Juan Estruch Classical Acoustic Guitar (further mods)

Finally tired of the sharp fret ends on the flea-market classical acoustic here, I decided to try out my first fretwork (and a bit of woodwork as well).  It isn't perfect aesthetically but feels much nicer!

Basic tutorial and pics after the break:

Original - frets sticking out a millimeter or so from the side of the fretboard!  Not sure if it's from wood changes in the environment over time or simply poor work from the factory.

With just a little bit of work done - the frets on the left have been more or less filed even, the ones on the right still stick out.

Using a large file to grind the edges off - the narrow edge focused on the frets grinds them virtually even, then using the wide edge in sweeping movements took off the paint and evened the frets flush against the wood.

Some 400 grit wet-or-dry sandpaper takes off the roughness and remaining paint, except that in little gaps and cracks.  I don't mind the natural relic look, although it's certainly not perfect.

Some fine steel wool polished the fret ends and smoothed the fretboard end beautifully smooth and glossy.  I went ahead and used the steel wool on the entire back of the neck and it feels as good as it looks.


Original Juan Estruch Review