Re-Fretting a Bound Neck

[Zaphod B]

For all you luthier-type gurus -

My old LP needs refretting. It has a bound neck. Does this present a problem or a challenge requiring more $$$, typically?

.

[Slowrider]

A pain in the ass, sometimes. Only did one...that was enough...too time consuming.

[Steelguy]

You've got to trim back the tang to clear the binding. As stated above, a real pain in the ass.

[notCardio]

you should just give it to me.

[Zaphod B]

Originally Posted by notCardio

you should just give it to me.

Oh, I get it.

From "I wouldn't buy it even if he were selling it" to "you should just give it to me."

Hahaha, suffer!

[Light]

In our shop, it is between $400-500 for a bound fingerboard. Less if the fingerboard is in good shape, more if it is in bad shape. Bound fingerboards are a real pain in the ass. Oh, and if you want fretless wonder frets, it will be more; they're a fucking nightmare. (I do have fretless wonder wire laying around, though).



Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

[muttley600]

I charge around 60-70% more for bound fingerboards if all other things are equal. They can be a pain. For some strange reason I enjoy doing them.....

[Light]

Originally Posted by muttley600

I charge around 60-70% more for bound fingerboards if all other things are equal. They can be a pain. For some strange reason I enjoy doing them.....

Well, they are rather satisfying when you get them right, with all the fret ends stuck down and all...



Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

[Slowrider]

You guys are right; after days of cussing and throwing fits, it was an Enjoyable experience. Never to be Repeated, of course. Light, what is fretless wonder wire? Is that where you draw the frets on with an ink pen!??

[Light]

Originally Posted by Slowrider

You guys are right; after days of cussing and throwing fits, it was an Enjoyable experience. Never to be Repeated, of course. Light, what is fretless wonder wire? Is that where you draw the frets on with an ink pen!??

That's the fret wire Gibson used to use on the LP Customs. It's practically not there, hence "Fretless Wonder."

The first time I saw it in the shop, I (not thinking very well) assumed it was used fret wire (though I was having trouble figuring how they put it back together...I was much younger at the time). It's awful to work with.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

[Light]

Originally Posted by muttley600

I charge around 60-70% more for bound fingerboards if all other things are equal. They can be a pain. For some strange reason I enjoy doing them.....

You want to hear something sick? One of our repair people LOVES doing bound fingerboards with stainless frets. Because of the hassle of stainless and binding, she is extra careful doing all the prep and while driving the frets, and so she barely has to dress them at all.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

[Zaphod B]

Originally Posted by Light

You want to hear something sick? One of our repair people LOVES doing bound fingerboards with stainless frets. Because of the hassle of stainless and binding, she is extra careful doing all the prep and while driving the frets, and so she barely has to dress them at all.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

YOu must love having someone that obsessively detail oriented working in the shop. It's exactly what you need.

[Light]

Originally Posted by Zaphod B

YOu must love having someone that obsessively detail oriented working in the shop. It's exactly what you need.

They're all like that. That's why we are still in business; every single one of our repair people is simply world class. Dad and I are just along for the ride (though of course, he was the shops first world class repair person, and his ethos on repair is the shops ethos on repair, so more acuratly, I'M just along for the ride, but I do my best to live up to the shops reputation).


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

[Buck62]

I had my '73 Aria SG with a bound neck re-fretted.

Got it done for $250 about 2 years ago and it looks perfect... I was amazed when it was done.

The guy who did it was Jerry at Player's Guitars in Worth, Illinois.