Fret leveling?

[MajorJohnson931]

i just recieved my new loomis and it plays like a dream however, after lowering the action, i can't bend at the 17th fret without the note dying almost immediately. i'm stuck between having high-er action and being able to bend that note, or having orgasmic action without being able to bend that note is this a fret leveling problem? or is this just part of having a floyd rose? this is my first floyd rose equipped guitar so i'm not quite sure. i've tried loosening the truss rod just a bit but it doesn't really help, it just messes with the action

oh and another question, is it ok to use the fine tuners to repeatedly switch between drop A or drop D after blocking the trem?

 

[TomParenteau]

Floyds almost never match a fretboard radius perfectly, so there is usually a compromise for that when setting up. However, this can be remedied by using shims under the saddles accordingly. I would bet that a fret-leveling would fix your action, though.

When you tune down with the fine-tuners without unlocking the nut, tension between the nut and main tuner increases. The D-Tuna gizmo drops a whole step in the same way. If you are confident that your neck/headstock will hold up to the increased tension, you're OK to do it that way. If you want to treat it nicely, unlock the nut before doing any drastic tuning change.

 

[djpharoah]

It's part of the Loomis. Schecter doesn't fret level/crown their Loomis guitars (told to me by their tech at HQ) as they don't have the man power. First thing you should do is get that guitar to a tech to level the frets, and then crown them. You'll otherwise never get the action lower. I had the same problem with a Loomis 2 years ago - really disappointing.

 

[MaxOfMetal]

It's part of the Loomis. Schecter doesn't fret level/crown their Loomis guitars (told to me by their tech at HQ) as they don't have the man power. First thing you should do is get that guitar to a tech to level the frets, and then crown them. You'll otherwise never get the action lower. I had the same problem with a Loomis 2 years ago - really disappointing.

And I just thought they did a meh job.

 

[djpharoah]

I actually had square frets on the Loomis I received. I wanted to own a Loomis for a long time due to the ash body, OFR7, maple neck but that severely put me off Schecter and I've not owned one since.

 

[MajorJohnson931]

thanks for all the replies guys. how much does it typically cost to have a tech level/crown a fretboard?

 

[maliciousteve]

I've got the same problem with my warmoth neck. Needs a fret level around the same area as yours. Incredibly frustrating. I think it'll cost me roughly £60-80 which is more than what I want to pay

 

[TMatt142]

I just paid $50.00 to get my frets leveled. I don't think that's too bad....Considering I can't do it!

 

[MaxOfMetal]

I just paid $50.00 to get my frets leveled. I don't think that's too bad....Considering I can't do it!

Though, did they crown them as well?

 

[trenolds39]

When I got my Loomis, I had really bad buzzing from the 12th fret up, which apparently was caused by a fret not properly seated. It was playable out of the box, but it definitely needs fretwork done on it before it plays great.

 

[TMatt142]

Though, did they crown them as well?

Yep, that's the whole ball of wax..sorry I didn't mention that.

 

[All_¥our_Bass]

I can't believe they wouldn't level the frets on a nice guitar like the Loomis.

 

[MajorJohnson931]

update;
this was ultimately a truss rod issue that i've finally got figured out, now it's playing far better than i ever expected. hopefully my noob mistake didn't do too much damage to the loomis' reputation :/

 

[JonnyDeath]

I recommend plaining the fret wire on all guitars but that's just me. Play a guitar that's had it done and you'll find it performs much better than the common crowning method. More response and clarity due to the increase in surface area of the fret that you're pressing the string on. In short, you are able to both apply and transfer more energy with the same amount of finger pressure you typically use. You can also get your action lower and if you still fret out on the higher frets when bending, I just plain them a bit lower starting at the 12th fret up.

As far as the Floyd saddle radius setting never matching the radius of the fingerboard, you just shim the saddles. Some guys use paper thin metal which you can manufacturer yourself with a soda can but the easiest method is just cut some really tiny rectangles of tape and stick them to the bottom of the saddle.
Generally I just lower the bridge so strings 3 and 4 are at their lowest possible depth without fretting out. Then for the saddles of strings 1,2,5 and 6 I slowly raise with tape.
The pressure is so great that there's no dampening or loss of tone and sustain. Masking tape is a nice brittle paper tape which works great and should be preferred. If not, electrical tape. Basically any tape with a bit of thickness.