
Musical instrument building, set up and maintenance courses in the Manchester area.

Fret Stone and Set-up Two Day Course
This is a two day course that will run you through some of the more intricate ways that you can get the most out of your instrument. We'll take you through levelling and crowning frets, in addition to what the Set Up Day Course offers.
Fret Stone and Setup Course
Two Day Course
The Fret Stone and Set up Course provides you with all the information you need to complete your own fret stone and set up to your instruments at home with the minimum amount of specialist tools.
The Fret stone and set up course contains information that is included on the Set up Day Course along with additional information that will allow you to perform a fret level and re-crowning process at home.
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Leveling and re-crowning the fretwork is an important part of the maintenance of a fretted musical instrument. When you play a fretted musical instrument the act of pressing the strings down onto the frets will over time cause wear on the frets tops, also a number of other issues can occur that we look at during the course that can cause issues with the play-ability of the instrument. If the frets are uneven then a low action can not be achieved, sometimes one bad fret can ruin the play-ability of the whole instrument, even new guitars actions can suffer with the occasional bad fret especially if it is in the early section of the fingerboard.
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Uneven and misshaped frets can cause a range of issues including: the notes not sounding out correctly, fretted notes loosing their resonance faster than they should. When bending strings notes may die out quickly or be canceled entirely this is commonly referred to as choke and is a common complaint among musicians with their instruments.
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We have a unique take on the fret stone procedure that I believe is an improvement upon the most commonly demonstrated method on the internet, we look into this popular method and dissect it and improve upon it, we introduce you to the range of products that you purchase and highlight some of these and how to get best results from them, we work all the way up to our factory procedures so you can improve your methods over time as you move forward equipping your own workspace. No matter your budget we want you to be able to produce good results, we will not preach that one method is superior to another every method is valid if it gets you the desired results, the way you choose to work is your own and that is the wonderful thing, we like to equip you with the most knowledge possible to help you make informed choices. Every procedure has its merits and drawbacks and there is no wrong method if you are happy using it and your results are acceptable to you.
Bring your own instrument in to work upon
Before the course starts you will receive a handbook on the sort of instrument you might want to bring along with you.
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This is the exact same booklet from the set up course expanded upon to contain information on how to asses the fret wire on your guitar, some guitars may be a bit too far gone and really require a re-fret, it is still possible to bring this type of instruments in as we can improve this instruments play-ability although perfection may not be possible, this is akin to what you can do with a vintage instrument to preserve the frets, letting some low points pass so that you retain the frets whilst trying to keep as much of the height as possible. Some jobs are a balancing act, perfection may not always be possible when we are trying to preserve the whole and can accept some minor defects to preserve the instrument in hand. If it is too far gone then the handbook should be able to make this clear and then there is no other option than a re-fret for that particular instrument.
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In most cases we should be able to do amazing work and make your instrument play amazingly! Ideally, your frets should have plenty of height left in them and be worn down by a reasonable amount we will help you identify your wear patterns and talk about different patterns of wear and how to identify the type of player that causes these types of patterns.
It is ideal for you to work on your own instrument, if you are unable to provide an instrument to work on then please get in touch and we can provide one for you.
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In addition to the handbook I will be looking to make a video of the selection process so that you are able to watch this to help with your decision-making process.
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Once you have selected an instrument or have a couple that you would like to bring in so we can help assist you with a final decision on the most suitable instrument to work upon then you are ready for the course.
The course will firstly look for any issues that you will want to resolve before the fret-stone can take place, loose frets are the ideal example of this. Frets that are loose in their slots are a real pain if you do not spot them early on and resolve the issues they create. If you miss them you can complete the work and then find that you have issues at the end of the process and this may make you restart the process again to resolve said problems.
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The first stage of the course: Identifying what is required and setting your setup goals.
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Recording the details of the set up that the instrument currently has
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Bringing the play action down to find as many issues as you can with the current fret wire
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Assessing the types of fret-board radius you have to work with and discussing how you can work with it
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Asses fret wire condition, taking the information from play testing to see what is going on with the frets
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Identify where you are going to have issues with the neck you have in hand
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Setting goal for how you wish the instrument to play
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Checking for the most common fretting issues
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We will discuss how to solve the most common issues that you will find
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Repair any issues with fret wire that could cause an unsuccessful fret stone.
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Take care of any issues the instrument has so it is ready to be worked upon
Second stage: Getting ready to start the process
Making sure your area is safe to work in is a big thing as the instrument can move about things can easily slip under the instrument when it is laid down and this can result in major disaster for the paintwork.
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Preparation of your work area
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Securing your instrument
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Selection of tools
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Preparation of your instrument
The Fret Stone and leveling procedure: This is the main bulk of the course this teaches you the process involved so that you can complete a successful level and re-crown of the fret wire of your instrument, this will put the instrument in the best position for a set up with the frets in a uniform state.
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Leveling the frets
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initial Re-crown the frets
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Leveling again to perfect the fret shapes
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Re-crowning of the frets
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Repeat until they are able to be brought down evenly
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Working through the gauges of materials to reduce the size of the scratches whilst making sure to cover the whole fret
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Then finally bring them to a fine high polished
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This will be the first day's tasks with short lecture breaks to explain each step and look at the ways to approach each task. Each of these bullet points will be expanded upon and talked about in detail as there are always different ways to go about each of these tasks and it is up to you to select the one you are most comfortable with or is the most appropriate to use upon the instrument you are working with.
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Each of these tasks can be carried out in numerous ways and we will give an explanation of as many methods as possible, some are more accessible for you as a beginner and some may become more appropriate to you if you continue to do this and improve upon your tool control skills over time.
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Upon completion of the course you will receive a certificate of participation and our Resource Book that will act as a handy reminder of the activities during the course with this handy resource by your side you will be able to refer back to it at any point or if anything slips your mind then the book will be there to act as a reminder, this will be great just in case you have not completed the task in a while or you just want to brush up on your knowledge.
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I would like to be able to offer a proper qualification to yourself from an accredited educational facility and I will work hard to see if I can access this for you so that our courses can be verified.

Testimonials
I would like to tell you about the difference you have made in my life. You might not remember me too well but we spent a few days together a few years ago when you taught me to set up guitars, fret care etc. Well, after we met I set up a little business called DuKe Guitars and have been looking after many peoples guitars in my home area of Lytham & Blackpool ever since and with loads of repeat business and word of mouth. I am very proud to tell my customers that I was taught by the best of the best. So my friend, in short, thank you for making a positive difference to my life. Every setup I do involves a memory of a very talented tutor.
Dean Kelly
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