Frets with tooling marks... Normal?

[Outtonation]

Bought a PRS SE SAS last year, and have no issues... I think.

More than 1/2 the frets have visible (unaided eye) what I can only call "tooling marks" from a cutter or wire brush, and that's a guess.

The tops of the frets (where strings touch) are smooth. I don't do many bends, and have had it about 6 months. Maybe a total of 13 hours playing. I did my best to capture the "damage" in photos. With so little playing, can this be normal?

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Mapple neck, 22 nickel frets.

 

[SinSir]

The tops of the frets (where strings touch) are smooth. I don't do bends, and have had it about 6 months. Maybe a total of 13 hours playing.

I did my best to capture the "damage" in photos. On cell I can't upload pics, as they have no url... Will try to attach another way.

Wait, you don't do bends? And played 13 hours in 6 months? Man, I'd be be bummed about so much more than scratches..

You need 3rd party host for images. There's a tutorial floating around here. Maybe under general? Someone will chime in.

 

[dogrocketp]

There’s always gorgomyte from StewMac for a quick polish. Mine needs some minor work as well. These are built to a price point. As long as the neck/body and electronics are good, I think you can expect some small things. These have been shipped through a variety of climates, so a quick setup is usually needed. Fret end dressing and polishing are to be expected.

 

[Outtonation]

I updated the original post with links to images. I don't need to join the approved sites to post images.

"Man, I'd be be bummed about so much more than scratches."

@SinSir I'm sure you probably mean well, but I have other guitars-all Gibsons. This is my first non-Gibson electric.

 

[Outtonation]

There’s always gorgomyte from StewMac for a quick polish. Mine needs some minor work as well.

I'll look it up! Until I posted the pictures, it was impossible to show the exact situation.

These are built to a price point. As long as the neck/body and electronics are good, I think you can expect some small things. These have been shipped through a variety of climates, so a quick setup is usually needed.

I can't believe how much they have gone up, but of course, profit is #1.

Fret end dressing and polishing are to be expected.

I have zero problems with fret ends, and the setup was far closer at box open than I expected.

 

[deathworlder]

All 3 of my SEs came the same way. I noticed it on the first one; hasn't prevented me from buying more.

Kind of timely, as I was just watching the 'PRS Indonesia Factory Tour', seeing if I could see 'why' it happens.. After watching them level frets, I have a pretty good idea...

This is the stuff I use to polish them out. A Sharpie helps too, if you're worried about hitting the crown. Micromesh pads go from 3200-12000.

Gorgomyte and liquid polishes just make for shinier scratches. I do use Wenol metal polish for the final buff.

 

[SinSir]

All 3 of my SEs came the same way. I noticed it on the first one; hasn't prevented me from buying more.

Kind of timely, as I was just watching the 'PRS Indonesia Factory Tour', seeing if I could see 'why' it happens.. After watching them level frets, I have a pretty good idea...

This is the stuff I use to polish them out. A Sharpie helps too, if you're worried about hitting the tops. Micromesh pads go from 3200-12000.

Gorgomyte and liquid polishes just make for shinier scratches. I do use Wenol metal polish for the final buff.

Micromesh is my friend too, use it for so many things. I get the variety pack off Amazon. Something else that works well on frets is Cape Cod Polish. I use it for my watches and does a great job.

 

[MWebster]

My SE Paul's guitar actually had a small dent/scratch which could be felt when doing bends at the 10th fret A string which the dealer fixed. Didn't have that scratching at the edge of the crown though. Aside from not looking great I don't think its an issue. Others will disagree and that's fine, but I'd always go used S2 or something like an S2 standard for close to the same $$ as a new SE and get a guitar that's much closer to a core.

 

[deathworlder]

Micromesh is my friend too, use it for so many things. I get the variety pack off Amazon. Something else that works well on frets is Cape Cod Polish. I use it for my watches and does a great job.

I get mine at Hobby Lobby; in the model finish section. They also have variety packs of sheets.

 

[dogrocketp]

My SE Paul's guitar actually had a small dent/scratch which could be felt when doing bends at the 10th fret A string which the dealer fixed. Didn't have that scratching at the edge of the crown though. Aside from not looking great I don't think its an issue. Others will disagree and that's fine, but I'd always go used S2 or something like an S2 standard for close to the same $$ as a new SE and get a guitar that's much closer to a core.

The SE SAS doesn’t sound like any other PRS I’ve played or owned, including my Core SAS. The sounds with the tone knob pulled up are nothing short of fantastic.

 

[deathworlder]

The SE SAS doesn’t sound like any other PRS I’ve played or owned, including my Core SAS. The sounds with the tone knob pulled up are nothing short of fantastic.

SE SAS is definitely on the short list; just waiting for quanity & selection to come back in-stock.
What is it about the tone-up positions that gets you off?

 

[Longneck Tenon]

The SE SAS doesn’t sound like any other PRS I’ve played or owned, including my Core SAS. The sounds with the tone knob pulled up are nothing short of fantastic.

I played an SAS SE for the first time a couple days and I agree, it doesn’t sound anything like my 2008 core SAS. I really like it, especially the 85/15 pickups. I have never played Pattern Thin neck before, but I could probably get used to it.

 

[Jim85IROC]

All 3 of my SEs came the same way. I noticed it on the first one; hasn't prevented me from buying more.

Kind of timely, as I was just watching the 'PRS Indonesia Factory Tour', seeing if I could see 'why' it happens.. After watching them level frets, I have a pretty good idea...

This is the stuff I use to polish them out. A Sharpie helps too, if you're worried about hitting the crown. Micromesh pads go from 3200-12000.

Gorgomyte and liquid polishes just make for shinier scratches. I do use Wenol metal polish for the final buff.

Nailed it. Need to sand them out. It's not difficult to do. I usually start at around 600 or 800 grit paper, then 1k, 1500, 2k, then micromesh starting with 15 micron, 9, 3, 2, 1 then chrome polish with my dremel. With each grit I go up and down the neck (perpendicular to the frets), then across the frets. It's a bit time consuming but it's easy, and the results are fantastic.

I cover this in this video here, starting around the 7 minute mark:

 

[n8torious]

I just got a Swamp Ash Special recently and noticed it had indentations on the edge of the neck where it looks like they drafted out the fret spacing. But the frets don't project over the side of the neck... so what's the purpose of these cuts? Is this normal for a PRS? Interestingly, they're more prominent in some areas than others, and some frets seem like they don't even have any (i.e. 1st fret).

https://imgur.com/a/2RiZ6Pt

 

[deathworlder]

Huh... If I had to guess, they cut the fret tangs like they would for a bound neck and fill it in...
They either didn't use enough filler or it shrunk.

 

[Outtonation]

SE SAS is definitely on the short list; just waiting for quanity & selection to come back in-stock.
What is it about the tone-up positions that gets you off?

Which one(s) are you looking at? Right now, BTW, at "SW" they are over $200 more than I paid on sale. I paid under $679, and they are $894 now! There are little 'machining/engineering" things I don't appreciate, like the sloppy 'one size fits all' bridge saddles... But overall can't be beat, for $679. Knowing what they go for on sale (mine: October), I would have a hard time justifying the current price.

Thanks everyone for their input!

 

[John F]

I just got a Swamp Ash Special recently and noticed it had indentations on the edge of the neck where it looks like they drafted out the fret spacing. But the frets don't project over the side of the neck... so what's the purpose of these cuts? Is this normal for a PRS? Interestingly, they're more prominent in some areas than others, and some frets seem like they don't even have any (i.e. 1st fret).

https://imgur.com/a/2RiZ6Pt

I believe what you are seeing is the filled end of the fret slot. The fret slots are cut into the fretboard with a cutter that goes from side to side, leaving a gap once the fret is installed. Sawdust and glue make a filler placed in the gap and sanded smooth before the neck sealer is sprayed on. Other methods to cover the gap is to use binding, or to cut the slots up close to the edge of the neck without going all the way through. The method employed here is the fastest and therefore less costly way to make a fretted neck.

The slots are sometimes cut by hand, one at a time, with a hand saw and a jig to ensure precision. Other companies use a round saw blade, similar to a table saw, and a jig. The most advanced version of the round saw blade method simultaneously cut all the fret slots with 21 to 24 blades on the same spinning axle. The newest high tech method uses a CNC machine to cut the slots with a thin round cutter bit. This one can plunge near the edge of the fretboard and hide the end of the fret so no filler or binding is required.

 

[deathworlder]

Which one(s) are you looking at? Right now, BTW, at "SW" they are over $200 more than I paid on sale. I paid under $679, and they are $894 now! There are little 'machining/engineering" things I don't appreciate, like the sloppy 'one size fits all' bridge saddles... But overall can't be beat, for $679. Knowing what they go for on sale (mine: October), I would have a hard time justifying the current price.

Thanks everyone for their input!

SAS in iris blue or charcoal...

Yeah...
I have a feeling that sale, which was industry-wide, is going to affect future sales to anyone who was paying attention at the time. I bought 2 of my 3 SEs during the sale.

 

[n8torious]

I believe what you are seeing is the filled end of the fret slot. The fret slots are cut into the fretboard with a cutter that goes from side to side, leaving a gap once the fret is installed. Sawdust and glue make a filler placed in the gap and sanded smooth before the neck sealer is sprayed on. Other methods to cover the gap is to use binding, or to cut the slots up close to the edge of the neck without going all the way through. The method employed here is the fastest and therefore less costly way to make a fretted neck.

The slots are sometimes cut by hand, one at a time, with a hand saw and a jig to ensure precision. Other companies use a round saw blade, similar to a table saw, and a jig. The most advanced version of the round saw blade method simultaneously cut all the fret slots with 21 to 24 blades on the same spinning axle. The newest high tech method uses a CNC machine to cut the slots with a thin round cutter bit. This one can plunge near the edge of the fretboard and hide the end of the fret so no filler or binding is required.

Interesting! I haven’t ever seen that before. I appreciate the explanation. Guitar is still great; it’s just a very minor unsightly thing personally.

 

[Outtonation]

SAS in iris blue or charcoal...

Yeah...
I have a feeling that sale, which was industry-wide, is going to affect future sales to anyone who was paying attention at the time. I bought 2 of my 3 SEs during the sale.

Nice! I don't understand what you mean by it affecting the industry, though... How so?