Fret work on '97 D2H
Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2026 6:22 pm
Nearly 30 years ago, I decided that I deserved an upgrade from my second guitar, a 1977 Yamaha FG 336 SB. I had been playing guitar for 20 years at that point—no longer a poorer teenager or an unemployed college student ... I visited several SF Bay Area stores, tried Martins, Taylors, Santa Cruz, Lowden, and Gibson, but nothing grabbed me. A friend of a friend whom I bumped into suggested I visit Gryphon and try a Collings. The D2H fit my hand perfectly and the tone was exactly what I heard in my head.
After three decades of playing it, I finally made a repair appointment at Gryphon this summer. (Spurred by a required repair to my Blazer and Henkes OM, on which the bridge began to lift because I wasn't diligent about keeping the local humidity at bay.) Henry discussed the options for the D2H: complete refret, partial refret, planing the fretboard extension ... I objected to the latter as too extreme, irreversible, and unnecessary for a guitar of this age and condition. We settled on replacing frets 1–15, and filing the upper frets if needed. Two weeks later, I picked it up. Henry was pleased with how it turned out. The upper frets needed nothing. I'm enjoying playing the guitar with its combination of broken-in tone with as-new frets, action, and playability.
(And, the B&H came out fine. Henry hadn't known about them and remarked, "That's quite a stable you have there.")
After three decades of playing it, I finally made a repair appointment at Gryphon this summer. (Spurred by a required repair to my Blazer and Henkes OM, on which the bridge began to lift because I wasn't diligent about keeping the local humidity at bay.) Henry discussed the options for the D2H: complete refret, partial refret, planing the fretboard extension ... I objected to the latter as too extreme, irreversible, and unnecessary for a guitar of this age and condition. We settled on replacing frets 1–15, and filing the upper frets if needed. Two weeks later, I picked it up. Henry was pleased with how it turned out. The upper frets needed nothing. I'm enjoying playing the guitar with its combination of broken-in tone with as-new frets, action, and playability.
(And, the B&H came out fine. Henry hadn't known about them and remarked, "That's quite a stable you have there.")