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OMNI Pro is for all radius, we designed it specifically for Conical Radius Frets. See on Reverb: reverb.com/item/83068834-sixstringers-fretmaestro-omni-pro-fret-level-for-all-radius-frets I would never make the frets the same radius on a Conical Neck Radius... that would be a disaster.

Thanks 👍

Hmmm.... I prefer a fret press if the fret needs seating.

Yeah, and 19th century carpenters did just fine with hand saws and chisels. Who does that today.

@@SixStringers I’m not sure that’s an apple to apple comparison. Your tools are still essentially chisels and hammers. In other words, your hands have to be used. Arguably, it’s a better tool. Like a better hammer. But a hammer is still a hammer.

No... one still must use hand eye coordination to control a skill saw and so on. However, the results using a modern power tool are far more precise and the practice required to use them proficiently is far less. That is the success of modern tools Vs 19th century tools. Tools have changed tremendously in the last hundred years, but not the tools for leveling frets. Your flat beam and hand files are at best, guesswork, that is the inescapable nature of such tools, so that only those that dedicate themselves to master them can do a decent acceptable job. Yeah, no more fret buzz, close enough. FretMaestro does not require this extreme learning and practice, anyone can quickly dial in, just file straight, the same as with any crown file (an actual made to crown file, not a triangle or flat file, those are even worse.) to prevent grinding the sides of the frets. That's it.. and be patient to follow through to bottom out the Maestro so that all frets are level with each other, otherwise, must go back and finish those that were not finished, no fret harm done, just having to go back and finish is all. Now maybe you are a pro... you get real money for doing it, that being the case you get paid because few people have the time nor the inclination to master sanding beams and freehand files, but they really would rather not pay you if they do not have to. FretMaestro makes that a reality for them, for the rest of us, anyone can do it, no professional skills or experience needed. And they can do it many times on the same set of frets, and that is not true with the old way. And they can do however many guitars they have, each time not paying you. And the results they will get are Symmetrical Frets Vs the Asymmetrical frets that sanding beams and freehand files always produce, always. Symmetry is balance that makes the setup far more precise, hence the play and intonation can be optimized. This is not so with asymmetrical frets. You can get close if you are really good, but close is close, and dead on is dead on. Not the same. I understand that the pros want to get paid, they don't want people to do their own fret leveling at home. Leveling frets measures about what, 70% of guitar repair income. But if you think about it logically, every pro will benefit from FretMaestro. Even if you rough it in with a beam, finish it to perfection with FretMaestro, your results will be far better, and your customers will think you are amazing. That's a win.

I think you mean the unavoidable destruction the sanding beam does to frets.. is that correct? Most tools have evolved over time to make the work not only easier, but also with superior precision results. Innovations in tooling and tools have brought us most of the things we greatly appreciate today that would not otherwise be possible. But until FretMaestro, Fret Leveling tools have not evolved, having been stuck in 19th century limitations long after the technology to innovate has been available. It's strange, but true. And as is true Vs all disruptive innovations, the defenders of the 19th century fret leveling tools and rules are screaming as loud as they can from their trenches for no other reason than to keep everyone stuck in their game so that the rest of us will still have to pay them to use those archaic sanding beams and free-hand files. Ultimately, innovation prevails. And that's very good for everyone, even for those that rebel against it in the beginning.

You make a valid point. I put off making this video for a long time. I don't like drama, on the other hand, letting these three skate free on their slander and defamation has proven to be the wrong way to handle it. It is the combination of the three of them persuading people to be afraid. At any rate... it is done, and the chips will fall where they may. So now, as you correctly said... back to demonstrating the benefits.

There are 12 depth of cut settings @ .003" increments. If your fretboard is not wonky with fretboard acne and the neck can read straight with strings on... good to go. We have more videos showing the process, and verifying consistent perfectly level symmetrical frets, all 22 (or...), including precision radius, crown, and the land. Omni Pro references the fretboard... it cannot cut deeper than the setting, that sets the fret height. It duplicates the fretboard radius to the frets, it crowns on center at the same time. Omni pro works on any fret radius, but we engineered it to handle Conical Radius (compound)... the caveat is that it is not as fast as the radius FretMaestro because it is a straight file, hence only a bit of file strikes the fret at any one time, whereas the radius FretMaestro goes to 100% file to fret contact... so faster to be sure.

Yes. Even so... the design can be better,

Watch our other videos... and you will see very clearly. In several of the videos, different expensive guitars made significantly better with FretMaestro.

Glad to hear it. It is only possible when the fret radiuses are precision symmetrical, and of course level vs coplanar since coplanar does not mean level, coplanar can be at an angle where the tops of the frets are in line with each other, but the line is at an angle, very bad for play, tone, and buzz. This bad coplanar angle is all to common when leveling with a sanding beam. Thank you.

@@SixStringers it was a touch up on my 3rd fret job with conventional tools...I really tried to do a good job, and I am not totally green to fret work ....but Maestro-ing still resulted in lower action.

@@SixStringers Thank You...it's the best tool for fret work that I have now.....but I think, the next time I change frets, I will still use my leveling beam and radius block to check at true the fret-board .... so I am keeping those also.

@@SixStringers oh and my fret saw...I am keeping that also.

On new frets I would not use a sanding beam. If you measure frets with a digital gauge you will see why... before and after.

What about those that are not set up guys, you know DIY folks? They are the majority by far. Regular folks who would like not to pay a shop, who prefer if possible to level their own frets? Your assertion is misplaced. FretMaestro gives the professional unprecedented precision not possible with old school tools and guesswork rules, and also, now the novice can do it better than anyone who uses old school tools and guesswork rules , and do so without any prior experience or skills. You are using misdirection information to make an invalid point. You probably think coplanarity is a real thing... and it can be, but that is not the same as level, as I prove in other videos.

I would rather not pay a shop. I don't trust anyone. There's is a pro luthier in nice part of town that botched my nut. All the strings werent filed low enough and the B string was cut so crooked it sounded beyond dead when played open. I had to buy the files and do it right myself. ​@@SixStringers

Exactly... I know that rodeo, instead of getting the bull by the horn, his horn gets you, and somehow it is the bull that is crying foul. FretMaestro solves that once and for all.

Thinner flat you say... makes no difference at all because it is a flat on a radius, no matter how wide or thin/narrow the flat, the exact same amount of flat surface area contacts the radius surface. Basic geometry.

⁠@@SixStringersWhile I understand there’s a downside with using a curved sanding block (difficult to maintain an even sanding motion & pressure, & unintentionally sanding some frets more than others), do you find this to be the best approach for fret leveling outside of using your Fret Maestro device (assuming the radius of the sanding block matches the fret radius)? I’d love to purchase your product but unfortunately ongoing health issues have prevented me from working much, & I can’t afford it. While I understand & agree with your mentions about the flaws with the traditional sanding beam & block methods, & that your device remedies these problems, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the next best option for fret leveling, outside of using the Fret Maestro. While not an ideal solution like the Fret Maestro, would you suggest a curved sanding block as the next best solution for fret leveling? Again, I understand this method doesn’t solve the issues your device does, before you created the Fret Maestro what tool did you find offered the least amount of fret damage & produced the ‘best’ results? I’d appreciate any advice you could provide. Currently my guitars are unplayable (need few leveling), so I need an inexpensive solution that will do the least amount of damage. Thank you.

Next best.... PLEK. Sanding beams destroy the fret shape, so then guesswork hand filing to reconstruct... but of course no one is a robot, so the reconstruction will be helter-skelter, hence the setup will be compromised. It is simply the nature of free hand work with tools that were not designed for the task... old school tools were adapted from old woodworking tools. Interestingly, woodworkers left those tools behind long ago, imagine if they had not.

@@SixStringers Thanks for the reply. I wish I’d known about your product before I purchased a sanding beam & files. I also think I screwed up the frets on my Squire Tele because I failed to properly address the neck relief beforehand, on top of the excessive amount of metal that gets shaven off. I’ve since then had to quit working due to health issues & can’t afford to purchase any thing else or send my guitar in for a Plek job. That’s what I get for trying to do the leveling myself, based on a half assed video tutorial that failed to mention that step.

Sorry to hear your plight. You have lots and lots of company in that. Those 19th century tools sell a lot online... the budget kind and the ridiculous $129 price for a beam from you know who... and those newbies ruin their frets quick. But, few, unlike you, have the salt to admit it. I would love to hear from everyone who has trashed their guitars with those archaic tools and methods. I have seen plenty who lie, oh yeah, sorted my frets in 30 minutes using a beam and files, absolutely perfect awesome... uh huh, that is such rubbish, but you know, you hear it a lot, and no doubt this gave you false confidence. Sanding Beams and free-hand files require extreme practice to get a handle on... those that manage it charge a lot of money for half baked results and get away with it because they know that to try and do it as an unpracticed DIY results in disaster most of the time, if not always. 19th century tools that were never intended for the job of leveling frets, but it creates a niche specialized market that those who make their living from are now screaming loud and louder to defend from 21st century FretMaestro, after all, when you really can level, radius, and crown your own frets to CNC precision with in the palm of your hand CNC Precision FretMaestro... you won't be paying them. By definition, this makes FretMaestro a Disruptive Innovation, and disruptive innovations are always met with stubborn opposition from those that stand to lose income because of it. Fret Leveling represents about 70% of guitar repair work/income... so yeah, they don't like FretMaestro.

No.. what you describe as a compound radius on the fretboard is not that at all, you are actually describing a Conical Radius. Frets are Compound Radius. Most fretboards are cylindrical radius, and then some are Conical (root word cone) radius.

@@SixStringers I do agree with you on how things *should have been* named, I myself raised that tipic as well in the past. However, my point was that when you say "compound radius" in 2024, you'll send out the wrong expectation, as everybody knows it for what a conical radius should be. Other than that, you are right.

No argument from me except that we really need to use the correct terminology in order for our minds to more readily and correctly grasp the concepts. I taught English for 8 years... this does not mean I do not use some words inappropriately, we all make mistakes, but words Do Matter. But just because the majority is wrong does not mean the rest of us must buy into that. Better we try to correct the wrong and make the world a better place.

@@SixStringers Absolutely agree, we should try to enforce correct terminology through the power of example, else nothing will change, and it's already a very steep climb. It makes me laugh a bit cause there are certain words that *always* make me go bananas when people use them for what they're NOT and I tend to be a bit agressive in my attempts to correct that in them (I even dedicate small portions of my seminars to that) so, I think I really see eye to eye with you on this one, nothing else to say other than *correct*!

@@SixStringerssomeone should tell all the guitar manufacturers who refer to their necks as having a a compound radius.

Good to hear.

You greatly exaggerate the fretboard surface. You deliberately ignore and disparage the point. I've seen a few wonky fretboards over the decades, these are the rare exception, not the rule. If you want to make a valid point... go with the vast majority known as the rule, not the cheap shot exceptions that you fallaciously assert as "common".

As a machinist, I agree. I know a thing or two about measuring.

As a machinist you must know CNC machine precision and that Fretboards and necks are made with CNC machines today. I am not sure which side you are taking here... so forgive me if I guess wrong.... Do you know wood? The humidity argument is erroneous because it does not consider that the neck wood normal exposure to climate conditions, both humid and arid is uniform, and I am not talking about the negligent cases of long term exposure to intense humidity or intense aridness... talking typical cases... such that the uniform climate effect is inconsequential. The argument also does not convey that in the rare cases of prolonged extreme humidity abuse that the frets would be pushed up as well, and if you use a sanding beam on those, and then the climate changes, the board dries and shrinks, but because of prior extreme humidity that distorts the wood, the wood shrinks non-uniform and now those frets are up and down all over the place.

The Common denominator must be the lowest fret and then assigning that the correct FretMaestro depth of cut setting.

@@SixStringers 😎👍👍

Part 2 will be posted on or before the 4th of July. Look for it. Amend: Part 2 July 7 or before.

czcams.com/video/6pw8bTyae10/video.html Watch our video on OMNI Pro.

Yes. The compound radius file does it all at one time, level radius & crown. The OMNI Pro does also because of the controlled depth of cut, but as a straight file it is slower because only a small bit of the file contacts the fret at a time whereas the radius file once the true radius is established on the fret the contact is 100%. Other than a CNC fret level machine there is no other way to achieve the true symmetrical fret radius and crown. You are welcome to call with any questions - our contact page on our website: SixStringers.com Thank you for your honest insight.

Making new videos to show how to address any fret leveling situation with FretMaestro. It starts with having the right tools to correctly evaluate the neck/fretboard and frets to accurately identify what needs to be done to get the frets precision level with each other in perfect symmetry. Will be in the next week, end of June to first week in July, these videos will be online. These will also address the Spooky Knowledge Coplanarity Claims.

Actually we did not raise the price one cent... what we did was to eliminate selling with only one file and then having the other two files optional... we now only offer the Pro version having all 3 files, and it is the same price as before when someone ordered the two other optional files to then have all three. We did this to get away from those who just got the one file and were not getting the optimal results because they did not have the other files, most of them then would order the other two files, more shipping cost and so on. That said, the NEW OMNI Pro is a higher price. But if you want ouse it for all guitars you can, which makes it incredibly affordable. Compare that to 3 dinky bent crown only files for $385 by you know who. czcams.com/video/FpcVn6wv060/video.html

@@SixStringers I see, thank you.

Yes, and it is sad because without the correct terminology many people do not grasp the significance of a Conical Radius Fretboard. What is really strange is that even most of the manufacturers use the wrong terminology. As for the surface of a ball being a compound radius, I never heard it put that way, the term Spherical is the common term.

@@SixStringers it is the same radius on a ball, but the "compound" refers to a radius in intersecting planes. ( so a round ball has a compound radius, and so also does an oblong football. )

@@SixStringers there are No strait lines on a surface defined by a compound radius ... but where strings quite resemble a strait line, the cone works.... it would be scrap, if it was actually a compound radius. ( unless they are talking about something the truss rod could fix )

@@SixStringers but yeah, it would definitely help if people could know what other people were talking about, just from what they say.....that's the whole point of language.

Roger that.

I understand your view, but it is not accurate. You are referring to finger wear on the neck, yes, and that is not next to the frets because the strings angle off the fret in a way that finger wear cannot be closer than ⅛" to a fret. FretMaestro references the ⅛" on either side of a fret where there is no wear, and even if there were, FretMaestro would bridge it. Fretboards do not have bumps, though some here suggest as much, as if a fretboard had acne... ridiculous. Fretboards can be uneven due to truss rod damage or weathered damage, but now we are not talking about fret leveling, we are talking about fretboard/neck repair. replacement. New video coming later today maybe tomorrow that addresses all of this and more.

@@SixStringers - you can not rely on the wood of the neck, at any place, to be a reference to level frets - not accurate, and certainly not on the edge of where the frets have been pushed in. If you believe it is, do a number of guitars, than true the neck, mark all frets and run a full length light sand beam across to show that with the neck true, the fret level has been achieved. Again, I am not suggesting that the tool is not great to improve some guitars - there simply is no proof that relying on the wood on the end of frets that have been pushed into place creates an optimal leveling process.

You are challenging FretMaestro with the exception to the rule and not the rule. Yes, there are some funky guitar necks out there, in which case we are not talking about Fret Leveling, but rather fretboard repair or neck replacement. Context is important. Taking anything out of context to make a point is counter productive, and misleading. I won't belabor this with you. I am certain you have your mind made up, and it sounds like you make a living working on guitars, so certainly you have a vested interest to protect.

Yes, that guy, James Warner, decided to create Spooky Knowledge by calling fall off and fall away Coplanarity. He has never spoken with me, nor has he ever used Fret Maestro, he is not a customer. But the techs and luthiers make about 70% of their income from fret work at $300-$400 a pop, so when the rest of us can at long last do our own frets, and get better results doing so, well... you can see their collective reaction. They will have a very tough time making ends meets without fret leveling work. Eventually this will come to pass, everyone will use FretMaesto at home instead of paying a shop.

BTW... very few guitars these days have wonky fretboards and/or necks. They are made with CNC machines starting in 1987, and before that, industrial shapers going back to 1944. If a fretbaord or neck is wonky, that's not fret level work. Naysayers are always talking about wonky necks and fretboards as if that is fret leveling... it is a deliberate misdirection and deception, or they simply are clueless. And they harp about necks that are not flat and straight and say nothing about the fact that you cannot use a sanding beam on a neck that is not flat and straight. It's double talk. How do necks and fretboards go bad? Three reasons, too dry, too humid, or crimping the truss rod by tightening it under string tension. Finger wear on old guitars is not an issue since it will be more than .125" away from the fret itself, the strings come off the fret at an angle. So with FretMaestro having only .125" on either side of a fret, it will not be influenced by finger wear, and even if for some strange reason there is wear right next to the fret, the radius of the Maestro will bridge over and across that, so again, no influence to take away from achieving perfect symmetrical radius of the fret and the height and the crown. Our customers are not fooled by the naysayers deliberate misinformation or ignorance, whichever is the case. We sell on Reverb, and we get consistent 5 star reviews. Anyone can check that out for themselves. Some of our customers have purchased the Pro 11 Set, all 11 radii of FretMaestro, $1,800... there is no way they give it 5 stars if they do not mean it, but they do becsause they do mean it. That pretty much sums it up.

@@SixStringers that's what I was thinking, once the old frets are out, adjust the truss rod to a strait edge on the neck ... IF any issues, use a sanding beam and radius block, until your strait edge shows no problems...good to go.

@@SixStringers no one pressing in frets without checking their fret tang kerfs, and amending them need be, either...it's only a little more work at the fingerboard level, and then smooth sailing, and your done.

If the frets need replacing, yes. But now we are talking about neck and fretboard work, not fret leveling. FretMaesrtro is made to perfectly level, radius, and crown frets. We never claim it is for repairing necks/fretboards.

We now only sell full pro kit with 3 files each... 150 grit workhorse for level, 240 grit V file for crown narrowing, does not take off tops of fret, and 300 grit to finish. Previously we gave customer a choice of files, and most of them came back for the full set of files. Also, really you do need all three to do the best professional best ever results you have ever seen on fret leveling. Might as well do it right the first time.

We ship worldwide.

You have an interesting sense of humor. So, you build necks. So many naysayers here say that necks are never flat, that they have highs and lows like a sort of roller coaster along the length of the neck. They also say the neck radius is not consistent. I know CNC made necks are as close to perfect as perfect gets, but they ignore that. What do you say? What sort of tolerance would there be?

The first time I saw flat beams and straight files with only eyeballing and guess work as the way to level , radius, and crown frets I was appalled. This is 2024, not 1924... we have the capabilities to make far better and far more logical tools today than to continue suffering using wood working tools, which is all that was available way back when, adapted for compound radius frets (long radius + crown radius), and yet it had not been done except for a $250,000 CNC fret machine. We use shaper blades and bits for everything else these days to produce precision shapes and dimensions, why not for frets. FretMaestro.

FretMaestro is not $80. The $80 is for the Dble side "V" Crown Narrowing File. In a couple of week we will have a FretMaestro Omni, universal frets. It is not as fast working as the radius FretMaestro but it does all frets. We designed it for Conical Radius fret boards. It comes with 3 diamond files, 150 grit for the heavy Leveling work, + 300 grit for finish + 240 grit "V" Crown Narrowing File that does not cut off the top, only the sides to narrow the crown because leveling frets widens frets, changes play feel and intonation. $200 When you consider that Big Luthier Tool seller sells 3 bent straight files designed only for crowning, for $385 .... FretMaestro is a bargain. The game of numerous different tools for leveling frets adds up fast.

FretMaestro does not presently address Fret ends / sprout. But we have that in the works.

@@SixStringers Sounds good

That is a Conical Radius 12"-16" We will have our new FretMaestro OMNI available in about two weeks made specifically for Conical Radiuses. Every fret radius is slightly different on a Conical. The OMNI references the fret board to achieve this. Fret Boards are not bumpy or uneven. As long the neck is not twisted or "S" curved, that it can be adjusted flat using the truss rod the fret leveling is easy with FretMaestro. Twisted necks cannot be corrected with fret work. "S" curves in some cases can be made to work, but requires judicious planning. For that see customer video "FretMaestro to the Rescue" here on You Tube.

Yes, one would think the radius sanding beam is ideal, but as you said, a tough proposition to run it straight so as not to completely whack out the frets. Flat sanding beams suffer the same flaw albeit more forgiving, except now the fret radius is angular in a random way making it necessary to attempt reforming the fret radius with a straight file, which is counter intuitive for a compound radius fret. And eyeballing it is the only way, guess work, meaning that one will never get one symmetrical fret let alone 22 consecutive symmetrical frets. And straight filing has no depth of cut control and so it changes the fret height cut by the sanding beam. No matter what anyone says, flat beam and straight files are only good for getting so-so results. Geometry is the math; the math does not lie. And yes, the old school tools and rules that have been in play for far too long are adaptations of wood working tools for working frets... back in the day that was what they could do, and getting close enough to eliminate fret buzz was accepted because that was as good as it got. I think everyone knows, admit it or not, that perfectly symmetrical frets are the only way to maximize the guitar set up which in turn makes it truly possible to optimize play and intonation. Asymmetrical frets work, no doubt, have been from the beginning, but the tradeoff comes at the price of not getting optimized play and intonation. It really depends upon what one is looking to get from their guitar. The success of the PLEK is testament that there are enough players who do care. On a neck and fret board that are not damaged, and are machine made vs handmade... it is easy for anyone to Maestro their own frets to absolute precision symmetry, hence making it possible to maximize the setup and hence optimize the play and intonation. (Handmade fret boards made by a competent luthier are also consistent without bumps and rolling highs and lows the length of the fret board.) FretMaestro takes off the bare minimum amount of fret material to extend the life of the frets many times over. The naysayers claim that fret boards are bumpy, so that the only way to get same height frets is with a flat beam. Hmmm, the only bumpy fret boards I have ever seen are weather damaged by either too much or too little humidity. Finger wear on the fret board is a different story; FretMaestro bridges over them, they have no influence on how FretMaestro makes perfect symmetry of the fret. Also, finger wear never exists right next to the fret because the string angle off the fret makes that impossible, such that on either side of the fret there will always be at least .125" without finger wear, and the FretMaestro fits within the non-wear boundary. Necks on older guitars without a truss rod... that is why the string tension simulator was made. Guitars with truss rods; if the truss rod is not damaged it should be no problem to flatten the neck, albeit patiently. If the neck cannot be made flat, what happens when using a sanding beam? Trouble!!! In this understanding it is also understood that the sanding beam on a flat neck is also measuring to the fret board for fret height, even though the beam itself does not register off the fret board the way FretMaestro does, and unlike FretMaestro, a sanding beam destroys the crown and the radius of the fret while at once creating random fret height by the imperfect angular strokes that is the inherent nature of a flat sanding beam on a compound radius fret. Twisted neck... not a conversation... replace the neck. Dreaded "S" Curve - can be and has been successfully handled by FretMaestro. Impossible to do with a sanding beam. Customer Video entitled "FretMaestro to the Rescue" explains this. Not all "S" curves are fixable by fret work... more often replacing the neck is the only fix, or stripping off the fret board, replacing the damaged truss rod, and so on. Today there are only two ways to achieve perfectly symmetrical frets: pay for a PLEK service, or do it yourself with FretMaestro. FretMaestro cost much less, and you can use it time and again Vs paying again and again each time for a PLEK service.

Sounds like you have a conical radius fret board. We have a new version coming out for that we call FretMaestro Omni. It handles all radiuses but is not as fast. That said, you will have perfectly symmetrical frets for peak play and tone. Contact us: sixstringers.com/contact/ and will let you know when available, we expect next week or the one after.

Or about $300 per guitar for fret level done right... so $2,100 for 7 guitars, and you still don't have the tools to do it really right on your own the next time.

Yes, no problem.

reverb.com/shop/guitar-picks-sixstringers-wild-plectrums OR direct sixstringers.com/call-to-order/ We have more 12" and 9.5" coming in next week. Thank you.

@@SixStringers Wow, thank you so much