It doesn’t matter how well a guitar is made or how well the wood has been aged, changes in humidity can cause fret boards to shrink slightly. When this happens the fret ends can slightly protrude.

Occasionally, customers ask me what can be done about sharp fret ends.

With the use of a fret end file, you can easily smooth out the edges, without even removing the strings. Just loosen the strings slightly and hold the high or low E string slightly back with one hand while smoothing the fret end with the other hand. A fret file, when used properly, will not damage the fret board because the edge that rubs against the fret board is smooth.

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