Dr Tony Balls wrote: Thu Mar 16, 2023 9:23 am

Barbo wrote: Thu Mar 16, 2023 7:53 am

c jury wrote: Wed Mar 15, 2023 4:49 pm -Then round the edges if you want to...but a zero fret doesn't much matter.

I don’t agree with this sentiment. If you want your open strings to be in tune it really does matter. The zero fret is likely set so the the center of it is the proper distance from the center of the first fret. If you just level without properly crowning the zero fret the point of contact of the strings will be closer to the first fret than it should be. It may only be a few cents sharp but it will be aggravating and noticeable.

Jon

I agree with this disagreement. The crown on this absolutely matters.

Nope.
a) Danelectro bridges are literally a tilted piece of wood. The fretboards were not cut w/ precision. If you're after dead-nuts-on intonation, you're already fucked.
b) The entire 1980's happened with almost every fret 'level and crown' leaving very square topped frets, and it was fine.
c) With round-wound E strings the contact points on a crowned zero fret are never precise- with ridges and grooves you may be adding 0.01" in either direction just by happenstance. A crowned fret changes that contact point by 0.025" at most.
d) as a lover of Danos and tech at a shop owned by a serious Dano collector, I've probably set up more of them than anyone this side of Neptune, NJ.

I can assure you that a square top will be fine, and insisting that it has to be crowned is a disincentive for the person looking to do the work themselves. Dudley- give it a shot. Crown it if you have the tools, if not, it'll be fine. If it works...you bought yourself a couple years before you need to install a new fret. If it doesn't...well, you're out 15 minutes of work.

Dudley wrote: Wed Mar 15, 2023 5:32 am The groove looks kinda shallow at the mo. Never having done any fret dressing or crowning, is this something I can address myself? Get a crowning file and give it a go?

Far more informed voices have already spoken, but I was in a very similar position in January when I noticed dents on the first 4 frets on my Gretsch. It's 5 years old and I play aggressively w/ 11s, so unavoidable wear and tear.

I like to try and figure these things out and DIY, but all my research basically indicated anything I'd manage would be a temporary fix and I wasn't confident enough to try replacing the frets on my own on my number one. Risk outweighed reward.

Bit the bullet and got a pro to replace all the old frets w/ stainless steel and it's worth every penny.