New neck or refret?

APB_4

APB_4

New member
My first guitar was an Aria STG004 which I still own. It plays quite nicely and always has but being a fairly cheap guitar and rapidly approaching 10 years old the small soft frets that came with it originally are rather worn. Would you go for a new neck or refretting the current one? Also where would be a good place to get things in Britain?
Cheers,
Adam.
 
Re: New neck or refret?

APB_4 said:
My first guitar was an Aria STG004 which I still own. It plays quite nicely and always has but being a fairly cheap guitar and rapidly approaching 10 years old the small soft frets that came with it originally are rather worn. Would you go for a new neck or refretting the current one? Also where would be a good place to get things in Britain?
Cheers,
Adam.
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get it refretted by our own octavedoctor. Im pretty sure he is set up in the UK somewhere. shoot him a PM. If the neck isnt warped then there is really no reason to replace it.
 
Re: New neck or refret?

Ok thanks dude, I'll look into it. I'm inclined to agree I just wasn't sure it was worth the money on a pretty cheap guitar.
 
Re: New neck or refret?

I don't think it's worth the money on a cheap guitar, unless it's your only guitar and you don't plan on replacing it, or it has a sentimental value.
You'd probebly end up spending on a refret as as much as a new neck would cost, or as much the guitar is worth anyway.
 
Re: New neck or refret?

I would try to get a warmoth neck. They are not much more expensive than a refret and if you like the guitar you can get a good neck that fits perfectly. If you want get a new set of pickups, you could have a pretty sweet guitar in your hands.
 
Re: New neck or refret?

I seem to recall the Aria STG range were pretty reasonable strat clones.

The thing about cheap guitars is that they can actually be quite good. The idea that it's not worth refretting a cheap guitar doesn't really make sense; it's like buying a cheap car and then saying it's not worth changing the oil or the tyres.

In the end a guitar is worth what it's worth to you. As a point of principle, I wouldn't undertake a repair that was not worth doing.

And it's worth pointing out that I charge around £160 for a refret, in Stainless Steel. The cheapest quality replacement neck in the UK costs around £200 and would still need its frets dressed, nut cut, fitting and set up.

More of a concern for me is that, although the UK looks small on the map to people from across the pond (i shocked my friend Carlie, who lives in Dallas by showing her that the whole of Wales would fit into the entire conurbation of Houston), if Adam's in Huddersfield or Stockton or Glasgow the he might as well be in Moscow, as far as the UK is concerned. I struggle to get people to travel to me from Bath and that's only twelve miles up the road...:sad:
 
Re: New neck or refret?

go re-fret!
that is your first guitar.
changing neck will change the look.

i regret selling my 1st electric guitar.
even it is very2 cheap... but it is 1st guitar!
 
Re: New neck or refret?

personally, if the frets aren't too worn down and you don't mind flatter frets, i would just get the frets re-leveled and crowned and cut a new nut but that's just me:dunno:
 
Re: New neck or refret?

wickedmartini said:
Isn't a new neck generally cheaper than a full re-fret?
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Yep.


I just put a new neck on my Strat because a brand new neck was about the same price as a fret dress.

See my Strat makeover thread --- a fret dress alone, not even a re-fret, would cost $180+ in my area. I scored a brand new Fender Road Worn 60's neck (rosewood) for $250.

$70 more, yes, but my frets were so worn that after a level, they were going to be really, really, short. No thanks.

Look into it.

Oh, and don't look to buy a neck from Warmoth or USACG if you're being budget conscious --- hit up TGP!
 
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Re: New neck or refret?

I was never under the impression that a refret cost all that much money. I know it'll be a good 150-200 bucks, but that's not too terrible. You can save up for it, whatever.

But have a tech look at it first, and ask him if he thinks it needs a dressing (that's important. If he can sell you a refret instead, he will).

But aside from that, you said it plays well. Well that answers the question to me right there. You ALREADY like the neck. So just get the frets worked on.
 
Re: New neck or refret?

Fair enough thanks everyone. UkAnt, could you send me the details of that luthier please? I'm fairly sure these frets are beyond repair, I'll post some pics if anyone's curious
 
Re: New neck or refret?

ImmortalSix said:
Yep.


I just put a new neck on my Strat because a brand new neck was about the same price as a fret dress.

See my Strat makeover thread --- a fret dress alone, not even a re-fret, would cost $180+ in my area. I scored a brand new Fender Road Worn 60's neck (rosewood) for $250.

$70 more, yes, but my frets were so worn that after a level, they were going to be really, really, short. No thanks.

Look into it.


Oh, and don't look to buy a neck from Warmoth or USACG if you're being budget conscious --- hit up TGP!
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That's ridiculous; there's no way a new neck should cost less than a fret dress or a refret. Someone's taking the p with their charges...
 
Re: New neck or refret?

korovamilkdud said:
But have a tech look at it first, and ask him if he thinks it needs a dressing (that's important. If he can sell you a refret instead, he will).
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Not me. On a point of principle I never sell someone a service they don't need. It saddens me to know that there are so many out there who take people for a ride that you automatically tar us all with the same brush.

However I do believe that unless frets are so badly worn that the strings don't sound properly you are better off putting the money towards a refret. Fret dressing should really only be used to level irregularities, not cure wear because every time you dress the frets you reduce their lifespan still further and limit their functionality.

Adam, beware of cut price refrets! I've seen a lot of them and there are often hidden costs. There is a guy around me who has undercut me on price many times however he just does the refret; if you want the guitar set up afterwards, the frets dressed etc he tells the hapless punter that those things will cost extra. If the nut needs to be replaced, that's an extra. People often end up paying more than they would if they had come to me and the worst of it is his refrets aren't that good. I don't mind because i've got a waiting list that takes me into the next century but I hate to see people fleeced, although I take some consolation in that they bring it upon themselves by being cheapskates and begrudging the artisan the proper reward for craftsmanship... :)

Make sure you see some of the guy's work before committing, or at least get a number of recommendations.
 
Re: New neck or refret?

APB_4 said:
Fair enough thanks everyone. UkAnt, could you send me the details of that luthier please? I'm fairly sure these frets are beyond repair, I'll post some pics if anyone's curious
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I'll try and dig out a number, if you message me with more info (like wear you live) I'll let you know more.
 
Re: New neck or refret?

Here are pictures anyway. It's probably not all that bad but it buzzes and I want to drop the action. Plus I think it would probably play a little better with slightly larger frets.

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