Fret too low after leveling - how should it be fixed?

[bnjp]

Originally Posted by clintj

Side question though: how common is what I experienced? I've owned several guitars and not had this occur before.

It's not common for frets to just randomly pop up. I've only had this happen a couple of times, the most recent being a touring musician who flies with his guitar all the time. It was one fret, not several. I would have glued those frets too, so hopefully he's got you taken care of.

[Frank Ford]

Originally Posted by clintj

Side question though: how common is what I experienced? .

I hope your experience IS common - - a well-intentioned repairer eager to please.

To quote my first response above, "Anybody can screw up, and most of us will go the extra mile to correct a mistake."

[Ned Milburn]

Originally Posted by clintj

Side question though: how common is what I experienced? I've owned several guitars and not had this occur before.

Glad to hear your positive resolution. Frets do loosen and lift slightly, more with certain fretting techniques than with others. I, in fact, had to anchor (glue) and dress the frets of a beautiful Ibanez 335 copy from the 80's that had hardly been played. With non-glued frets, and the drying of the fingerboard, fret slots opened slightly allowing frets to move and become out of alignment like railway ties.

[John Arnold]

Anyone who has experience with older Martins is likely to encounter frets that are popped up on the ends. Until fairly recently, Martin frets were hammered into the neck after the fingerboard was installed. Hammering frets tends to flatten them, causing the ends to pop up. The solution is to overbend the frets before installing them, and to stop hammering as soon as they are fully seated. That is why just hammering on a sprung fret end is usually not a permanent fix.
Martin no longer hammers frets routinely. They press the frets into the fingerboard before it is glued to the neck. This is the method Gibson has used for a very long time, and it does have its pros and cons. A major advantage is production speed.

Side question though: how common is what I experienced?

On more recent guitars, I mostly encounter loose or uneven frets on the cheap Asian brands. Even then, I would not say it is common, averaging maybe 1 or 2 out of a hundred.
What is common is to see loose frets on amateur refrets. You haven't lived until you have gone behind someone who chipped up the fingerboard pulling the frets, sanded the inlays too thin, and then 'leveled' the fingerboard with 60 grit sandpaper.

[repete]

Loose frets are VERY common, and any guitar getting setup should be checked for that FIRST.

OP- Glad you got a good resolution to your problem.

-r

[Tomm Williams]

The one thing you mentioned that I hope is not very common would be the nut condition. As you described it with the slots left deep, lack of shaping and glue squeeze-out...................not how it's done.

[clintj]

The nut got reshaped when I took it back in. He said he liked a little bit of depth in the slot to help support them against side loads during bends. I countered by noting that they weren't exactly in any danger of going anywhere at that depth. He shaped, sanded, and polished it to a nice finish and it now tunes more smoothly.

To be fair, he usually does excellent work and the guitar plays wonderfully now. I racked up three hours of play time today, and enjoyed every minute of it.

[John Arnold]

He said he liked a little bit of depth in the slot to help support them against side loads during bends. I countered by noting that they weren't exactly in any danger of going anywhere at that depth.

IMHO, there is nothing to be gained by having the top of the nut higher than the tops of the strings.