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Fret Dressing
There are several terms used for this process; Fret Mill, Grind and Polish, Fret Level, Crowning, etc. They all refer to the same basic
process of precision aligning the tops of the frets in a uniform plane. Seating the frets in a piece of wood is a difficult process to
accomplish with extreme precision. There are usually slight variations in this work and it's further complicated by the fact that the neck
woods seldom respond uniformly to string tension. Therefore, a fret leveling operation performed on a raw neck is likely to require further
attention after the instrument has been assembled.
It's an accepted fact that final leveling and instrument set-up are best done after the guitar has
been strung up to pitch for several days and the neck has time to settle in to the tension of the strings. Then, if needed, the frets
may be leveled under tension to provide the finest action. After the frets are leveled then they are individually recrowned to restore
their rounded shape.
Most Warmoth necks do not require a fret leveling; they are good to go as they are received. Of course, if you want really low action or a specific feel, an overall setup and level may be necessary. This is highly skilled work and the associated costs can be relatively high, as one might expect for professional services.
As a final note on the subject, maple necks require a finish to preclude neck warpage. The finish is sprayed directly over the frets.
It is a tedious task to remove the finish and in many production guitars, it is simply left on them to wear off in use…A fret leveling
operation will take this off or the finish may be scraped off each individual fret. Warmoth does not offer either fret leveling or paint
removal services.
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