BexGears Guitar Kit Upgrade: Reshaping the Headstock & Leveling frets

Welcome back to Ted Talks Guitars and Life! Today, we’re diving into the BexGears guitar kit that my son got me for Christmas. While these kits are a great way to get into building, the neck usually needs a little "TLC" to get it playing right. We’re putting the BexGears neck on the bench to see if we can turn a budget project into a professional player. In this episode, we cover: BexGears Specs: A real-world look at the fret heights, 14-inch radius, and those "janky" stock tuners. Fret Leveling & Crowning: Dealing with 6 high frets using the Music Nomad Sanding Beam and my new StewMac three-sided file. Pro Tip - The Fall-Away: I’ll show you how I create a ramp from the 12th fret down to prevent buzzing and improve action. The Headstock Adventure: I take a router to the BexGears headstock to give it a custom shape. Things get a little precarious when the template snaps—time for the Japanese handsaw to save the day! Whether you’re a beginner looking for a BexGears kit review or a hobbyist wanting to learn fret leveling and crowning, grab yourself a Diet Coke and a big bowl of popcorn. Let’s get into it, Jack! Key Tools Featured: BexGears DIY Guitar Kit https://amzn.to/3YGYIxx Music Nomad Leveling Beam https://amzn.to/48Ske8F Music Nomad Radius Gagues https://amzn.to/4paRBsa StewMac Fret End File https://amzn.to/4sav4hF Fret Guru File https://amzn.to/3Lcq9wd Lizard Spit Fret Polish https://amzn.to/4qp2vvq BexGears Guitar Neck Project Timestamps: 0:00 - Welcome back to Ted Talks Guitars and Life 1:05 - BexGears Neck Specs & Stock Tuner Review 1:46 - Testing the Truss Rod & 14-inch Radius 2:43 - Finding High Frets: "Read them and weep" 4:12 - The Project Plan: Why I don't "chase" frets 4:52 - Testing the StewMac Fret File vs. Fret Guru 9:13 - Warning: Watch out for "safe" edges on files 11:55 - Prepping the Board (To tape or not to tape?) 15:15 - Testing the Music Nomad Sanding Beam (LBAM) 18:46 - Finding More High Frets: A "Comedy of Errors" 21:05 - Pro Tip: Creating a Fret "Fall-Away" (The Smoke Ramp) 23:55 - Crowning, Polishing, and Lizard Spit 26:00 - Customizing the BexGears Headstock 27:44 - The Router Mishap: "Precarious as all outdoors" 31:00 - Lessons Learned: Snapped templates & stain issues 34:30 - Final Results & Channel Member Shout-outs Shoutouts: @j-mansgearcave (J-man) @SmokeEaterGuitars (Jon) @BCG5150GUITARS (Chris) @TonJager (Brant) ____ Epiphone Special II - James Hetfield EMG Conversion Project https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMhTW3lOIKQ0fOAb7CnFxNdsSTSccemjJ 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. 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 #BexGears #BexGearsGuitarKit #DIYGuitarKit #GuitarModding #FretLeveling #FretCrowning #LuthierTips #GuitarRepair #MusicNomad #StewMac #FretGuru #GuitarMaintenance #BudgetGuitar #HandmadeGuitar #GuitarNeck #WorkbenchSecrets #TedTalksGuitarsAndLife #GuitarRestoration #Luthiery #DIYProject #GuitarCommunity #GuitarBuilder #WorkshopAdventures