Fixing fret ends poking out of binding

[Dillon]

Is it possible? Without destroying the binding (or worse, having to replace it)? I've done plenty of fret end dressing, but never on a bound neck. Friend of mine has a KC signature Jag and I couldn't believe just how unplayable it is. Fret over binding just isn't a good thing in a dry climate such as ours. Maybe there is a thick tape that will be good enough to shield from a file accidentally hitting the binding? Or, since the binding doesn't have finish over it, maybe hitting it with a fine-tooth file won't do much to it?

[Zack]

I would go for some thick tape over the binding. Something like duct tape will probably leave residue which is no good and painters tape rips too quickly, best to use lots of layers and go slow? I would think that even hitting it with a fine tooth fine will leave some tool marks, which even if they'd only be seen in the light, I'd want to avoid.

[MattK]

Maybe put a humidifier in the case so the wood gradually expands back?

[speedfish]

Maybe put a humidifier in the case so the wood gradually expands back?

I would try this or put it in the bathroom and get the room steamed up good. I had the same problem with a used guitar that I purchased from a fellow in Arizona (or maybe it was Nevada) and it had stabby fret ends. I exposed it to some humidity and our climate here and the problem resolved without resorting to filing.

[Dillon]

Hmm I hadn't considered steaming. My first thought was that it wouldn't work, since it's bound, and the plastic wouldn't expand like the wood. But that shouldn't matter, because if that's the case, it wouldn't have shrunk, either. A humidifier...well, in my experience that will help keep a neck from shrinking in a dry climate, but strangely it won't fix one that already has.