I have exactly the same instrument as you, made in 2002. I used your measurements as a guide and had to do very little in the way of adjustment, less than 1/8 of a turn on the truss rod and the string heights were bang on with your measurements. I beleive mine is just before Fender did the deal with Gretsch, not sure. Serial number is 026119-3831.
What do you use to polish the frets, mine have discolored to a dark brownish?
Robert
Ottawa, Canada
Thanks for writing, Robert! I’ve been using #0000 steel wool most of the time to polish the frets. First, I’ll use some drafting tape to tape off the fingerboard, then work with the steel wool along the frets. I also use a rag/cloth to cover the body right at the fingerboard extension/neck joint and secure it with some blue drafting tape to keep any fine steel shavings from contaminating the pickups. Typically, I use a fingertip-size ball of steel wool and replace it every 3 or 4 frets. I’ve also used the Micromesh abrasive cloth with pretty good success – I got a small square of it with some Jim Dunlop Formula 65 polish, I believe you can buy it from Stewart-Macdonald. Other people use a Dremel tool with a polishing wheel and some compound, but I’ve found that even though it takes a little bit more time I get same the same results and don’t really have to worry about gouging up the body with a Dremel mishap. Finally, use a vacuum or duster to remove any steel wool “fuzz” on the fingerboard and carefully remove the rag covering the body. I also always wear safety glasses and a dustmask to ensure I don’t breathe in any steel wool dust. This is what works for me, hope you find it useful.
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Hi Jorge,
I have exactly the same instrument as you, made in 2002. I used your measurements as a guide and had to do very little in the way of adjustment, less than 1/8 of a turn on the truss rod and the string heights were bang on with your measurements. I beleive mine is just before Fender did the deal with Gretsch, not sure. Serial number is 026119-3831.
What do you use to polish the frets, mine have discolored to a dark brownish?
Robert
Ottawa, Canada
Thanks for writing, Robert! I’ve been using #0000 steel wool most of the time to polish the frets. First, I’ll use some drafting tape to tape off the fingerboard, then work with the steel wool along the frets. I also use a rag/cloth to cover the body right at the fingerboard extension/neck joint and secure it with some blue drafting tape to keep any fine steel shavings from contaminating the pickups. Typically, I use a fingertip-size ball of steel wool and replace it every 3 or 4 frets. I’ve also used the Micromesh abrasive cloth with pretty good success – I got a small square of it with some Jim Dunlop Formula 65 polish, I believe you can buy it from Stewart-Macdonald. Other people use a Dremel tool with a polishing wheel and some compound, but I’ve found that even though it takes a little bit more time I get same the same results and don’t really have to worry about gouging up the body with a Dremel mishap. Finally, use a vacuum or duster to remove any steel wool “fuzz” on the fingerboard and carefully remove the rag covering the body. I also always wear safety glasses and a dustmask to ensure I don’t breathe in any steel wool dust. This is what works for me, hope you find it useful.