I've just been visiting my 'guitar tech' data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7 and he told me that just about all new guitars need a fret level if you want a low action. This is because they aren't levelled at the factory. He went into some detail about why they aren't, but it all boils down to cost. Gibson have a few Plek machines that do it, but Fender don't have these. He has been to both the Fender USA and Mexican plants, and they spend around 4 hours to build each guitar. Only 20 mins or less setting them up. He takes 3 hours or so doing it. And has to allow for the neck radius as well of course. Then all frets are rounded to the correct profile, very labour intensive. He uses various StewMac diamond files to do this.
Ron Kirn (a very well respected luthier - active on the Telecaster and Stratocaster forums, this is his website:Ron Kirn Signature ), explains it so: (my guitar tech explained it in a very similar way - it's down to the way the neck wood has different densities).
the lower you set the action, the more your guitar will benefit from levelling... those that play with SRV or Malmsteen high action will see virtually no change.
The reason new necks should be levelled is because wood is wood. It will contain varying densities up ‘n down the neck.
When you press a fret into the neck, the tang, and the base of the fret encounters the differing densities, thus it doesn’t matter if you use a press, a hammer, or sneak up and scare the little booger into the slot, it will only go in as deep as the wood will allow… some go easy, others take a few extra bangs…. The results are the frets seat at subtly different heights relative to each other.
Now these differences are very subtle…. Looking down the neck will not reveal anything other than GROSS problems, but…a difference of, say, .003, the thickness of a sheet of paper, will escape undetected… but….
If the 12 fret is .003 inch higher than the 11th, the action has to be about 1/32 or .031 higher so the note fretted at the 11th can clear the 12th fret without buzzing.
So it ya like your action lower ‘n a snake’s belly in a wagon rut, you’re gonna hafta have ‘em leveled. If ya like the action Higher ‘n Timothy Leary during a Harvard lecture… it don’t hardly matter.
Ron Kirn
I have more money than sense, so he's going to level mine, and also install the Fender Telecaster 4 way switch which wires the two pickups in series, as opposed to parallel in the 3 way (although that option is still there of course). This essentially gives a humbucker type sound, without any visible difference to the guitar.
4 way switch mod- is it worth it? - Telecaster Guitar Forum
Rothstein Guitars ⢠Serious Tone for the Serious Player
Not a member of the tdpri forums but I've read a lot of useful posts by Ron Kirn and other members, some of their guitar builds are bloody lovely! It was a few threads on that site which got me interested in Luthiery again.
I learnt fret-levelling/crowning through trial and error with cheap necks, done a few for other people but I'm pretty slow when it comes to Luthiery. Started that Wrath build a year ago but keep buying more wood for future projects, need to finish one project before moving on to the next!
Took a few necks to get the hang of it but I've got it down now, if I can get it lower than 1mm at the 12th fret with no fret buzz anywhere, that's a good sign for low action. Some people like action as low as 1mm but I tend to raise it to 1.2-1.3mm (high e) as I find the strings resonant better, bends have more sustain etc. Tension from 9s-10s usually adds enough relief on an unstrung straight neck, other people might prefer more relief though.
I've heard Plek machine level the frets as if there's string tension on the neck, but both Ron Kirn and Stewart McDonald level the way I described and they seem to know what they're doingdata:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7.
There's a great luthier section on the MyLesPaul site. I saw the katana leveling clip there. Makes it look so easy.
I do actually have some passive EMGs pickups setup in that guitar, it's the soldering part I've been putting off. I'm crap at soldering, always end up with burnt fingers and can't play guitar for a few daysdata:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7.
This time I've attached the parts to a piece of plywood for most of the soldering, might help cut down the amount of blisters. Was going with a straight forward 1-volume, 1-tone, 3-way switch but like I've added a push/pull tone pot for coil-tapping, more soldering involved that will probably increase the blister countdata:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7.
https://www.avforums.com/attachments/electrics_resized-jpg.564641/
Good idea that Katana fret leveller, I've bought the Little Bone fret crowning file from the same guy in Japan, think he was running his business from home to begin with. Little Bone is a nice idea but I ended up buying a fret file in the end, a lot quicker and more accurate.
If I ever win the lottery and or take early retirement that would be on my shopping list along with lots of other Luthiery type tools I've been eyeing updata:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7.
Very impressed with you guys. I've been playing for 25 years and only found out what neck radius was recently. I thought it was something rugby props developed.
He makes it look so easy, but working with frets with the strings on is not much fun. I've done a few guitars but it's so laborious to do well, although having a cheap crowning file doesn't help.
I'm picking up my tele tomorrow morning after the alterations and will revert. The guy who did the work told me that it now 'plays itself'. Good job, as I'll need some help...
I'm having it strung with 'hybrid' strings - 9-46. I'll sound so much better with those, I'm suredata:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7
Let us know what you think of the changes Philly.
I tried the hybrids for a while before shifting to 9s then back to 10s. Still not sure which suit me best.