what EXACTLY is done in a "fret job"

[quadrogong]

..aka "grind and polish"..my bass tech mentioned it,it's expensive,and I may not want to invest the $ for it..
My tech said that I can also half a "Half" fret job..? does he mean just the "E and A" side of the frets..?

I was told that It may not be vital,and it may be ok without it,but that If I "love this bass" and want to invest the $,that ultimately, it's needed.I'm gonna try it after the setup, and most likely skip the fretjob,since the bass felt bsaically ok before,(minus a little fretbuzz in a couple of spots)
can someone give me a description of exactly the do ?
is it simply reshaping the frets with a file,so that they are less flat?

for $500-600 bucks,I figured it must require a lot of elbow grease.
What's exactly done..?(step-by-step)

[ehque]

500 - 600 bucks for a fretjob? whoa.

[santucci218]

more like 75-125

[quadrogong]

yeah..he charges $95 for a setup..
Norio Imai in NYC, he's really good,
he always sees things that everyone else misses..I'm very happy with his work.

I take my more special jobs to him,
but I was floored by that price too..
maybe he charges that much to discourage folks from doing it!

[quadrogong]

$75-95 is a good setup price in NYC!
(unless u go to Ritchie Baxt,who's $25)

[jmac]

Not trying to be a smartass, but why don't you ask your tech what is involved with a fret job.

[Supertanker]

You can certainly do it yourself.

About $50.00 in tools and some time.

It's not difficult.

I ordered the tools from StewMac and I've been doing them myself every since...

[Supertanker]

Here is exactly what gets done:

http://www.stewmac.com/tradesecrets/...0013&clk=70335

[sevenyearsdown]

Are you talking about re-fretting the bass? That I have done before, and it is time consuming......though not $500 worth of time.

Here is what it consisted of short form version (on rosewood)

1. Pull existing frets
2. "Fix" any spots damaged by pulling frets. Lightly fine sand finger board.
3. Shape and cut new fret wire.
4. Insert new frets.
5. File new frets.

...and somewhere in there I oiled the finger board.

[BetterBottomEnd]

Unless by fretjob he means a refret that price seems way out of line. More in the $75-$125 range to level and dress the frets.

[Rodent]

if this bass has a finished fretboard, there is a significant amount of additional finishing work that includes

* stripping the old finish
* prepping the fretboard for a new finish
* matching the new finish to the neck (i.e. adding a tint to match the look of aged nitro, if needed)
* spraying the new finish once the frets are installed
* cleaning the finish build-up off the frets
* blending the new finish lines into the existing neck finish
* buffing the new finish to a high gloss


this added amount of work is significant. if the bass in question has a finished fretboard, I suspect this is what may be driving the additional cost

impossible to tell, though, based on the little information the OP provided. until more specifics are known, claiming that the 'fret job' cost is outrageously high is premature and irresponsible

all the best,

R

[mikezimmerman]

There are several different operations that might be called a "fret job", to my mind. One is a fret level and crown, which is usually done when the existing frets are not too badly worn and still have a lot of life left. Another is a complete fret replacement, when the existing frets--or some of them, at least--are so badly worn than leveling and crowning would leave them too low. Obviously, the second is a lot more expensive. That sounds like what your tech is talking about (for the price range), but it'd be best to confirm with him.

Mike

[oldnoob]

$500-600? I got my ESP refretted with Stainless Steel Fretwire(that I supplied) and a bone nut and setup for $100. I would find another tech if I were you cuz if he would try to rip you off once, he will probably try again.

[dbcandle]

An imperfect answer, to be sure:

• Remove strings.
• Get neck *perfectly* straight (truss-rod, weights, neck-jig - "it depends").
• Use straight edge(s) to determine where the high/low frets are.
• Using skilled technique, and proper files and polishing cloth, level-out any high frets, or lower others to compensate for low frets.
• Using skilled technique, and proper files and polishing cloth, re-crown frets (make tops rounded).
• Replace strings.
• Set neck relief.
• "Pray".

The above is for minor problems only. Eventually frets have to be replaced, which is much more difficult.

[69nites]

I've done refrets for less...

[Liko]

I think the difference here is between a full fretjob, where the luthier replaces all frets, levels and dresses, and a fret levelling and/or fret dressing.

Quite simply, frets wear down through metal-on-metal contact. This both wears down the level and changes the shape of the top of the fret. The severity of the wear determines the proper course of action:

Fret Dressing - the luthier will shape the fret tops. This generally corrects minor wear and is a finishing step; it is usually only done by itself on a new instrument setup, though a dressing can be done on a regular basis for players that bend strings a lot.

Fret Levelling - The luthier will raise frets (using spacers or by replacing the fret) and lower frets (by grinding down or by replacing the fret) so that all frets are at the same height. This is most often done on new, poorly-fretted instruments and instruments with moderate or uneven fretwear. The luthier generally will also dress all frets.

Fret Job - The luthier will replace all frets with new fretwire and perform a levelling and dressing. This is for instruments with severe wear and tear, or when the player wants to change the type of fretwire used.

Usually, a fret levelling is the most that has to be done on an instrument, unless it's very old, abused, etc.

[mortar]

What's the fingerboard on the Bass?

While $500-$600 dollars does seem a bit steep, in NYC from a top notch Luthier I can definitly see that.

Especially if the fingerboard has a finish on it.

[narud]

Originally Posted by quadrogong

yeah..he charges $95 for a setup..
Norio Imai in NYC, he's really good,
he always sees things that everyone else misses..I'm very happy with his work.

I take my more special jobs to him,
but I was floored by that price too..
maybe he charges that much to discourage folks from doing it!

ship it out to another repairman if hes really charging 500 bucks for a grind and polish. 95 dollars for a setup (assuming all he's doing is just setting it up and no repair work) is retarded. ive had my fodera worked on by some great people and have never spent anywhere near that much money. if all you need is a fret job or grind and polish you could ship it to someone out here in cali, pay for the work+shipping both ways and still save about 300 bucks.

[jmac]

Sleestacks rule

[quadrogong]

the board is rosewood,and he's top dollar,yeah..but has a great reputation,
he basically told me that a "fret job" is a last resort,

..that he thinks it'll be okay with some minor fret leveling,neck/truss rod tweak..and a few other things,work on the nut,etc

the fingerboard seems to be seperating from the neck,little surface cracks on the side of the neck,
(like u see sometimes on an old Ric,by the binding..?)
but yeah, he's charging me for a setup+ strings, I'm going to play it,and go from there..
I'll assume he mean a refret, because he's definitely not a clip joint,more high-end/expensive.

$95 for a setup is indeed top dollar in NYC,but not that unusual,
I generally pay $25 for a cheap job from Ritchie Baxt,
the other three guys I've priced is Sadowsky,30th st guitars and Peekamoose, they're all about $75+ strings. (although sadowsky setups are usually complimentary when they see my warranty)
Norio Imai has a great rep,and I decided to try him out,since it's kind of a special bass,

I generally trust sadowsky's work,and they suggested him to me. I saved a bundle on this bass, so I figured it's worth investing a few $'s..