This is really a two part question... 1) I had my strat refretted in the late 90's and the luthier pointed out how thin the rosewood board was in the upper register. It is almost paper thin on the bass side, and slightly thicker on the treble. I bought it used when I was 15-16ish, so that was something I never even knew to pay attention to until he pointed it out. IIRC, I'm pretty sure he mentioned it might not be able to be refretted again... based on the pics below, do you guys think it's possible or not? It definitely looks like he filed the tangs on some of the frets down so they would fit. 2) The 19th fret has a quite significant gouge in it and absolutely needs to be replaced, but I feel like the others are in pretty good shape. Is it ever advisable to replace a single fret, or is that something that needs to be done all in?
Hi, welcome @paydon9! I think getting a new neck would be easier. Then the fretboard and frets would be even on surface of.
A partial is doable. Replacing one is doable. Now, about that fingerboard...WOW that is thin on the bass side. Not much material there at all to true the fingerboard on a full refret. I think a new neck might be the better choice.
A single fret can be replaced as a repair if the rest have enough meat to work with. That really isn't an issue.
I do partial refrets for customers all the time. As for the thin fingerboard... I wouldn't be too concerned about that. Fender used "veneer" fingerboards during the early '60s, and those necks got refretted.
It’s a 1987 ‘62 reissue so even a total refret would be worth it, and my mild ocd won’t allow me to have a neck that isn’t fairly close to what it’s “supposed” to be . I’ve scanned reverb several times over the last few months and have seen a couple of options, but they either sold too fast or were more than I really want to pay, but I’ve since realized I’m going to be coming out of pocket if I want something accurate. There’s a reputable luthier pretty close to me, I’ll just take it to him and see what he says about replacing the single damaged one. thanks!
Bought this Mid 80's MIJ Fender as a project. For whatever reason it was missing one fret with tons of life left in the others. It wasn't hard to match the other frets. If I can do it a trained tech should have no problem.
Hi. Maybe have the tech do a complete setup while he has the guitar, from the pics you posted either the action is really high, or you set it up that way for slide
One fret should be possible. A little spot leveling and recrowning would be all that is necessary. Those are about to the point where you might get one fret leveling. And think about refretting next time.
single frets and partial refrets can be done no problem. thin fingerboard or not, i could refret that neck as many times as it needs to be refretted. so should anyone else that can do a refret.
Well maybe just maybe(playing the devils advocate here) the board had some weird twist or warp and in order to compensate it ,before the refret, he went...sanding block happy on your board....levelling it but in the process knocking down a huge portion of the fretboard and THEN mentioned that to you so you wont realise it was him..... Having mentioned that more unlike scenario that guitar can still be refretted..yes a bit of grinding to certain frets ll be needed but it can be done...of course if one fret is the issue just replace that fret it a no brainer.You can even remove that sad board and replace it but its better to get two brand new replacement necks than to go through that crap....
I replaced 1 fret on a Japanese copy Strat. I watched a few videos to make sure I had the right tools to do it. It went well and even though my micrometer metered the excess on the original fret making the replacement a bit fatter, it still worked out. It is the 11th fret which was dented at my G string (lefty) and I couldn't play an F# there. Not pretty but it plays great now.
I'd just set the truss rod so that part of the fingerboard doesn't get contacted by the beam until the very end of the truing. Maybe not even then if you want to have a little fall-away.
. A careful guitar tech could get one more drag on those frets and give you a level playing experience for a few years, sure they are low but they can be crowned by hand. If you refret, only do stainless steel. The guitar tech only needs to replace frets and level those, they don't need to try leveling the fretboard itself. However, make sure whoever does the work uses a fret leveling jig that tensions the neck under string loads not 'freehand'. .
It is VERY high. I had it set up that way when I had the refret done many years ago, back when I thought I wanted or could sound like SRV!! Oh to be young and dumb again I definitely plan on having it lowered when I get the repair done.
that is really a shame what happened, but truth be told it's happened to me too when I was learning to refret! The repairman went crazy on the bass side of the fret board and essentially put a twist in the neck since the treble side is higher. What I would do is replace the fretboard. I've done it in the past and is scary but is definitely do-able. That way you can start fresh and still keep the original neck.
Welcome to the forum! In my opinion, and what I would do personally, is get a new neck altogether. Allparts makes some great ones (I have one!) Ebay has some used ones And if you are willing to pay some money, you can opt for a really nice one like Warmoth or Fender MIM or MIA. Your choice honestly, but I would think a new neck is easier and better. And yes, a partial refret is definitely possible.
Those slots could be made deeper with a fret saw. Replacing a single fret, though, is easy. Measure it up. You might have to buy a whole set, but they're only like $12.
