Guitar Tech...

 

That is someone who works on guitars.  Sometimes in a music store, where they work on customers' guitars.  If you are at the height of your game, you may have a gig with a band, where you make sure the guitars are tuned up, action set, controls set - ready to hand the guitar to the guy in the spotlight.

Or, if you live at the edge of the country, you learn how to do your own set-ups to make the action on the guitar just the way you like it.  I have never had to do fret work on any of my guitars... until this new one.  The tools for filing and dressing the frets arrived today... so, today I am a guitar tech.  The pay sucks, but I can set my own hours.  ;-)

Before doing the actual filing, I watched a bunch of videos... I went with the technique that I saw the most.  I set up my work area (the island in our kitchen), got the tools ready, took off the strings that would be in the way, put painters tape on the binding on the side of the fretboard, took a deep breath, and took a file to the new guitar...

 

I took my time.  Still, it went faster than I thought it would.  The specially designed file worked just like it is supposed to: the smooth edges protected the fretboard while the coarse sides ground down the "meat hook" edges of the frets.  One by one, 24 frets.  With the sharp metal ground off, I took what looks like an emery board to smooth it all out.  Then progressively finer polishing pads, working up from 1500 grit.

The end result: it is about 90% better.  Frankly, better than I had hoped for on a first effort.  When I do the first string change on this guitar, I will do a bit more work on the frets.  I didn't want to over-do it and take too much off or scar up the fretboard or the binding.  Mission accomplished.

This is much easier on my left hand.  Six days with this guitar, and I think it is Joan's favorite... with the daily concerts for Joan and Rufus, the request has been: "Play the electric."  It will now be less wear and tear on my hand to do so.