Electric Guitars Firefly Fret Sprout?

MikeS

Student Of The Blues
Staff member
I just noticed that my Firefly 339 ( bought when everyone was talking about them here) has developed fret sprout! Has anyone else had this happen?
If I had noticed this before I ordered my Firefly thin-line, I might have had second thoughts.
I really liked this guitar, now? Not so much.
I guess I'll have to read up on fret repair. :cry:
 

CapnDenny1

Student Of The Blues
Don't fret over it. (Get it, fret over it?) Don't think badly of it. It's physics.

I saw that Suhr makes a neck and then lets it sit at the factory fro a year before they use it in a guitar. Minor variations they fix, major they pitch it and use a different neck. They do this before putting the frets in I believe. Part of the reason you pay $3K for a Suhr.

I have had a lot of guitars get fret sprout. I have seen Epiphones show up new with fret sprout. At least my Squier Classic Vibes have the manners to wait for the first change in seasons.

My G&L Tribute ASAT Special has a horrible case of fret sprout right now.

I have a straight file to run along the edge and take down the sprout. Works great from Stewmac. You could just get the fret end file, and not get the holder. It only takes a few passes, so the holder isn't really needed.

https://www.stewmac.com/Luthier_Tools/Types_of_Tools/Files/Snapfile_Leveling_System.html

I also have a small fret end diamond file, also from StewMac. It works great, but you need the two of them really. There is a trick to it, and it takes a while to get it right. Especially since some you do from one side and others you have to do backwards.

https://www.stewmac.com/Luthier_Tools/Types_of_Tools/Files/Fret_End_Dressing_File.html

I usually loosen the strings and use a stick to hold them behind the neck. It's a good time to clean and oil the fret board too. Stewmac has videos of their tools being used. This job is pretty easy, but you do have to understand what you are trying to do.
 

CapnDenny1

Student Of The Blues
You could also take it to someone, and have it done. I think it's $30 or $50. Cheaper than the tools to do it yourself.
 

Silicon Valley Tom

It makes me happpy to play The Blues!
Climate, and time of year could have a bit to do with it. If it is cold and you turn on a heater in your home, the chances are that any musical instrument made of wood will shrink a bit. The humidity in your home may hit between 4-15% with the heater turned on. Humidity of about 50% is ideal for musical instruments and people! :)

Tom
 

MikeS

Student Of The Blues
Staff member
It's just that none of my other guitar have had this problem over MANY years. I guess it's to be expected with a cheaper guitar.
I just ordered two files from Stew Mac.
 

Elio

Student Of The Blues
My Monoprice strat had some fret sprout early on but none of my mid-level to more expensive guitars have had that problem. I suspect it has to do with how long the wood had been dried prior to assembly. It really didn't take long at all to resolve with a bit of filing.
 

Rancid Rumpboogie

Blues Mangler
Well, I am in love with my Firefly.
true-love-smiley-emoticon.gif

So much so that I put a Bigsby B5 / Vibramate, roller bridge and locking tuners on it, and got a very nice case that fits it perfectly. I also have a brand new set of Bare Knuckle Mule (potted) pickups, new pots and capacitors for it, and will be taking it to a highly recommended shop to have all of that installed because no way am I going to tackle the frustration of trying to do all of that through the freaking F-hole. So now my plan is to have that same shop dress the fret ends as well. The minimal fret sprout is most likely because I moved from humid Lacey, Washington (like living in a shower stall) to Nampa, Idaho (much dryer) and have been here for 6 months.

https://www.bareknucklepickups.co.uk/pickup/humbucker/the-mule



IMG_0624.JPG
If you are wondering where I got the case:
https://www.samash.com/ibanez-am100c-hardshell-electric-guitar-case-iam100cxx
 
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MarkDyson

Blues Hound Wannabe
Thanks to this thread I did some reading and now I understand what "fret sprout" is and how to deal with it. We're in that hard winter sort of clime where the furnace runs a lot but I when I had the new one installed I had them add a humidifier so that helps a lot with the dry air. So far no issues, knock on wood. Not-dry wood. :Beer:
 

Elio

Student Of The Blues
Well, I am in love with my Firefly.
true-love-smiley-emoticon.gif

So much so that I put a Bigsby B5 / Vibramate, roller bridge and locking tuners on it, and got a very nice case that fits it perfectly. I also have a brand new set of Bare Knuckle Mule (potted) pickups, new pots and capacitors for it, and will be taking it to a highly recommended shop to have all of that installed because no way am I going to tackle the frustration of trying to do all of that through the freaking F-hole. So now my plan is to have that same shop dress the fret ends as well. The minimal fret sprout is most likely because I moved from humid Lacey, Washington (like living in a shower stall) to Nampa, Idaho (much dryer) and have been here for 6 months.

https://www.bareknucklepickups.co.uk/pickup/humbucker/the-mule



View attachment 7511
If you are wondering where I got the case:
https://www.samash.com/ibanez-am100c-hardshell-electric-guitar-case-iam100cxx

For what it's worth, I replaced the pickups in my Ibanez AS73 myself working through the f-holes. I was fully expecting to end up with everything in shambles that I would need to take to someone to re-assemble, but it was much easier than I expected. I used surgical tubing to fit snugly over the pot shafts and then pulled out essentially the entire wiring harness to work on. After the soldering was done, I shoved it all back into the f-hole then pulled the pots back into place with the tubing. It really worked beautifully. Heck, if I could do it...
 

JestMe

Student Of The Blues
For what it's worth, I replaced the pickups in my Ibanez AS73 myself working through the f-holes. I was fully expecting to end up with everything in shambles that I would need to take to someone to re-assemble, but it was much easier than I expected. I used surgical tubing to fit snugly over the pot shafts and then pulled out essentially the entire wiring harness to work on. After the soldering was done, I shoved it all back into the f-hole then pulled the pots back into place with the tubing. It really worked beautifully. Heck, if I could do it...

MAN... I gotta admire the courage and ingenuity you have. Guts and clever ideas sure make a good team! thanks for posting this... not that I am courageous... but I also do not have any project in mind to implement! ;-)
 

aleclee

Tribe of One
My Monoprice strat had some fret sprout early on but none of my mid-level to more expensive guitars have had that problem.
I think it also depends on how dry things get where you live. I've gotten fret sprout on everything from $400 guitars to $4000 guitars. That said, one construction feature that definitely helps is recessed tangs. Fortunately, more builders are adopting this technique. On these guitars, even if fret sprout it's way easier to fix.

At this point, I consider lack of sprout an element of good fortune as much as wood seasoning. The good news is that after 1-2 years where I live, fret sprout does not recur.
 

Rancid Rumpboogie

Blues Mangler
It's not that I'm not courageous. It's that I totally lack patience for dumbness and dealing with the results of it. I consider the lack of an access panel in back of the guitar for the controls to be ... DUMBNESS. If F-holes don't destroy the tone, neither would such and access hole. At any rate, about five minutes of swearing and fumbling through that F-hole would have me grabbing my little reciprocating saw and making one.
swear2-smiley.gif
 
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