So I hadn't played my strat since last gig, and today while practicing for a show this Friday I discovered that at some point last gig I managed to create the tiniest little nicks in a few frets, mostly affecting the playability/vibrato and bending motions of the B string. You would be surprised how the tiniest little nick makes it feel notchy and hung up with even the smallest vibrato or bend. I'm pretty sure this happened from a guitar-on-guitar collision when I leaned in to tell the lead singer the key of a jam we were in.

Now my question is, what can I do about this to restore some playability? I'm talking about any solution short of a crown and polish. I'm in an area pretty far away from anyone I would trust to do a crown and polish, and I've got a gig Friday night. Really don't want to use my backup strat either. So I'm hoping someone with knowledge will tell me it might be alright to take some very fine sandpaper and smooth the nicks, but I could also see where that might be a bad idea. Any advice from some of the local guitar work wizards?

Thanks in advance.

P.S. I would provide photos, but between flash, focus, and the size of the nicks, they are pretty much unable to be photographed.

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You said your answer

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I'm getting a dress done myself. Hope she comes back alright

Assuming that it is just a few light nicks, a half way decent tech will sort that in no time and you'll never know it happened.

I had to get two guitars done after my dog sent them flying.

Don't know of any other (even short term) solution sorry.

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Fender Highway & Classic 60s Strats, Fender Toronado, Telecaster, Gretsch Projet, Charvel 3, PRS SE Soapbar II & Custom 24, Burns Batwing and many others!

time for a fret leveling. just do it. i do every brand spanking new guitar i get even.
if your guitar gets any kind of serious play time at all, once a yrs leveling makes all the difference in the world. its like a tuneup for your fretboard.
a leveling, crown/dressing, and you will flip when your done. your hands and neck will thank you for it.

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63supro
"The good thing is in a club situation, most of the patrons are trashed and really can't tell the difference."

My son brought back one of my Strats because a pickup was dead and also pointed out some nicks in the frets around the 12th,...he does a great version of Voodoo Chile and had done a few mic stand slides up the neck ala Jimi,once he saw what had happened he said that even though the crowd loves to see that....it was going to be left out from now on,plus being afraid that I was going to let him have it with both barrels.
I did some file and polish work,that made them better....and he has seen the error of his ways...at least on mic stand slides.

A good dress and polish is the only solution. Why would you be hesitant to get your guitar back to optimal playing condition?

Depending on the nicks, you'll likely get away with just polishing the frets. No need for recrowning or leveling. Atleast for the time being, although you ideally need to get a re-crown done.

Your more than capable of doing that yourself. If you can change strings you can polish frets. It's easy, just mask the fretboard and use something like this stuff.



http://www.robertdyas.co.uk/product.php?product_id=121330&source=froogle

Just tear a small section off the wadding cloth and rub the hell out of the fret with it. Only do one or two frets a time, then clean the residue off. If you're on a rosewood boarded guitar. Masking off the rosewood is everything.
Like I said previous it's not a permanent solution. All you will really do is smooth the sharp edge of the nicks. And it's labour intensive.
It will get you out of a bind, but isn't the best solution, the guitar will likely need the action raised. Because you'll have emphasised the low spots on the frets. Ultimately you need a re-crown.

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No no and no

either route you take learn to do it yourself. man the money that can be saved.
ya just get tired after a while of taking it to the tech to get things done.
i know i do/did. beside not only do you save on the cash but ya no longer have to wait your turn on the work bench, which can take days.

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63supro
"The good thing is in a club situation, most of the patrons are trashed and really can't tell the difference."

If the string is actually getting snagged, all the polishing in the world isn't going to fix it. At best, a crowning of the offending frets MIGHT lessen the problem but this is really not the right way to remedy it and is only a temporary fix at best. As you can see by the majority of responses, it's G&P time.

One more thing: Frets can easily be attended to by a pro with excellent results. To save money and try to do it yourself can be disastrous to not only the frets but quite possibly, the fingerboard as well.

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Can someone tell me how much metal is typically removed when leveling and crowning the frets? Does it alter the action, or is it a pretty minor operation? Also, how does one check if this needs to be done?

Thanks!

John

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American Standard Strat, Sienna Sunburst
Gibson Les Paul, Desert Burst
Gibson SG '61 Reissue, Heritage Cherry

Thank you all for the responses thus far.

I'm not completely unwilling to take it in to my tech. The problem is that I live 2+ hours away from him. I've got a gig on Friday in that city, but this guy is pretty high demand and probably won't be able to help me between the time I get into town and the time of my show. So I figured I would ask if there was anything I could do as a temporary remedy. No matter what I'll be leaving the guitar with him on Saturday for a full job and probably have to travel back next week to pick it up. I just figured I would see if there was anything I could do to quick-fix it before my show on Friday.

To clarify, I wouldn't say it gets totally snagged/stuck. It is just a little bit notchy and uncomfortable. I can definitely tell there is something there on a select few frets.

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Down to the point of where the deepest indentation in a fret disappears. Sometimes it alters the action, depending on how much meat must be removed from the frets. Oftentimes, it is a minor operation to where adjusting the action is either ever so slight or not required at all. There are many tell tale signs. Some are: The notes don't ring true, outright dead notes/frets, intonation is off; the neck can't be straightened or these problems are exacerbated, stuff like this.

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There is no quick fix aside from repeatedly bending (in effect, grinding) your string over the offending area in the hopes that it will lessen the burr(s). If you overdo it or use an abrasive such as a file or sandpaper, chances are it will lower the fret itself to the point of where the fret above it will be too high. I must emphasize here: If the string bending doesn't minimize the burr(s), do not try anything further as it will only cost you more in the long run.

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