Fret Polishing

[dplight]

For some time I noticed that the frets on my HDT while still great, are not as glassy smooth feeling as they were new. What would be some recommended ways or tools to polish the frets back to buttery smooth wonderfullness. They are stainless frets.

[Pietro]

first thing I'd do is just take a microfiber cloth with no chemicals or anything and just scrub them with it. My SS frets have never been non-slippery at all.

[morty]

For about 10-15 years ago when i tought my Fender Prodigy wa my dreamguitar i had to take my guitar to my guitar store and have the frets pollished almost everey 2. or 3. years. When i bought my first Anderson in 04, i noticed the 97model had absolutely no fretwear! maby it have bin just a bedroom guitar, but it still dont have any serious fretwear! My 09 model Anderson with SS frets is as smooth as it was box new, as it was 5 years ago. I only use a bit of moisture and dry clothes. no chemicals on my guitars!
If you dont have a completely wrong setup i dont think you need to have any fret dressing on SS frets!

[dplight]

As for the normal wear I only see a tiny bit around the 2nd and 3rd frets under the unwound strings. This is after about 11 years of daily playing. This isn't really what I'm trying to fix. Over the entire neck the feel is not as glass like when doing string bends. I can feel just a little (very little) bit of roughness. Just enough to say it's not like new. I would like the new feel back, but have never worked on stainless frets before. There is a tool on stewmac that looks like a stick with sandpaper bands that looks like a possibility.

[tom]

i have seen some roughness develop from guys do do a lot of spanky funk stuff. it's the strings, mostly the plain ones slapping the the frets that makes them feel rough.

here's a way to clean them up. stainless does not need to be shiny to feel smooth. it you try to get them super polished, you may make them uneven in the process.

remove strings and leave the neck under the same tension as it was with strings. this will leave the neck in a back bowed condition.

put some 600-800 grit sandpaper on a rubber block.

standing to the side of the neck, with the long dimension of the block going lengthwise on the neck, push and pull sideways across the neck, moving the length as you go. i do NOT mean to sit in one spot and sand for days, it's more like a zig zag pattern up and down the neck. across, angle back to the the side you started on but a block further down the neck, repeat til you're at the other end then work your way back. you only need to do this once or twice up and down the neck.

the frets will appear dull, but they will feel smooth. the sanding part should not take more than 30 seconds.

[morty]

Thanx for the adwise Tom! Anyway i think i will give the job to a pro if its nessesary in the future :-)

[dplight]

Thanks Tom, I'll give it a go.

[dplight]

I tried what tom suggested (very close anyway) with great results. I went with 2000 grit paper. I worked while watching under a magnifying glass/light. When done with the paper I did some polishing. The frets are glass smooth again. Thanks Tom.