When does a guitar need to be re-fretted?

stufisher · May 2023

Recently, I've been playing the same three guitars in every session:

Cort G290 FAT tuned to E-flat
HB DC Junior P90 tuned to Thin Lizzy
Westone Spectrum DX tuned to E

The latter I have stripped, refurbed and had pro set up for me; it's a beautiful thing and a keeper.

However, I have become aware of how low the frets are and I'm wondering when/if it will need a re-fret.

So, I'd be grateful if the cognoscenti would advise on what to look out for / when is it the right time to re-fret?

theatreanchor · May 2023

When you notice it.

RocknRollDave · May 2023

https://imgur.com/a/RRIIgfQ

FelineGuitars · May 2023

if yu have owned a guitar for a long time you may not notice the fret wear and how it makes it harder to play

Some signs that may make you consider a refret include

Having to exert too much pressure down to comfortably hold chords down

Have strings slip too easily from under your fingers when string bending as not getting enough fingertip behind the string to control it

Finding hammer on and pull offs harder to execute cleanly

Sometimes even just trying a guitar with larger frets and liking the ease of play that it offers will make you ponder if the wire could be bigger on your old guitar

BillDL · May 2023

On a guitar that's been heavily played over a wide area of the fretboard with a lot of string bending you will usually notice a sharpness to the frets as you run your finger up a string. The crown wears down to a flat fret and the edges can be quite noticeable. Most guitarists have favourite areas on the fretboard where they play a lot of licks and riffs and you tell this by inconsistent wear across the rest of the fretboard outside those favourite positions. The most common wear on fretboards is usually below the 7th or 8th frets and on the three high strings, where you will see noticeable divots beginning to form. It surprises me how some guitars still play without major buzzing or fretting out even with fairly obvious divots. RocknRollDave's example is really extreme though.

While I'm on here and while FelineGuitars has been present, I might as well ask this question and perhaps it may be of interest to others. A lot of luthiers and techs really dislike installing stainless steel frets because of the extra wear and tear on tools and the added issue with dressing such hard metal, and so quite rightly charge extra for such jobs. Evo Gold frets are a good bit harder than ordinary 18% nickel frets and last a lot longer, but the metal isn't as hard as stainless steel. @FelineGuitars - do you get many requests for refrets using Evo Gold, and are they as brutal on your tools as stainless steel such that you need to charge a bit more for a refret using them?

FelineGuitars · May 2023

The cost of a stainless refret is usually more - and often simply because it takes more time - typically it can take about 20% longer (or about an extra hour) and if you time your work and charge fairly then it will cost that much more.

The cost of the actual wire is a bit more too by a few pounds per job.

Finally some techs may put on a token amount to contribute to the need to replace tools quicker from the wear or fatigue stainless wire inflicts on them.

Stainless can be hard wearing as was the EVO gold although Jescar seem to have discontinued that range for some reason.

The added hardness of stainless can result in a slight perceived change in the sound , as you hear a bit more attack (maybe you are hearing sound that is simply absorbed or deadened by softer wire)

We don't mind doing stainless at all and it yields good results (cutting the wire can be hard on the hands I guess)

BillDL · May 2023

Thanks @FelineGuitars ; - I had no idea that Jescar had discontinued their Evo Gold fretwire. It seemed like a good compromise between nickel and stainless in theory, but I wonder if there just wasn't enough uptake on it. No doubt the stocks that remain will suddenly become "rare" and increase in price along with guitars fitted with it

FelineGuitars · May 2023

BillDL said:

No doubt the stocks that remain will suddenly become "rare" and increase in price along with guitars fitted with it

As far as I know the main seller for it in UK has none left in some sizes (especially the big ones)

SteveRobinson · May 2023

FelineGuitars said:

cutting [stainless] wire can be hard on the hands I guess

This is the worst thing about it, even with long handled cutters it's tough getting through the bigger gauges.

ICBM · May 2023

When to re-fret: when a fret dress will not leave enough height for the player’s preference - but in fact, if you’ve been playing it with the worn frets and it doesn’t seem too low, there’s a good chance that a dress will be fine - given that done properly, you don’t take them down to below the depth of the deepest existing groove.

I also prefer a ‘tapered dress’ where you remove little or no height from the higher unworn frets - because they’re not worn! - and more from the worn middle and lower ones. This produces a nice neck feel, a bit like a compound radius does, with low frets for rhythm chording and higher ones for solo bending.

You can usually do that at least once, sometimes twice, before the frets need to be replaced.

stufisher · May 2023

Thanks all for commentary and guidance.

I've just finished playing the Westie for an hour or so and now armed with your insights I reckon it'll be fine for a while yet. Yes, the frets are low but they're not damaged or limiting me in any way and I don't play enough hours to erode them significantly.

I guess it'll be ok to do simple polishes and maintenance for some considerable time.

Thanks again for the steer.

normula1 · May 2023

I've finally had my '80s ESP Tele refretted as it was noticeably harder to play than all my others. It's been totally transformed.

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When does a guitar need to be re-fretted?

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