It is currently Tue Mar 17, 2020 3:18 pm

All times are UTC - 7 hours



Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 48 posts ]  Go to page Previous  1, 2, 3, 4  Next
Go to page Previous  1, 2, 3, 4  Next
Author Message
Post subject:
Posted: Sat Feb 20, 2010 9:33 am
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Tue Jul 24, 2007 7:33 am
Posts: 8461
Location: Mars, the angry red planet.
tyronne wrote:
Martian wrote:
pbassbob wrote:
...my Strat ('08 American Standard, maple board), the fret ends felt much more pronounced than they ever had before.
:P


This is proof positive to the MIA die hards that MIAs are not immune to fret sprout either.

Now what do you all have to say about MIA woods grade, Fender QC and several hundred dollars more than a MIM, hmmm?



Oh, you're going to create a firestorm with that comment Martian! :lol:

I have a '08 MIM Strat with no fret sprout and a '09 MIM Special Run Tele with fret sprout. Well used to anyway...this little tool I bought really is taking care of that and I'm curious what it will feel like after a New England Summer.

I was in GC in Boston this week ( huge store! ) and picked up a lot of different Strats on display. Some MIM, some MIA. Also some Squiers. I came across some MIA with sprout and some Squiers without! As well as some MIM with and without. I asked the Sales person and he acknowledged that I would see that. He said it showed how old the wood was ("green"), and also how long it had cured. He said that if I bought the guitar there they would take care of it by sanding the frets before I picked up the guitar to take home. If it happened after I bought the guitar, it would cost $30 to sand the frets down.

So bottom-line, it seems that the place of origin of manufacture has little to do with fret QC. Possibly the rest of the guitar too. I really have little complaints about the two MIM Fenders I have.

-T


See, it all goes back to my original point: Oftentimes, REGARDLESS OF COUNTRY OF ORIGIN, production guitars' woods are not allowed to thoroughly age and dry. Consequently, post factory, it's the luck of the draw and the climatic environment(s) these guitars are ultimately subjected to.

I will say this (which I think is going to be the real firestorm): Unless one now and forever keeps their guitar(s) in a sheltered environment/climate at all times, the fact that the sprout happened once means it is inevitable that it is going to happen again and unless one wants to try circumventing the inevitable, THE SPROUT SHOULD BE FILED OFF. This way, the guitar(s) now and forever will function properly outside of clinical atmospheres and one's fretting hand will never need any bandaging due to same.

YMMV.

_________________
You dig?


Top
Profile
Fender Play Winter Sale 2020
Post subject:
Posted: Sat Feb 20, 2010 9:36 am
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician

Joined: Sat Aug 23, 2008 2:01 pm
Posts: 1598
Martian wrote:
pbassbob wrote:
...my Strat ('08 American Standard, maple board), the fret ends felt much more pronounced than they ever had before.
:P


This is proof positive to the MIA die hards that MIAs are not immune to fret sprout either.

Now what do you all have to say about MIA woods grade, Fender QC and several hundred dollars more than a MIM, hmmm?



Hehehehe...I'd give it up Martian...you know you can't tell those people -anything-! LOL! :lol:

As to the whole fret sprout issue, personally I live here in Northern Ohio and I experience this with some guitars but not others. With my '96 MIM for example, I've NEVER had a problem like that...the edges of the fretboard have always had a very smooth feel (nothing projecting any time of the year)...same thing with my Seagull acoustic but I have noticed with the '85 Squier I picked up recently, that I do have a couple of "sharp ends" now that winter has really set in...wasn't there in November when I bought it and it's not bad by any means but it is noticeable (and it's on the "to do" list). Now my old Kay P-bass clone used to do that all the time during the winter..she was really bad for some reason so when I put the new frets on (the old one's were just worn to sh*t anyways), yea...I did snip the ends back just a a tich...never had a problem since. I never bothered to fill the slots so yea...there is a very very tiny little gap there in a couple of places but when it comes to cosmetics vs. playability, I'll take playability any day.

Now I will say that any problems I've had this year have been more noticeable and I got to thinking about this...in recent years my wife and I have used our wood burner stove in the basement -a lot- to heat the house in the winter and as such, we always keep a coffee can full of water on top of it for the humidity (the wood burner -really- dries out the house!). As the wood burner is down in the basement where my studio is...and where most of my guitars tend to reside, this usually keeps the studio reasonably humid (and yes, we do have to use a dehumidifier during the summer). This past year however we found out that we have a problem with our chimney so we haven't been using the wood burner and as such, don't have the steam can going either...so yea...a couple of my guitars are certainly experiencing a small degree of fret sprout. To Detroitblues...it is most certainly a seasonal/humidity thing and Ceri and Martian hit it right on the nose. Consider yourself lucky that you've never had to deal with it.

I would also add...and this is just my purely speculative opinion here but...I think this is something that some people are more sensitive too than others. As I said, yea...I do get this with a couple of my guitars but personally it doesn't really bother me that much when I'm playing. In most cases it's usually like "oh...I have a sharp end...need to file that a bit next time I change strings" but it's not like I've -ever- cut myself on a sharp fret or really ever worried about it or anything. That said, I know there are people out there who run screaming to their nearest guitar tech because they "poked themselves"....almost as though their guitar is defective or something. Personally I'm just more concerned with a proper setup, good action and decent sound than I am about the occasional sharp fret end...it really just doesn't bother me all that much.

Either way, Martian's absolutely right here...it's not like this is an issue that's only applicable to inexpensive guitars. Any time you have something that's "mass produced" on an assembly line, inevitably there are little detail issues such as this that are bound to get missed occasionally...even on an American made Strat.

Anyways, just my $.02 worth.
Jim


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Sat Feb 20, 2010 4:10 pm
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician
User avatar

Joined: Sun Jul 20, 2008 7:25 pm
Posts: 375
Location: Ohio
It's the wood. Wood is wood and frets will sprout when the wood dries and shrinks no matter where it came from, or how well it's been conditioned. The only solution is to ensure the proper moisture content of the air in your home. Has this been gone over enough yet? It is not a difference between MIA or MIM. Rolled fretboard edges and carefull fret detailing aside, you can do that to any guitar, MIM, MIA, Korea, China, Pluto. Make sense?


Martian wrote:
pbassbob wrote:
...my Strat ('08 American Standard, maple board), the fret ends felt much more pronounced than they ever had before.
:P


This is proof positive to the MIA die hards that MIAs are not immune to fret sprout either.

Now what do you all have to say about MIA woods grade, Fender QC and several hundred dollars more than a MIM, hmmm?

_________________
60th Anniversary AD Strat, Deluxe Nashville Tele, Player's P Bass. Mesa/Boogie Mk IV combo, Marshall JCM800, 1960A cab, Genz Benz El Diablo 60, Genz 2x12" cab, too many neat little practice amps and kit projects!


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Mon Feb 22, 2010 12:20 am
Offline
Amateur
Amateur
User avatar

Joined: Thu Jul 19, 2007 7:04 pm
Posts: 137
Location: Chicago
I have a Master Built Strat that has fret sprout and a 300.00 MIM that doesn't. One difference I noted. The Master built has an matte finish (like tung oil) and the MIM has a painted finish. I asked Dennis Galuszka (Fender Master Builder) when he was at my local shop doing an in store demo, and he said that it is fairly common for this to happen and it doesn't matter how expensive your guitar is if the environment in your house is always changing. I do suspect that Ceri is correct though and it must have something to do with the timber used.


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Mon Feb 22, 2010 5:48 am
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Tue Jul 24, 2007 7:33 am
Posts: 8461
Location: Mars, the angry red planet.
Chicagoblue wrote:
I have a Master Built Strat that has fret sprout and a 300.00 MIM that doesn't. One difference I noted. The Master built has an matte finish (like tung oil) and the MIM has a painted finish. I asked Dennis Galuszka (Fender Master Builder) when he was at my local shop doing an in store demo, and he said that it is fairly common for this to happen and it doesn't matter how expensive your guitar is if the environment in your house is always changing. I do suspect that Ceri is correct though and it must have something to do with the timber used.


I rest my case.

_________________
You dig?


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Mon Feb 22, 2010 6:16 am
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician
User avatar

Joined: Sun Jul 20, 2008 7:25 pm
Posts: 375
Location: Ohio
That is specifically the price you pay to play a raw finish, not the fault of the wood or the origin of build as you stated.


Martian wrote:
Chicagoblue wrote:
I have a Master Built Strat that has fret sprout and a 300.00 MIM that doesn't. One difference I noted. The Master built has an matte finish (like tung oil) and the MIM has a painted finish. I asked Dennis Galuszka (Fender Master Builder) when he was at my local shop doing an in store demo, and he said that it is fairly common for this to happen and it doesn't matter how expensive your guitar is if the environment in your house is always changing. I do suspect that Ceri is correct though and it must have something to do with the timber used.


I rest my case.

_________________
60th Anniversary AD Strat, Deluxe Nashville Tele, Player's P Bass. Mesa/Boogie Mk IV combo, Marshall JCM800, 1960A cab, Genz Benz El Diablo 60, Genz 2x12" cab, too many neat little practice amps and kit projects!


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Mon Feb 22, 2010 7:02 am
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Mon Jun 30, 2008 10:47 am
Posts: 15336
Location: In a galaxy far far away
If it's down to how long the wood has or hasnt cured for then it's entirely the fault of the timber supplier.

You cant tell by looking, how long some maple has cured for. So really it proves nothing. Also add to that that I've only seen fret sprout 3 times in my life. Why, I live in perfect guitar climate. I'd offer that fretsprout has more to do with owner location than anything else.

_________________
No no and no


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Mon Feb 22, 2010 10:58 am
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician
User avatar

Joined: Sun Jul 20, 2008 7:25 pm
Posts: 375
Location: Ohio
You are completely correct sir! Gas heat is dry heat and tends to remove moisture content from household air. It's that arid environment that leads to fret sprout more than any other cause. Gibson stores their own wood in kilns to confirm that it's properly dried prior to making cuts; I wonder if Fender does the same?


nikininja wrote:
If it's down to how long the wood has or hasnt cured for then it's entirely the fault of the timber supplier.

You cant tell by looking, how long some maple has cured for. So really it proves nothing. Also add to that that I've only seen fret sprout 3 times in my life. Why, I live in perfect guitar climate. I'd offer that fretsprout has more to do with owner location than anything else.

_________________
60th Anniversary AD Strat, Deluxe Nashville Tele, Player's P Bass. Mesa/Boogie Mk IV combo, Marshall JCM800, 1960A cab, Genz Benz El Diablo 60, Genz 2x12" cab, too many neat little practice amps and kit projects!


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Mon Feb 22, 2010 11:18 am
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician

Joined: Fri Mar 14, 2008 9:56 am
Posts: 2766
Location: metro Chicago USA
Weird, ugly-nasty fret sprout happened here in Chicago, too.

Ugly fret sprout on 2009-purchased Am Std/VG and Am Deluxe, NOT to MIM or Gibson or Line 6 or Ibanez stuff. Same room, same hanging-wall, house humidity in winter about 53 to 58%.

Thought comes to mind of repetitive advertising for, "Detailed fret ends..."

Yeah, sure.


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Mon Feb 22, 2010 8:15 pm
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician
User avatar

Joined: Sun Oct 21, 2007 1:44 pm
Posts: 521
Location: Memphis, TN
I noticed the other day some very bad fret sprout on my high-end Martin acoustic. I didn't know what it was then. My 2006 Hwy One is perfectly smooth. I thought that Martin had dropped the ball on thier quality control. I'm glad to hear it's a normal phenomenon and easily fixable. By the way, I never noticed it during the summer, and I do have gas-heat here. I live in TN. I gets unbearably humid here in the summer, and sometimes gets bone dry in the winter. My knuckles on my left hand cracked open the other day! Thanks for the informative thread!

_________________
2010 American Deluxe Strat Sunset Metallic - Lindy Fralin Blues Specials in the neck and middle, Dimarzio AT-1 humbucker in the bridge.
PRS Custom 22 with solid rosewood neck
Mesa/Boogie Electra Dyne 1x12 combo
DRRI


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Mon Feb 22, 2010 10:38 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Sun Mar 29, 2009 3:06 pm
Posts: 3545
Location: Brooklyn N.Y
Martian now I am thinking that you are just Mike Eldred plain and simple. It gets a bit boring down in your forum room so this is how you hang on your own time.lol


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Tue Feb 23, 2010 6:08 am
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Tue Jul 24, 2007 7:33 am
Posts: 8461
Location: Mars, the angry red planet.
straycat113 wrote:
Martian now I am thinking that you are just Mike Eldred plain and simple. It gets a bit boring down in your forum room so this is how you hang on your own time.lol


Nah, I'm not Mike but I play him on TV.LOL

_________________
You dig?


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Sharp fret ends
Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2010 8:57 am
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Mon Jul 16, 2007 6:51 pm
Posts: 25357
Location: Witness Protection Program
masterhacker wrote:
I've got a 2004 MIA 50th Anniversary Strat with a maple neck I just bought. The frets have a sharp edge on the neck. Is this just a wintertime issue? Do I need to get a humitifier for the case, or are there more serious issues?


The wood shrinks due to drying out. As it gets smaller, the fret ends stick out from the edge of the fretboard because the metal cannot contract with the wood.

The easy fix is to humidify--this is a full-time job. Keep the guitar in its case, with a humidifier, during the dry season.

A quick fix is to leave the guitar in the bathroom over several days. Steam from using the shower will add humidity to the wood. After the neck moisturizes, into the case with the humidifier.

Since I like instant gratification, I take a smooth file to the fret ends and the problem is taken care of for good. My preference for this job is the Sears Craftsman ignition file. It's a 6" long, 5/16" wide single-cut smooth file that's perfect for the job. It leaves a polished surface that requires little to no final polishing necessary.

_________________
Being able to play and enjoy music is a gift that's often taken for granted.

Don't leave home without it!


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Sharp fret ends
Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2010 10:06 am
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Mon Jun 30, 2008 10:47 am
Posts: 15336
Location: In a galaxy far far away
Miami Mike wrote:
Since I like instant gratification, I take a smooth file to the fret ends and the problem is taken care of for good. My preference for this job is the Sears Craftsman ignition file. It's a 6" long, 5/16" wide single-cut smooth file that's perfect for the job. It leaves a polished surface that requires little to no final polishing necessary.


Pic's please Mike, I love looking at files. No joke.

Incidently thats my chosen fix for the issue too. Wait till its at its worst then file the ends smooth and flat and never worry about it again.

_________________
No no and no


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Sharp fret ends
Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2010 11:13 am
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Tue Jul 24, 2007 7:33 am
Posts: 8461
Location: Mars, the angry red planet.
Miami Mike wrote:
...I take a smooth file to the fret ends and the problem is taken care of for good. My preference for this job is the Sears Craftsman ignition file. It's a 6" long, 5/16" wide single-cut smooth file that's perfect for the job. It leaves a polished surface that requires little to no final polishing necessary.


Well, how about that for great minds, etc? I use the exact same file for finishing before polishing!

_________________
You dig?


Top
Profile
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 48 posts ]  Go to page Previous  1, 2, 3, 4  Next
Go to page Previous  1, 2, 3, 4  Next

All times are UTC - 7 hours

Fender Play Winter Sale 2020

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Google [Bot] and 2 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum

Search for:
Jump to: