FretMaestro Tutorials
Part Four: Guitar Setup
Part One: Prepare
3rd Party Tools.
Fret Forensics - Knowledge is power.
Part Two: Maestro Technique
The Files.
Holding and using FretMaestro.
Part Three: Finer Points
Save time, save fret material.
Ultra Precision Finesse
Part Four: Guitar Setup
Nut Slots, Saddle/String Action,
and happily skip neck relief.
Part Four: Guitar Setup:
Nut Slots:
Whenever frets are leveled they are made shorter than before. This then means having to adjust the nut slots.
Now for the first time you have True Level Frets matching the radius of the fretboard, so now measuring from the fret crowns to achieve true accurate nut slot height all across the strings is actually real.
Nut Slots: Come before Saddle/String Action - the height of the slots is determined by the top of the fret crown. The generic all around slots because shops cannot achieve true level frets:
Six String: SLOP = Low E & A: 0.02". D & G: 0.018". B & High E: 0.016"
Six String: The Masestro Way: You now have true level frets, dial it in:
Low E 0.02" - A 0.019" - D 0.018" - G 0.017". - B 0.016" - High E: 0.015"
Bass: SLOP = E & G: 0.02" A & B: 0.018"
Bass: The Masestro Way: You now have true level frets, dial it in:
E 0.02" - G 0.019" - A 0.018" - B 0.017" OR E 0.021" - G 0.02" - A 0.019" - B 0.018"
Easiest tool for measuring references top of frets, not the old and crude hit and miss feeler gauge way.
Saddle / String Action:
Whenever frets are leveled they are made shorter than before. The saddle/string action must be adjusted.
But now for the first time you have True Level Frets that change the old rules for the setup. There is no longer the need to compensate for ballpark level frets using higher action and neck relief.
The neck must be flat:
Electric guitars are forgiving because the adjustment is by screws Vs sanding a saddle.
So... aim for low action if this suits your style of play.
Acoustic Guitar are not forgiving, once the saddle is sanded there is no going back.
Following ridiculously high action specs because before FretMaestro there was no way to achieve True Level Frets:
- Low Action: .047" / .079" (1.2mm – 2.0mm)
- Medium Action: .094" - .11" (2.4mm – 2.8mm) — considered the "standard" range.
- High Action: .078" and above.
Following action specs based True Level Frets:
- Low Action: .04" / .06"
- Medium Action: .05" / .07"
- High Action: .08" and above.
More details in the video:
Neck Relief Myth:
They say neck relief is to extend room between frets and strings to allow for the oval vibration of the strings, so they do not hit the frets.
This is false narrative perpetrated by the gatekeepers of archaic tools and rules.
Using archaic 19th century tools and methods for leveling frets it is literally impossible to achieve True Level Frets. They compensate by hiding their wonky frets with higher string action and neck relief.
Their narratives are pure deception. Guitars are engineered/designed to have flat fretboards on length, the scale length is based on the neck being flat, not warped in relief that shortens the scale length.
Intonation is warped as well with neck relief because it cheats the action by bending the headstock upward.
True Level, level from fret to fret, every fret the same height from the fretboard and every fret radius matching the fretboard radius. Period.
This makes neck relief a very rare need, and the result is smoother faster lighter action play, easy deep bends without fretting out, clear intonation, notes that sing, and sustain for days.
You don't believe this because you have never had True Level Frets, you have no reference point because the only one tool that makes Precision True Level Frets is, FretMaestro. Simple fact.
More details in the video: