Video

yo you're loosening the strings with a fucking drill and taking out the saddle with a hummer

I did this once on a relatively cheap guitar of mine and I was nervous as a cat. I was really worried about screwing it up so I went super slow. Took me hours to finish it, but it all turned out OK in the end. I doubt I would do it again though it was too nerve wracking for me.

a metal MM and 32nds of an inch scale will tell you exactly what to remove from the bottom of a saddle and they are cheap to buy.

I had heard about being able to do this but I’ve never been brave enough to do it myself. I have the same kind of bridge as you it’s just a piece of plastic that the string sit on. I may do this my girlfriend is a left-handed and it has this really weird exotic bridge so I can’t do hers that way I swear I’ve got like an inch off the fretboards. It’s so bad as a free guitar.

That's just like the time that I was crossing the street and a speeding truck skidded out of control and headed.....

Where Can I Find This?

Where Can I Buy The Kit??

Use mine all the time. Have had it for 3 years! Best luthier tool out there by far. Darren also made me a fret leveling tool that matches. Thank you Darren

I tried the link to get the tools you made it didn't work. Can you send a link please

Thank you for this solution, you saved my ass 3 times so far with this technique! I also sanded the pin hole area to a lower level than the saddle socket to get more string break angle and it worked wonders. Even the cheap Cort guitar bridges have an already routed pin hole area to make it lower than the saddle.

OR Just spitballing here, you can spend a little extra for a _quality_ masking tape, instead of the cheap stuff! 🤔

❤

I use a sanding sponge and run it on edge up and down the fretboard, making sure the edge of the sanding sponge "seats" at the base of each fret as I go. Do that about 20-30 times with 3-4 grits(usually 320, 400, 500, 600) and a buffing wheel finish for a mirror-like finish! Done in 20-30 minutes and the uniformity of the frets crowns is really amazing! SO much faster with much better results than doing them one at a time! Been doing it that way for 20+ years! My technique basically mimics what your tool does.

Hi Darren, are these still available to buy? the results look fantastic

Would you consider making and selling one of these? And if so what would you charge? By the way thanks for sharing this tool. It's brilliant in my opinion.

I think I'll let you do the tool making, Darren! I love your tool

I inherited a Cordoba Solista CD and took it to my guitar tech for a tune up, who does excellent work on my electric guitars and Taylor steel string acoustics. He said everything out there about a 3-4 mm range of string height on a classical guitar at the E strings on the 12th fret is nonsense, and it should be more like 1.5-2 mm. Something about the higher height is because of underbow and with a quality guitar like I have he can easily make it 1.5-2 mm with no buzzing. I am new to nylon string guitar playing and his advice seems to contradict everything out there, but like I said, he has never failed me when it comes to my other guitars. Any thoughts about what he is telling me?

I got one of these, and cant recommend them enough. So quick and easy and a first class job at the end. The best way to crown frets without a doubt!

Got one- love it!

I totally don't get this.are the steel rods pointing towards the nut or the same direction as the frets.The only thing that made me watch this is total confusion

I cant find any video of you using this.I just saw you using a file.

So how’s does it work???

A real eye full, great channel.

Amazing!

seems to work very well, but I have no way to fabricate something like that. Drill two holes perfectly parallel? Need a drill press i think, at least for the precision I would want for a fret tool.

thank you for the wonderful explanation

Thank you so much for putting together this quick video Darren! Much appreciated! I'll be making mine shortly now. Thank you again for taking the time to share this! Just a follow up question: Do you just hammer those 5/16 steel dowels into that drilled cavity? Or do they need to be held in place by something like an epoxy?

how does it work? Rather then looking at your belly I would like to know

How does it work ?

I’ve had mine in my toolbox for years, fastest crown job ever. Works best with jumbo/jumbo frets.

Love mine. Have used it often.

Great tool used it a lot this week.

Good Sir!! Please, where can I get your fret polishing kit? I really want to try it out.

Bizarre..

Sounds bonkers!

Remember he only claiming that it will crown and polish frets ,not level frets or do fret ends, I would think it works for its purpose but I can’t find it on eBay what name has he used for it?

You know that wood shrinks right? Like the wood in the fretboard?

wtf again

wtf???

The guitar needs a neck reset and not the bridge sanded down. What a waste of time and the customers money. Now it not only needs a neck reset but also a bridge replacement. I always say no to sanding down a bridge and ask the customer to take it somewhere else.

You should redo this video with a straight edge and a fret rocker and demo your work, worth the extra 5 min...

How do you get the kit ? Is a website ? I tried to search it can’t find it.

Do you still sail the fret leveling kit, I seen you use on a mandolin? Bought another mandolin and I thought I would level frets and dress them if need be. Thanks Terry.

It doesnt make sense why u take out twice the length. Why though?

This is usually done when the top becomes bellied so much. Or if the bridge is being lifted by string tension. I’ve done this too. It’s best to save this as a last resort.

Silly question, but why didn't you tape off the fretboard? Won't you be marking it with all that sanding, especially if it were lacquered?? Also, where can I buy this kit in the UK? On Reverb it says you don't have any listings?? Many thanks :)

Terrible example of what needs to be done , this guitar probably needs a neck reset. Another example of people professing to having the knowledge required. Yuk bad example.

ridiculous

Your system is similar to the Thomas Ginex system which is a sandpaper system using a simple plate with two ridged bumps on one side. You use the plate's flat backside to level using 3 different grits, then flip the plate over to allow the bumps to round (recrown) the frets fast and easy. I've been using that system in my shop for over 20 years now.

You surely need to sand the saddle not the bridge?