hmm..how do you know when you need a refret?

[korovamilkdud]

So after getting my guitar a dressing, my guitar has never been able to hold it's intonation, especially toward the nut, regardless of the height of the nut. I've got some string buzz all over the place...it's kind of a mess lol.

I'm thinking it might be time for a refret, but I wanted to check and see with some peeps who might know specifically what to look for. I would hate to spend $150 on a refret just to get the guitar back with the same problems.:earl:

 

[scottish]

Re: hmm..how do you know when you need a refret?

Presuming you get it refretted with the same fret wire thats in there...this will only raise the height of the frets which if anything, will only make your buzzing problem more prominent.

I could be way off bat here, but it sounds with the time your guitar spent unstrung getting dressed that the neck may have shifted slightly. Id investigate a little truss rod tweaking and then set it up again

 

[ImmortalSix]

Re: hmm..how do you know when you need a refret?

One time my buddy googled "how to tell if you're an alcoholic," and when he clicked the first link it said "IF YOU GOOGLED "HOW TO TELL IF YOU'RE AN ALCOHOLIC, YOU'RE AN ALCOHOLIC!"

:laughing:

I think you know what I mean

 

[J Moose]

Re: hmm..how do you know when you need a refret?

It's time for a refret when the frets are too low to level again & be playable... or you feel the need for bigger frets. Not sure what to say about the funky intonation... after level that should be right on & there shouldn't be any fret buzz. Unless the person who did the level did a bad job...

 

[DazH]

Re: hmm..how do you know when you need a refret?

it's only time for a refret if they're too low to level again - if you've just had them levelled & they buzz it's the setup - either they werent levelled properly or it needs truss rod / string height adjustments.

 

[J Moose]

Re: hmm..how do you know when you need a refret?

I could be way off bat here, but it sounds with the time your guitar spent unstrung getting dressed that the neck may have shifted slightly. Id investigate a little truss rod tweaking and then set it up again

Wouldn't a solid tech check & do a full setup before handing it back after a level?

It's needed for sure, doesn't mean it was done...

 

[Diego]

Re: hmm..how do you know when you need a refret?

Besides the obvious feel that the frets are uneven, another sympthom of a much-needed refret (or at least a fret crowning) it's the intonation being a mess. If you intonate everything properly, yet certain chords or notes at certain frets are out of tune, the guitar might need a tech.

My Epi Strat clone needs a refret badly.

 

[korovamilkdud]

Re: hmm..how do you know when you need a refret?

Wouldn't a solid tech check & do a full setup before handing it back after a level?

It's needed for sure, doesn't mean it was done...

Well, I can take care of that. But once the truss rod is correct and the intonation at the 12th fret is fine, but there is lots of buzzing and the intonation by the headstock sucks, I don't know much of what else to do. Raise the nut, the intonation gets worse. Lower the nut, your buzzing like a hive (and the intonation is STILL sharp).

So whaddyall think, refret?

 

[DazH]

Re: hmm..how do you know when you need a refret?

if it's buzzing even after correct usage of the truss rod & string height then the frets are unlevel or badly crowned. ONLY if theyre too small to level would you want to remove & install new ones. otherwise, just re-level them and re-crown them.

 

[scottish]

Re: hmm..how do you know when you need a refret?

Sounds weird to me. If you just got the frets leveled and its set up properly then you shouldnt have buzzing on the open strings. If you are talking about buzzing on fretted strings then its a whole different deal. Is there any pattern to the buzzing? ie above the 7th fret or only on the top 3 strings or anything like that?

 

[korovamilkdud]

Re: hmm..how do you know when you need a refret?

Sounds weird to me. If you just got the frets leveled and its set up properly then you shouldnt have buzzing on the open strings. If you are talking about buzzing on fretted strings then its a whole different deal. Is there any pattern to the buzzing? ie above the 7th fret or only on the top 3 strings or anything like that?

the buzzing is more prominent on the first few few frets, and sometimes when the strings are played open.
The intonation problems are most prominent on the first few frets on the lower strings.

 

[ES350]

Re: hmm..how do you know when you need a refret?

Intonation problems on the first few frets usually means the nut slots are too high...but that doesn't seem to be the case here. Check to see the strings are breaking over the edge clean and not in the middle of the slot...

 

[J Moose]

Re: hmm..how do you know when you need a refret?

the buzzing is more prominent on the first few few frets, and sometimes when the strings are played open.
The intonation problems are most prominent on the first few frets on the lower strings.

Was the neck shimmed at one point?

Maybe the tech removed the shim while doing the work & forgot to put it back.

A bad angle will cause the action to be high in the last positions, but too low as it nears the nut.

 

[B2D]

Re: hmm..how do you know when you need a refret?

I've only had a refret done once. I'd had my strat's frets dressed three times and they had gotten low enough to the point where I couldn't bend strings properfly and I was getting hand fatigue from holding chords down.

Had it redone with Dunlop 6105's and never looked back.

 

[octavedoctor]

Re: hmm..how do you know when you need a refret?

You can have intonation problems with frets that have been ground very low because it is hard to get a proper shape to the fret crown. If the frets have a "squared-off" profile the string may sound from the back of the fret, rather than the top.