Is fret crowning necessary?
Proper fret crowning specifically plays a major role in making sure your fret tops stay perfectly level, (which you need for low action) and it increases the accuracy of your guitar’s intonation as well.
How much does fret work cost?
Refretting usually costs between $200 and $400, and it is worth it if you plan on playing that guitar. Especially if it is a more expensive one. Refretting cheaper guitars might not be a good idea since the whole procedure can cost more than you paid for the instrument.
What kind of cutting surface do you need for FRET Crown?
Radius Cutting Surface – These files have a radius shaped into the cutting surface. This helps to shape the fret crown as you move the file across it. The trade off here is that you may need several files to match the different fret sizes you use.
What does a toothed crowning file look like?
Toothed Crowning Files – These are actually files in the literal sense, they have sharp toothed surfaces of metal that cut the fret material. I used this type for years, but eventually switched because when they get a little dull, they can chatter leaving more work for you later in the fret polishing stages.
Why do you crown the fret on a string?
We crown (or re-crown) the frets We know that crowning the frets is how we reshape the fret tops (or the fret bead) back to a nice even rounded shape with the high point over the center of the fret. Keeping the point of contact (Where the string contacts the fret) on center is what keeps the intonation accurate.
What kind of crowning file has a Z cut surface?
Z Cut Surface – This is a new type of fret crowning file that has a Z shaped cutting surface to allow you to be as accurate as possible when preserving that level top surface you made in the frets when you leveled them. I haven’t tried these yet but they look great and the idea makes perfect sense.