Hi my guitar was recently fret dressed and it took down 50 percent of my fret how now my guitar has no grip for bending like it used to.

should I Refret the original neck or buy a replacement neck?


its an american standard strat from mid 90's with maple neck sprayed

Who in the world took 50 percent of your fret height away in a simple fret dressing??? Talk to them about some $$$$ back or something!!!
If you love the neck, refret. If you only sleep with the neck occasionally, but are not in love with it, get a new neck!!

I hope your being serious cause I sleep with my guitar all the time. My neck needs a refret but I'm not sure what size I want. I would prefer HUGE ones so then I could get them re-dressed more than once, but I read in another post that super jumbo frets can cause the note to go sharp if the string is squeezed hard enough, what do you cats think?

Check with Stewart-McDonald (stewmac.com). They have some good info on that sort of stuff. Check Allparts and Warmoth too.

Super huge frets can cause a note to be pushed out of pitch if you use too much pressure. But, if you are pressing you strings down hard enough to cause that to happen you probably suck too bad to tell the difference anyhow.

You shouldn't have to replace the neck at all. Just bring it in to a different guitar tech, one that knows what he's doing perhaps?

Highway Chile,
Go to your nearest music store and play one of the new Highway One Strats. They have the jumbo frets. See how you like them. I personally prefer the medium jumbos, but alot of folks like 'em big. And, like a previous poster said, you'd have to really be applying alot of pressure to make your notes sharp.

_________________
2010 American Deluxe Strat Sunset Metallic - Lindy Fralin Blues Specials in the neck and middle, Dimarzio AT-1 humbucker in the bridge.
PRS Custom 22 with solid rosewood neck
Mesa/Boogie Electra Dyne 1x12 combo
DRRI

thanks strat dudes for you help

It will go sharp with too much pressure, especially if you use a really light gauge string. Another time that can happen is if you use a capo at all. I used to use one of the quick change capos on my acoustic from time to time, then realized how it really made my notes to go sharp because of the excessive spring tension. I had a guitar for a short period of time with super jumbo frets, I hated it. I tend to grab and squeeze chords when I play, and it was affected by the super jumbos. It's all how you play, and what you like though, do what the previous poster said and play a HW1

If you are in love with the neck refret.. but also a new unused neck with the frets that you want could be really affordable

If you like the neck, keep it and get it refretted. I'd rather have a good, played in, broken in neck than and brand new one.

But, I also love love love the feel of wide, very low frets anyway. I can play so effortlessly on those and so fast.

I just reread my original post strat dudes I just wanted clarify after my guitar was "fretdressed" it just played alot different the whole feel of the neck for string bending changed dramatically it was hard to grip bends and put finger vibrato on the notes after it had been dressed. I did contact the repair shop and they said this is a common occurence with "fret dressing" therefore they didnt give me any money back most of the techs are really big assholes out here in canada anyways I dont know why tho

bosskidblues,
I've got the same delimma. I've got an 05 Strat Deluxe that I've never seen the frets wear on a guitar as fast as these have. I've got guitars that are over 40 years old that haven't got as much fret wear. I love the Am. Dlx. Strat, and the fine neck, and fret work, but the premature fret wear stinks. Stratosphere wants 450.00 for an Am. Dlx. Strat neck on the "bay", and I talked with Dan Erlewine, and he wants 400.00 to refret mine. Now I know Dan will give it the deluxe treatment, but it still seems like buying another neck is the economical thing to do, as I will always have to necks then.
John Sr.

That seems pretty expensive. I asked the luthier in my area, who does a great job on everything, and is Fender Gold certified. He charges $10 a fret, so $220 for an American.

yep thats the guitar i'm looking to get, i have an am standard but I want that satin finish and big frets. from what I can tell the only problem i am having with the bigger frets is that sliding my hand quickly down the neck is a little more rough because the highway one doesn't have "rounded" frets. I played little wing and doing some slides when I noticed this dillema. All in all i like what i see in the highway one...but I like what someone said above me "if your pressing so hard the notes get sharp you probably suck too bad to even notice" -best advice i've gotten yet