Scratchy Frets

[Doughboy]

My frets are beginning to feel scratchy & less slippery. Can I buff them with sand paper or steel wool to bring back the slippery smoothness?

Anyone done this before?

 

[mbman]

0000 steel wool will do the trick.

Martin

 

[mchn13]

0000 steel wool will do the trick.

Martin

True, but tape over the pickups so steel wool doesnt stick to the magnets.

Steve

 

[buckwild]

steel wool works wonders, although I'd recommend wearing gloves as that stuff can stink up your hands forever.

 

[glip22]

There's a kit Stew Mac sells with different color papers. Start with the heaviest and work up to the finest. It works great. I needed to file down five frets in one area and recrown. After I used this set and it mirror polished them.

 

[Anonymous]

i would tape off my fretboard too.....it's a bit of a pain, but you dont want to fuck your fretboard up buffing.

 

[OUTLAW1969]

Agree with all above.

0000 steel wool, and mask off the pickups and fretboard. Clean up all remnants of steel wool from the guitar, afterwards.

 

[suhrimmetal]

Stew mac kit is good... Ive used it in the past... As long as your patient and attentive, it works nice.

Currently have my 2001 LP being refretted with ss 6100 fretwire by Scott Bond. Got news from him it's all done and will be headed back my way this week. Can't wait.

Steel wool is nice to use when changing strings... get the grime and grit off.

 

[Ancient Alien]

Just use 0000 steel wool.
No need to mask the fretboard.
Take a piece of heavy duty paper, and with a utility knife/exacto, cut a slot in the paper just a little longer than your frets.
Place the paper over each fret and polish side to side. After you do every fret, go up and down the neck, masking your neck pickup.
No need to cover the fingerboard when going with the grain of the neck. Then simply condition the neck, wipe it down with a t shirt...done
About 10 minutes and you have new frets...

 

[splatter]

I disagree . I use steel wool to clean up the frets and do a final polishing but if the frets are actually so rough that they feel scratchy then I don't think the steel wool is going to do the trick.
I would use 2000 grit sand paper and wet sand them . Then do the steel wool thing . Just don't over do it with the water and keep the fret board dry .