Got my Sea Sick SD-1 - Sharp Fret edges!?

[AndyK]

I got my like-new guitar (eBay transaction) yesterday. Love the color - photos don't do it justice.

Problem is, the neck must have shrunk, and all the fret edges are sticking out!

What can I do? Is there a way to reverse the shrinking? The neck is dated 6/24/09, and I would hate to have to pay to have all the frets dressed. Bionic mike!?

[Matt_B]

File the ends yourself. It's easy and doesn't take long.

[maltomario]

+1.

keep in mind its winter in most parts of the world, so heating systems kick on and ambient moisture drops. wood shrinks so the fret sprout you're seeing will be at its worst right now.

Just go slow with the sanding. I've used a sanding block in the past w/ some 300 and 600grit sandpaper with good results. I'd recommend taking the neck of first, less likely to damage the body finish.

good luck!

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

In the spring, plants sprout. In the winter... Frets sprout. How dry is it where you live? This is not an indication of a quality issue with the guitar, but more of a symptom of the climate where it has been.

[AndyK]

I got the guitar from a guy in Ohio, not sure where he kept it - maybe near a heater or in a dry room. It's been raining / snowing here for a few days - so it's not really dry.

The same thing happened to one of the Wolfgang Special guitars I had years back. On that guitar, the fret mounting tanges were sticking out, not the actual fret edges. So I took a file to the un-finished neck, worked out OK. Are these Charvel necks finished in a satin, or just oiled?

[shreddermon]

Unfortunately, I've had this happen to several custom shop guitars. I'm afraid its very common for our winter climate & houses in the northeast. It can also make set-ups go wacky. Often, the guitars arrive from J/C (or other manufacturers) with no issues. Then, as they adjust to the new climate over several months or even a year or two, the issues start to gradually appear. There's nothing wrong with the guitars, per se - it's just a gradual thing as they become more acclimated to the new climate conditions. And it's kind of random - happens on some guitars, but not others. Every piece of wood is different, I suppose.

I've spent a nice chunk of change having a local luthier do work to fix these issues. Filing fret ends, redoing set-ups, neck shims. I wish there was a way for J/C to compensate for this stuff during the build process, but I haven't heard of such a thing.

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

Yeah, both of my Custom Shop Charvels had some "fret sprout" this winter. My SL1, not a bit. All of them are maple/ebony but the Soloist is of course painted.

Depending on the degree of sprout and how picky you are, the fret ends may need more than just filed off and/or you may want to have someone round off the fret ends.

[AndyK]

Would oiling the fretboard help to reduce the winter shrinking effect (yes, I am talking about guitar here)?

[Jack Napalm]

I have had this happen to DK1 and an ESP Lynch Guitar. Not specific to Jackson/Charvel that's for certain. Luckily I haven't had it happen to a custom shop yet.

[shreddermon]

Would oiling the fretboard help to reduce the winter shrinking effect (yes, I am talking about guitar here)?

Not really. The primary issue is humidity - or, more precisely, the lack thereof as compared to the guitars' SoCal birthplace. It's even worse in the winter, when our furnaces kick in the forced hot air. Oiling the fretboard isn't going to have much of an impact on that, especially with maple.

That's not to say that you shouldn't keep your fretboard from drying out - you should, of course. Just that it's a different issue from what you're experiencing, for the most part.

[tcwil8]

I just purchased a model A from the East coast and had the same issue when it arrived. Fret edges poking (rolled finger board might have added to this too).

[shreddermon]

P.S.- One good thing that I should mention is that once the guitar has "stabilized", if you will, and fully acclimated to your climate, it's less prone to these climate-related changes. So, if you wait until you think that it's done "moving", and have the fret/set-up work done then, you most likely won't have to do anything again afterwards. Maybe the occassional truss rod tweak with the change of seasons, but that pretty much should be all.

[Grandturk]

I had fret ends go out badly on a 54RI Strat I had refretted in the fall - thankfully the luthier knocked them down for me gratis when I brought it in.

The ends of my Dave Murray poked out a bit as well - not as badly and not enough for me to have them filed - except on a couple of frets on the bass side up around 17th fret - but I can't feel those anyway. I'll see how it sorts out in the summer and decide if I need to have something done.

Must have been a really bad winter - El Nino!

[DonP]

I got the guitar from a guy in Ohio, not sure where he kept it - maybe near a heater or in a dry room.

It's been pretty F'ing cold this year. I've not had any issues with my 30+ axes, but none are as new as yours (i think a 2005 SL2H is my newest guitar), so they've already stabilized.

[ekalb09]

Now I don't have to make a thread! Very helpful guys, thanks.