Berserker82 Posted December 18, 2015 Share Posted December 18, 2015 Dropping my guitar of for a refret tomorrow. Based on your experiences, are there things to be mindful of or questions I should be asking my luthier? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted December 18, 2015 Share Posted December 18, 2015 Is he doing anything other than a re-fret, like a board leveling? Have you specified the fretwire you want to use? Fret style can make a significant difference, depending on your style of playing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike m Posted December 18, 2015 Share Posted December 18, 2015 If it's your only guitar, When can I pick it up???? You'll want to discuss what new strings are going on. m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berserker82 Posted December 18, 2015 Author Share Posted December 18, 2015 Is he doing anything other than a re-fret, like a board leveling? Have you specified the fretwire you want to use? Fret style can make a significant difference, depending on your style of playing. I haven't. I will ask. I'm not too familiar with different fret wires for different playing styles. I am relatively new, so strumming and basic chord progression is where I am at right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berserker82 Posted December 18, 2015 Author Share Posted December 18, 2015 I haven't. I will ask. I'm not too familiar with different fret wires for different playing styles. I am relatively new, so strumming and basic chord progression is where I am at right now. Also, just refret and new nut as far as I know Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berserker82 Posted December 18, 2015 Author Share Posted December 18, 2015 If it's your only guitar, When can I pick it up???? You'll want to discuss what new strings are going on. m I may stick with newtone double wound. They have worked out really well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike m Posted December 18, 2015 Share Posted December 18, 2015 I use Newtone Heritage strings, they're lower tension. I like the 11-47 set. m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duluthdan Posted December 18, 2015 Share Posted December 18, 2015 Why is it needing a re-fret? I had one of mine re-fretted this past summer with "EVO" which is a bit more expense than standard material. I also had the fretboard leveled - took out a couple of really shallow divots. A few years ago I replaced just the first four frets on a Martin I had, but this past summer the Gibson got all 20. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted December 18, 2015 Share Posted December 18, 2015 What is the guitar? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berserker82 Posted December 18, 2015 Author Share Posted December 18, 2015 There is nothing left to the frets. I will look into EVO. He is charging me 250 but not sure if that factors in fret choice. My guitar is a 71 J40 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
62burst Posted December 18, 2015 Share Posted December 18, 2015 Has this luth worked on your guitar(s) before, or maybe you'd heard good things from others locally? As suggested, it is good to have an estimated turnaround time for the work. Also good to extensively document the condition of the guitar before it goes away for a while. I've taken 9+ min of cell phone video of old guitars before they go away for a spell. Detail the condition of the fretboard, too. If not done carefully, fret removal can pull up small bits of wood around the frets. Ask if he has any other refret jobs laying around; check out the smoothness of the fret ends, and corners/fitment of the nut. Will you be specifying a string gauge for him to set the guitar up with? Be sure to play the guitar when you go to pick it up. Play it with some intensity; single note stuff... don't be shy. Keep an ear out for any buzzes. Enjoy the finished results; the freshly leveled board and new frets will look great, and the guitar should intonate accurately, and sound great too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave F Posted December 18, 2015 Share Posted December 18, 2015 Where do you live? (area) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berserker82 Posted December 18, 2015 Author Share Posted December 18, 2015 Thanks. Yeah I have used him before, pretty competent and experienced. I live in vermont Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vacamartin Posted December 19, 2015 Share Posted December 19, 2015 There is nothing left to the frets. I will look into EVO. He is charging me 250 but not sure if that factors in fret choice. My guitar is a 71 J40 EVO for $250 is a GOOD DEAL! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Assenphat Posted December 20, 2015 Share Posted December 20, 2015 I recall many years ago when I walked into a small new local shop. The owner had various low/medium priced acoustic and electric guitars for sale. I was trying out an acoustic, and he stepped over to ask how I liked it. I told him I wasn't interested in it because one fret buzzed (when only one or two frets buzz, you have an issue with the frets; it's not a setup issue. They always try to say the guitar needs a setup, or perhaps it's a "proud" fret, or high fret. But it almost never is, it's almost always a LOW fret, and that's BAD.) I set the guitar down and began looking at others. He immediately grabbed the guitar and took it up near the register. After looking at the others and eventually deciding to head out, I went past the register where he said thank you and have a nice day. Just then I noticed he was filing the frets on the guitar I'd tried, exactly where I told him it buzzed. I'm quite sure this guy had zero experience with fret leveling, so it was just ridiculous. When you're a retailer and you know how to identify fret issues, you don't start taking files to a guitar like that, you contact the manufacturer for return/repair. You don't just start hacking away like a fool. That's the weirdest thing I've ever seen at a guitar store in my life. Shows you have to be careful and know where you're taking your guitar for repair. The time to be asking the questions you need to ask about fret repair is NOT the day you bring your guitar into the shop. You ask ahead of time to see some examples of the repairman's work, if you're not familiar with them. You expect them to watch how YOU play and ask about your playing style and requirements. You try to glean as much info as you can, then leave and do some home research. Check for any reviews on the Web. This is your guitar, not your Hyundai. You don't hire just any old tire repairman to do fretwork on your beloved guitar. You check around, money is no object, you get the best guy/gal you can find and pay them well, even tip them. You try the guitar out extensively after the repair, before you leave the shop. Don't say, "I'll wait until I get home to test it". You test it there and make sure it's PERFECT. Fretwork and a proper setup should make your guitar play perfectly from low to high - no excuses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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