Fret Crowning File Guitar Luthier Leveling Dressing Tool Bass Electric Acoustic Dual Cutting Edges Ultimate Dagger Design Jumbo 6100 6105

I'm a hobbyist, but am trying to learn how to do basic guitar maintenance, as some of my guitars are over 20 years old now, or were purchased used with previous wear and tear. Was starting to notice string deadening and some partially dead frets that could not be remedied by changing string height, so it was time to address the frets. After a LOT of research on the best way to do this, I opted for this FretGuru crowning file. So, far I've been pretty pleased with the results - an update/revision will be posted if I encounter problems or have additional thoughts or tips on using the file. I think there are pros and cons to all of the different fret crowning options I came across. If money were no object, I'd probably just buy the StewMac diamond crowning file, but it's like $130, and I hopefully only need to do this a handful of times. You can get a $7 triangle file and there are loads of YouTube videos showing you how to shape a fret crown. But I really worried about inconsistency from fret to fret, and that my results would end up more "angular" than "crowned". The FretGuru file seems well-crafted, and in my early attempts with it, I've been pretty happy. Paid around $40 for it, so if this is the end of my search, I'll be satisfied with that investment. You definitely want to use permanent marker on the frets you are crowning, and then what should happen is that your fat Sharpie line should narrow to a very thin - but still visible - line on the top of the fret. This represents the contact point with the string, and it's important for intonation and string clarity that this contact point is narrow and centered. So does the Fret Guru accomplish this? So far, yes. I definitely saw a narrowing of the line without removing all of the material off the top. And, when checking the frets with a rocker, it didn't seem to have worsened as compared to after I leveled with the sanding beam. That being said, I'm sure I'm still making mistakes, and will just have to learn techniques and best practices with this whole process over time. Also, not all frets are the same - the Jackson DR6 I elected to use as a the "test pilot" for this process actually has pretty large/wide frets compared to some of the Strats I want to work on afterwards. And even from fret to fret on the Jackson, some of frets had been "flattened" more by the sanding process than others, so they were behaving differently when I went to file them. Still, I don't know that there's any other tool (especially not the triangular file) that is going to make this task any more predictable. I think it just caution, time, and experience. But the FretGuru file appears to work, and at least guides you to apply the same technique to every fret, versus free-handing it with a file.

Updating my review to 5 stars, despite my concerns outlined below. I just crowned all the frets on a P bass in less than half the time it would have taken with my old file and much less hand cramping (easier shape to hold). I used a sharpie as described below to be sure not to remove any height from the frets. The slight extra time required for that was more than offset by the fast and precise cutting of this file. As others have noted, this file has teeth all the way to the top of the profile - which means it will not only crown the fret but also remove height. If you use a fret leveling beam to level the frets, and want a file just for crowning, this file is not ideal. There are a few crowning files available that do not have teeth at the top of the profile which makes the task easier and safer. Quality of this file seems very good, just the cutting action is not what I was expecting based on the product description. There was a very helpful tip from another reviewer, that is worth repeating if you want to use this file just for crowning: mark the fret tops with a sharpie, and then check frequently during the crowning process to not remove all of the sharpie.

Where to start? Since I don't own a multitude of guitars, it's hard to justify spending $100 plus for a decent crowning file that will actually do what it is designed to do. I have bought inexpensive files in the past, only to disappointed by the lack of quality and usefulness. This file was pretty much perfect for me, because it enabled me to perfectly set-up the handful of guitars I have, easily and quickly. The added bonus here is that it was priced affordably. I can't speak on how long it will last as a viable tool, or how well it will work on stainless wire, but it was exactly what I was looking for to suit my needs. Is it perfect? No. But it certainly isn't cheap garbage, either. If you are considering buying this to crown frets, or even do small adjustments to fret height for leveling, do it.

I did some spot leveling and crowning on a used guitar that was having some issues with fretting out higher up on the neck, I marked the frets and went to it. If the frets are properly leveled the file will not take material off the top of the fret (this is good), and didn't seem to touch the fingerboard, but I would still tape off your fingerboard when you use this, better safe than sorry. The file worked great, and I polished the fret with 600 grit sand paper and went over it again with fret polish and a cloth, and it all worked out. Out of the fret crowning files I've used this one so far seems to be the best one, mind you I don't buy 100 dollar fret crowning files from Stew Mac either. I will update this review when I do a full fret leveling and crowning, but if I have the same results then as I did with the little bit of use I've had so far, I don't think I'll be disappointed. While my experience has been good with this tool, keep in mind, you do get what you pay for, and skill and knowledge plays a large part too.

Used a "rocker" to determine I had a high fret or two. I taped off the wood around the fret and used the rocker to locate the high area of my fret and marked it with a sharpy marker. Started filing and as sharpy ink disappeared would check with the rocker and repeat sharpy procedure until the rocker spanned the 3 frets without rocking. Finish with some fine steel wool. Any of these type of shaped fret files will cut down the height of the fret if you file long enough. If you just want to crown the fret, meaning to take some off the shoulders, don't file long enough to remove the sharpy mark. If you just have 1 or 2 high frets to fix you can get by with a regular, cheaper, 3 sided file. But if you like to tinker with tools, you can do it with this tool.

The quality is there as soon as you feel the weight. You get a hand written, addressed to you, thank you from Bernie the man himself. This file takes the effort out of the job, it’s gets it done with results you’d expect from a high quality hand made tool. Definitely worth the money. I highly recommend.

I make my living as a guitar tech and I have tried many files, from Hosco, StewMac and UO-CHIK-YU.. this fret guru file is the cleanest smoothest cutting one of the bunch (not including diamond files.