Completing setup before or after finishing?

[slowlearner]

Hi all,

I just put my new 6 string bass together for a quick play the other day 'in the white'. I have some questions re some fretwork on the bass to allow best setup. The bass has a few highspots on different frets. Not the whole fret, but just the odd highspot. This is the first 6 string with a radiused board I've built, so obviously there are some tricks re leveling I'm still yet to pick up.

I know I can sort the frets by filing. These are my questions;

1. Should I do it now BEFORE oiling or after the bass is finished?

2. What process would people use for leveling small highspots on otherwise well leveled frets?

[jeffhigh]

It's pretty hard to end up with high spots after proper levelling unless frets have popped up
Are you sure you don't have low spots you didn't get down to, making other areas look high?
I'd be inclined to completely re level
Describe your process and it may be obvious what you need to do different

[slowlearner]

Process...
1. marked all the frets with a black marker.
2. used a flat, long, straight sanding block to do most of the leveling down to the point where all the frets showed sanding marks.
3. sanded further with a radiused block to ensure I'd got the radius correct.
4. remarked all frets with the marker.
5. recrowned and polished all the frets.

[simso]

Was the truss rod engaged prior to commencement of above work

[slowlearner]

nope, but the neck was flat and stable.





The neck is super strong and stable.

[jeffhigh]

Process...
1. marked all the frets with a black marker.
2. used a flat, long, straight sanding block to do most of the leveling down to the point where all the frets showed sanding marks.
3. sanded further with a radiused block to ensure I'd got the radius correct.
4. remarked all frets with the marker.
5. recrowned and polished all the frets.

Whilst it is often recommended by suppliers, using a radius block on the frets is unnecessary and counterproductive
I just use a long sanding beam 1" wide and sand in line with the string paths while moving across the fretboard using 400 grit until I have a small line showing through the marker on all.
Then I proceed to your step 4 and 5 making sure I am leaving a small line of the marker showing

[demonx]

I agree with the above statement about not using the radius block. If you're only levelling softly then you can control it to follow the radius.

I used to use massive levelling blocks, these days I have a small one about 6" long and I have much more control over it. Control = better results

How do you re crown?

For ages I used to re crown every fret completely with a file, except by doing each fret and getting the crown on each fret I was un intentionally un levelling the board again and it took me a long time to realise

These days I only touch up the worst frets with the crown file but not all the way to a round crown, I just touch up the sides and then use 320grit running the length of the board to get the frets radiused.

I just did all this today, if is seen this post I'd have taken photos, if you want I have filmed the whole process. You'll find it on my YouTube channel. Maybe video part 6? Somewhere around there anyway.

[demonx]

Here is the clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSJ1t_tlBUE

What isn't shown in the clip is I first get the board level using the truss rod and a knotched straight edge on the board, not the frets - the ruler you see me playing with in this clip is just to see how good my fret job was before filing! Same with the fret rocker.

As you can see I'm not using any pressure with the file. I'm not flexing the neck etc, just gliding it over the frets in lines the same direction as the strings.

When you see me use the crowning file, notice I'm not filing down the whole fret and I'm not using it on every fret. Just the spots where there were lots of file down (flat spots) to get all the edges reasonably consistent, I AM NOT actually filing the crowns at all, even though its a crowing file.

The crowning occurs at the sandpaper stage. Polishing and crowning is combined into one stage. Better results and less time spent.

You see my run a buffer over it, I normally use a 3" buffer, but my compressor wasn't on site that day so I improvised and used a car buffer. Do not buff in one spot for very long as it'll get hot, can lift your fret. Buffing literally takes a few seconds the whole board.

I hope there is something in there than can fix your problem.

[Tom West]

Check for loose frets, especially at the ends. After tapping frets in I clamp with a caul and run thin CA glue along the edge with a pipette. If frets are not down on board you may be pushing them down when leveling and they pop up again to cause problems.
Tom

[demonx]

This is the straight edge I described earlier:

[rocket]

Something wrong with that!!! the edges aren't straight, they have bits cut out,
Rod.

[demonx]

Something wrong with that!!! the edges aren't straight, they have bits cut out,
Rod.

Ahh, I thought it looked weird!

[slowlearner]

Thanks demonx. I leveled them all again the other day I think it went a little better than last time.

I also think I've been over-crowning the frets. What I mean by this is I spent so much time recrowning them that I reckon that's what made the initial job all over the place. Hopefully all is good now.

[demonx]

Glad to help and I hope you got it solved. Over crowning will definitely give you dramas

Problem with fretwork is you never know how good it is until you get strings on it and its a pain if its not right. I'd be a liar if I said mine were perfect first time 100% of the time, however since I've been using the methods I described earlier the ratio has improved dramatically which can only be a good thing.