Aster1 Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 Hi Ya'll, I have been having some issues with fret buzzing on 2 of my Gibby's since new (about 2 yrs old). I finally broke down and bought a Stew-Mac Fret Rocker and checked both gits. Sure enough, several high frets starting at 3rd and up. Anyone had this as an issue & is it a warranty issue? My J-45 was in when almost brand new to our local Gibson warranty station in town for a setup. They wanted me to wait for about 6 months of playing for the guitar to really stabilize prior to the setup. It went in with fret buzzes, came back with fret buzzes, went back to fix fret buzzes and was there for 5 months with their backlog (warranty station for most all major manuf. & they are busy with that & non-warrenty repairs). Still fret buzzes, although less than when new. I'd asked about high frets the 1st & 2nd time in and they said they were fine. If not under warranty I may practice on one of my "Chinese" made acoustics before touching the J-45 for sure. If it's a warranty issue, what has been anyone's experience sending back to factory for warranty repair (if that's even available)? Thanks for the advice/info Aster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aster1 Posted February 23, 2013 Author Share Posted February 23, 2013 Boogers, Just checked my near new Gibson SG 61 Reissue & it's got high frets too. Thought Gibson's, esp. the electrics, were all run thru the PLEK level process. Anyone else checked their frets? Aster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrorod Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 I really can,t answer to the plight of the fretwork on the newer Gibsons. The only 'new' Gibson that I own is my 2004 Les Paul JR that I got a sweetheart of a deal on, being a first-time buyer from Musicians Friend!.... It came with a gig bag....$100 discount and Free Shipping....Like.... $599 to the door[ Out of the box....it played well. Fret ends a tad sharp....first G-bend and the string popped out of its slot(nut)... Okay...a kiss with the nut file. a little fret-end dress with a file and old leather belt to smooth the ends and no more problems. I did make a bone nut for it.... and.....that improved, already great tone! Aster, I would not doubt for a minute that with this 'poor' economy over the last 5 years that Gibson, as well as other US Makers have had to resort to 'cost-cutting' measures in their production line... Jes-Sayin!....sorry for your luck! I would be surprised though, if Gibson Warranty alone......would cover that[ Time and money-wise.... you may be on your own now[ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aster1 Posted February 24, 2013 Author Share Posted February 24, 2013 Thanks Rod, I've been giving some thought to learning to level the frets myself on the gits. Seems like All my Gibson's have a few high frets. My Gretsch's good, Ric's good (need to go thru the Fenders & Epi's too yet). I'm thinking that you do that type of work on your guitars maybe? With 5-6 guitars to touch up what would you recommend? I'm pretty good with delicate & detailed work in general (being we have to fabricate & install so much custom-custom stuff in the Home Theater/technology bidness I own). The other think is just how much "too high" is acceptable with the frets. They are not a real "teeter-totter" but they do rock with the Stew-Mac Fret Rocker. Frets 2,5,7,10,11 are off on several guitars. More than that on others. Thanks for the reply Aster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrorod Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 Hey Aster, Yes I do have some of the StewMac tools to do some fret dressing....but I tend to avoid it like the plague[ ! I did it 'once' with decent results on an old Tele Custom maple neck! It was quite nerve-racking and tedious, however, and I was constantly insecure about the end results! That particular guitar was one 'fret-dress' shy of needing a 're-fret'. As you are aware, it is fairly easy to sink $200-$300 in a 'starter set' of tools to do the job. Add in the 'learning curve' and it is a crap-shoot! Yes, I also try to do all my other repairs and some for a local music store on a 'side basis' I also do tube amp and amp repairs. If it were up to me(in your situation) I would be in search of a 'skilled and knowledgeable' luthier within driving distance( save on Shipping Costs and dangers) and have them done one at a time. A fret dress/setup should run you $100 or a lttle more! The operative word is 'skilled/knowledgeable' I am not so sure from your original post that the guy you took it to is 'your man' Rod Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stein Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 Been reading with curiousity. I think one question is "how high is too high", and another, what is the cause? As for the cause, I know this: frets start wearing the moment you start playing, and it ain't all the wierd for some fret to take a little more wear than others depending on the player. Not every player wears the frets into divots you can see at first. I know with mine, they tend to wear more smoothly, I think because I do a lot of bends and vibrato. I think also dragging a string across it wears it more reletive than pressing striaght down. I know wear is a fact from experiencing it, but I wonder if wood changes have effect. I have experienced on rare occasion a buzzing fret, pressed it down and problem solved. I tend to think that if there is a case of them wanting to pop out, playing presses them down. But another thing I'm wondering about is actual changes to the fretbaord thickness in some cases. I would expect it to be pretty even if there was any, but how do the laminate ones do? I don't trust the Plek machine. I'm sure it's ok, but the way it does it seems counter to what I would expect to insure straightness- one fret at a time. I think it relies TOO much on precision, and machines wear out as well, and go out of adjustment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 Hi Ya'll, I have been having some issues with fret buzzing on 2 of my Gibby's since new (about 2 yrs old). I finally broke down and bought a Stew-Mac Fret Rocker and checked both gits. Sure enough, several high frets starting at 3rd and up. Anyone had this as an issue & is it a warranty issue? My J-45 was in when almost brand new to our local Gibson warranty station in town for a setup. They wanted me to wait for about 6 months of playing for the guitar to really stabilize prior to the setup. It went in with fret buzzes, came back with fret buzzes, went back to fix fret buzzes and was there for 5 months with their backlog (warranty station for most all major manuf. & they are busy with that & non-warrenty repairs). Still fret buzzes, although less than when new. I'd asked about high frets the 1st & 2nd time in and they said they were fine. If not under warranty I may practice on one of my "Chinese" made acoustics before touching the J-45 for sure. If it's a warranty issue, what has been anyone's experience sending back to factory for warranty repair (if that's even available)? Thanks for the advice/info Aster hey Aster check this out (called Buzz Off) one of my pals picked one up he says they work really good http://www.jsbguitars.com/guitar-making-products/fret-leveling-kit?gclid=COCe0eWX0rUCFW3hQgod9RsAcw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aster1 Posted February 26, 2013 Author Share Posted February 26, 2013 Stein, Don't think there's much for wear on this one as I don't get much playing time on any one guitar. I do wonder about neck changes & frets myself. I work pretty hard to keep the humidity always around 45% year around on all my gits. Just checked on Dan Erlewine’s Guitar Shop & I think a Plek level & polish might be about $235.00. I'm sure it would be quite a player when it came back. Blast, Thanks for the info. That little block w/ radius looks like it could work okay with just a few frets high. I have the Stew-Mac Fret Rocker so I'll see if I can get just the fret block piece. Heck, looks like the entire kit is $18 so I'll just try that. I will start on my Hummingbird Epiphone version. If it turns out great, the the J-45 Custom. I can always fix with a $450 Dan Erlewine’s Guitar Shop Re-Fret job I guess! I'm a calculated risk taker, otherwise I wouldn't have made it in business for 29 yrs. I may call Gibson this week & AXE them if this could be a warranty repair issue & if so just send the git into the factory. If not, Fret leveling, here I come. Aster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrorod Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 That kit looks pretty good for the money. Will be great to hear of a good outcome when you get it and try it..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted February 27, 2013 Share Posted February 27, 2013 Stein, Don't think there's much for wear on this one as I don't get much playing time on any one guitar. I do wonder about neck changes & frets myself. I work pretty hard to keep the humidity always around 45% year around on all my gits. Just checked on Dan Erlewine’s Guitar Shop & I think a Plek level & polish might be about $235.00. I'm sure it would be quite a player when it came back. Blast, Thanks for the info. That little block w/ radius looks like it could work okay with just a few frets high. I have the Stew-Mac Fret Rocker so I'll see if I can get just the fret block piece. Heck, looks like the entire kit is $18 so I'll just try that. I will start on my Hummingbird Epiphone version. If it turns out great, the the J-45 Custom. I can always fix with a $450 Dan Erlewine’s Guitar Shop Re-Fret job I guess! I'm a calculated risk taker, otherwise I wouldn't have made it in business for 29 yrs. I may call Gibson this week & AXE them if this could be a warranty repair issue & if so just send the git into the factory. If not, Fret leveling, here I come. Aster Good plan Aster. my buddy bought it just to see how it worked, and he was quite impressed. the only thing this doesn't really address are loose frets that have lifted. so I guess for that, you'd want to know what issue you were facing, and then respond accordingly. i would expect leveling off a high fret that lifted, would be potentially a problem if the fret moved "back" in place during climate changes. that's the only thing I would sort of be concerned with ya know? /KB (Ray) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aster1 Posted February 27, 2013 Author Share Posted February 27, 2013 Yeah, that makes total sense to me too. It's always a good plan to really look things over, step back a bit to "not think about it" and things have a way of revealing themselves to you better. Best solutions to very complex or difficult fixes have come to me that way & when I'm dreaming at night. We'll maybe not those blonds from time to time, but other complex & difficult things ya know! Aster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted February 27, 2013 Share Posted February 27, 2013 There's a few ways to find a loose fret, the one I usually have the best luck with is take a tool like a nail counter sink, and with the "FAT" end, lightly tap the middle of fret, loose ones will have a sort of hollow sound to them, where as the ones that are sealed in properly will have a more solid response when tapped. just go up the neck, and when you get a loose one, you will hear it! Addressing it?? well friend... that's another story!! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigtim Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 I had the same issue about 1 year or so ago and broke down and got a fret rocker as well. I used just your average emory board cardboard style fingernail files to level out my frets. It has a rough side and a smoother side. It took a little bit of doing but after it was all said and done, I have the absolute lowest action guitar I have ever owned and I can also lower it more if I wanted to but when I do that I cannot bend the strings as well. I just used the rocker as stated and filed down the highest ones at the upper end of the fret board at first then went toward the headstock. I also had to file down the fret ends and used the same emory board style files and it did quite well there too. I used to do some metal fabrication type machine work. If you have experience finishing metal or even wood, take the same approach when you do it on your guitar. Just remember check often so you do not do it too much and mask off the fret board with painters tape and protect the body with something as well. Also cover those pick ups too. Good luck, Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aster1 Posted March 1, 2013 Author Share Posted March 1, 2013 Thanks Blast & Tim, I'm still thinking on the best approach and may spend a hour or so doing some intense checking this weekend on all the frets & real issue. Then I'll start my study. Aster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mustache Guitar Repairs Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 Thanks Blast & Tim, I'm still thinking on the best approach and may spend a hour or so doing some intense checking this weekend on all the frets & real issue. Then I'll start my study. Aster When you go over with the fret rocker, mark the high spots with a sharpie, that way you know which ones you want to be taking down. And definitely mask off the body and at least the neck pickup, if you have a rosewood or ebony board you don't have to mask the fretboard because you'll need be sanding/polishing out the scratches on the frets with sandpaper grits 220-600 and then finish off with some steel wool and lemon oil. Hope this helps, Travis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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