StewMac Fret Tang Reducer

StewMac Fret Tang Reducer

Choose your fretwire by the crown, not the tang
Many vintage Strats and Teles have thin veneer fretboards with shallow fret slots. Factory tang height on those "round-lam" boards runs around .040", but modern fretwire is closer to .050". You can't deepen the slots without cutting into the maple. And anyone who's tried balancing wire on a belt sander to trim tangs knows exactly how that goes, and other methods are inconsistent at best. It's not just Fenders, either. It can happen to any guitar where leveling or a thin cap has left the slots too shallow for standard wire.

Trimming the tang is the only real option
StewMac's pro luthiers Erick Coleman, Josh Hurst, and Paul Lampley developed the solution: The Fret Tang Reducer allows precise tang height adjustment for exact fret fit without modifying the slot. This tang-shortening tool delivers quick and consistent results along entire lengths of fretwire.

Dial in your fit: Simply mount a Dremel into the spring-loaded plunge base and feed your fretwire through one of three interchangeable cartridges sized to match the crown. As the wire passes through, a carbide bit mills the tang down to your target height. Dual depth stops (one coarse, one fine) let you dial in the cut, taking off less than .010" per pass.

Start by measuring your slot depth with a Fret Slot Depth Gauge to find your target. Once the depth stop is set, it holds that measurement for every piece of wire you run through the jig. A built-in vacuum port collects the metal shavings while you work.

The result is perfectly sized tangs in seconds. Take the guesswork out of shallow slots and use the exact wire you want, rather than settling for what fits.

Features:

• Plunge base and micro depth stop for repeatable results
• Cutting depth adjustments as fine as .010"/.25mm per pass 
• Fits popular fret crown widths: narrow, medium, wide
• Built-in vacuum port to eliminate debris

Includes:

• Plunge base
• 3 fret crown cartridges, for wide, medium, and narrow
• Carbide-tipped bit (5/16" / 0.313" / 7.94mm)
• Micro vacuum hose attachments
• Instructions

Requires Dremel, Foredom, or similar rotary tool (not included).

Fret Slot Depth Gauge sold separately.