Refret experts: can this Strat be refretted? - update: yes it can!!

bluechargeboy

Here we have me old Strat Plus that I have had since 1990. About four years ago I had it refretted for the first time, with 6100 wire. I have never been happy with the job but for various reasons did not pursue it at the time. I think the bevels at the fret ends are too extreme and I am forever falling off the edge, particularly on the bottom E.

There is about 2.5mm thickness of rosewood remaining, looking at the edges. Is this enough to have another go at refretting (probably with 6105)? This used to be my #1 and it is such a shame to have it crippled like this.

Any advice much appreciated!

Pics:

meltedbuzzbox

Do you mean reprofiled/filed rather than refret?

It can be refretted

bluechargeboy

I want it refretted, don't want it filing down into fat low frets. I think anyway! This is my only refret ever and it sucks!

ICBM

Yes, it can be done. The problem is the excessive bevelling of the fret ends, not that the fingerboard has been planed away - although it looks like it might have been very slightly, there's enough thickness of fingerboard left to put it right with new frets.

Unlike the '71 Les Paul Custom that a friend of mine bought recently, which has been planed down to the tops of the side dots in the binding! The fingerboard is now a compound radius, but not what that's meant to mean... sadly it's unrepairable without replacing the fingerboard now.

Don't be put off refretting just because there are some cowboys who can't do it right.

Funkfingers

The fret end bevelling has removed more wire than is either normal or desirable.

The correct solution would have been to point out the error to the repairer at the moment when the guitar was collected from his workshop. i.e. Before settling the bill. When you still have leverage.

A new refret will cost in excess of two hundred Pounds. It might be better to replace the vibrato with a design that matches the Fender pivot spacing but allows the string spacing to be adjusted inwards from the fingerboard edges. i.e. the old Kahler Traditional fulcrum from the Eighties.

bluechargeboy

Funkfingers said:

The correct solution would have been to point out the error to the repairer at the moment when the guitar was collected from his workshop. i.e. Before settling the bill. When you still have leverage.

I agree! We had some mental health issues in the family at the time and this was low on the list TBH. Hindsight and all that...!

I just got a bonus in work (I'm not a banker) so I would rather spend the money to put it right and call it a learning experience I think.

Next: a good luthier in the North West / North Wales!

sweepy

Might be cheaper to pick up another neck tbh and have this one re-fretted at your leisure

richardhomer

bluechargeboy said:
Next: a good luthier in the North West / North Wales!

You need to talk to @SteveRobinson - Manchester based - but people on the forum much father away than you use him.

Alnico

richardhomer said:

bluechargeboy said:
Next: a good luthier in the North West / North Wales!

You need to talk to @SteveRobinson - Manchester based - but people on the forum much father away than you use him.

I've used UPS to get my guitars to Steve and back again to Bedford many times.

+1,... talk to Steve.

bluechargeboy

Alnico said:

richardhomer said:

bluechargeboy said:
Next: a good luthier in the North West / North Wales!

You need to talk to @SteveRobinson - Manchester based - but people on the forum much father away than you use him.

I've used UPS to get my guitars to Steve and back again to Bedford many times.

+1,... talk to Steve.

I shall! I've been playing this guitar for 28 years and it's like part of my body. I need to get it back to where I can rip on it without being "careful".

Thanks all for the advice on this thread and in PMs, what a good bunch!

p90fool

James, Rob Williams is in Carno, he did a perfect refret on my Les Paul in stainless for 250. 

Fifty gigs later and they still catch the sunlight like he just put them in - they'll outlive me easily

http://i68.tinypic.com/2egduhe.jpg

mburekenge

@p90fool is that an r7?

guitars4you

richardhomer said:

bluechargeboy said:
Next: a good luthier in the North West / North Wales!

You need to talk to @SteveRobinson - Manchester based - but people on the forum much father away than you use him.

agree with comments about Steve - doe some sterling work for me on similar guitars

gusman2x

Also Matt Ryan guitar tech in Milnrow (North Manchester) does great refrets.

p90fool

@mburekenge it's a 2012 Traditional.

mburekenge

p90fool said:

@mburekenge it's a 2012 Traditional.

Very tasty. I had my r7 refretted with 6105  and it's like a different animal. So much better for my chode fingers  

p90fool

mburekenge said:

p90fool said:

@mburekenge it's a 2012 Traditional.

Very tasty. I had my r7 refretted with 6105  and it's like a different animal. So much better for my chode fingers  

I'm not surprised, it's funny how we mostly take the actual playing surface for granted, when a couple of hundred quid spent there can turn even a fairly modest guitar like mine into something which feels like it costs many thousands. 

I always regarded a refret as a repair, but it's worth it as just an upgrade. I will never wait for frets to wear out again before replacing them with my own preferred type. 

mburekenge

p90fool said:

mburekenge said:

p90fool said:

@mburekenge it's a 2012 Traditional.

Very tasty. I had my r7 refretted with 6105  and it's like a different animal. So much better for my chode fingers  

I'm not surprised, it's funny how we mostly take the actual playing surface for granted, when a couple of hundred quid spent there can turn even a fairly modest guitar like mine into something which feels like it costs many thousands. 

I always regarded a refret as a repair, but it's worth it as just an upgrade. I will never wait for frets to wear out again before replacing them with my own preferred type. 

Totally agreed!

How do you find the stainless frets?

Did they alter the tone at all?

I wore my bravewood s type frets out during my guitar degree and i'm thinking ss might be the way to go. 

I had it made with an enormous girthy neck and thick slab of rosewood.

As a result it has much more beef than my fender, but tbh a tad more treble zing would be great.

p90fool

I honestly didn't notice any change in the tone at all going stainless and I play pretty clean most of the time with fair bit of treble, so any unwelcome upper frequencies would tend to jump out at me. 

I took a quick phone snap of it just now to see how the frets are doing - this is after hundreds of hours of home playing and rehearsals and more than fifty sweaty 2-3 hour gigs.

It's had the odd wipe down in that time at each string change, but the frets have had no maintenance or polishing whatsoever. I've just been up and down it with a magnifier and there is literally zero wear - it looks exactly like it did the day they were fitted.

http://i67.tinypic.com/3496o1y.jpg

mburekenge

Thanks @p90fool those frets look great.

 I'm depping in a functions band on the equatorial coast of Africa. the guitars are really taking a beating. This looks like the way to go!

bluechargeboy

Hmmmm.......stainless.......