Refretting Cost Question

[Zerberus]

Re: Refretting Cost Question

Detroit Michigan.
He meant he would dress any frets that required it, not that he would charge extra for it and he knew that some frets needed to be dressed no matter what but not every fret had to be dressed;

This statement is just :chairfall: IMO... how exactly do you level the frets to a plane without flattening ALL the tops, making dressing of all the frets to at least a minimal extent essentiall..... inquiring mings that have been building guitars for 1.5 decades want to know....

even some brand new guitar frets need to be dressed after we bought them.

Very true... notably gibsons.

I understand exactly what he was saying and I did not have any problem with that. May be you guys misread what I was trying to tell.

Either that or you couldn´t convey the meaning correctly in a way that we as luthiers understand it.

If you had to dress every fret, the neck must had some big problem.

Yeah, olike a refret :laugh2:

Don't get offended if somebody undercuts you.

DUDE, I am NOWHERE NEAR offended... I for my part couldn´t give a flying **** about what some Luthier /Tech /Hack/ whatever on the other side of the planet takes.... Unlike some, I HAVE a life...

But I DO have a huge problem when "luthiers" spew statements that make CF Martin roll over and puke in his grave... again, that may have been a comms issue...

This is a free market. We get what we pay for, but some can get more for less. It is a fact of life.

Dude, don´t even try to lecture me on economics before you´ve read at least a few dozen more of my posts, just don´t try... trust me, you´ll fail. Especially when you´re making exactly the points I usually make (that everyone else takes for a given, btw) during your confused and misguided search for a target...

Trying to cut somebody down may be good for our egoes but it does not make us any better in the absolute scale.

Now you ´re REALLY reading too much into this... I know fully well who I am, what I have acconmplished, and what I´m capable of... my ego needs no "booster shots".... I have my achievements to drive me.

The reasons for my statements should be clear now... if not, then reread and repeat until they are.....

You´re fighting a battle that doesn´t exist.

 

[Amateur]

Re: Refretting Cost Question

Yeah, olike a refret :laugh2:

When I got my SG back, only three of the frets were dressed, the other frets were OK, and the guitar plays fine.

 

[Zerberus]

Re: Refretting Cost Question

I assume when you say that you already know that a properly dressed and polished fret looks EXACTLY like a factory fresh fret that is still part of the fretwire roll? You can measure a difference w/ calipers, and if you asked for a specific crowning style you can se a difference in profile (This is part of any basic refret or dressing IMO: "Now, how would you like the tops to be? `School Bus´, Perfectly round, pyramid or other?") ....but that´s it...

Just curious, if he didn´t dress more than 3 frets, how much do you bleed when sliding up and down the neck??? Fret bevel and rounding is also part of dressing.... And I doubt that he cut´s fretwire to a perfectly shaped and rounded bevel by hand before even installing itinto the neck....

There is a 100% certainity of a misunderstanding SOMEwhere in this thread or of the information given to you / the way you interpreted it, methinks...

 

[Amateur]

Re: Refretting Cost Question

There is bindings on the neck. I can't tell how he finished the ends but there were no sanding marks on the frets except on three of them when I got it back. He must have used some type of special press to put the frets in because I noticed he didn't even take the bindings apart.

 

[Zerberus]

Re: Refretting Cost Question

"Sanding marks" on over 10% of the frets?!?!?!?! (3 out of 22 for most SGs)... I´ll only say that I´d have been bitchslapped for that as an APPRENTICE 12 years ago... :chairfall:

I rest my case :beerchug:

BTW: Binding needs no special press, nor does binding need to be removed... unless you want to keep the "nibs" on a collectible vintage instrument (such as a 67 SG).... You merely sand off the nibs and undercut the tangs.

I DO hope he told you that Nibs / no Nibs is a resale difference of about 1k on that particular axe in good condition, and / or they´re still there??

Otherwise you REALLY overpaid for that job, but only by about 2-300$ (the difference between what you pad, the lost collectors value and a "collector correct" refret in my shop... Odie´s JohhJohn´s or OcDocs shop would likely be cheaper....)

 

[Amateur]

Re: Refretting Cost Question

No, I didn't mean he pressed the bindings. I meant he pressed the frets in so well that they didn't have to be crowned. The nibs are still there. BTW, I don't intend to sell this guitar . It is going to stay with me for sentimental reasons. I worked with it to pay for my college years through good times and bad.

 

[Zerberus]

Re: Refretting Cost Question

I know what you meant, binding is attached w/ glue and rubber bands, and frets are either pressed, hammered or glued in. I don´t forget my training and experience just becasuse someone says something unclear

Seriously though, f the nibs are still there (and up over the fret ends where they should be) then you actually got a pretty nice deal, even with the halfass polish /crowning (ands sanding marks on 3 frets IS halfass IMO, sorry) ... with the cash saved you could have had them redressed elsewhere if necessary, no biggie.

"Pressing in frets so well that they don´t need to be recrowned": the closest I´ve ever seen to this are warmoth necks... and in My AND Warmoth´s opinion they need a dressing... not impossible, but VERY, VERY rare..... Then again, I also consider a "low" action to be under 1mm.....

And that´s also an important point: depending on your action (esp if you like it higherthan say 1/16"), it´s quite possible to "get away" with a semi-decent dressing... I´m not saying this is the case here, but also something to consider when" rating" a fretjob

 

[Amateur]

Re: Refretting Cost Question

Please forgive me, we don't really speak Enginsh here in America. May be that's why I can't get the points across sometimes.
Actually the sanding marks on the frets are just smooth marks showing evidence that the frets were sanded down a little bit on the surface. The other frets were untouched on their surfaces and that's how I noticed.
I set my action a little over 1 mm (somewhere around 1.1-1.3) on the 12th fret. No buzzing. I could even set it lower, but the strings don't bend that well.

 

[Zerberus]

Re: Refretting Cost Question

Please forgive me, we don't really speak Enginsh here in America. May be that's why I can't get the points across sometimes.

Lol, neither do we Okies :beerchug:

Actually the sanding marks on the frets are just smooth marks showing evidence that the frets were sanded down a little bit on the surface. The other frets were untouched on their surfaces and that's how I noticed.
I set my action a little over 1 mm (somewhere around 1.1-1.3) on the 12th fret. No buzzing. I could even set it lower, but the strings don't bend that well.

My poiunt is that you can SHAVE in properly dressed frets... any marks at all ar "bad", in the sense of they shouldn´t happen. I´m not saying they don´t, esp. on production instruments.... but they should not be on a guitar that just came from a fretjob is all..

Maybe I´m an anal perfectionist.... but I think for the training i have and the price I take I have no legitimate reason to be anything else but perfect..... That´s why I don´t do rush jobs for anyone that´s not in an emergency, and then it still costs nearly double

 

[Amateur]

Re: Refretting Cost Question

Well, if I need another refret next time, I'll have you do it.

 

[Zerberus]

Re: Refretting Cost Question

NP...If >100$ shipping on top of the price doesn´t bother you (Europe)...

But Odie also does great work, and he´s just a bit closer

 

[Amateur]

Re: Refretting Cost Question

Yeah. May be Odie also. But don't be surprised if you hear from me 'cause some of my axes, including the SG, had been to the Far East and back.