frets sticking out

[Richiesos]

We've having some very weird weather here in New York and my guitars are going crazy. In fact I had a lot of them up on the wall and I just put them all in cases. My frets are starting to stick out of the sides a bit on my new one. I was wondering how you guys handle that. Should I get them filed or should I just try a humidifier?

Thanks,
-Richie

[BrickGlass]

My JP had some fret sprout that was actually pretty bad. Started just a few weeks after I got it (from Dubaldo Music of course) and was really annoying. I cleaned the fretboard (ebony board, not supposed to use lemon oil with finished maple boards or something like that right?) with some lemon oil to restore some moisture and then used a humidifier. Took a few weeks but the problem went away. Now I just use the fretboard conditioning wipes from EB once in a while and clean with lemon oil when I change strings. I always use the humidifier too.

[Roubster]

Hey Richie, I'm in Park Slope BK. My Y2D stays in the case every time I'm done playing and I have not had ANY issues yet. As a matter of fact all the previous Balls I've owned, I have never had issues over several years with fret sprout. It is cool to have the axes hanging though, but I guess that's what happens when they are exposed like that.

[Spudmurphy]

Fractions of a millimetre expansion of the frets will make it feel real bad - imo a light sanding will get it back to shape - had same issue with a guitar that had fret spout many years after it was made.
An alternative will be to re hydrate the guitar and the frets will feel normal again

[lumberjack]

If you can, put it in a room with a humidifier and try to get some moisture back in the neck.

[AllenJ]

Yeah my newish Axis Tribute bought new in mid Oct is starting to doing it a little also (even tough I keep it in the case when not using it). but it's very dry up in here N.E. So i bought one of those small plastic cups with a clay brick that you soak in water for about 10 minutes and put it in the case. You have to re water every few weeks though. It has a few holes in it to let out moisture as the neck needs it. I'll also wait till spring / summer to see if the frets go back in from the moisture then.

My EVH also had that REAL bad but It's out all the time and has been around the block a few times for sure. So I had a fret dressing done on it anyway last month at it buzzed a bit too much so they solved the fret sprout (nice term BrickGlass!)

[beej]

As mentioned ... fret sprout. Put a humidifier in the room and it'll go back to normal. I've got a dry house and radiators, have to keep a humidifier going all winter near my fiddles.

[TSHOW]

Thanks...I have that a little on one of my Super Sports...I will try a humidifier!!!

[aleclee]

I just knock down the fret ends.

[Tim O'Sullivan]

Just a thought, if you sand or have the fret ends attended to whilst they are 'out', regardless of humidity or temperature it will probably solve the problem for good.

I had a Wolfgang a few years back which I bought in Sweden (in winter) and the frets were spouting really badly. The guy in the shop told me it was a real problem with non-bound necks as the store got so cold over night.

I had it attended to when I got home and it was never a problem again!

[straycat113]

Rich that is what is causing the problem-keeping it out of the case. I have only had this issue twice years ago with two Wolfgangs I had bought off the Bay that came from Nevada and Arizona and had it when they arrived. I left them both in the case for a month and never had an issue with them again as they went back to normal. I always put my EB's back in the case when finished and have not had an issue with any one of them.I was just reading about this somewhere else and some guy was raving about putting a violin sponge in the case. To be honest I do not even know what a violin sponge looks like lol, but someone else chimed in about one too. No doubt we have been having the craziest winter I have ever seen with this 50 degree weather in January but then it is shooting into the 30s at night. I would not play with the frets unless it persist after a couple of months. But just start to put it in the case from now on when you are done and it should go back to normal.

Hey Rob you moved? I thought you were in Bay Ridge? You down near me now lol.

[BrickGlass]

Rich that is what is causing the problem-keeping it out of the case. I have only had this issue twice years ago with two Wolfgangs I had bought off the Bay that came from Nevada and Arizona and had it when they arrived. I left them both in the case for a month and never had an issue with them again as they went back to normal. I always put my EB's back in the case when finished and have not had an issue with any one of them.I was just reading about this somewhere else and some guy was raving about putting a violin sponge in the case. To be honest I do not even know what a violin sponge looks like lol, but someone else chimed in about one too. No doubt we have been having the craziest winter I have ever seen with this 50 degree weather in January but then it is shooting into the 30s at night. I would not play with the frets unless it persist after a couple of months. But just start to put it in the case from now on when you are done and it should go back to normal.
.

Not a solve-all to just keep it in the case, although without a doubt that is going to help. I've had the problem with guitars before and I never keep my guitars out of the case. I think it really boils down to the climate you live in, the humidity in the air, etc. If the fretboard wood comes from a fairly moist climate and then gets sent to somewhere like Utah where I'm at (after it gets built into a guitar somewhere, which will of course have some sort of climate that is possibly different than where the tree came from), well Utah is a very dry place as far as the humidity in the air goes. Not much humidity here so it is going to dry out and a humidifier is pretty important.

[dhalif]

what is the perfect country for our guitars to thrive? where im from we need a DE- HUMIDIFIER, opposite i guess

[assMan]

Rich,

Had this prob with a NOS ASS as well as with a new AL.. I went at it with (I think it was) Fret Doctor for a month and have had no prob since. Just a case of thirsty wood. I would definately not grind the frets unless I really had to.

Good luck!

[Big Poppa]

the down side to unfinished necks in the winter....