Fret Work

Close-up of an electric guitar's body, focusing on the pickups, strings, and part of the wooden fretboard.

When the frets are badly worn or you just want to change the size, it's time for a refret.  Nobody is more meticulous about fretwork than I am, and my process is thorough:

  1. Fretboard is trued

  2. New frets are pressed into the fretboard for consistency

  3. Frets are leveled & crowned, ends are rounded for a silky, comfortable feel

  4. Each fret is individually checked for precise height

  5. Frets receive 2 stages of polishing

  6. Frets are rechecked for precision

  7. New nut is installed (if necessary, not included in price)

  8. Basic setup completed

Refrets

Level & Crown (also called Grind & Polish)

Moderate fret wear can be fixed by grinding all of the frets until they lie in the same plane, then re-crowning and polishing the frets. This can generally be done repeatedly until the frets are down to about 2/3 of their original height.  If the wear goes deeper than that, it's time for a refret.

The Level & Crown service is included in a Premium Setup, so you might find it more economical to go ahead and get the setup done at the same time.

Prices