Fret Eraser question(s)

[Jaguar018]

So a few of my guitars have those indentations from regular use and wear. I’m thinking it’s time for some fret erasers to smooth them out. I have a set of them and some fret tape so I think I’m ready to go.

Am I correct? Is this wise? Watch a few YouTube videos and then get to it?

[Embenny]

Right idea, wrong tool. Fret erasers are for polishing frets to eliminate tool marks.

To get rid of indentations in frets, you want to file and re-crown them. If you just rub the top of the fret with an eraser until the dent is gone, you've just slowly filed the fret down and need to re-crown it to achieve the proper shape for notes to fret cleanly. Then you get to use your eraser to polish it up.

[adamrobertt]

I would also recommend against leveling individual frets. It can be done, but its best to level the whole board. You need a very straight block for this, preferably the length of the board, that you can attach sandpaper to. It's actually a fairly straightforward job that most people could do if they tried, but it takes a certain amount of confidence to do it for the first time. If you aren't comfortable you might want to just take it to someone who knows how to do it.

[Jaguar018]

Cool. This is exactly why I asked. A little voice was telling me that I’d better double check.

[Embenny]

I would also recommend against leveling individual frets. It can be done, but its best to level the whole board. You need a very straight block for this, preferably the length of the board, that you can attach sandpaper to.

Oh yes, I didn't mean to sound like I was advocating for leveling and re-crowning a single fret. Thanks for pointing this out. Everything has to be taken in context of the surrounding frets, you can't just file a single one down unless it happened to be problematically high to begin with.