Official Luthiers Forum!

 I have some fret buzz on my accoustic and will have to tackle it myself as I have no access to competent luthiers. I am looking at Stewmac and wondering which of their dressing files to get ..double edge...three in one or the three corner variety...or something else?

Thanks

There is more than one way to skin the fret buzz cat, and I am sure that the experts will chime in, but don't buy any fret files yet. It might be fixed with a truss rod adjustment, you might have a loose fret, there are more than one possibility. Tell us more about the buzz.

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"Building guitars looks hard, but it's actually much harder than it looks." Tom Buck

Steve is, as usual, absolutely correct. Talk lots more about the buzz. Some of the pros will have good advice for you.

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Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.

Follow Steve's advice!
Also, most 'fret files' are actually used to restore the curved profile to the fret after any fret levelling has been done. You can often 'get away' without using a 'fret file' if you haven't removed much from the fret when levelling.
A short chunk of 1/2 aluminum angle with some 400 grit paper stuck to it will be more useful than a fret file, IF you have a 'high' fret.
First you need to diagnose the problem- there are lots of setup experts around here (not me) who will help.
Cheers
John

If the buzzing is up in the lower fret area meaning the first 5 or 6 frets it could need the truss rod adjusted properly. Do not start filing frets away if your not sure. You could cause more problems in the end.

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Guitars, guitars and more guitars.

By the way, welcome to the OLF, Steve.  There are a couple of threads in the archives that deal with fret buzzes, and one of them (fairly recent) covers the use of the small pieces of aluminum angle to level high frets with the strings still in place, if you find that your bar adjustment is correct.  Analysis of this problem, as Bill stated, requires a lot of information, and a short straight edge, that covers only 3 -4 frets at a time, will help identify a high fret, in relation to the ones around it, with a rocking motion.

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Steve, here is link to Frank Ford's site. I'd give it a look before you start filing. It would be a good idea to try and identify the problem using his buzz diagnosis. The folks here are glad to help but there are numerous things that could be the culprit. Check out Frank Ford's Buzz Diagnosis

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Don Atwood
Arlington, VA

 First of all thanks alot for your replies and welcome. That was a great link and my problems pretty squarely fall under the uneven fret category.
I have low frets top E and B string around fret 3-7. Too much blues in A! Any previous fret work I have tackled has been with various grades of  wet and dry paper and a flat as you suggest. This worked well as it was nice and slow. But how to get rid of the flat fret tops after?
I am prettysure the truss rod adj is fine.