To fret or not

[gudjun]

Hi all

I wonder if if anyone has an opinion on whether the risk of re-fretting my Starfire is worth or should I leave it alone. I know it's my decision in the end, but I've never used a guitar tech and I don't know of any where I live.

The wear that bothers me most is the grooving on the 2nd string 2nd fret

Any comments would be welcome.

Photos in prevous post by the courtesy of Hans.

Regards to all

 

[Guildmark]

Maybe leave it alone if the plan is to keep it original as a collectors item. I believe most of the folks here at LTG will tell you Guilds are "made to be played". So if it needs frets, it needs frets. Sorry, I don't know any luthiers near the prime meridian.

 

[Jeff]

Replacing a couple frets shouldn't be too expensive, $15 - $20.00 each.

I'm no expert but I've had it done on two guitars, relaced em all on the F 20 & the first 5 on the DV 62.

Fretwire comes in different sizes, an experienced Guitar fixer should be able to do the job invisibly.

I've been told one trick is to heat the existing frets a bit so's not to chip the finish when they are removed.

 

[jp]

Hey gudjun
Most definitely have it done! And yes, as mentioned by guildmark above, guitars are made to be played, not kept in glass cases. Fret jobs are one of the mainstay jobs of a luthier, and most experienced luthiers have refretted a gazillion boards. They can match the fretwire and crown profile exactly or customize it to your liking.

The only place where it will be, or should visible afterwards, is on the edge of the fretboard. Usually on all bound necks, the binding is cut to cover the fret ends. A refret will be visible in that the binding will probably no longer cover the edge of the frets. If that is a big deal to you, then the only other option is to have the fretboard rebound at the same time. More bucks. IMHO unnecessary and it's hard to match the aged look of the rest of the binding.

 

[gudjun]

Thank you all for your thoughts, which leaves me to ponder

1 Do I Risk changing the frets myself - Er No!
2 Do I place it in a glass cabinet - Er, What would be the point?
3 Do I sell it and buy a new one - I don't think so!
4 Can I find a luthier I could trust in my area - Maybe.
5 Stick heavier strings on it and find chords shapes and positions that use the grooved frets less - sounds ok
6 Confine my string bending forays to my tele.
7 Combine 5 and 6 above - At least for now.

In a way your comments confirmed what I thought. And I should mention that the starfire gets played almost every day and imo blends quite well with the tele (Thats a guitar as well folks). It was bought all those years ago as working weapon and will probably only be retired when my fingers, or brain finally seize up, and even then I've two nephews who covet it. (weapons at dawn, winner tales the guild)

Regards to all and thanks for your input its genuinely appreciated

 

[mad dog]

G: I concur with the excellent advice you've so far received. It's not a big deal. No risk at all if you can find someone qualified. The upside is, a refret -- or even simple fret dress, set-up, if that is all that's required -- can literally transform an instrument.

My '61 strat frets wore wore down to the point 10 years ago that I had to act. Got a refret from one of the best, Roger Sadowsky in NYC. It played so much better, I realized it had always needed a setup. I just hadn't realized how much that matters. Had the same experience more reently with an old 336. It's worth finding someone good.

 

[gudjun]

Thanks Mad Dog

Thats my problem finding someone I could trust.

Regards

 

[jp]

Isn't that damn island of yours is filled with rock stars in castles?

There has to be someone close by. BTW in which Newark do you live? In Nottinghamshire I'm guessing? Manchester's got to have a competent luthier.

 

[gudjun]

Hi JP

Reminded me of the last time I went to Manchester my mates car was left standing on a pile of bricks!! Still it could have been worse it could have been mine!

Regards

 

[Scotter]

From a purely collector POV: if the instrument was not to be played and was just an investment, then the point could be made against a full refret. Instruments like those are not typically played much and are way beyond the price point we're talking about here. For example, if that Lloyd Loar era Gibson F-5 mandolin your Grandparents left lucky you ($250K range) has original frets, you might wanna leave it alone.

For a player's instrument, it's no good if not playable to a reasonable level. I have never heard of a refret hurting the value of a player instrument, so long as it is done with good workmanship and, if collectability is important to you, with the original size of frets.

Even if you don't use the same size frets, they can be changed out, also. Many 60's and 70's instruments had huge jumbo frets installed during the late 70's and 80's, many to be refretted back at a later date.

As was mentioned, changing one or a few frets is do-able, too.

Scott

 

[Guildmark]

Howdy, gudjun.

Which Newark, UK are you in?
Orkney
Peterborough
Nottinghamshire

Just want to know where to stick my blue pin.

Thanks!

 

[gudjun]

Hi GuildMark

Newark. Notts - and be careful where you put the point.

Best Regards

 

[Guildmark]

Cool! My employer has a large office in Nottingham where all my counterparts work. One of them is a very good guitarist who owns a Guild but I haven't twisted his arm hard enough to join the forum. We'll all be attending our annual conference in a few weeks (here in the states, unfortunately) and I intend to pound on him a little harder at that time.

Cheers!

 

[Walter Broes]

By all means have it refretted - a guitar is a useless piece of wood if you can't play it.
If there's ONE aspect of guitar collecting that strikes me as completely and utterly ridiculous it's the "original frets" phenomenon.

 

[capnjuan]

Hi GuildMark Newark. Notts - and be careful where you put the point.Best Regards

Thanks gudjun, we went through this with BB'er Jerry; we wound up with a posted map of the wrong town.

Regards, cj

 

[Guildmark]

By all means have it refretted - a guitar is a useless piece of wood if you can't play it.
If there's ONE aspect of guitar collecting that strikes me as completely and utterly ridiculous it's the "original frets" phenomenon.

I agree. It would be like buying a '52 Hudson Hornet because it has the original shocks and brake shoes.

 

[jp]

If there's ONE aspect of guitar collecting that strikes me as completely and utterly ridiculous it's the "original frets" phenomenon.

Totally agree. The original frets on my T-100 were very very low. I'm not sure if this was true for this particular guitar, but many have said that low frets were very common and popular on many 50s guitars. For me it was too awkward too play. Didn't blink twice at having a pro refret.

 

[caveman]

+1 JP ! My 1959 T100D had the exact same phenomenon. Not very worn, but very low frets. Had it done professionally and it's been my main axe ever since. And I constantly walk around with a big grin all over my face, which probably isn't happening with all those 'original frets'- collectors !