Guitar Repair Question, Please Help Luthiers!

[vangkm]

I recently bought a guitar from Switzerland. I purchased it on the 2nd of February and it arrived at Customs on the 5th. I got the guitar on the 21st of February, it had spent almost a month in limbo. When it arrived everything was in great condition, but alongside every single fret on both fret ends, the finish seemed to bubble up. About 50% of the bubbles can be felt when playing the guitar, because of this the frets are a tad sharp as well. Can this be fixed? Does anyone know what caused this to happen?

I assume this happened because of all the time the guitar spent out in the cold, but I'd like the advice and comments of people who are much more experienced with these sort of problems, thanks.

Pics: (also anytime I have a guitar out at my brother's house, my nephew wants to play it.)















Any input/advice is welcome and appreciated, thanks.

[Mike Hansen]

The guitar is dry. The fretboard shrinks but the frets don't, leading to the ends protruding over the edge. This would be the time to have them filed because it probably won't get any drier than it is now. When it rehumidifies, they'll be fine, and if it gets dry again, they'll have room so they don't protrude.

[tholmes]

Originally Posted by Mike Hansen

The guitar is dry. The fretboard shrinks but the frets don't, leading to the ends protruding over the edge. This would be the time to have them filed because it probably won't get any drier than it is now. When it rehumidifies, they'll be fine, and if it gets dry again, they'll have room so they don't protrude.

I'm certainly no luthier, but in my experience, Mike's evaluation is correct.

File and dress the fret ends ( or have a luthier do it). Re-humidifying probably won't cause the fretboard to return to it's original state, but it will prevent this from happening again.

Tom

[vangkm]

Thanks for the replies.

There is a significant amount of clear coat finish over the fret ends yet and the ends seem to be pushing the finish out. How would I sand the fret ends down without having to strip that finish off or can't I?

[scottlr]

I'd have a pro do it if you have no experience.

[Drak]

You don't need any finish on the fret ends. It may be there because of the way the manufacturer shot the neck, but it's unnecessary, have a good luthier give it a nice dressing, it'll be fine, and the finish will be gone from the fret ends.

[Nuclearfishin]

I'm a luthier--what the guys said above is correct, the guitar is dry. You can rehumidify the guitar by putting it in a room with 50% humidity for at least a week or two. This has corrected the problem on many high end classicals I've seen. As far as the lacquer bubbles, that won't likely get any better, however it can be fixed relatively easy. French polish will go over lacquer, so if you knock it down and sand it smooth, you should be able to cover it up rather easily. If you try to respray the laquer, it can be done but will take much more work and expertise. You might want to contact the guy who built the guitar and ask why it wasn't properly humidified in the case, especially if it was being shipped from overseas and a wait in customs was exected. There's no excuse for not having the guitar properly humidified while in the case. Make sure you have an experienced person do this if you're not comfortable with FP.

Good luck!

JE

[vangkm]

Thanks, I knew TGP was the right place to ask! The guitar is an Edwards FR-120GT from Japan. It was bought by a guy in Switzerland and I bought it from him off of Ebay. I know there aren't a lot of ESP fans on TGP here, but it's made by ESP in Japan. Thanks for the help!

[alvagoldbook]

simply, have a pro do a fret dress. it might be pricey, but it's worth it. I wouldn't worry too much about the finish poking out a bit, it won't harm the guitar. if it bothers your hands I'd consider sending it back and getting another one around spring time.

[Troubleman]

Ah... a case of fret bloom....
Happens a lot when a guitar goes from a humid environment to a dry one - like say a house in winter with the heat on. A skilled luthier can take care of it. It may resolve itself when springtime rolls around, but I wouldn't count on it.

Not a crisis - your guitar just needs some professional love...


jb

[levelfrets]

Certainly take it to an experienced luthier who knows how to do this.. It is a relitively easy repair though. He should just run a tiny drop of thin vilosity super glue under the fret ends. This will in effect suck down into the bubbled finish and make it disapear. Then while the fingerboard is stll shrunk they should dress the fret ends. This is simply a result of climate change but a simple fix that will look perfect when done by a pro.