To refret or not to refret? gibson g-3

go for it..i love the ripper,grabber and the g-3, give it the re fret job it deserves..whatever you do do not sell it!

 

as long as you use the same size fretwire that was originally used, it should play and sound the same as when it was new.

 

sorry if I am jacking the thread, but on this note..i have a '74 gibson ripper that i think is in need of a fret job, or thats what it seems like. the output of the bass compared to my fender jazz is MUCH lower when im playing live, theres just no power to it whatsoever. Could this be due to the need of a fret job? or is it something like a warped neck? how can you tell the difference? whatever it is I would love to get if fixed and bring the Ripper back out on tour!!!

any help would be muc appreciated, thanks guys!!

 

Are your frets showing major signs of wear such as grooves under the strings, especially the lower frets (1 thru 7)? That would be a clear sign that fret work, either a fret leveling or refret is in order.
Also hold down the E string at the 1st fret and also the 20th or last fret and measure the gap between the string and the 7th fret. The gap shows the relief of the neck and is different depending on the player and bass, but generally I like between 1/64 and 3/64 of an inch. More or less and a truss rod tweek may be in order, depending on personal taste in relief.
But in either case, I doubt that this would cause a significant drop in output or power unless the strings are bottoming out so bad that they can't vibrate. It could be that the pickup magnets are weak.

 

it might be that the pickup magnets r weak, or cud be the height of your pickups? do u have them low? try bringing them up a bit.

 

It doest seem that the actual frets have any major signs of wear like grooves. I will check out your advice by holding down the strings and maybe messing with the truss rod a little bit and see where that gets me. But as far as the pups go, one is an original and the other is a aftermarket from Seymour Duncan so I dont think that would be the problem but who knows.

The pups are, i think, the correct height. They are as close as I can get them without the strings striking them when i play.
How easy is it to get the neck pressed/steamed? expensive?
or is it a lost cause....

 

what's your band? im a big nfg and rufio fan (my band is label mates with NFG right now)

 

haha well im in no band of that stature, but they were two of my very favorite bands back when i was a lot younger and still. but im in a band out of the ATL called Holiday Parade. How about yourself?

 

Energy.. we're from boston. link in the sig.

 

My '74 P's frets are brutal and I almost had it refretted until my tech gave it a quick neck adjustment (fixed the buzzing completely) and installed flats.

If I use rounds for another couple of years, the frets will absolutely have to be replaced, but with flats, it should last for much longer.

Just another option....

 

awesome, thanks so much for the suggestion. I will definitely keep it in mind. Anyone know anything about fixing a warped neck???

 

+1000 ... unless, of course, you sell it to me.

 

http://www.vintageguitars.org.uk/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=1315&highlight=clamp+neck
Try this, it worked pretty well when I tried it.