Stainless Steel Refret or New Acoustic

[henrigates]

I own a Takamine G Series acoustic, it plays and sounds great. I gig about 4 nights a week with it, so it's seen it's share of typical abuse. The fret wire from the factory was very small to begin with, and now it's time to make the decision:

 

Do I drop the 2-300 to get a complete refret, in which case I'd use stainless steel frets....or is it even with it on a $600 guitar?

 

I've considered upgrading, seagull/martin/Taylor could work if I bought used, but then that guitar is going to need a refret in the next few years. No clue why they don't ship with stainless steel frets in this day and age.

 

Thoughts? Advice/suggestions greatly appreciated.

[Freeman Keller]

I do some repairs including refrets. First question - does it need a complete refret (it certainly would if you change wire size) but most acoustic need only the first 5 or sometimes 12 or 15? I've done a couple of partials where the other frets were crowned and the guitar was fine.

 

Going rate that I see (Bryan Kimsey's web page - you can google it and check his prices) is 250 for complete refret with nickel/silver frets, 280 for ss or Evo (another hard wire). 215 gets you 15 standard frets, 35 a crown and polish. Minor point - if your f/b is bound your tech might charge more - I hate refretting Gibsons with their little plastic nubs.

 

There are, of course, some other issues to consider. Is the f/b badly worn? How is the neck angle, relief and other setup issues? Do you want taller and/or wider frets (you might look at LMI's web page to see what size SS and Evo comes in). If you go to taller frets you will definitely need a new nut and saddle, it will also change the playing feel.

 

Would I refret a $600 guitar - yes if the rest of it was in good playable condition but personally I wouldn't do SS. I'd also consider a partial if that's all it needs. And, fwiw, I prefer medium/medium frets on acoustics - I certainly wouldn't go to jumbo but ymmv.

[henrigates]

Thanks freeman, all good advice. You're correct, it's mainly the first 7 frets, with 1-3 having serious notches in them around the G & B strings. A partial refret would work, but I also prefer medium frets. Will weigh my options, I do like the guitar so it makes sense to fix the frets.

[RGfretter]

I would sell and upgrade.

[Freeman Keller]

I would sell and upgrade.

 

Which of course opens a can of worms - selling a guitar with potential issues. Would it be better to do a partial refret and dressing or let the new owner deal with it? (Actually that's a rhetorical question that I see all the time)

 

 

[Chip Stewart]

After being played everyday (practice or gig) for five years, my Yamaha APX-5A was in need of a refret. I was hesitant to use stainless steel frets because I was told they would give a shrill tone, but went with the stainless steel anyway because I did not want to have to refret again in another five years. When I picked the guitar up from the luthier who did the refret, the first thing he said was "I think you're going to like the way it sounds". With the stainless steel frets it had a much fuller (less shrill) tone, exactly the opposite of what I had been told. The tone of my Yamaha APX-5A improved considerably with the stainless steel frets. If you like your guitar, I would recommend refretting with the stainless steel frets.