Deluxe Precision Kouick Fret Press for fancy guitar fretting, guitar restoration Start Price USD 325.00 Current Price USD 325.00 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price USD 400.00 Reserve Price - Start Time Saturday, November 29, 2008 End Time Tuesday, December 09, 2008 Location Quebec, Quebec See more about 'Deluxe Precision Kouick Fret Press' Description MERRY CHRISTMASS, THIS IS  YOUR CHRISTMASS GIFT...     ONE FRET JOB WILL PAY FOR THIS KOUICK FRET PRESS Harmering on the fret extention over the body of an acoustic guitar is dangerous Shipment cost is included for USA and Canada This item will be delivered when completed in mid december This is a must for passionate luthiers or newcommers who want to play seriously with expensives guitars...  restauration or CUSTOM WORK... This is a PRECISION CUSTOM MADE FRET PRESS FOR REFRETTING FANCY GUITARS or for production fretting, custom and fancy work.  STOP HAMMERING YOUR FINES GUITARS and reduce the risk of provoking dammages to a $10 000. old Martin or a $50 000. Benedeto archtop you have for refretting.  Pressfit your frets smoothly UP TO THE SOUND HOLE ON CUTAWAY GUITARS.  And complete a fret job in few minutes.  Get a perfect radius all the way up to the soundhole AND LOWER YOUR STRINGS IN ORDER TO GET THE FASTEST ACTION.  Reduce your refretting and dressing time and save money. This is a limited edition Deluxe Sapele Wood «Fret Press».  Only a few Fret Press will be produce with theses sophisticated quick release devices and features.  The heavy duty backbone pipe can be repositioned at the flip of a handle.  The gear system can be moved up and down by pressing a quick release buton and repositioning the gearbox up or down quickly.   ONE FRETJOB ON A MARTIN WILL PAY FOR THIS UNIQUE WORKING TOOL.  Dan Earlwine charges $325. for a good fret job.  Why would'nt you? With the right tool you can generate more income and draw the « haut de gamme » (high level) clientele.  BUILD YOUR REPUTATION AS A SPECIALIST IN REFRETING HIGH QUALITY INSTRUMENTS.  THESE REFRETTING JOBS GENARATE EXCELLENT INCOME.  DO IT well and QUICKLY with this Fret Press. The press can be fixed onto your workbench to achieve total immobility of the press whatever forces are applied onto the system.  It is made for hands free refretting activity.  You hold the neck with one hand and press the pressure handle with the other hand. You can do that also even if the press is not bolted onto the workbench.   All the forces applied will be downward all the time so the press will not move.  It  has four ajustable leveling legs to match your working area. The base is made of Russian hardwood plywood covered with curly Sapele veneer. For other type of instruments, you can build a smaller neck rest for mandoline or banjo (please note the ''guitar neck rest'' on the picture  is not included in this sale).  The instrument neck should rest on a neck rest covered with thick leather (from your shoemaker) which will prevent from marking the back of the neck while working on it.  A considerable amount of pressure is applied onto the fret which has no choice but slipping into the fret slot.   This Fret Press has been designed to use the fret caul (the small kit not included in this sale) from the luthier supplier Stewart Macdonald (item no: 4365) which includes the five groove/radiuses brass inserts for necks with different radius fretboard inserts., from a strat (9.5 inches) to a Martin (16 inches radius).  Les Paul is 12 inches.  You can order this kit on line (stewmac.com) and you wont be disapointed.  This is a must for all level luthiers dealing with demanding clients. Please, note that the steel gear system can be turned around quickly to access the frets above the soundbox.  Just depress the small handle on the back and place the chromed backbone pipe (heavy duty thickness) with the desired angle in order to reach frets over the soundbox.  You need to repair a thinner guitar, just press the quick release Clevis pin and move the gear system downward to the proper height, replace the Clevis pin by pressing the buton and insert it into the proper hole on the backbone pipe.  Be carefull not to drop the gearbox onto the guitar, this is heavy.  There is a pressure capacity of over 500 pounds into that quick release Clevis pin.  It ensure the stability of the gear system which won't move a hair...  The fret caul can be quickly turned around with the chuck holding the fret caul (the chuck key is included). You can then center the fret caul above the frets just in the center whatever position you choose to place the gear system and then refret.  The pictures are self explaining. For a guitar which have a cutaway, you can refret the entire fretboard up to the soundhole, an economy of time and time is money, we all know that. You can move the gear system to various location to match the type of guitar you want to refret, including a simple fretboard which has not yet been fixed onto a neck.  You can even refret an archtop by placing the gearbox to its highest position.  Dont forget to put a fret buck or spacer inside the guitar when refretting over the soundbox.  It will absorb the pressure and protect the guitar integrity.  This is mandatory.  See the picture of my spacers which have been made from recycle material  (including an old oil filter remover device which have reverse threads on one side).  When you turn the small lever, both screw come out to reach the top and the back of the guitar. The oil remover handle has been cut in two and the reverse screw fixed onto the other side of the handle. I still have to put a piece of wood at both ends for this one.  Better, I just received the non stick pieces Macstew sells for two or three dollars.  I can also used these devices to glue loose bars inside the guitar. I put ciano (crazy glue) into the fret slot to better secure the fret, increase the sustain and have a 100% contact.  The frets and the neck become one unit.  Small details make differences.  Don't forget to file the top of the fret slot with a small triangular file in order to facilitate fret entry and removal later on.  The cyano glue will also act as a lubrican. This will prevent the wood from breaking when removing the fret for the next repair.  For non cutaway guitar, there will be very few fret this fret press will not reach. I would recommend removing the fret barbs on the new frets with a dremmel and gluing each fret individually with epoxy glue.  Put something heavy on top of these frets (a brick over your fret block sander) until the glue has dried up. Epoxy glue can be melted down with a soldering iron if replacement of the fret is needed later on.  So does cyano (crazy glue).  Heat up the fret and pull it out with pliers.  Thanks to Charles Fox for this technique.  FOX STATES THAT FRETTING A GUITAR WITH A HAMMER IS A CRIME AND SHOULD BE PUNISHED SEVERELY.  I agree with him.  Fox is one of the best luthier in America actually.  I have seen his very high priced guitars and this unique press is perfect for that quality of instrument. The top of the fret press base is made of curly Sapele wood over russian hardwood plywood and is french polished.  A small high density pad, which is the size of the base is included so your clients's guitar will be protected from scratching.  So will be your Fret Press. STOP BANGING ONTO YOUR FINE INSTRUMENT, IT WILL REWARD YOU... An expedited shipment with a tracking number is included.  Canada Post interfaces very well with USPS.  No UPS since they charge $50. for custom brooker inspection fee although there is no custom, a profit center for them.  We now have the USA/Canada Free Trade Agrement.  No taxes charged.  Trade between USA and Canada is in the order of hundreds of billions of dollars.  So, apparently, these guys from the post offices know what they are doing.  I never lost an item over two hundred buy or sales.   This SHIPMENT WILL BE INSURED. This item has been developped by a guitar lover for guitars lovers. FRET YOUR INSTRUMENTS WITHOUT STRESS AND RELAX.  The smoothness of the operation will minimize dressing time and time is money.  We all know that.  The high level of standards of the  Kouick Fret Press will certainly generate confidence to your client relucktant to have someone hammering on their expensive and prefered guitar.  Just looking at the press will give them confidence in your work.  They won't hesitate to give it to you for that fret job.  That curly Sapele is so exquisite that they know you don't want to damage it.  Neither, you wont damage their guitar. Happy fretting and Merry christmass for this unique deluxe item you are giving to yourself. Kouick Fret Press KFP Please, note that the spacers and neck rest showed on pictrures are not included.   Stewmac sells the Brace Repair Jack which matched very well with this item.  Or just get the small spacer from a hardware store nearby or find an old car oil filter remover device and transform it into an excellent repair jack for a few cents (as in the picture). Payment must be completed within three days otherwise the item will go to the next bidder.  Only Paypal is accepted.     Place a Bid!