Simple tool needed to file two frets

Now that I am back from my whirlwind ukulele building course on Oahu, I've had a chance to listen closely to my new spruce top, koa body tenor uke. Though we spent two weeks on the build it wasn't until yesterday afternoon, our final day in the course, that we were actually able to string the ukes up and listen to them for the first time!

With so much excitement and noise in the shop it was hard for me to hear the subtleties of the instrument. In the quiet of my home I have identified two frets, well part of the frets, that are causing a buzz. Specifically, under the G string, fifth fret and under the A string 14th fret.

I think what I need to do us to file these frets down a little. Wish I knew this while at the shop because there were fret files aplenty there but I don't have any tools like this at home. Is there something commonplace that I could use as an alternative to a fret file or should I just take the uke in to a good luthier to have these little details tweaked?

Not sure if Mike goes over leveling and crowning in the 2 week class, but the high frets would've been caught then.
Be careful if you're just addressing 1 or 2 frets, because you could chase a buzz if you don't plan on leveling and the lower frets are actually low. Otherwise, sandpaper, and a block, and Frank Ford's site.

Kekani said:

Not sure if Mike goes over leveling and crowning in the 2 week class, but the high frets would've been caught then.
Be careful if you're just addressing 1 or 2 frets, because you could chase a buzz if you don't plan on leveling and the lower frets are actually low. Otherwise, sandpaper, and a block, and Frank Ford's site.

Click to expand...

Yes, we did level and crown in the course however we were too rushed on the final day therefore had no time to check for and deal with any minor buzz.

Here is something to try which doesn't require investing in expensive fret files: Get yourself a piece of 400 grit sandpaper and tape it down to something perfectly flat. A piece of scrap MDF plywood works good. Unwind the strings at the peghead, but leave them attached at the saddle. Now take a magic marker and run it along the top each fret. Take the instrument, lay the neck flat and do one or two very light passes over the sandpaper. Very light as you just want to scuff the magic marker to mark the high fret(s) and don't want to take any metal off the fret. Once you have found the offending fret(s), take a block of wood, support the neck, and take a hammer and very, very lightly hammer to seat the offending fret(s). Not too hard. Recheck with the magic marker. Chances are they were just not seated as well as the others and fret filing is not needed... If this doesn't work, sand very lightly until each fret shows no magic marker. The frets will now be perfectly flat. You will now need to recrown the frets. No worries! Just go to the hardware store and buy a cheap set of X-acto needle files ($10 bucks). One of them will have a "safe" side and can be used to recrown the frets. Polish up with steel wool or fine sandpaper and restring the instrument. No bzzzz.