I think I need some help here

[il˙ti]

Got a question for the tech-savvy. Yesterday, I got my Les Paul back from a full re-fret. It had many frets that were so worn out that when you bended a note in specific places it would die out before the pitch was up a half step. I also wanted slightly bigger frets so I considered this drastic and expensive operation necessary. Overall, the problem was solved and the job looks and feels good, but to my frustration there are still some dead spots:

14th fret on the high E gives the same note as 15th. Likewise with 20th and 21st. Only on the high E string. 10th fret on the D string buzzes a lot, all other strings on that fret die out when bended. I have raised the action quite a bit to see if it would help, and it does a little but not nearly enough to make it playable. It seems to me that these frets are simply lower than the rest.
The tech said it might still need a neck adjustment, so I will definitely do that when I get the wrench for it (didn't bring one when I moved) but this doesn't seem to me like something that would be fixed by just that. After all, the 10th fret problem did not occur with the old worn out frets, and 14th and 20th fret on the E string were not dead spots before, but they are now. Another thing is, I've read that on a les paul, the high frets do not really respond to a neck adjustment, so I highly doubt it will fix my problem.

I'd really like to have this guitar play as nice as it sounds, so help me out please, what should I do?
Cheers.

[hamfist]

Take it back for the tech to sort it out.  No doubt you paid a lot of money for this re-fret. A service like that should definately come with a full set-up too.  There should be NO dead spots or any of the other symptoms you describe. Do no accept anything less !

[WezV]

definately should have been sorted by the tech... if it needs a neck adjustment he should have done it!!

when was the work done?  if this is something that has settled into the neck after a few weeks/months then i wouldnt be so hard on him as necks do move

a neck adjustment may sort out your 10th fret - but truss rods on a les paul really dont have much effect up near the 14/15th fret  and no effect on the 20/21st so my guess without seeing the instrument would be either that levelling was not done properly or the 15th/21st fret has popped up slightly possibly due to wear on the fret slot when removing the old frets

get your self a short straight edge and rock it on the frets to see if you can spot a high one, this is the general idea but just grab anything you can find with a straight edge
http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Fretting_supplies/Measuring/Fret_Rocker.html
 
tonally dead spots do occur on lots of guitars, a rattle/buzz from uneven frets is a different thing

[AndyR]

I agree with hamfist and wez -

If you've just got it back from the refret... I'd expect the job to include full set-up and it to be at it's absolute most pristine and playable. Anything less and I'd be thinking they haven't finished the job yet...

If the refret was a while back (doesn't sound like it though?) and "strange stuff" had started happening, then I'd still be expecting a tech (who likes repeat business and referrals) to be showing some interest in how his/her handiwork is behaving a couple of weeks down the line.

[il˙ti]

Thanks for your replies.
The fretjob was done this past Monday (March 2nd). In the tech's defense, I told him not to give it a full setup as it would cost more and would take more time. I left it at the shop without strings, and put them back on when I came home with it. The frets are otherwise really nice, the exact size I wanted, smooth edges, nicely polished. In hindsight, yea, I should have told him to include a set-up so he could at least discover the problems before I take it home. I just didn't think I should pay a tech to do something I could do myself.
I'll try the straight-edge trick wez mentioned, and if it doesn't respond to a neck adjustment I'll take it in again next week.

[FELINEGUITARS]

Hmmmm - when it comes to fretwork , in my opinion you just cant do half measures!

It is time consuming and therefore expensive , but the job is not worth doing unless you are going to do it right and have a world class result.

Admittedly some guitars are harder than others, but for notes to sound the same means the frets are not level.

Sounds like a fret instal but without a fret dress - getting all the frets level and then re-crowning them and back to a mirror shine.

You may have to pay more if you had agreed for him not to do that part (although it makes no sense to not have that bit done)

[Ratrod]

Usually the neck is checked for humps and dips before any fretwork starts.

If the neck indeed has bumps and/or dips the fretwork is wasted effort.

[il˙ti]

Sounds like a fret instal but without a fret dress - getting all the frets level and then re-crowning them and back to a mirror shine.

You may have to pay more if you had agreed for him not to do that part (although it makes no sense to not have that bit done)

Yeah, he did do that part. Just not well enough on some of the frets I guess. I'm gonna have to call them up, maybe they'll fix it free of charge if it was part of the original work that was agreed upon.

Edit: And I tried the straight-edge trick. It seems to reveal that the mentioned frets are too low, not the others that are too high. So I guess the only way to go is a crowning job?

[MDV]

Sounds like he refretted it and didnt dress the frets.

N00b.

Take it back, telll him to finish the job.