1992 Squier Strat (made in Korea) Guitar Rescue – Fretwork

In this episode of the Marketplace Finds Guitar Rescue series, I move into fretwork on this 1992 Squier Stratocaster (made in Korea). After the initial assessment, it was clear this neck needed attention—wear on the first few frets, several high spots, and fret ends that needed cleanup. In this video, I walk through how I evaluate the frets, straighten the neck, identify problem areas, and ultimately level, crown, and polish the frets to bring the neck back into playing condition. Along the way, I also take care of a few additional items on the neck, including cleaning up the heel, addressing tuner holes with the wood glue and toothpick method, and getting everything ready for reassembly and setup. This isn’t a masterclass—it’s simply my process as I work through another marketplace guitar and try to make it the best it can be. Timestamps 0:00 Introduction and welcome 0:58 Project overview and plan 2:01 Cleaning up the neck heel 2:36 Taking measurements 3:06 Straightening the neck and checking relief 4:23 Identifying fret wear and problem areas 5:05 Finding high frets with a rocker 6:28 Evaluating fret height and prior work 7:20 Deciding on fret leveling 8:03 Initial fret filing and inspection 9:07 Marking frets and preparing to level 10:23 Setting up leveling beam 11:07 Leveling the frets 12:44 Post-level check 12:55 Preparing for crowning 13:08 Crowning the frets 14:50 Polishing process overview 16:07 Fretwork montage 17:26 Beveling and fret end work 18:10 Final polishing and cleaning 19:06 Summary of completed fretwork 19:31 Filling tuner holes (wood glue and toothpicks) 26:19 Trimming and finishing tuner hole repair 28:01 Final thoughts and next steps The "Little JAM" - Mystery Guitar Rescue https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMhTW3lOIKQ3Q4r0RSTZTwCZ2OfixMYVk ____ Shoutouts: @Jayde-guitar (Jayde) @sparkyguitars971 (Sparky) @TimRock1269 (BBM) The Pit Crew: @j-mansgearcave (Jay) @SmokeEaterGuitars (Jon) @TonJager (Brant) @String_Pickers (Casey) @BCG5150GUITARS (Chris) Checkout our playlist page for more series and journeys https://www.youtube.com/@TedTalksGuitars/playlists Special Thanks to our channel members "The Jacks" Want to support the channel? Feel free to explore Channel membership options: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBr6kaWeOvldTHvntB3tnMg/join Ted Talks Guitars & Life Merch Store: https://tedtalksguitars-shop.fourthwall.com/ Amazon Affiliate Link: https://amzn.to/3W3PZox *If you click on this link to shop at Amazon the channel will receive a modest financial commission from your purchases. Disclaimer: This video is not sponsored. Some links are affiliate links. If you buy something I may make a small commission. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Guyker Referral Link: https://www.guyker.com/?ref=tedtalksguitars If you use the link you will save 15% at Guyker Use the coupon code: TEDSMITH #Fender #GuitarRepair #Fretwork #Stratocaster #Squier #GuitarRestoration #GuitarSetup #Luthier #DIYGuitar #MarketplaceFinds