finterra Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 I recently purchased a 2014 LP Studio (I purposely stayed away from the 2015 because of the auto tuners .... seems like a waste of money and I'm not convinced of the long term acceptance). But I digress ... the real reason for the post is the ask if other are having issues with sharp frets. I played the guitar at the store ... I do like the wider neck, the intonation is perfect even right from the store and I love the tone and feel of the guitar (I have been a Fender guy for most of my life so getting an LP has been like opening a new door into my music). But anyway, it wasn't until I spent more time with the guitar and did some slides up and down the neck that I really noticed the sharpness of the frets (the guitar does not have binding on the neck). I wondering if others have similar problems, or if there was a quality issue with my guitar. Also, I assume that can be fixed with a fret dressing job. Any thoughts and comments would be appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btoth76 Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 Hello and welcome to the Forums! This sharpness You feel at the fret-ends, or along the lenght of the fretwire? Cheers... Bence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finterra Posted January 19, 2015 Author Share Posted January 19, 2015 Hello and welcome to the Forums! This sharpness You feel at the fret-ends, or along the lenght of the fretwire? Cheers... Bence The sharpness is only at the ends of the fret Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btoth76 Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 The sharpness is only at the ends of the fret I see. The easy cure is this: 1.) Attach a fretboard protector strip to the fretboard using masking tape. 2.) Polish the frets with polishing papers, grits: 800, 1000, 1200, 1500, 2000, 2500. Focus on the fret-ends. Don't worry, the protector strip will secure the instrument from scratches. Do not overdo it, don't use the coarser papers more than a few seconds. See "Fret polishing" section here: http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/118680-fret-levelling-and-dressing/ 3.) Clean the fretboard thoroughly, with cotton rag lightly dampened in deionized water. Cheers... Bence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitmore Willy Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 Don't forget.... Sanding (or filing) is removing metal. You will get dust. Tape over the pickups. Just a thought, Willy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjsinla Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 I've actually run a large file down the side of several necks to fix this before with no problems. But, I am an impatient type, would not want to waste time taping and sanding. I run them at a 45 degree angle to the side of the neck. Also, you could always take it in to a repair shop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deeman Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 In the dry winter months, the fretboard can shrink leaving the frets sticking out a tad. It may be a good idea to take it to a professional if you don't want to mess with the guitar yourself but if you are going to fix it, do it now, or next winter as the fretboard will expand again in the summer most likely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stein Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 It CAN be fixed with a fret dressing, as it's kinda part of it having the frets polished and such. Although, usually a fret dressing is to re-level the frets after being word down some. As for a quality issue, my "opinion" is that it is. While sharp fret ends isn't really a warrenty issue or a defect as such, is IS a lack of quality in that guitars are leaving the factory without any work being done to eliminate the issue. For some it is an issue, for some it isn't. But most all would agree it is more quality to have smooth feeling necks and frets than not. Personally, I would raise the issue with Gibson, see how they feel about it. Gibsons have ALWAYS had particularly smooth feeling necks compared to other brands, partly because of the nibs, but also those without have been excellent. I don't know the changes taking place completely, but I think the spec changes as well as the quality changes in this vital area have everything to do with changes in the manufacturing process related to thier PLEK machine. They might choose to do something about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brdeveloper Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 I recently purchased a 2014 LP Studio (I purposely stayed away from the 2015 because of the auto tuners .... seems like a waste of money and I'm not convinced of the long term acceptance). But I digress ... the real reason for the post is the ask if other are having issues with sharp frets. I played the guitar at the store ... I do like the wider neck, the intonation is perfect even right from the store and I love the tone and feel of the guitar (I have been a Fender guy for most of my life so getting an LP has been like opening a new door into my music). But anyway, it wasn't until I spent more time with the guitar and did some slides up and down the neck that I really noticed the sharpness of the frets (the guitar does not have binding on the neck). I wondering if others have similar problems, or if there was a quality issue with my guitar. Also, I assume that can be fixed with a fret dressing job. Any thoughts and comments would be appreciated. I'm also a late adopter of Gibson designs. I have being always a strat guy. Regarding the sharp frets, I didn't note any issue or I'm not sensitive to that. I agree that the finish of this guitar is not the best we expect from Gibson. I can feel the joint between the mahogany fretboard with the maple neck. It's not smoothly sanded so my fingers don't feel it as a single piece. But it doesn't really annoy me. I know I bought a "budget" Gibson model and it feels great in the important things: neck is great apart from minor finish issues, string action is very comfortable, the nut is well-placed and cut, the vintage tuners hold the intonation well after bending, and the pickups are great (although to my needs I always use the bridge pickup in "tapped" mode). I would be annoyed with these minor issues if I had bought a Studio Pro, though. The 2014 Studio is a great concept. It's like buying a vintage wine. It already shows some relic, but sounds/feels great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DHyatt355 Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 Studio models cut costs by using lower grades of woods (along with ditching the ornamentation, using lower grade hardware, etc.) Expect drastic weather changes (think humidity levels) to effect wood that has not been properly cured more noticeably than the pricier tone-woods used on top end models. My 2013 LPJPro (rosewood fretboard) and 2014 es335 studio (baked maple fretboard) live in a room with a fairly constant relative humidity, and while not near as bad as imports they still show some signs of the effects the outside weather has on the woods. My MIK epi's get the frets dressed regularly, my '97 made in Cali Strat has never been touched, my MIC Washburn got tuned to open E and used for slide during it's first winter here. You really do get what you paid for, but knowledge is priceless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brdeveloper Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 Studio models cut costs by using lower grades of woods (along with ditching the ornamentation, using lower grade hardware, etc.) Expect drastic weather changes (think humidity levels) to effect wood that has not been properly cured more noticeably than the pricier tone-woods used on top end models. My 2013 LPJPro (rosewood fretboard) and 2014 es335 studio (baked maple fretboard) live in a room with a fairly constant relative humidity, and while not near as bad as imports they still show some signs of the effects the outside weather has on the woods. My MIK epi's get the frets dressed regularly, my '97 made in Cali Strat has never been touched, my MIC Washburn got tuned to open E and used for slide during it's first winter here. You really do get what you paid for, but knowledge is priceless. Do you store them inside a bag/case or exposed in a stand? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brdeveloper Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 Just complementing, I have a friend who has a Taylor acoustic guitar which stayed in a stand on his bedroom. The guitar is currently unusable, the action is too high to play anything comfortably. The reason of this worsening of neck action is humidity. When the humidity is too high, the guitar top become swollen and the "bridge" stays higher than it should be. If humidity is too low, the problem is the opposite: action becomes too low causing frets to kill the sustain. In short: it doesn't matter if you have a high end Gibson or a low end Epi, humidity is always a cause of concern. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btoth76 Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Hello! I've actually run a large file down the side of several necks to fix this before with no problems... Yes, there are bevel files for this, however polishing will be still required to remove sharp edges. In the dry winter months, the fretboard can shrink leaving the frets sticking out a tad... Interesting. I have heard about this many times before, but never seen. I live in an environment with everchanging humidity and temperature conditions, but never experienced any effect of these on my guitars. But, I keep my instruments in their cases in a closet. It CAN be fixed with a fret dressing, as it's kinda part of it having the frets polished and such. Although, usually a fret dressing is to re-level the frets after being word down some. ... Polishing can be performed anytime, it`s not necessary to wait for the fret levelling becoming actual. I found that while polishing the entire surface of the frets, - in process - the fret-ends become nicely smooth. Cheers... Bence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btoth76 Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Studio models cut costs by using lower grades of woods (along with ditching the ornamentation, using lower grade hardware, etc.)... Hello! Sorry, it`s not true. The same wood is being used as on Standards or Customs. In fact, they glue back together the fall-offs from the wood blanks used for one, or two-piece bodies of more expensive models. Then, these multiple-piece blanks are used for the making of the bodies of entry-level models. So, the wood quality is exactly the same. The price advantage is achieved by using up bits and pieces of the same fine timber. The hardware used, is exactly the same on all Gibson USA models. Cheers... Bence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brdeveloper Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Hello! Sorry, it`s not true. The same wood is being used as on Standards or Customs. In fact, they glue back together the fall-offs from the wood blanks used for one, or two-piece bodies of more expensive models. Then, these multiple-piece blanks are used for the making of the bodies of entry-level models. So, the wood quality is exactly the same. The price advantage is achieved by using up bits and pieces of the same fine timber. The hardware used, is exactly the same on all Gibson USA models. Cheers... Bence My 2014 Studio LP looks like it has a single piece body, and a 2-piece maple top. Is it possible? One possibility is that they put a layer of wood to mask the multiple pieces inside. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stein Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 My 2014 Studio LP looks like it has a single piece body, and a 2-piece maple top. Is it possible? One possibility is that they put a layer of wood to mask the multiple pieces inside. They do not laminate, at least not Gibson. Epiphone, yea, depending. But not Gibson. What you see is what you get. While they do reserve the "lesser" models to use stock they wouldn't on a model that specs a two-piece body or top, (read above), it doesn't hold that every guitar they make will have two or three pieces. If what they have isn't making any smaller peices to use up and they want to build, they will build, and sometimes that means the top of a pile. It's possible you have a closely matched 2 or 3 piece, or a 1 piece. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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