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Is it worth it?

#21
I can understand your hesitation, I'm guessing you don't want to mess something that's 90% of the way there for you. My only advice is to (if you haven't already) do a ton of research about doing your own refret. Check the hardware and luthier forums, google search, etc...

Then if you think it's something that you want to try, go for it.
 
#23
GreenAlsatian said:
Just do it - if you muck it up, you haven't lost much and can pick up another SX. If it works out, you'll have the bass feeling the way you want it.

You could start by just changing the highest fret to see how the procedure goes before moving onto the other frets.
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That's exactly how I would do it: one fret at a time. Feels much safer than pulling them all and then putting all new ones in.
 
#24
My main bass is a heavily modified cheapie no-name, and it is my favorite to this day. I would turn down any bass in any price bracket if it meant giving mine up. It sounds and plays better than anything else I've ever picked up off the wall.

That being said, the neck never was very nice and eventually it had to go. It's much more worthwhile to buy a new neck entirely, because refret or no, the original neck is more likely to warp than a new one. I replaced mine with a Mighty Mite neck for a little over $100, and it's really quite nice. I have no complaints about the quality of the materials or the craftsmanship, and it has yet to give me any trouble.

Go for the new neck!

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http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f8/mighty-mite-neck-vs-fender-mim-necks-288079/
 
#25
pocketgroove said:
My main bass is a heavily modified cheapie no-name, and it is my favorite to this day. I would turn down any bass in any price bracket if it meant giving mine up. It sounds and plays better than anything else I've ever picked up off the wall.

That being said, the neck never was very nice and eventually it had to go. It's much more worthwhile to buy a new neck entirely, because refret or no, the original neck is more likely to warp than a new one. I replaced mine with a Mighty Mite neck for a little over $100, and it's really quite nice. I have no complaints about the quality of the materials or the craftsmanship, and it has yet to give me any trouble.

Go for the new neck!

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f8/mighty-mite-neck-vs-fender-mim-necks-288079/
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The neck isn't bad, and it seems thick enough and sturdy enough to resist warping. But it is an SX we're talking about...

I've looked at mighty mites before and they definitely seem to the best bang for the buck. I would definitely consider getting one.

BTW, unless internet explorer is just being weird, Mighty Mite's site seems to be gone...
 
#27
In my opinion, just try to refret yourself. If it doesn't work, get a replacement neck and put it on the body. If you love the bass, don't listen to anyone has to say about value. It obviously has more meaning than monitary value to you. Just try it out, but indeed, research what your doing until you feel confident, don't jump into it. I would also ask for help on the luthier part of tb. Sure someone can walk you through it.
 
#29
I'm not sure if you are really aware of the cost of fretting yourself... Are you going to do it right, or hack away with makeshift tools? Because you will need fret pullers (you could ground a pair of pliers for it) blades to clean the slot, a fretting hammer, leveling bars, radius blocks maybe, sandpaper, crowning files, and various little files to do the fret ends, fret nippers to get a clean cut of the fret wire. Here is a fretting kit from StewMac

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$176, that's almost the price of a good USACG or Warmoth neck.
 
#31
joeyl said:
I'm not sure if you are really aware of the cost of fretting yourself... Are you going to do it right, or hack away with makeshift tools? Because you will need fret pullers (you could ground a pair of pliers for it) blades to clean the slot, a fretting hammer, leveling bars, radius blocks maybe, sandpaper, crowning files, and various little files to do the fret ends, fret nippers to get a clean cut of the fret wire. Here is a fretting kit from StewMac

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$176, that's almost the price of a good USACG or Warmoth neck.
Click to expand...

$176 is half the price of a USACG or Warmoth neck. And that's if you don't get very picky.

On the other hand, a Mighty Mite neck is only about $100. I'm really thinking that might be the way I go. They have both my preferred radius and my preferred nut width, and they have medium jumbo frets, which are still fairly wide but nice and short. If the build quality is good enough it'll be like playing a Fender American Special neck (and those are NICE).

Edit: Also, they have a satin finish on the back. Which, honestly, isn't that hard to get, but it's already got it.

I think what I'll do is get the mighty mite neck, put it on, then practice my de-fretting and re-fretting skills on the old, unused neck :D
 
#33
joeyl said:
I'm not sure if you are really aware of the cost of fretting yourself... Are you going to do it right, or hack away with makeshift tools? * * *

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$176, that's almost the price of a good USACG or Warmoth neck.
Click to expand...

I was going to make this same point. I do my own fret work (including several refrets) and I've definitely got well over $200 in fret work tools. That StewMac kit doesn't include a fret puller and as far as the other stuff goes, while you can do a fret job with it, there are better options for leveling and crowning (which of course cost more). And a press is (arguably) better than a hammer for installing frets, although again at higher cost. And if you have a finished maple fret board, you need to be prepared to refinish it, because pulling and replacing the frets, especially with narrower ones, will make a mess of the existing finish. Even with a rosewood fretboard, if you're going to narrower frets you'll want a radiused sanding block to clean up the fretboard around where the wider frets were.

Here's a photo essay I did of just a level/crown/polish job, and the tools used in that added up to over $200, and that doesn't include any of the fret-pulling, fingerboard leveling, or fret-installing tools.

If you're only doing one fret job, it's really not worth expending the money and time. You're not saving much if any money. Having someone who knows what they're doing do it is a better idea.

I appreciate learning things just for the sake of knowledge, but aside from the cost, why risk screwing up a bass you really like? If you want to learn fretwork, get a beater bass (if you like your SX, get another one of those) or a cheap guitar and learn on that.
 
#34
joeyl said:
so what does the dream neck come out as if you put it in the Warmoth builder? And Tommy at USACG will give you good prices if you take the time to call him, he is great to work with, and is somewhat flexible on options
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According to USACG's site, it would cost $348 for a finished maple neck with a rosewood fretboard. $255 for the same from Warmoth, unless I want graphite instead of steel bars.

VS. $100 for a mighty mite.
 
#35
KingRazor said:
According to USACG's site, it would cost $348 for a finished maple neck with a rosewood fretboard. $255 for the same from Warmoth, unless I want graphite instead of steel bars.

VS. $100 for a mighty mite.
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you could save money on the finish and do it yourself, it is easier than refretting and leveling correctly. If you are looking into a rosewood board, you are already skipping the hard part since it does not have to be finished.
You could do tru-oil (although I have never tried it) or just some wipe on poly. Or spend 12 bucks on 2 cans of Deft nitro.
 
#37
joeyl said:
you could save money on the finish and do it yourself, it is easier than refretting and leveling correctly. If you are looking into a rosewood board, you are already skipping the hard part since it does not have to be finished.
You could do tru-oil (although I have never tried it) or just some wipe on poly. Or spend 12 bucks on 2 cans of Deft nitro.
Click to expand...

Even so, it's still almost twice as much for an unfinished Warmoth neck than it is for a Mighty Mite Neck ($98 vs $180) and the Mighty Mite would be finished. The USACG necks cost $258 without a finish, more than twice as much.

I think Mighty Mite is the clear winner here.
 
#40
joeyl said:
no doubt, as far as pricing goes.
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Also, I've read up a bit on these necks and you should read some of the reviews they get here on TB. I've heard nothing but good things about them. I'm not in anyway saying they are any better than Warmoth or USACG, but they definitely sound like they're worth the price.

Plus, they have similar specs to any custom neck I would have built. The radius is high (15"), they have my preferred nut width (1 5/8"), they have medium jumbo frets (a little wide, but better than the SX frets), and they have a satin finish on the neck, unlike the gloss on my SX. Overall they seem like a great deal for someone like me.

Now, obviously if you want a 7.25" radius neck with jumbo or vintage frets and a nitro finish, the Mighty Mite won't be for you. But they just happen to have the perfect combination of specs for me. :)
 

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