Fret sprout?

[bassbourne]

Hello,

I’m just a tad OCD when it comes to my basses and I was wondering if anyone could tell me whether this is a sign of the frets sprouting? Not sure if fret sprout is the correct term here (I’m not referring to the edges of the frets), but what I mean is that some of the frets don’t look completely flush against the fretboard The frets aren’t loose or anything and the sides/edges are nicely rounded (not sharp or sprouting).

Does this look normal (see photos)?

PS Please see my response to comment below for additional photos/details.

 

[Killing Floor]

Does it buzz?

And what kind of bass because it’s more normal on some than others.

 

[bassbourne]

Does it buzz?

And what kind of bass because it’s more normal on some than others.

There is some fret-buzz here and there, but I have my action set up low. Nothing extreme and not worse on the frets pictured.

It’s a 2016 Fender American Pro jazz bass. Rosewood. Bought it secondhand so it may have always been like that. Probably normal, just I’m obsessive…

Here are some more photos. It’s not specific to one fret:

 

[Zooberwerx]

Fairly normal as already pointed out. Can you get a feeler gauge in the gap? Wood does shrink and in all directions. Let's drag Richard @Turnaround ...and others...into the fray.

Riis

 

[bassbourne]

Fairly normal as already pointed out. Can you get a feeler gauge in the gap? Wood does shrink and in all directions. Let's drag Richard @Turnaround ...and others...into the fray.

Riis

I don’t have any feeler gauges, but I used a very thin piece of plastic and could just about get the very tip slightly under the few frets I tried it on. Barely though. (see photo):

 

[Zooberwerx]

I don’t have any feeler gauges, but I used a very thin piece of plastic and could just about get the very tip slightly under the few frets I tried it on. Barely though. (see photo):

View attachment 5028508

Appears your outcomes were fairly consistent? Is that the same ID that gets you into the missile silos?

I just did the same with a .005 feeler gauge with pretty much the same results. Time is tight so I did not trial any larger sizes.

Riis

 

[Turnaround]

The fret should be sitting right against the fretboard. They can lift slightly as the wood cycles through changes in humidity. An easy test is with a thin piece of paper - see if you can slide a corner of the paper under the fret (as you did with the piece of plastic - paper is thin enough to find any significant gaps).

Lifted frets can cause dead notes and poor sustain, as well as cause fret buzz. If you find you have lifted frets with the paper test I would have them reseated. A decent tech will have a fret press and in most cases it's enough to press the frets back into place. Sometimes they may have a tendency to spring up again, so I always use a bit of CA to lock them in place.

However, I have run into cases where the fret will not seat fully because the slot was not cut deep enough or there was some sawdust left in the slot when the fret was installed. In such cases the fret(s) need to be removed and the slot deepened or cleaned out. Regardless, once any raised frets are seated it's best to do a complete fret levelling and crowning.

 

[bassbourne]

Appears your outcomes were fairly consistent? Is that the same ID that gets you into the missile silos?

I just did the same with a .005 feeler gauge with pretty much the same results. Time is tight so I did not trial any larger sizes.

Riis

Haha no missile silos for me sadly.

Thanks for checking. May be fairly common then.

 

[bassbourne]

The fret should be sitting right against the fretboard. They can lift slightly as the wood cycles through changes in humidity. An easy test is with a thin piece of paper - see if you can slide a corner of the paper under the fret (as you did with the piece of plastic - paper is thin enough to find any significant gaps).

Lifted frets can cause dead notes and poor sustain, as well as cause fret buzz. If you find you have lifted frets with the paper test I would have them reseated. A decent tech will have a fret press and in most cases it's enough to press the frets back into place. Sometimes they may have a tendency to spring up again, so I always use a bit of CA to lock them in place.

However, I have run into cases where the fret will not seat fully because the slot was not cut deep enough or there was some sawdust left in the slot when the fret was installed. In such cases the fret(s) need to be removed and the slot deepened or cleaned out. Regardless, once any raised frets are seated it's best to do a complete fret levelling and crowning.

Oh dear, part of me wishes I hadn’t asked!

I did the paper test and it doesn’t seem so bad. Could barely get any of the paper under. Maybe a tiny bit of the edge, but hardly noticeable. Have included some photos below.

Thanks for the info!

 

[Turnaround]

Looks fine from the last pics. No concerns.

 

[bassbourne]

Looks fine from the last pics. No concerns.

Phew! Thanks for your input

 

[Killing Floor]

There is some fret-buzz here and there, but I have my action set up low. Nothing extreme and not worse on the frets pictured.

It’s a 2016 Fender American Pro jazz bass. Rosewood. Bought it secondhand so it may have always been like that. Probably normal, just I’m obsessive…

Here are some more photos. It’s not specific to one fret:

View attachment 5028502

View attachment 5028503

Not bashing but my last new Fender P came like that, several frets not fully set. It’s easy to fix. Or easy to have someone fix.