A red Kiesel headless came in for a checkup and setup after sitting unplayed for a while. The setup went through; the fret ends had gone sharp from dry storage, and the owner chose to wait on the fret-edge dress.
- Instrument
- Kiesel headless electric, red
- Tech
- Dave Eastwood
- Customer complaint
- Owned it a while; wanted it checked over and set up
- Diagnosis
- Fret edges sharp from low humidity during storage
- Work performed
- Full setup; everything checked working
- Parts
- None
- Bench time
- 1 hour 30 minutes
- Outcome
- Set up nicely; fret-edge dress recommended, declined for now
What Came In
The owner had the guitar for a while and wanted it checked out and set up before playing it again.
What We Found
The setup itself was routine. The fret edges felt sharp under the hand, which Dave put down to low humidity while the guitar was stored.
What We Did
Set the guitar up and made sure everything worked as it should. Recommended a fret-edge dress for the sharp ends.
Result
Set up nicely. The fret edges are still sharp: the owner declined the dress for now, hoping summer humidity would improve the feel.
Why do fret ends get sharp after a guitar sits?
A fingerboard is bare wood and shrinks as it dries; the metal frets do not, so their ends stand proud of the edge. Summer humidity can swell the board back some. If it does not, a fret-edge dress files and rounds the ends. We see this often on guitars that sat through an Upstate winter.
Related
- The Repair Vault
- Guitar Repair at Paul's Guitar Hideout
- How Humidity Affects Your Guitar, and What to Do About It
- How to Store a Guitar Long-Term
- Strandberg Boden Prog NX: Nut Too High for the Zero Fret
Bring It In
If a guitar that sat all winter feels sharp along the neck edge, a fret-edge dress is a short job. Guitar repair at the Hideout.
Paul's Guitar Hideout is located at The Shirt Factory in Glens Falls, NY. Use the Cooper Street entrance and take the stairs up. If stairs are difficult or you're bringing in something you don't want to carry up, call or text us and we'll arrange access.
The Shirt Factory
71 Lawrence St., Suite 201B, 2nd Floor
Glens Falls, NY 12801
Wednesday–Sunday, 12–5 PM
(518) 217-8695 · info@paulsguitarhideout.com