Really low frets- too low?

[Diggydude]

I levelled the frets on a strat neck but, while seating well enough, it required a lot of levelling. This lead to some frets being very flat, too flat for my crowning file. It starts to file the wood (or rather tape) before it completes the crowning.



Above, you can see some of the worst ones. This much sanding was required to only just touch some other frets. I have a suspicion this may be caused from using a hammer- I had to knock some of them in better but this is the first time I've worked with Nickel, not stainless steel (I know, odd way around) so i may have wacked them too hard and squished them down.

What can I do to fix this? Should I just re-fret?

[McCreed]

One crowning file is not necessarily going to be "one-size-fits-all" so having different files with varying widths and radii in your arsenal are a good thing to have. For example you wouldn't use a Jumbo fret size file on Vintage size fret wire or modern Narrow-Tall.

However, there are more ways to use a crowning file than straight over the top. It's possible to hold the file on a slight angle and work the crown from the outside in (to the middle) using just part of the toothed radius. This still may be a problem depending on the depth and radius of your crowning file though. Again, a good reason to have more than one.

Fret crowning can also be done without a crowning file. A proper crown can be achieved with a fret-end file, a triangular file or even a flat file (like quality jeweller's files). The important thing if using jeweller's files, is that the edges have been smoothed (teeth removed - called a "safe edge"). This is to prevent the edge of the file digging into the fretboard or tape while crowning.

It takes practise and can be slower than a specialised crowning file, but it can be done. I have done it for minor touch ups and if there are just a couple of frets with isolated high spots. Sometimes a guitar doesn't need a complete fret level to play just fine.

For a full fret dress, I do prefer to use my crowning files, but as mentioned above, I have six different sizes to work with. I know of at least one guy that does all his crowning with a triangular file, and he can do an entire fretboard faster than I can with a crowning file! He's been doing it about 40 years longer than I have though...


Edit to add photos:

This is a pretty crappy pic, but hopefully it shows what I was talking about with the jeweller's files. You can see the shiny edges, particularly on the triangular file. I do need to make one with a larger triangular, but haven't got to it yet.

[Diggydude]

Thanks for the reply and information McCreed. As I'm doing a whole fretboard job, I think i'll have a look at new/different crowning files.

Any recommendations?

[McCreed]

HOSCO makes good files (MIJ) and there are suppliers in AUS. They sell them individually (S,M,L) or sets of three LIKE THIS.
That is just one suggestion and one retailer. No affiliation, but have bought other parts from them. Good to deal with IME.

Mine are from Stew-Mac but I suspect they are made by HOSCO. The exception is the SM ones have two sizes per file (different one on each edge). When I need to replace them I will probably buy some HOSCO's.