1st time re-fret advice please

Megii · August 2013

I'm not entirely sure on this, but I'm contemplating doing a re-fret on the neck I'm using for my current project (see the Wave Guitar build thread) using pre-cut jumbo stainless steel fretwire. I have done fret level and re-dress jobs several times before with success, but not a re-fret. I figure there is enough information out there on YouTube and elsewhere to help me. Am I right? Anyone else done a first time re-fret on a guitar, and if so how did it go. Any tips at all gratefully received, cheers!

Magicmitts · August 2013

Hi Megii,

I'm doing this too - I'm at the crowning stage on my neck. I won't give any advice at this point as I don't really know how it's going to turn out... but when it's all back together I'll drop a post!

The main issue I had was that the fingerboard (on a 70's Kawai Performer) was nominally 7.25" radius, but actually tightened up at the edges, and the original frets had been shaped slightly to fit, dipping down at the edges. I ended up sanding it down to a more uniform 7.25" radius, but that in itself was a bit difficult as somehow the radiused sanding block took a bit more off the sides, maybe down to my (lack of) technique.

Anyway, it's not looking too bad now, but I'll post when completed.

Megii · August 2013

Magicmitts said:

Hi Megii,

I'm doing this too - I'm at the crowning stage on my neck. I won't give any advice at this point as I don't really know how it's going to turn out... but when it's all back together I'll drop a post!
The main issue I had was that the fingerboard (on a 70's Kawai Performer) was nominally 7.25" radius, but actually tightened up at the edges, and the original frets had been shaped slightly to fit, dipping down at the edges. I ended up sanding it down to a more uniform 7.25" radius, but that in itself was a bit difficult as somehow the radiused sanding block took a bit more off the sides, maybe down to my (lack of) technique.
Anyway, it's not looking too bad now, but I'll post when completed.

Thank you, and please do post again, I'll be very interested to see what you've done and here your experience.

streethawk · September 2013

I wouldn't refret my first guitar on something I wasn't happy to set fire to. Stainless steel too, eh? >:D<

it's a fine line between refret and regret!

There's a really good vid of someone refretting an Eric Johnson strat with stainless on youtube. I'll link it up later.

GuitarMonkey · September 2013

I find the problem with stainless steel wire is not so much its hardness as its springiness. It helps to get the radius of curvature very close to that of the fretboard.

I would not recommend you try stainless steel wire for your first refret.

Megii · September 2013

I appreciate your sage advice chaps, in fact I'd already thought better of the whole re-fret idea - the existing frets still have plenty of life in them for one thing, and the other factor is that were I to balls the job up (a distinct possibility lol) and wreck the neck, it would totally ruin my build project - the neck has an unusual 25" scale length and would be about impossible to replace. Also, I have since found out myself that steel frets are not recommended for the novice re-fretter. I did buy a bag of super jumbo nickel silver pre-cut fret lengths, but will wait to get a cheap neck and use these for practice before moving on to anything more critical. Anyway, discretion is the better part of valour for now...

streethawk · September 2013

Wise decision, Megii.

Here's that tutorial vid for future reference.

octatonic · September 2013

Definitely get a beater guitar to practice upon.

The first full fretting job I did I ended up doing it twice as I levelled the frets too low and had to rip them all out and start again.

I would stay away from superglue as well- if you want you can use a bit of titebond to lubricate the slot- it doesn't have much of a hold on the fret when dry but it can help get the tang down into the slot.

Stainless for a first refret- that would have been quite an experience- wise decision to give it a miss for now.

I also wouldn't bother buying pre-cut fretwire.

Cutting fretwire is the easiest part of the refret.

Megii · September 2013

Cheers for the further advice chaps. I am able to do fret levelling and re-dressing (have got pretty good at it in my modest opinion

) but it's the removal of the old frets, plus installing new ones and getting them well-seated and nice and flush at the edges - that bit that concerns me, though I would like to master it at some point. One thing that seems to be the case is that I would need the right kit to do a good job, as well as getting the experience practicing on a cheap, uncritical neck. So something for the future, but when I'm ready, I'll come back to the forum for more tips!

ChrisMusic · September 2013

Good video that.

One word of caution, some manufacturers use a bit of SuperGlue on the fret ends to keep them bedded in well, & some use a bit more too.

When you heat the fret with an iron that SuperGlue will burn an let off a stink, noxious at best, but probably toxic fumes. I don't want to frighten you off, but some form of extraction (ie cooker hood?) or at least good ventilation is a must. And try not to breath any smokey wisps of that stuff in directly. It will also make your eyes burn, nice stuff.

edit: - maybe 'cooker hood' is not a good idea near food prep, but you know what, I mean hopefully.

That said, don't let me put you off, that's the last thing I would want to do. Get down and give it a try on an old neck, it's always better to practice over and over, and then do it for real, once you have it nailed, so to speak.

Good luck

Megii · September 2013

:-O That sounds a bit alarming Chris - using hot soldering iron while going woozy breathing in poisonous fumes, unable to see properly... lovely! TBH it's this type of consideration that is putting me off for now at least - I realise I need the right soldering iron, properly adapted, the right pliers for lifting the frets, perhaps some nippers for trimming the fret ends, suitable files for filing the ends flush, some sort of neck vice to hold the neck steady, suitable hammer for tapping in the frets... plus my inexperience, it's best if I realise I would be overextending myself a bit to go straight in on a high quality guitar. I will almost certainly come back to the re-fretting thing when I'm ready though - it would just be so great to be able to choose my preferred fretwire and re-fret my guitars when needed, without having to pay a tech £150 plus to do it for me. The old cheap neck is the way I think, as you say plenty of practice, and when I actually know what I'm doing and feeling more confident, that will be the time to refret one of my more valued guitars.

OilCityPickups · September 2013

Take a look on the flea bay, there are usually loads of crappy old Encore necks, sometimes even job lots of them. get several and get practicing.
Oh, if the guy in the video had masked the fingerboard properly he wouldn't have had to be so precious with the soldering iron or any other tools.

Megii · September 2013

TheGuitarWeasel said:

Take a look on the flea bay, there are usually loads of crappy old Encore necks, sometimes even job lots of them. get several and get practicing.
Oh, if the guy in the video had masked the fingerboard properly he wouldn't have had to be so precious with the soldering iron or any other tools.

Grateful for your thoughts GW! Any re-fret tips you have would be appreciated as to the kit you use, and how you go about the job...

GSPBASSES · September 2013

Megii said:

I appreciate your sage advice chaps, in fact I'd already thought better of the whole re-fret idea - the existing frets still have plenty of life in them for one thing, and the other factor is that were I to balls the job up (a distinct possibility lol) and wreck the neck, it would totally ruin my build project - the neck has an unusual 25" scale length and would be about impossible to replace. Also, I have since found out myself that steel frets are not recommended for the novice re-fretter. I did buy a bag of super jumbo nickel silver pre-cut fret lengths, but will wait to get a cheap neck and use these for practice before moving on to anything more critical. Anyway, discretion is the better part of valour for now...

25” is not an unusual scale length really after all PRS, Martin and a lot of acoustic builders use it . I would agree finding a 25” scale neck is not that easy as most 3^rd party makers seem to only know 25.5” scale as Strats and Tele or 25.5” neck with a paddle head stocks.

Now a bit of self promotion, I can make necks in any of the following scales lengths.

Rather then just list all the scale lengths I do the following is a post of mine form the UKGB forum.

I do a lot of fret slotting not only for the guitars I make but also for many other builders so I thought you might like to see what are the most popular scales lengths that have been used over the last year.

Electric guitars
25.5” 46%
24.75” 35%
25” 17%
24.625” 1%
24” 1%

Classical/Acoustic

650mm 35%
660mm 32%
630mm 13%
620mm 11%
635mm 9%

Bass

34” 87%
35” 7%
30” 3%
32” 2%
31.5” 1%
Plus 1 at 36”

Fan Fret
Guitar 27.5”/24.5” 14 in total
Bass 36”/34” 3 in total

Baritone

27” 14 in total
28” 6 in total

I've added two more fan frets to the above plus two more Baritone 26.5" and 27.5" and a 25" 30 fret for Lap Steel guitars this year.

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1st time re-fret advice please

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