiny drop of super glue while you hold it down, but you need to be good at little stuff.