Guitar Repairs

[tonberry_king]

Hey everyone, I gots me a problem with my guitar and I'm not sure how much it's going to cost me to get it repaired. One part of the fret at the 14th has been worn down so now the note doesn't make a very musical sound, it's more like a burp. It makes it a problem when I bend a note underneath it too.

It's been like this for a while but now I really need to get it fixed for my college course but I'm not sure how much it'll be. I'm really skint at the moment (just ordered some BKP's  :P) and I was wondering if anyone knew how much it would cost to have it repaired proffesionally or if I could do it myself.

[chrisola]

bob johnson on here is a luthier and does repairs...

www.legraguitars.co.uk :)

[tonberry_king]

What's a fret dress?

[chrisola]

think its where your frets get ground down\planed\polished\replaced if neeed etc

FELINEGUITARS on here also does repairs and stuff for guitars, best to ask someone like him or bob :)

[PhilKing]

THe problem with doing it yourself is that you could do more damage than there is now.  Depending how low it is, the fret might need to be replaced.  Normally you can file the frets after it (15, 16) down a little to let the string vibrate again, but to do all this you really need specialised tools.  Your normal wood and metalworking files are not really good for frets.  

For the amount it will cost you, it is better to let a pro do it.

[tonberry_king]

Thanks guys, I just hoped that there might've been some way I could just fill in the dent or something  :P

I'll see if my local guitar shop will do it first, I can't really send my guitar away just yet, I'm on a music course so my axe is a little important!

[tech33]

What's a fret dress?

if have to ask, definetly dont atempt it yourself!
Its basically leveling out all the frets so there are the same height and removing any dents or wear points. Is complicated to do and easy to mess up!
Some thinmgs are definetly best left to the professionals!

[HJM]

A good india oil stone is pretty good for basic dressing, but  start on a cheap guitar.....

[tech33]

hmm, again i have to disagree, if its the first time you have fret dressed a guitar, i would def say do not use a stone. they take way to much off in one go. If its the first time then use a flat sanding block with 600 grade sandpaper, the sticky back kind is best as it will stay on the block. I learnt using a flat file, with the sharp end ground off, but you have to know for certain it is level and it cant be to rough, mill smooth is best.
have never liked usin a stone as i find it cumbersome, i prefer a small area tool, gives you more control. Also the frets need re crowning after you have leveled them, to ensure for accurate and smooth playability.

[Baxter]

I have to agree.

I spoke to my guitar tech about fret levelling.  He was doing my guitar at the time.

He explained how hard it was, and the problems which can be encountered.  I will be leaving it to him in future.

He used a flat, heavy peice of iron, with a slight grain on the surface. I guess this can squash the frets as well as file them down.

[jt]

:D You shouldn`t attempt Fret dressing/ replacment unless you really no what your doing. If you have a cheapo cheapo guitar lying around which you don`t mind F***ing up as you`ll never play it again then use these type of guitars for practicing development of your guitar maintanence & repair skills. But don`t risk your main axe.

 :D  8)

[Tim]

I spent a week with my luthier learning fret dressing, how to cut a bone nut etc and it's not easy............even now I still go back to him rather that do it myself as I still don't feel confident enough.Messing up a nut is passable as you can make another one but mess up the frets and it's a long and expensive job to put right.
A good luthier is worth their weight in gold and it's always worth having one you count as a friend.

[Drac]

Howdy-
-"Get thee to an axegrinder!"-Don't learn surgery on the family dog...

-If that culprit fret is the only problem,
 I would change out the one, and file the replacement down to match the dimensions of the slightly used others-then just  a whisker off the top of the lot for homogenizing the whole board, and polish
-fret leveling is not a quick fix-ye'll be hyperspacing to yer next COMPLETE refret,  compromising yer nut's relationship to the rest of the axe,and if all the other frets are good, well, let them live a full musical life-
-Some people even prefer the  "broken in" feel of  playeddown frets to the "new shoes" vibe of fresh frets-

if they're not broke, don't fix 'em!-cheers from Drac