Understring Level + Dress Tool Set – StewMac

Understring Level + Dress Tool Set, with 4.5″ Fretbar

Level and crown WITHOUT removing the strings
Now you can do all of your fret work at full string tension for the most precise (and fastest) fret work you’ve ever done.

With our revolutionary Fretbar, frets are leveled under exact playing conditions, making the job accurate and fast. But, we didn’t just want to level with the strings on—we wanted to recrown and touch up frets too! No more time and strings wasted tuning up and down, and waiting for the neck to settle in—you’re ready to do the whole job right from the start.

Get better results with the strings on
This set works with your guitar under string tension, so you’ll work exactly at the playing conditions you or your customers like—no more wondering what the guitar will play like when you’re done. Even tricky and cranky guitar necks are no issue, which can be a challenge on vintage instruments. With this set you’ll have everything you need to accurately level and recrown your frets with ultimate precision no matter what guitar you’re working on.

For beginners and pros
Whether you’re just getting started or work on guitars daily, understring leveling will completely revolutionize how you do fretwork. The Fretbar was designed for busy repair shops and builders that rely on high quality and fast results. Because you don’t need any specialized jigs or equipment, this set is perfect for beginners and small shops.

The Understring Level + Dress Tool Set includes:

Fretbar Understring Leveler + 2 String Jacks Also sold separately
With the Fretbar you’ll level the frets with the exact tension the neck has when played. This is because the Fretbar fits UNDER and BETWEEN the strings, with the guitar tuned to pitch. The precision-ground surface is just 5/64″ thick, allowing you to glide under the strings when leveling.

Choose the right length for you:

The 4.5″ Fretbar is ideal for spot leveling problematic frets all over the neck. It’s also perfect for creating fallaway on acoustic guitars.

The 9″ Fretbar is designed for smaller necks like ukuleles and mandolins. It also works for leveling full scale necks and spot leveling.

The 18″ Fretbar makes it easy to level an entire neck. You’ll quickly and evenly level most of the frets at the same time, without the added danger of running into the nut, saddle, or hardware.

20 degree Understring Fret Dressing File Also sold separately
The 20 degree Understing Fret Dressing File works just like a 3-Corner Fret Dressing File (one of our favorites), and the diamond coating works fast and clean, with no chattering. Best of all, you don’t even need to remove the strings! The stainless steel construction and knurled handles gives you pinpoint control to dial in the perfect shape and crown for your frets.

3M Stikit Gold Abrasives Also sold separately
These specialty sandpapers cut like a file, last longer than regular sandpaper, and are sized to stick right to the 1″ width of each Fretbar. They’re the same professional sandpapers we use to quickly and cleanly level frets, and to remove the scratches before you recrown and polish.

Each set includes four 15-yard rolls of Stikit, one of each grit: 320, 400, 600 and 800-grits. More grits are available separately.

Save time on every job
Time is money in a busy shop, and more time working means less time playing. With no time wasted from leveling to recrowning, you’ll be finishing jobs in record time. Not only that, you’ll know exactly how the guitar will play when you’re done, which is great peace of mind to you and your customers.

Want even more control? Get the Deluxe Set
In the Deluxe Set you get ALL of the Understring Fret Dressing Files. With all three angles you can get through any job lightning fast.

Works on stainless frets, too!
All of our tools are suitable for use on stainless-steel fretwire*. Modern stainless-steel fretwire is known to be harder than the traditional nickel-silver blends, but our own shop experience indicates the wire does not cause premature wear of files or sandpapers.
*Excludes our original Fret Tang Nippers. We recommend our Deluxe Fret Tang Nippers for stainless-steel fretwire.