Question for the luthiers on the board

[rspst14]

Hey guys...when refretting a guitar, how much of the crown height is lost in the levelling process? Stewmac says as much as .01 inches, which is about 20% of the total crown height. My Hamer Studio is in need of a refret, and I'd like to use the Hamer fretwire that they use on their newer guitars, which is .05 inches tall. Should I consider maybe moving up to the .055" fretwire, under the assumption that the final height will end up being shorter than that?

Also, is there any consistency among manufacturers as far as the width of the fret slots? I'm assuming Hamer fretwire will fit Hamer guitars with no problem, but if I went with Dunlop or Stewmac fretwire, could I run into problems with the frets being too big or small for the slots?

Finally, how much should I expect to pay to have a good luthier do the work? The neck has 22 frets, no binding, and is mahogany with a rosewood fretboard. I'll probably order the fretwire myself, after hearing a horror story about a luthier who got Dunlop's numbering system messed up and refretted a guy's guitar with the wrong size. So assuming the only cost is labor, how much am I looking at spending on this? Refrets are pretty much the only guitar repair/maintenance thing I can't do on my own, so any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

Ryan

[rspst14]

Re: Question for the luthiers on the board

bump...anyone know?

Ryan

[Curly]

Re: Question for the luthiers on the board

here's Hamer's East Coast authorized service center:

BCR Music & Sound
Greg Platzer
300 S. Third St.
Lemoyne, PA 17043
717-730-9775

hope that can be of some help

[Blueline]

Re: Question for the luthiers on the board

usually fret slots are between .022 and .024 - lots of companies use .023
the only cost being labor is the real issue - fret wire is about 6 bucks per guitar so the cost isn't what you're paying for
fretting a guitar is a pain in the butt and involves
1) removing the frets (CAREFULLY)
2) cleanign the slots
3) bending hte fret wire
4) cutting it roughly to length
5) installing it (usually by pressing but some guys glue frets in which involves either widening hte slots or shaving off teh tangs)
6) wicking CA under the slots
7) trimming to length
8) bevelling sides of frets
9) levelling
10) dressing (which is recrowning and cleaning up fret edges_
11) polishing

the labor IS what you're paying for
dunlop and stewmacs wire seems to either be identical or corresponding
i dont' think it is dunlop or else stewmac would advertise it as such, but the sizes correspond

i like the 0149 from stewmac - its sorta like gibson fret wire but a bit taller to make it easier to bend
0146 is the true gibson lower fretwire

those 2 are pretty much all i use

hope that helps

[Blueline]

Re: Question for the luthiers on the board

i just reread your post and i don't think i answered the question well

here's another go
the actual amount lopped off depends on how consistently the frets were installed and how flat the neck was able to be gotten by adjusting the truss rods
i.e. if the FB was totally dead flat and all the frets were pressed in exactly the same presser then no levelling would be necessary
if this is your first time - expect to lose quite a bit
if you've done 30 guitars - you can lose just a drop of the top of the frets - you wouldn't notice it was missing
choose the fret wire that appeals to you and a qualified and experienced luthier will be able to deliver most of it back to you
were talking hundreds of an inch so unless you're that sensitive and refined at measuring by finger tip, i think you'll be okay without overcompensating
if you were doing hte refret - id suggest overcompensating and buying much taller fretwire than you like expecting to lop off a bunch

cheers

[psy]

Re: Question for the luthiers on the board

my luthier would charge EUR 148 for that
it's not the world for perfectly done fretwork + newly aligned nut + setting octave