- Handheld Fret Press with 4 neck support cauls - No inserts are ncluded
- Quality construction for years of use
- Easy one-handed use
- Pliers lock for gluing in frets
- Compatible with Stew Mac Fret Press Inserts
- INSERTS NOT INCLUDED - Inserts must be purchased separately!
- Includes 4 removable padded neck support cauls
- Standard for guitar or bass
- Wide curved for classical
- Narrow for ukelele, banjo, and mandolins
- Flat for bolt-on neck heel
The Hand Held Fret Press makes installing frets easy with its simple one-handed operation. The sliding neck support and adjustable caul height will accommodate most instrument necks.
The self-leveling caul will accept our fret press inserts(sold separately) as well as ones sold by other luthier tool suppliers.
MM or CM to Fractions of Inches
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Excellent product for the money
I have used 4 different hand held fret press devices. Works great when used on electric guitars. Unfortunately due to the size and operation it is not very practical for frets located on the body in an acoustic guitar. It worked great for the frets up to the 12th. Still, a great product
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jwallac3@san.rr.com
I bought this because the original Stew Mac version is just outrageously priced at this point. Ive used the stew Mac version of this while working at a former employer extensively in the past. This Chinese version doesn't hold a candle to it and was a waste of money. The jaws are extended too far past a reasonable fulcrum for good leverage and they just don't have the the bite and pressure they should have. To expand, the steel is weal and the tool starts to deform if you use enough pressure to actually press a fret in. I'm giving it two stars because you can still use it to clamp a fret while waiting for CA glue to cure - if you're one of those guys who glues frets in while installing. Do yourself a favor and save your money.
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Works, but damaged my #1 Les Paul
While the tool gets the job done, it leaves much to be desired. I believe another reviewer stated that the caul is not properly secured.. that is 100% true. There's so much side to side play in the caul that it tempts the tool to press at an angle. Before using it again, if I actually do, I will have to fabricate a solution to this problem. The metal is also junk, but it works. The bigger issue is that the neck supports are so poorly padded that I now have large impressions in the neck of my prized #1 Les Paul Standard which is absolutely infuriating and truly unforgivable. I am EXTREMELY disappointed that this aspect of the design was so very poorly engineered. In retrospect, I feel that this is one occasion where I would have spent more than double on the Stew Mac tool had I known I'd be harming my #1 guitar for the past 13 years, and honestly, as a regular customer of Philly, I'd appreciate a refund or some sort of compensation for the damage.
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"Sloppy Gripping" Update
Biggest issue with this press is the poor fitting rivets on the upper jaw. So, I replaced the upper jaw hinge rivet (where the handle meets the jaw) and the caul rivet with bolt/nut/spacer. This secured the sloppy fitting caul and upper jaw making the press more stable. I then straightened the crooked upper jaw so it lined up with the lower jaw. I found no problem with the lower jaw assembly. So far the modified press seems to be working fine. If you don't mind doing a little modifying, you can make this into a decent fret press at a fair price.
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Sloppy Gripping
When clamping a new fret, these pliers twist. Kind of like a cheap pair of vice grip jaws twist, compared to a more expensive pair. First I added a spacer washer to the upper cawl to keep it straight. That's when I noticed that the pliers were also twisting. I know these are less than half the price of the "other guys" clamp, but I was still expecting better than what I got. Can't recommend.
