fret work on a vintage fender?

[tww001]

My '69 Fender P-bass has some serious fret wear in the lower position under the G and D strings. I feel a little wary of having fret work done to a vintage instrument. Would this de-value the instrument? Would the entire set of frets need to be replaced in order to even the fingerboard? I'm sorry I'm not more knowledgeable about the matter, but I'm more of an upright guy than electric. Thanks.

[thumpbass1]

It's okay to get fret work or fret replacement done by a
competent luthier or repair tech. I can assure you that
every pro you see playing a fretted bass that is a vintage
piece has had to have fret work done at some time.
Do some searching in your neck of the woods so to speak;
to find a good guitar and instrument repair shop that has
a good rep for fret work. They can tell you if you need
a fret dressing or some fret replacement done.
You won't be hurting the vintage vibe or value by having
a bit of fret work done to make your bass playable as an
instrument. Consider it as if you owned a super clean 1957
Chevy that needed the tires replaced with new 50's spec
replica tires or maybe the car needs new spark plugs.You'd
get the repairs done. I wish you the best of luck.

[tomshepp]

+1. Also consider that there are criteria for what makes an instrument more or less collectable. One that has been modified or refined will be devalued more than one that has had a fret job or pick-up rewind. The need for these is a result of playing the instrument. The collectability of an instrument depends on rarity and originality. The most valuable ones are ones that are older and have been played little or not at all. That being said, I play my old Jazz Bass and enjoy it. I do use flats on it which help with the fret wear and IMHO sound great on vintage Fenders.
Cheers,
Tom

[Pilgrim]

Individual frets can be replaced. If the instrument won't be playable unless that's done, the answer is simple: replace them or put it on a display wall.

Do it, but make sure you have a competent repair person. Early Fender frets were often inserted from the side, not pressed in from the top.

[tww001]

thanks for the great advice. the bass was a gift from my grandfather, and he had some mods done to it the 70s, so it's not at full value anyway. he had a badass II put on and a jazz bridge pickup put behind the original pickup. my friend recommended a good repair man in harrisburg (it's a bit of a drive from philly, but my friend swears by him and I'd get a chance to visit with my friend) at a shop called mike's music. so I'll go check him out.