Refret...

on my '57 Custom Shop Strat. 7.25 radius soft V
 
The neck shape (soft V) feels great. The rest, not so good.
They used small frets and I know the builder filed the frets down (not worn) because
the nuts grooves are IMO to low.
That plus the radius makes for bad lead works.
 
This is my first refret.
Frets can be glued in place so that's why I had the soldering iron out.
I cut along the nut and frets with a razor knife to break the plastic bond. They
sprayed everything so I didn't want the frets to pull up wood. One wants to keep
alert so any chips can be super glued back. I had two small ones. Got lucky. They didn't glue the nut either..I guess they figuered that thick finish would hold it and that turned out in my favor as I have a nice clean slot.
 
I also started sanding the finish off the fretboard area and I will be taking it completely off.
I haven't decided if I'll change the radius but leaning to leaving it has is. With better frets (higher) it may turn
out fine.
 
Some wood in the areas of that the fret crown rests did come out but will be covered with new frets and also
filled because I'll be glueing them in.
 
For now I'm just sizing the refret and will decide if I'm going to strip the back of the neck later.
 
Thought you may enjoy...oh..ya can see the special pliers for pulling frets...must haves.
Took less than an hour.
 
.....

Very nice.  This will be fun to watch.  I am not a fan of small thin frets myself.  I used to own a Fender American Deluxe Strat with medium jumbo's on it and that is where I first discovered the preference.  

current state of my '84 carvin...

this is the 6th refret....
maybe i should consider stainless steel!!!

LOL

EVO

that's the stuff.

next fret job, yep.
same thing.
thanks for the headsup

You're welcome Bat! It is some very good wire, you'll be happy with it.

Well I decided since I don't care for the 7.25 radius to change it. It's now sanded
to 220 and a 12" radius.

 

I also made a pass through each slot with a slot saw.
Wanted to make sure they were clear and especially no splinters to grab
and chip the surface. The two repairs worked because I can't find where I made them lol.

I didn't sand any more than what it took to get the radius-
What I was looking for was to make sure any marks left would be covered by the
new wire. There are some good examples in the pic below.
To keep sanding to move marks that wouldn't be seen anyway was to take a big
chance...I don't know how thick the marker dots are so this was a great place to stop sanding.



Now my concerns are the difference in color and the end of the frets.
Particularly the tangs. The finish is brittle but it didn't break up real bad
removing the frets but the wire will have to be filed too.
It's unlikely that I'll get them filed right and not have to deal with repairing
the finish or refinishing the rest of the neck.
I don't want to but if so there is also the issue of the original decals. I sure don't
want to remove them. If I don't then I'm left with finishing the neck and not touching
the head.


I'd prefer to stay away from this and the front decal...sheesh....I guess
filing the ends are going to lead me on one way or another.
Sure my main concern is having it play but it would be nice to do this job
as if it were a friend not wanting it to look like it was touched....and I don't
think I'm skilled enough...but trying- so you may get to see me gas this lol.
Man I don't even know how if the oil will tint the fretboard area deep enough...oh..no Mr.Bill.

The lacquer they use is tinted yellow to make it look old. I'd suggest you experiment with some maple blocks until you get the color right. At least you don't have to deal with poly, that would be unpleasant.

i like wipe on poly...
simple...
effective.....

quick.

and it feels almost like polished raw wood....
and it seals.
and it's cheap.
LOL

mostly, cheap.

Bat you like poly for the same reasons I like oil. :)

Thank you John. I'm going to need it because I have no experience at spraying a finish. Time to get some.

I'll be installing the frets today so thinking about Murphy while I wake up.
One thing that can be a real problem- this neck doesn't have a double-action truss-rod.
If the fret slots and tangs aren't sized "right" then the fit can cause backbow. I haven't had
to deal with that yet.
By test fitting one, it seemed to be a good fit but man I'm really green...grasshopper missing his master...I'm
use to that feeling though. Get my butt whipped alot and that's a hard way to learn.

Another issue ( I mention these things thinking it may help others) is installing the frets without any mishaps.
Now that the wood is prepped it's a real bummer to put a groove or dent in it.

Well we'll see what happens later today.

Very cool to hear Mike and appreciate the info.

That's correct about the back-bow. The slots need to be right so the barbs on the
tang bite. If the width of the tang is to wide for the slot then by the time all of the frets
are pressed in the pressure is great enough to push the neck into backbow. If the pull
strength from the strings isn't enough to counter and there is no double-action rod- one has
a major problem.
Double-action rods are all that I have used and not only for that reason but also because we
know wood can do what's it's going to do.
With a bolt-on neck and a worse case at least the neck can be replaced. All mine have been neck-thru or
set. All could be lost with a single action rod.

I will double check the slot size and tang size and hope my evaluation is right.

Most enlightening, another fascinating thread from our resident luthier.

Also interesting to hear what others have experienced and learnt Mike, Gonzo, John, Mike.

Thank you all.

I'm curious about the order of operations. Fender sprayed the finish onto the neck after the frets were installed and most of it got taken off the top of the frets when dressing them. If you do all the fret work first, won't you have to go back and scrape all the frets?

I guess each approach will have its own merrits. I had a strat neck refretted and it was almost twice the cost of the same work on a rosewood neck due to all the finish issues. Your work is very clean.

Last year I had to spray a neck my brother was building. It was my first time and I only had spray cans. I was surprised at how easy it was and how good the results were. The only thing I did was to work slow. I'd apply 4-5 coats, let it sit for a few days and sand off 2-3 coats, repeat as needed. The drying and sanding between coats was the hard part because I wanted it done NOW. Another thing I learned, and that you likely know, is to get good quality sandpaper. I started out with stuff from Home Depot and then got some stuff from an auto body supply place. Huge difference.

I understand why you're curious John- I stated the frets were ready to be leveled and not when.

I've read that Fender use to scrape the finish off the frets with a nail that had a groove cut in it lol.

The original finish was on the sides of the frets I removed. I ran a razor knife down both sides before
removing them to help prevent chipping the wood. I guess it helped.

This will be my first spray finish. My plan is to spray two coats of clear and then let them dry very good...a day or so...then
I spray the tint and then clear to see how the tint looks. More tint if needed and if not, clear until I'm satisfied or empty.
I'm sure they did the same thing or that wood would not have been as white as you can in the picture. Those first coats are
to prevent the dye from reaching the wood.

You're absolutely correct about the sandpaper. I have micro sanding pads too that are very good for getting a jeweler polish
on the frets.

These posts I make are not lessons. I'm simply sharing me "going for it". No fear and if I gas it at least I'm having fun. If it works out- great.
I gather info and go with what seems to "stick" and look forward to see if it works out.

So far I haven't done anything that I feel is rocket science and not beyond anybody, that really cares, to do themselves.

I can understand why the cost is high to have others repair or build. If I added my time up and charged what I make per hour at my day job...well I'm most certain that I wouldn't have any customers LOL.

There is also some negative that comes with it. I have no ego but now that I can build a guitar, build the pickups and compare the quality
to the equipment I use to love shopping for....well that's gone. I still love to look but now there is just no way that I would pay.
Those people sanding that wood and winding that wire don't have magic fairy dust...they use the same tools and materials that anybody
else can use. It's just a matter of whether or not one cares to spend time doing it. IMO.

With no ego I know that when this neck is back on I'll have twice the guitar (with my pups) that came out of the Fender Custom Shop.
They didn't build that guitar for me...I have the advantage...I know what I like and that's the BIG difference.

You work fast.

:-)

Frets are leveled, beveled and polished- and a little fall-off from @15 fret up...perfect.

Leveling is nothing more than getting the neck straight (adjust truss-rod if needed) and using
a very straight ___insert what you prefer-and sand/file all the frets level. Many techniques to do it but
I mark the frets with a marker...that shows how it's going...low frets and the marker still shows..etc.
"Crowning" is making the fret rounded again and leaving a very thin flat area down the middle of the fret.
More than enough videos on youtube for that.

I tape off the board before working on frets.

after they're level I bevel the ends...pic shows everything I use to "dress" the frets and the ends of- and a couple
of the results.





This one shows a few of the spots that I was concerned about- the existing finish cracking away.
I knew it would happen but not how bad it would be. I think when I spray it'll look be Ok.
So...on hold until the sprays arrive.

i've actually used clear acrylic nail polish, to dot-in filler on spots like this..

but you are right, spacey, it may well take of itself with the finish.