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Below is a sequence of shots taken during the process of ‘Levelling the Frets’,  also known as Fret Dressing or Stoning. Important point: Anyone using a Chisel Stone needs to know - it’s not level!

There are ‘fret profile files’ around (top) but personally I prefer the old C. F. Martin method of using the ‘3 square file’ (bottom) - don't ask me why they’re called that but they are meant for saw tooth sharpening. This file gives much more control and it’s less likely to lose that precision top I worked so hard to achieve when shaping the sides.

Sometimes the fret ends stick out more than they should and this can make the neck feel unfinished - “the barbed wire effect”. In fact the guitar may well have been fine at manufacture but, as wood can shrink and metal doesn't, it leaves behind the fret-end, exposing sharp edges. In order to remove them, I bring the edges back flush with the side - at the same time taking care not to round off the corners.

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The corners to each fret are smoothed, making sure not to lose the apex/top ridge and then the process of polishing can begin. I use one grade of Free-Cut and two grades of Wet or Dry Paper and just when you might think I am about to finish, I load up with some fine abrasive and ‘kiss the frets’ just to make sure the datum/level has not been lost in the polishing!

Now I can Polish up along the length of the fret and finally move on to 2 separate grades of steel wool before finishing off.

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The frets below are shown in 3 stages to demonstrate the fret profiling as an operation. Let’s say you have 22 frets on a particular guitar - to me that is 44 sides that have to be brought to a nice curve while still leaving the thin ground top. In the picture to the right this has been completed.

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This takes you to the Fret Clean-up

Here we can see the reprofiling of the fret from the treble side

After the reprofiling on the treble side the guitar is turned around and the bass side is worked on.