Fly partially detached fret(s) issue

[nuovonormale]

Hi again,
I'm sorry to pollute the forum with all these help requests
Further playing my new '97 Fly deluxe has highlighted something I didn't notice in the first days of excitement.
Playing the high E string at third fret I realized there was a "zzing" sound which I initially attributed to the new strings and/or the change in action due to re-centering the bridge (see other post
After further checks though I realized it's due to the fret being (not-visibly) slightly detached from the fretboard in its last cm or less, on the high side. If I press the fret on its end (on the high side) with may nail (or a hard object) I hear a slight "click" as if the fret is not perfectly adhering to the surface. The rest of the fret (I'd say 5/6 of it) seems perfectly adherent and firmly attached.

I then proceeded to do the "press" test on all of the frets and found 6, 7 frets are having the same issue, all only on the high E side. The 3rd fret is probably the worst case, even if pressing the string harder while playing, the "zzing" issue is hardly noticeable.

I confess I'm a bit let down by this discovery.
Did any of you ever experience this "partial detach" issue (as opposed to a "full" fret falling out issue)?
If so, do you think the only way is to completely remove those frets and re-glue them? Or there might be some other, lighter way to fix it?
Or should I live with it for the time being?
Thank you all for the patience and always prompt help!
Andrea

[Patzag]

viewtopic.php?t=49

[nuovonormale]

@Patzag
thank you so much! I had already read through that thread, watched the video, etc.. but upon re-checking after your suggestion I noticed I had missed the one key question which was exactly matching my "scenario".

It seems consensus is on removing it and re-glueing.. but no way I feel up to the task, especially for 7-8 frets!
I'll have to ship it to a luthier in Italy who I know has a long experience with Parker guitars...
but I was a bit reluctant to ship back and forth the guitar for fear it might get damaged..
thanks again,
Andrea

[Patzag]

Ciao Andrea,
To be totally honest I had a similar situation on one of my guitars and I re-glued the offending fret, without removing it entirely. It has not given me a problem since.
If pressing on the fret resolves the problem, then adding a little bit of glue and pressing down with a clamp should be able to handle the problem.
Good luck.

[mmmguitar]

I sometimes suspect that the only reason I haven't noticed any frets lifting in my Flys is because I want the firsthand experience of repairing it: I've had some thin CA glue and accelerator spray set aside for years; because I'd like to see whether clamping a lifting fret end back into place will require releveling the fret tops. Please let us know what ends up working for you, @nuovonormale.

[Jupiter]

Did any of you ever experience this "partial detach" issue (as opposed to a "full" fret falling out issue)?
If so, do you think the only way is to completely remove those frets and re-glue them? Or there might be some other, lighter way to fix it?

Happened to me a week after I bought my '95 Fly Deluxe (recently), 2nd hand (or probably 34th hand).

Initially, I thought it was just the first fret but it turned out there where a few more but not as bad as the first fret.

I left it to my luthier, he just reglued the problematic frets without completelly removing them.

Knock on wood, I've spent a couple of hours playing with it, everything seems fine.

PS: I love that guitar, it became my #1 but honestly, I'll try to buy another one (preferably a refined Fly) for backup...

[nuovonormale]

thank you all for your help and insights: this is really a great community!
I'm really torn here, between @vjmanzo stating that "it didn't work at all" for him and @Patzag who's happy with the results.

to try myself I would:
1) buy this glue suggested by VJ in the main fret thread: Pacer Technology (Zap) Zap CA Adhesives, 2 oz
2) (no idea how to) let a tiny drop of glue penetrate the basically invisible gap between the frets and the fingerboard..
maybe I should try to lift it a bit more ?
(@Patzag how did you manage to let the glue in?)
3) press the fret.. again, i've no tools for this purpose.
I've seen this dedicated chinese tool from aliexpress.. with "bars" for pressing frets of different radius (they have 10, 12, 14)
https://it.aliexpress.com/item/1005005002346134.html
It has some nice reviews..
I know the fly has a variable radius 10-13..

If this.. in future might be also useful to repair myself a (fully) fallen fret.. it might be seen as a kind of investment.
I'm just very worried that I do a mess.. and need to ship to the luthier anyway

thanks again for your precious help
Andrea

[vjmanzo]

I'm really torn here, between @vjmanzo stating that "it didn't work at all" for him…

I’d like to qualify my statement by adding that I didn’t/don’t have a lot of experience with it, so I was about as handy as a foot If you’re up for this then go for it!!

[Patzag]

thank you all for your help and insights: this is really a great community!
I'm really torn here, between @vjmanzo stating that "it didn't work at all" for him and @Patzag who's happy with the results.

to try myself I would:
1) buy this glue suggested by VJ in the main fret thread: Pacer Technology (Zap) Zap CA Adhesives, 2 oz
2) (no idea how to) let a tiny drop of glue penetrate the basically invisible gap between the frets and the fingerboard..
maybe I should try to lift it a bit more ?
(@Patzag how did you manage to let the glue in?)
3) press the fret.. again, i've no tools for this purpose.
I've seen this dedicated chinese tool from aliexpress.. with "bars" for pressing frets of different radius (they have 10, 12, 14)
https://it.aliexpress.com/item/1005005002346134.html
It has some nice reviews..
I know the fly has a variable radius 10-13..

If this.. in future might be also useful to repair myself a (fully) fallen fret.. it might be seen as a kind of investment.
I'm just very worried that I do a mess.. and need to ship to the luthier anyway

thanks again for your precious help
Andrea

Hey Andrea,
The glue wicked really easily between the neck and the fret. I then had to remove the excess with a bit of acetone on a q-tip. Maybe I was lucky?
Because simply pushing the fret down re-aligned it, I did not have to use a specialized tool. I used a wood clamp. Like this one: (Cheap).

Clamp.jpg (9.64 KiB) Viewed 204 times

[nuovonormale]

@vjmanzo ... while I have no experience AT ALL

[nuovonormale]

@Patzag: well.. you know what.. I'll go for it
I wanna test my luck as well ahah
I'll try on that one fret where the issue is really audible.

I'll grab vj's suggested glue in my upcoming US trip and try the repair when I'm back in italy mid june.
and report the results with some photos then!

thank you all for helping out! best community ever this Parker's forum

[nuovonormale]

One last comment. I just checked with previous owner (we are kinda friends after all the interactions ahah).
Years ago the first fret fell out completely and he had it reattached with "attak" glue (cyanoacrylate). Apparently it's working fine after few years.
At the time, his luthier had suggested... removing all frets, cutting out slices of the composite fingerboard for each one and install normal frets in-stead - of course he stayed away from it.. but it's apparent that most "traditional" luthiers should stay well away from Parker guitars!!

[Jupiter]

At the time, his luthier had suggested... removing all frets, cutting out slices of the composite fingerboard for each one and install normal frets in-stead - of course he stayed away from it..

Good God! That should be a felony...

but it's apparent that most "traditional" luthiers should stay well away from Parker guitars!!

Amen brother!