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Post subject: Fret Job Limits?
Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2013 2:20 pm
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I've heard that one should be careful not to have too many fret jobs done on a guitar because it can cause the fret grooves to widen and eventually lose their grip. In some guitars this may not be so big a problem as the neck can be replaced, but in the case of a limited edition model, a neck replacement may not be an option.

My dilemma is that I have a Walnut Strat that I had refretted a couple of years ago. The work was great, but I really should have gotten wider frets. I have an older '75 model with super jumbo frets and the result is one of the nicest necks I've ever played, and everyone who's tried it agrees.

The Walnut Strat is certainly playable, and there's nothing wrong with the frets on it now, but after playing the '75 I've gotten spoiled.

So what's the word? Oh, you probably won't be able to make out the frets very well, but here goes:

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Post subject: Re: Fret Job Limits?
Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2013 2:53 pm
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JohnnyCNote wrote:
I've heard that one should be careful not to have too many fret jobs done on a guitar because it can cause the fret grooves to widen and eventually lose their grip.


No experience on my side but it sounds logical to me.

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Post subject: Re: Fret Job Limits?
Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2013 7:41 pm
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as just having this done, i can say to have multi fret jobs done,
you must be playing 10 hours every day, i could say maybe having it done once every 10 years after being played regularly.
but i have 2 guitars that are over 20 years old, and the frets are still fine,
but your just wanting the change to match your other guitar, this i understand.
I do know that they use glue in the fret groove, so i don't think they would have an issue.
just had the Dunlop 6000 frets put on my 85 MIJ neck, and it feels like a slight scallop.
nice and easy to get your finger under the string for much easier bends,
and smooth vibrato due to your finger not rubbing on the fret board.
also found out since having this done, the fretboard is much cleaner after playing,
also due to less finger contact with the board. or maybe it just me.?

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Post subject: Re: Fret Job Limits?
Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2013 1:44 am
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Well, Walter Trout once said in an interview, that he has to do fretjobs on his white '72 strat every two years. I think he just recently stopped playing it!?

Anyhow, I can imagine the fret slots to wear out but I'd assume it takes many, many years if it's done correctly.

Walter played his strat for 40 years (= approx. 20 fret jobs).

I personally wouldn't worry about it.

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Post subject: Re: Fret Job Limits?
Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2013 9:27 am
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Every time you pull the frets and replace them, you are slowly wearing out the slots the frets go into. Eventually, the neck won't be able to take more fret jobs. But I suspect any decent strat should be able to handle at least 4 or 5 fret jobs before it loses its grip (literally).

Just look into SRV's Number 1. You'll know what I'm talking about. Also, I suggest if you need a fret replacement, get stainless steel. Much harder and lasts a lot longer between fret dressings and replacement.

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Post subject: Re: Fret Job Limits?
Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2013 10:43 am
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Smokin' Frets wrote:
Well, Walter Trout once said in an interview, that he has to do fretjobs on his white '72 strat every two years.

Good Lord, really? Are you sure he meant full fret replacement, or just having the frets redressed? Every two years seems amazingly frequent, but who knows? That guy certainly is hard on his guitars, so...

Another point of comparison is that Clapton played his Blackie from 1970 till 1985, when it was retired due to "neck issues", though I don't know if that was to do with the frets or not. He played that guitar A LOT, and it had two full fret changes during that time. That sounds reasonable to me for a workhorse guitar.

Obviously, it varies with the player. Also, something to remember is that with fret replacement it is always possible to have just the lowest few frets changed, since they are usually the ones that wear the hardest. No need to attack the whole neck usually. I've a feeling not enough people are aware of that.

Anyhow. Loving that walnut Strat, JohnnyCNote. Worth looking after for sure! :D

Cheers - C

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Post subject: Re: Fret Job Limits?
Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2013 3:22 am
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Ceri wrote:
Smokin' Frets wrote:
Well, Walter Trout once said in an interview, that he has to do fretjobs on his white '72 strat every two years.

Good Lord, really? Are you sure he meant full fret replacement, or just having the frets redressed? Every two years seems amazingly frequent, but who knows? That guy certainly is hard on his guitars, so...


He didn't say in the video, he just said "fretjobs" and well, he said every 2 or 3 years but that's still very frequent, I agree.

He said kinda like "I'm eating up frets" or something similar. I'll have to watch it again, it's on the "Relentless" live DVD.

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STRATS ROCK!!! but Teles and Firebirds, too!


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Post subject: Re: Fret Job Limits?
Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2013 5:42 am
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My 89 strat Needs A Fret Job i Got Ten years Life Out of them..


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Post subject: Re: Fret Job Limits?
Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2013 5:59 am
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cliff.lee wrote:
My 89 strat Needs A Fret Job i Got Ten years Life Out of them..


My surf pearl texas special made it for 10 years now, too but then again I don't play it every day though.

In fact, I never had any fretjob done yet but I owned none of my strats for more than 10 years and I had several breaks with no playing at all during the past 20 years, so it's no fair comparison.

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STRATS ROCK!!! but Teles and Firebirds, too!


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Post subject: Re: Fret Job Limits?
Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2013 8:05 am
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Ok...this is just my $.02 worth here so please take it as such...


First and foremost (to everyone concerned), as Ceri said up there, there's a difference between a "fret job", as in having the frets leveled/redressed and a fret replacement. While not really routine per say, a good fret dressing kind of goes with playing guitars. How often it's done though really depends on the individual playing said instrument. My '96 MIM for example, purchased new in '96 is pretty much due for her first dressing...she's not buzzing yet, but I know it's coming. That said, I don't really consider my playing style to be all that heavy handed, I do have several other guitars and Strats that I play and I did have about a 10 year hiatus where I didn't really play much at all. Someone who's out there 3 or 4 nights a week on the same instrument will likely need those frets dressed more often than myself!

Now a re-fret is something completely different...and yes, the more you pull those frets, the more you open the slots they sit in. As with all things, some of it comes down to the person doing the work...a -good- luthier experienced with replacing frets is likely to do a lot less damaged to the fretboard than someone with a pair of snub nose pliers and a bad attitude! LOL!!! I did re-fret my '68 Kay P-bass clone myself a number of years back...had a local guy who was able to walk me thru it at the time. Yes, the bass absolutely needed it and yes, she's been a great player ever since. That said, even with a pro walking me thru it, yea...I could see where I lost a bit of wood in those slots. I just couldn't heat up that fret wire enough to completely loosen the original glue without burning the fret board so I did get a little bit of splintering.

Now that all said, the OP indicated that this was a matter of instrument feel and personal preference and not so much a matter of fret wear. As such, yes...I would likely recommend taking the instrument to a good pro and having the frets you prefer installed. 1 or 2 re-frets really shouldn't hurt anything (assuming the first re-fret was done properly of course) but I would -strongly- suggest that you make sure that you know what you want before hand this time around. Obviously we're not talking about strings here where if you decide you want a different gauge, all you really need to do is have the nut filed (or replaced if you're stepping down a size or two). A re-fret really is NOT something you want to be doing every couple of years. That said, in my mind at least, feel and playability are perhaps the single greatest factors involved with a guitar...if you're really not happy with the feel, then you're not going to be terribly inspired to play that instrument....regardless of vintage or lineage. Again just make sure that you get it right this time...make sure you're absolutely sure before you have the new frets installed.

Again, just my own personal opinions,
Jim


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