Good God, I'm losing a fret!

[Huckleberry]

Hey all. I posted this on the G&L board, then remembered we have some seriously knowledgable tech-types over here...
While re-stringing my ASAT Special the other night, I noticed my 21st fret is lifting up **out*** of the fretboard on the bass side(you can slip a Heavy pick under it!),under the E & A strings.
I have no fret sprout anywhere on this neck(which is birdseye maple), so I doubt it's a weather thing. And I can't push it back by hand. I know a tech could "tamp" it down, and superglue it if necessary(which I don't think will be necessary because I can't push it back by hand).

Is this just "one of those things", or sign of a defect?
Will supergluing the fret down make a refret harder down the road, or damage the guitar if I forget the fret was glued?

Am I cursed or is all this rotten luck just a coincidence?



2003 has **not** been my year for guitars!!

[photoweborama]

Defect......

Sorry, you’re not giving me much confidence in G&L....

If you tap it down now, it may cause a problem because the frets were probably leveled with it like this. If you tap it down now, it will be lower than the others.

Take a 6" straight edge and put it over the frets to see if it is level this way. If it's higher, is came loose. If level, it will probably work fine this way. Just drive you nut each time you look at it.

Can't use much more than a 6" ruler because of the neck bow...

[Huckleberry]

It wasn't like this before, I can tell you that.

And I hear you about the confidence thing. This is getting annoying...

[Huckleberry]

Having said that, you should have been there when I played Fender Strats. All American Series & American Standards. the best examples in 3 different stores. Then...the horror began!

[OneL]

One thing your might want to check is your neckplate screws. If they are too long they will push out a fret provided the screw hole is located under the fret slot. I had a Zion come in to my shop recently with the very problem you have described. Somewhere along the way someone had installed a screw that was slightly too long and it pushed up a fret. I pulled the fret and replaced it after installing the correct length screw.

[Huckleberry]

...and it could come from the factory like that? Wouldn't they have a "set" size screw they use, that **doesn't**do that?

And the screws are right behind the fret in question. This could be a bad week...

[TremoloKing]

One thing your might want to check is your neckplate screws

That exactly what I thought of. This happened to me once (1970) when I used screws that were too long. Popped a fret out on one side. I don't know how it happened exactly but I had had the guitar apart a few times and I suspect that I mistakenly used the wrong screws putting it back together. Either that or Fender did.

On Fenders the neck screws should be 1 5/8". However, 1 3/4" screws are used in Fender speaker cabs. I think the 1 3/4" will normally work but they are dangerously close the fretboard. In my case I had refinished the guitar and maybe sanded enough off the back to move the screw tip up and into the bottom of the fret.

aj,

back the screw out that is under it and see it the fret pushes back down.

[Huckleberry]

I'll call the tech tomorrow & suggest that before he starts on it.

[OneL]

Let us know what he finds.

[Huckleberry]

I will. I'm sure it's JUST a loose fret. But I'm having a BAD time with guitars these days!

[bayou bostick]

The 21st fret? Do your E string notes buzz more than they used too? They should since you have a tall fret at the end of the fretboard.

This problem can occur in any neck where the frets are not glued in. Guitar players freak out about glued in frets, but many manufacturers do it (PRS, Warmoth). The luthier should heat the frets with a soldering iron before he pulls them for a refret, anyway.

Weather it came from the factory like that or not, this is a problem that can easily be repaired by a qualified luthier. The fretboard is waxed off. Then water thin superglue is applied under the fret. The fret is then clamped down with the proper radius block.

Dan Erlewine discusses this on his stew-mac video "Fret Basics"

[Huckleberry]

Bayou,
Yes, my E string was buzzing more than it used to. And I had a talk with the tech about my concerns re: gluing the fret down. He said "any tech who worth anything is going to heat the frets before removing them for a refret". he took his time with me & I felt a WHOLE lot better.
He called me when he finished. He checked to make sure ALL the frets were level(just in case), and really gave the guitar a going over. AND: no charge!
I got it back tonight, and plugged it into my DRRI for some wailing. Aaaaaaaah!
I keep looking at the fret to see if I can "tell"(obsessive compulsive). I don't think I can, but it doesn't matter: my baby's home, and plays like a dream! All the pieces are where they should be!

[bayou bostick]

No charge? And good work too, sounds like youv'e got a great tech. Certainly you've shopped there once or twice!!

[Huckleberry]

Actually, I've only purchased this one guitar from them. The back of the Repair Claim Check says:"after the sale it's the service that counts". I guess they mean it!