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A good guitar shouldn't fret out anywhere - this is where the string literally cannot sustain due to hitting a higher fret. A little fret buzz is expected, depending on string gauge and action; but it shouldn't sustain over the life of the note. Test notes on the entire fretboard - low and high frets, low and high strings. It's common for frets around 2-6 to get more fret buzz than higher frets - this can usually be evened out by adjusting the truss rod.
The frets should be smooth - you should be able to bend the strings up and down against the frets smoothly. If the frets aren't properly sanded down and finished, they may be a bit rough. This makes for difficult and possibly jerky bends, which is no good. Having a neck properly finished is not cheap - my advice is to avoid purchasing a guitar in such state. Maybe the store will offer to do the work for you - make them do it first, or make it contingent on a no-questions-asked return policy. They might try to cut corners just to make the sale and leave you stuck with a barely playable guitar. I bought an Ibanez RGA8 that had to be special ordered and arrived with cuts in the frets - literally looked and felt like knife cuts. Bending through them felt nasty and was completely unacceptable. I used my warranty to get a new one. Unfortunately, it's often difficult to tell whether the problem with a guitar can be cured with a proper setup or if it's a defect/poor craftsmanship. Many vendors have a no questions asked return policy. So you could buy it, make adjustments, then determine whether to keep or return it. Unfortunately, if you pay a professional to set it up, then return it, you have to eat the cost of the setup. Sometimes a little setup is all a guitar needs, and you can't write them all off based on their state at the store. But other times a guitar is well-setup and well-crafted, and the quality is clearly superb. It's always best to work off of knowledge rather than assumptions. IE, if you have to pay a little more to get a guitar you know has good playability vs. a guitar that ''might'' have good playability, it's probably worth the extra money.
== Comfort ==