Fret rocker

A short straightedge with several different lengths on its edges, used to find a single high fret by rocking it across three frets at a time.

The rocker rests on three adjacent frets and, if those three are level, it sits flat. If the middle one is high, the tool pivots on it like a see-saw, and that movement is the diagnosis: the middle fret needs attention. Because the different edges span different numbers of frets, one tool can check the whole board including the area over the body. It is the fastest way to confirm that a buzz is caused by a high fret rather than by action or relief.

Example: A guitar that buzzes on one note regardless of how high the action is set can be diagnosed with a fret rocker in a few seconds.

Fret rocker

See also