Quote:
Originally Posted by plugger  If I wanted to find someone to do a fret dress on my old '80s Vantage bass (which has never been dressed before, and so has quite high frets), should I trust any competent luthier to be able to do this, or is a specialist bass job? Will a luthier that mostly works on guitars understand what makes for a good bass action and set-up?
I'm just not sure how much is common and universal to both instruments.
-Mark |
Almost all luthiers that concentrate on fretted instruments spend the overwhelming majority of their time working on instruments other than bass guitars. Fret work on a bass guitar is the same as for an acoustic guitar or an electric guitar. There is a bigger difference between working on bolt-on neck guitars vs set or neck through guitars than exists between working on higher pitched guitars and lower pitched guitars. When you find a luthier that you like, forge a relationship with them and trust them to do their job.
BTW, it is not how high the frets were when they were installed, it is how much is left in the bottom of the grooves caused by string wear. Understanding this means that, depending on what is there, your fret dress may actually be a partial refret or a refret. A competent luthier should be able to assess your instrument.
