How to pull frets

[7string]

I posted this over on the Bass Guitars bit of Basschat, but thought it was worth repeating here.

If you're going to take frets out, heat them with a soldering iron before trying to pries them out. This softens any glue that's in there and can help reduce chips. Rub a soldering iron over the length of the fret for about 15 seconds or so (30w iron). If you've got a more powerful iron then it makes things a little quicker.

There are specialist fret pullers, but if you can find something like this at your local £ shop they'll do the job.








These have been ground down to put barbs in fretwire, but it gives you an idea of what to look for.


Start priesing the fret at one end and when you've got that first little bit work your way across. Be patient, if the fret doesn't want to come out heat it some more.

[color="#FF0000"][size=4]Do this work in a well ventilated area and wear appropriate safety gear. Sometimes frets are held in by glues which gives off nasty fumes when heated.[/size][/color]

Edited April 28, 2010 by 7string

[Bassassin]

Fret pliers are one of the few affordable luthier tools!

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Guitar-Fret-Tool-Puller-Nipper-Plier-Pincer-Forcep-NEW-/150438169000"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Guitar-Fret-Tool-Pul...W-/150438169000[/url]

I've also read it's a good idea to tape the board either side of each fret - the idea being that any splinters or chips will stick to the tape & be easy to glue back in place.

Jon.

[Golchen]

Also it can help to put a touch of back bow on the neck with the truss rod.

[essexbasscat]

may also pay to do some research on the type of fret wire used in construction. I was told by a luthier of some repute that some strats had tangs that were spread out. Pulling them out upwards results in the production of huge trenches in the fretboard, rather than tidy slots. Apparently the way to remove those frets is by pulling from the side rather than from above.

Havn't heard this from anywhere else mind you. But it does make me think twice and check the edge of the board before reaching for the pliers.

Just my 2p's worth

T

[richrips]

Is there any special trick for ebony boards?

r

[7string]

Haven't heard of any. That's no saying there aren't any though Getting the fret hot works well

[quote name='Bassassin' post='822619' date='Apr 29 2010, 01:31 AM']Fret pliers are one of the few affordable luthier tools!

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Guitar-Fret-Tool-Puller-Nipper-Plier-Pincer-Forcep-NEW-/150438169000"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Guitar-Fret-Tool-Pul...W-/150438169000[/url]

I've also read it's a good idea to tape the board either side of each fret - the idea being that any splinters or chips will stick to the tape & be easy to glue back in place.

Jon.[/quote]

You might still get the odd chip out. After de-fretting the next step is to sand the board. You can collect sawdust from the different grits of sanding, pile it up around the chip and drop water-thin superglue on it for a good fix. Any big chips go straight back where they came from right away.


[quote name='Golchen' post='822796' date='Apr 29 2010, 10:33 AM']Also it can help to put a touch of back bow on the neck with the truss rod.[/quote]

This is a contentious issue! Some believe that you should de-fret under simulated string tension, recreating that by measuring and then propping up the peghead or using a neck jig. Some think that this doesn't matter and do the job with a straight neck and other people think to back bow the neck so it opens the slots slightly.


[quote name='essexbasscat' post='822835' date='Apr 29 2010, 10:57 AM']may also pay to do some research on the type of fret wire used in construction. I was told by a luthier of some repute that some strats had tangs that were spread out. Pulling them out upwards results in the production of huge trenches in the fretboard, rather than tidy slots. Apparently the way to remove those frets is by pulling from the side rather than from above.

Haven't heard this from anywhere else mind you. But it does make me think twice and check the edge of the board before reaching for the pliers.[/quote]

You're absolutely right.

Up until 1982, [b]Fender slid their frets in sideways[/b] like a drawer as apposed to hammering or pressing them in. This was the same on all their electric instruments. The operator would have frets that had been sharpened on one end and a new slotted board. There was a foot pedal which operated a mechanism which pulled the fret away from the operator and sideways into the slot. They could fret a whole board in about 1 minute. Fender were the only people to do this.

If you try to pull those frets up and out of the neck out it makes an almighty mess of the board as they weren't put in that way. Using a punch, or something similarly small, and driving the fret out sideways (cold with no heat), leaves a clean slot as that the way they were put in.

[GarethFlatlands]

If I were taking my frets to make my bass a fretless, would I need to fill the gaps in? I've seen guides on the net that say yes and no. I don't want to damage the neck, nor do I want to irreversibly wood fill the gaps unless I had to.

[7string]

Yup, you need to fill the fret slots in afterwards.

Taking the frets out weakens the neck so you need to put something else in. You could use a number of things to fill the slots. If in doubt leave it to a pro as you could make a heck of a mess otherwise.

I had one of my basses de-fretted by Jon Shuker and I posted the neck to him. Great work, great price. Highly recommeded. If you're near London, the The Bass Gallery is the place to go!