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I've just been visiting my 'guitar tech' 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 |
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