Repairing minor fret damage

[Matt77]

Grabbed my Axis Super Sport out of the case before and some mysterious fret damage has appeared. Not sure how it came about, but something has hit the 5th fret of the b string quite hard and there is a groove in the fret where the string has hit it. Gremlins no doubt!
It's only small and doesn't effect fretting notes but if you bend a note on the high e or the b string string at the 4th and 5th fret it makes a 'ping' as you go over the groove.

I'm skint at the mo so I'm thinking of trying to fix it myself using fine or very fine wire wool.
Anyone got any advice?
I'm a bit of a 'have go' type but I'm thinking maybe I should just live with it until I can afford to get a pro to do the work.

[FELINEGUITARS]

Matt - that fret will need to be recrowned to remove the dent.
I would use a diamond fret shaping file, followed by wet and dry paper to smooth the dent out, followed by a bit of wire wool.

You could take a small needle file and gently rub along the fret (from one side of the neck to the other), gently filing out the dent.
Also useful are emery boards, and the posh micro emery boards to smooth out the scratches and get a polish back up.
This may involve raiding the girlfriend's handbag/ toiletries ( so ask first).

Do mask off the fingerboard either side with masking tape or PVC electrical tape  to avoid scratching the fingerboard

[Will]

Practice your vibrato, same thing happened to me a bit back.
It may take a few hours though :D

[MDV]

But if you file that fret only down, it might buzz on the next one!

Try that first, but I smell a fret dress.

[Twinfan]

Matt77 - I know a great tech local to us who can sort that out for (I'm guessing) £50ish depending on what needs doing.  He does all my setups and fret work etc:

Matt Ryan:  www.guitarrepairer.com

[Matt77]

Matt - that fret will need to be recrowned to remove the dent.
I would use a diamond fret shaping file, followed by wet and dry paper to smooth the dent out, followed by a bit of wire wool.

You could take a small needle file and gently rub along the fret (from one side of the neck to the other), gently filing out the dent.
Also useful are emery boards, and the posh micro emery boards to smooth out the scratches and get a polish back up.
This may involve raiding the girlfriend's handbag/ toiletries ( so ask first).

Do mask off the fingerboard either side with masking tape or PVC electrical tape  to avoid scratching the fingerboard

Thanks a lot for this I will give it a go this weekend. I sense a raid on the girlfriend's stuff as she is in France until Monday (amp is going in the living room).

Matt77 - I know a great tech local to us who can sort that out for (I'm guessing) £50ish depending on what needs doing.  He does all my setups and fret work etc:

Matt Ryan:  www.guitarrepairer.com

I remember that guy. He has done some work for me before several years ago. He was really good so thanks very much for passing on his details; I wondered where he went. If I follow Jonathan's advice and it starts going badly I'll stop and send it to Matt Ryan

Practice your vibrato, same thing happened to me a bit back.
It may take a few hours though :D

Tried that last night. Tis beyond that :(

[FELINEGUITARS]

But if you file that fret only down, it might buzz on the next one!

Try that first, but I smell a fret dress.

Mark makes a very good point
Ideally you are not trying to remove much at all from the top of the fret, just enough to smooth out the dent
You are mainly concentrating on minimising the point of contact the string makes with the fret - crowning it!
The just take enough off the top to eliminate the dent
You could take a permanent marker pen and draw a line across the centre of the fret in question
The gently file up the sides of the fret trying not to completely remove the centre line on the top - it may get very thin but not gone altogether
Then finish off on top and not have to take too much metal off

[Matt77]

Fixed! :D :D :D
Jonathan thanks for the advice, I've sorted it and you can't tell it was ever there.
You have saved me a pretty penny

[AndyR]

Nice one - been watching this with interest  :D
Thanks from me as well, Jonathan!

Matt77, if you're wondering how it happened and how to avoid it... do you play slide at all?

I do, and although by theory you're not meant to be pressing the strings on to the frets, when it gets "exciting" you can put the odd groove there. It depends on the material the slide is made from, and the frets as well (how soft they are). I discovered recently that the Baja telecaster frets are a bit prone to it  :? but my standard playing flattened it out after a week or so. Bit of a shame though, cos my Baja is great for slide otherwise...

[FELINEGUITARS]

Fixed! :D :D :D
Jonathan thanks for the advice, I've sorted it and you can't tell it was ever there.
You have saved me a pretty penny

Well done
Glad to have been of help :D

[Ratrod]

Thanks from me too Jonathan.

Someone banged something against my Mockingbird so I have the same problem.

So I'll be filing!

[Matt77]

Nice one - been watching this with interest  :D
Thanks from me as well, Jonathan!

Matt77, if you're wondering how it happened and how to avoid it... do you play slide at all?

I do, and although by theory you're not meant to be pressing the strings on to the frets, when it gets "exciting" you can put the odd groove there. It depends on the material the slide is made from, and the frets as well (how soft they are). I discovered recently that the Baja telecaster frets are a bit prone to it  :? but my standard playing flattened it out after a week or so. Bit of a shame though, cos my Baja is great for slide otherwise...

The action is too low to play slide so that rules that one out. I'm fortunate enough to have a pre beat up spare guitar just for slide
I think someone smacked it one by accident and either didn't notice or didn't tell me!