Bent Fret Questions

I have a fret that's bent on my uke. I don't know how it happened because it came to me that way. If you look at the pic, it's on the edge of the first fret.

There's no sign of damage around it, on the fretboard or the fretboard binding, so I'm wondering if this is something that could have happened during transit/handling, or if it had to have happened while it was being built.

Any opinions?

Also, is this an easy fix despite the fretboard binding? Or does it look like it will be involved/costly?

Thanks for the help.

I'd bet the farm that this happened when the fret ends were being filed flush to the edge of the binding. Catch an edge with the file and as the tang on the fret wire has been removed they are easy to bend. Would happen to every builder at least once.

It should have been replaced prior to shipping.

For a luthier with that size of fret wire it would be and easy fix.

Yes, that should have never passed quality control and that uke should have never been shipped. Also to me it looks like the fret ends are hardly dressed at all... Also as Allen says, easy for a luthier to fix but maybe not so easy for a novice since that fret will have to be pulled (without lifting and damaging the fretboard), replaced, reinserted into the slot, correctly seated, checked for height, and then dressed. I say send it back and have the manufacturer replace the uke or fix the fret. For free.

I don't see any evidence of fret end dressing. I would take some pliers and just straighten it out then find someone to dress out the fret ends properly if you can't do it yourself or wear gloves while you play it to save your fingers from damage.

Thanks all!

I talked with the dealer, and it's going back to be fixed. However, I can't tell if the frets are dressed or not. I know that's pretty basic stuff, but I've never had a problem with sharp frets, so I don't know what it should look like. Looking at them, they look smooth, but they also don't look like they've been filed. Running my fingers along the edges, it feels fine.

snowdenn said:

Thanks all!

I talked with the dealer, and it's going back to be fixed.

Click to expand...

That's great and I like that they stood behind their product and did the right thing. Believe me, trying to bend that thing back straight would not have worked. I know, I've tried... Also I like that you never said what brand it was or the maker. No sense making anybody look bad.

As for the fret dressing, what was probably done was to take the sharp edges off with some steel wool and call it a day. As long as it feels okay to the player nothing wrong with that either I suppose but... it is all about details and detail takes time and time is money so...

I appreciate the help. And yeah, I had a couple other pics, but you could sorta make out the name on the headstock. Actually, I've been quite pleased with pretty much everything else about the ukulele. That said, I am a little worried about the fret dressing since it's been mentioned twice, and I don't seem able to distinguish between this and my other ukes. They feel fine, but I don't think I've ever dealt with sharp/unfinished frets. I think I'll ask about the fret edges as well to the dealer.