Sharp Frets and Bloody Fingers

OK so maybe bloody fingers is an exaggeration. But you guys have all experienced the sharp fret edges on a new guitar right??. Well lets not point fingers but most Made in USA guitars don't have this problem. Usually what causes this is the fret guy or girl is in a hurry to make production deadlines and just bevels the edges, crowns the top and passes it on. You go and test drive that guitar in the store and your fingers get all stuck and pinched as you slide your hand up and down the neck. OUch!!

So the answer is to have a guy like me (or hey just have me do it (daddy needs the cash)) round the edges of your frets to get rid of the sharp corners. Some of you might even want to try this yourselves. It's not that hard, you just need good eyesight (or good corrective lenses like me), the right tools and some Patience (some blues on the box does not hurt either. {I recommend The Delgado Brothers}). In this case all tools are available at Stew Mac or LMI. I use a fret shield, 3 sided fret file, buffing paper and a razor.

The idea is to round the sharp corners with the file, clean up under the fret with the razor (carefully, especially if your working on binding) and polish the end of the fret with the buffing paper. Done.... except you have to do it about 44 times on a 22 fret neck..... like I said Patience required.