sharp fret ends on a one guitar

[jsanfilippo5]

Hi All -

I have a room that I keep at an average of 45% humidity - I have several guitars in this room and they are all awesome except for one that seems to be having an issue with fret ends sticking out.

It is a cordoba C10 CLASSICAL GUITAR. The fret ends on this guitar are popping out ever so slightly. This is only on this guitar... I'm wondering if a classical needs more humidity? or maybe this guitar is just more thirsty???

I was going to take the guitar in for a fret dressing - but I was wondering if there would be any negative effects - I am assuming this is happening due to a shrinking fretboard, but once the humidity in the north east kicks in for the summer - im wonder if the fretboard will expand again and cause issues if I trim the fret ends..

I have never experienced this with any of my other guitars...

What does the AGF think?

[guitar george]

Probably it was made that way - the frets are too long.

[harmonics101]

I had (have) a similar experience with one of my Martin D18's, the only guitar i have this problem (sharp fret ends). I actually posted on the AGF about this and all responses were related to improper upkeep with humidity, too dry. It's interesting, I have 16 guitars and that D18 is the only one exhibiting that behavior.

H

[TBman]

I was getting this on only one guitar and humidified it which meant it stayed in its case without getting played for a while. This solved the issue. Why just the one guitar out of 8? Who knows.

[Realbluesman]

A proper file used very lightly on the sharp ends will take care of this issue once and for all.

[jaymarsch]

I acquired a GS Mini from a dryer climate than mine and it had this same issue. I kept it out of the case in my living room (average temp of 65 degrees with average relative humidity of 50%) and it took 6 weeks for the fret ends to disappear. If the guitar likes more humidity, you could try using a case humidifier or something like the Kyser or Oasis humidifiers and see if it re-hydrates and changes over time before you have the frets altered.

Best,
Jayne

[rick-slo]

Pop out or pop up? All (most) of the frets or just a few?

[jsanfilippo5]

Its the fret ends along the sides of the fingerboard - they are not popping out.

Im going to try to put in the case with an additional humidifier to see what happens. I like to keep stuff out in my guitar room though - easier access and the reason why I fill up a humidifer every day during the winter (and empty one in summer..)

[Wade Hampton]

Well, give rehumidifying the guitar a try, but what I've found in these discussion groups is that lots of helpful folks suggest rehumidifying as some sort of cure-all for conditions that won't necessarily be cured by it. It's kind of the online guitar forum version of that old guy in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" going around spraying Windex on everything:

˙˙˙

Rehumidifying might help, but in my experience it won't be enough. The best way to get rid of those sharp fret ends isn't to wait patiently for the fretboard to expand back to its original dimensions, but to get the fret ends dressed by a guitar repair tech. It's a fast and easy repair that won't cost much to have done.

Should the fingerboard ever miraculously return, resurgent, having filed off the sharp fret ends won't cause any problems.

Truthfully, though, I seriously doubt that will happen. Even if it does, the chances are that the wood will shrink again once you remove it from the heavily humidified case. So get the frets dressed and be done with it. You'll be glad you did.

Hope that makes sense.


Wade Hampton Miller

[Moocheng]

Guitar makers try their best to build their guitars in a controlled environment but sometimes things are beyond their control. It might have been an exceptionally wet summer when that guitar was made or the necks were stored for a period of time before being used.

now the guitar has stabilized its going to be more or less permanent. Theres no harm in having the fret ends dressed,

when I brought 3 guitars with me from Singapore to the UK, they all developed fret sprout within a couple of months. I had them dressed and a few other things sorted out as well and they have been fine ever since

[Howard Emerson]

Originally Posted by jsanfilippo5

Hi All -

I have a room that I keep at an average of 45% humidity - I have several guitars in this room and they are all awesome except for one that seems to be having an issue with fret ends sticking out.

It is a cordoba C10 CLASSICAL GUITAR. The fret ends on this guitar are popping out ever so slightly. This is only on this guitar... I'm wondering if a classical needs more humidity? or maybe this guitar is just more thirsty???

I was going to take the guitar in for a fret dressing - but I was wondering if there would be any negative effects - I am assuming this is happening due to a shrinking fretboard, but once the humidity in the north east kicks in for the summer - im wonder if the fretboard will expand again and cause issues if I trim the fret ends..

I have never experienced this with any of my other guitars...

What does the AGF think?

I'm also on Long Island in Huntington Station.

It may be that the fingerboard on that particular guitar was not as dry as it could have been, and perhaps it was just playing catchup.

I would have the fret ends filed flush and forget about it. It shouldn't take more than 5-10 minutes to do it.

My guitar room, an atrium, has a wood burning stove as the sole heat source, and at night the temperature drops to about 52-55, and after I get the stove going it's usually at 72-76 during the day.

I have 2 humidifiers going, and the humidity ranges from 38-45 almost all winter long. It does spike to 55-60 overnight sometimes if I forget to turn the humidifiers down during the cooling.

Regards,
Howard Emerson

[jsanfilippo5]

I scheduled an appointment with the guitar doctor - Hes gonna fixed up the frets on monday. He said he does these jobs all winter long.

Thanks all!

[Wade Hampton]

Yeah, it's a commonly needed procedure. But it's like getting your wisdom teeth removed: once you get it done, you won't ever need to get it done again.


whm

[mirwa]

Have the humidity corrected, have a luthier or do it yourself, and smooth the fret ends flush, you should never have the issue again.

Not a big issue, happens all the time with some localitys.

Steve

[Looburst]

In many cases a repairman can fix your problem for a twenty dollar fee, and in around 10 minutes. Just a matter of hammering down those raised frets.