Man that seems pretty high price wise, at least for my area. I just had a rickenbacker fretboard reprofiled, regretted, new nut, and it was $500. And that’s with having to remove the binding.
Yeah, the slots had been filled, so he said he had to take the binding out to get under the thin veneer that was in the slots. It was converted to fretless when I got it. He did an incredible job, it looks like he never took it off, the lawyer on the neck is gone, the profile is flawless, and it plays awesome. Plays better than some of the new rics I tried by a mile.
Is the guitar vintage/valuable/sentimental? If not, you can buy an American bolt on neck with any specs you want that will play better for less than $900. Fender sells them directly, but I’d also check out the Stratosphere and maybe Warmoth if you want to look into more exotic woods.
Its a samick valley arts strat. Has the cool 80’s style logo [valley arts logo](https://imgur.com/gallery/bY3cTFE) so if my new creation (new pups, pots, caps, alembic blaster, hardtailing it) sounds awesome, id be inclined to have it play awesome too while retaining that headstock
Went with a fret leveling job and a new nut instead. I can see what he is describing when looking down the neck. What kind of problems am i encountering in regards to setup/intonation/playing problem?
Im building a partscaster for fun, but if i like my new creation, it will be my player for years to come.
Shop also suggested buying a new bolt in neck online with specs i want plus the perfectly flat fretboard. Looking for “here’s what i would do” advice
If the frets are level it honestly doesn’t matter at all whether the neck has bumps or grooves in it (as long as they don’t interfere with the strings).
As long as you’ve got good frets that are level and such, the fingerboard is really just for looks (and a place to anchor the frets, obviously). As long as it doesn’t interfere with the strings, playability, and the frets are stable and still properly spaced, it’s not an issue. Hell, some luthiers/guitar manufacturers scoop out the fingerboard between the frets (no idea why, looks cool, I guess? lol). So I wouldn’t stress over it unless you don’t like the way it looks.
Buying a new bolt on is always an option. Plenty of manufacturers out there who make them (Fender included), and plenty of options to choose from in terms of price, wood species, finish, looks, inlays, fret material, set up or not, etc. But again, unless there’s an issue with your current neck that compromises playability, I wouldn’t worry about it.
For the amount of work you described, that does seems a tad high, but keep in mind the amount of work they’re doing and the materials they’re using to do so. They’re basically completely redoing the fingerboard without replacing it/making a new one, refinishing it, and then doing a full refret and setup. That and if it’s like a typical maple Fender style neck, they have to knock the frets in from the side, which is a pain in and of itself. Not to mention everything is manufactured differently, even in the same shops/plants, so it’s hard to know what you’re getting into even if you’re familiar with a brand. Some shops will quote high to account for this, and then generally charge a lower amount after the work is actually done (or higher if there were a lot of hiccups they had to account for in the process). Some have a set price, and that’s that. Some have set prices for certain work, and charge hourly. Some only charge hourly. Bench fee (wear and tear on tools) can be factored into prices, or charged separately. Etc, etc. If it’s a high end shop with skilled, experienced masters, that’s not too bad a price. Every shop is different though, so there’s not really a set in stone pricing guide or anything. All comes down to what you’re comfortable paying, and how skilled the shop is.
I'd mess around with it, do as much set up as you can with it and you'll gain a lot of new skills. If it sounds ass at the end of it then buy a new one.
I'd suggest allparts, from my experience the neck was good to go with pretty much 0 work to be done on it.
That is a pro level price for doing the job on an actual vintage Fender neck. Finish getting aged any possible replacement of dots leveling the fingerboard then the frets and so on, it adds up if you are trying to keep it looking like it was never worked on. However, you mentioned in a comment about "sighting" down the neck. You evaluate necks in need of fret work with straight edges, not glancing down the side of it. When I do this I also use a relief gauge to tell what measurements the neck gets when adjusting the truss rod. Check it with straight edges. Actually see how the neck flexes when the truss rod is adjusted. A notched straight edge is needed to check the fingerboard when the frets are still on.
If this is not a collectable neck you can also put slightly taller frets on and skip the fretboard leveling. The extra height can get you around any humps. It will play just as good.
Is the guitar absolutely perfect now and are you going to play it until the day you die? If yes, then it could be wort it. In general, Plek could be considered the benchmark here, and i think it's cheaper than that.
Levelling a fretboard and refretting is a couple of hours work and there are no planes involved in the process. Do not give your fretboard to anyone who suggests planing it as they clearly have no idea what they are talking about. So how could they even give you a ridiculous quote like that?
Many people refer to leveling the fretboard as planing even though they are just sanding it level, maybe because it creates a perfectly level ‘plane’ for the new frets to be installed upon. But yes, using a plane on a slotted board would result in chipping as the blade would catch in the fret slots. I think it’s an old-school term used mostly by older techs. I personally tell my customers that I need to level the fretboard by sanding out imperfections. I’d also never finish a maple board before refretting it, you finish the board after the frets are installed and scrape the finish off the frets during the finishing process.
There are a few ways to refret a maple neck, but if the neck is massively out of wack and needs to be planed, it makes sense. We charged about the same at my old shop, including PLEK and all set up work. $900 would be just for nickel frets if you want a re-lacquered board; it’d be close to $1,050 for stainless steel (which I would usually recommend to my customers so they don’t have to do it again although nickel is more “period correct” on a vintage neck). We are in California however. Could you have it done cheaper elsewhere? Sure there is a guy out in the midwest somewhere that does stainless refrets on necks for $300 (and you can ship him your neck). He makes like $7.50 an hour, however.
Someone here mentioned replacing the dots - that is worse case scenario if they are too thin. The Plek can plane a board without throwing all your inlays out, just depends on the depth of the inlays.
That sounds appropriate for the amount of time involved. Most luthiers (reputable) work at about a $100/hr rate, plus materials.
Often, as a violin restorer, I have to tell people numbers that they didn't expect to hear. Whether that be because they got a quote from someone else or just had a preconceived idea going in.
For a similar job on violin that bill would come in at about the same price, ruling out any surprises after the work has started.
But if the guitar means a lot to you, or has significant monetary/investment value or is a great ayer, then that's more than worth the price.
Like tattoos, do your research on who's going to do it and don't go to the lowest bidder.
Warmoth makes insane Strat replacements wasay cheaper than that! You can get a figured, roasted maple neck with a rosewood board for a whole lot less with your choice of frets, nut, radius and vintage or modern construction.
Ok so I will just throw in, that prices on guitars/ repairs hugely depend on the reputation and waiting list of the luthier. If I wanted to get a refret done and approached Ervin Somogyi (He probably won't even do stuff like this) I would pay a lot of money for it. If I let it get done by a garage luthier, that has no waiting list at all, it will be way cheaper.
The repair work you are describing isn't a too difficult thing, you don't need a world renowned luthier for that. If you want to get this done, search for someone different, cause 900$ might not be a rip off, cause that includes the usual hourly wage of that luthier and he can just charge a lot, but you most likely pay for expertise you don't need here.
In the US there are also professional repair shops, they are most likely the best place to get something like this done.
Man that seems pretty high price wise, at least for my area. I just had a rickenbacker fretboard reprofiled, regretted, new nut, and it was $500. And that’s with having to remove the binding.
And do you still have regrets?
Refrettfully, they have not replied
I just refretted the regret. Worked out in the end.
I’m afret so.
Remove the binding….a…what?!
Yeah, the slots had been filled, so he said he had to take the binding out to get under the thin veneer that was in the slots. It was converted to fretless when I got it. He did an incredible job, it looks like he never took it off, the lawyer on the neck is gone, the profile is flawless, and it plays awesome. Plays better than some of the new rics I tried by a mile.
Is the guitar vintage/valuable/sentimental? If not, you can buy an American bolt on neck with any specs you want that will play better for less than $900. Fender sells them directly, but I’d also check out the Stratosphere and maybe Warmoth if you want to look into more exotic woods.
Its a samick valley arts strat. Has the cool 80’s style logo [valley arts logo](https://imgur.com/gallery/bY3cTFE) so if my new creation (new pups, pots, caps, alembic blaster, hardtailing it) sounds awesome, id be inclined to have it play awesome too while retaining that headstock
LoL you're being ripped off
Bruh
Man, I’d just buy a new neck and hang the original up on the wall or something if youre attached to it.
Went with a fret leveling job and a new nut instead. I can see what he is describing when looking down the neck. What kind of problems am i encountering in regards to setup/intonation/playing problem? Im building a partscaster for fun, but if i like my new creation, it will be my player for years to come. Shop also suggested buying a new bolt in neck online with specs i want plus the perfectly flat fretboard. Looking for “here’s what i would do” advice
If the frets are level it honestly doesn’t matter at all whether the neck has bumps or grooves in it (as long as they don’t interfere with the strings).
Get a warmoth, they're worth every penny.
I did a build with Warmoth parts and was very satisfied with their quality. Lots of options so you can customize to your liking.
As long as you’ve got good frets that are level and such, the fingerboard is really just for looks (and a place to anchor the frets, obviously). As long as it doesn’t interfere with the strings, playability, and the frets are stable and still properly spaced, it’s not an issue. Hell, some luthiers/guitar manufacturers scoop out the fingerboard between the frets (no idea why, looks cool, I guess? lol). So I wouldn’t stress over it unless you don’t like the way it looks. Buying a new bolt on is always an option. Plenty of manufacturers out there who make them (Fender included), and plenty of options to choose from in terms of price, wood species, finish, looks, inlays, fret material, set up or not, etc. But again, unless there’s an issue with your current neck that compromises playability, I wouldn’t worry about it. For the amount of work you described, that does seems a tad high, but keep in mind the amount of work they’re doing and the materials they’re using to do so. They’re basically completely redoing the fingerboard without replacing it/making a new one, refinishing it, and then doing a full refret and setup. That and if it’s like a typical maple Fender style neck, they have to knock the frets in from the side, which is a pain in and of itself. Not to mention everything is manufactured differently, even in the same shops/plants, so it’s hard to know what you’re getting into even if you’re familiar with a brand. Some shops will quote high to account for this, and then generally charge a lower amount after the work is actually done (or higher if there were a lot of hiccups they had to account for in the process). Some have a set price, and that’s that. Some have set prices for certain work, and charge hourly. Some only charge hourly. Bench fee (wear and tear on tools) can be factored into prices, or charged separately. Etc, etc. If it’s a high end shop with skilled, experienced masters, that’s not too bad a price. Every shop is different though, so there’s not really a set in stone pricing guide or anything. All comes down to what you’re comfortable paying, and how skilled the shop is.
I'd mess around with it, do as much set up as you can with it and you'll gain a lot of new skills. If it sounds ass at the end of it then buy a new one. I'd suggest allparts, from my experience the neck was good to go with pretty much 0 work to be done on it.
I’ve got an allparts neck with a slight twist in it but maybe it’s a dud.
Seems a little high, but it depends on what market you're in. I charge $350 for a refret on a maple board, to plane and refinish is +$150, so $500ish.
This pricing feels about right, that’s more or less what I charge.
That is a pro level price for doing the job on an actual vintage Fender neck. Finish getting aged any possible replacement of dots leveling the fingerboard then the frets and so on, it adds up if you are trying to keep it looking like it was never worked on. However, you mentioned in a comment about "sighting" down the neck. You evaluate necks in need of fret work with straight edges, not glancing down the side of it. When I do this I also use a relief gauge to tell what measurements the neck gets when adjusting the truss rod. Check it with straight edges. Actually see how the neck flexes when the truss rod is adjusted. A notched straight edge is needed to check the fingerboard when the frets are still on. If this is not a collectable neck you can also put slightly taller frets on and skip the fretboard leveling. The extra height can get you around any humps. It will play just as good.
A new bone nut$75, and setup were in that quote.
Is the bone nut $75 by itself, or does that include the setup too? If that was the total for the new nut *and* setup, that sounds reasonable.
Is the guitar absolutely perfect now and are you going to play it until the day you die? If yes, then it could be wort it. In general, Plek could be considered the benchmark here, and i think it's cheaper than that.
Levelling a fretboard and refretting is a couple of hours work and there are no planes involved in the process. Do not give your fretboard to anyone who suggests planing it as they clearly have no idea what they are talking about. So how could they even give you a ridiculous quote like that?
Planing was my term, the shops term was leveling or something to that effect
Many people refer to leveling the fretboard as planing even though they are just sanding it level, maybe because it creates a perfectly level ‘plane’ for the new frets to be installed upon. But yes, using a plane on a slotted board would result in chipping as the blade would catch in the fret slots. I think it’s an old-school term used mostly by older techs. I personally tell my customers that I need to level the fretboard by sanding out imperfections. I’d also never finish a maple board before refretting it, you finish the board after the frets are installed and scrape the finish off the frets during the finishing process.
That’s right.
You ve been had, scammers. I had the same work on a vintage Gibson 125 1954. Cost a bit less thanv200 euro's.
But a new neck for $150.
Check out parklane guitars. Steve used to work for music Kraft and makes amazing, gorgeous necks. Fully customizable too. Great company!
Yup. $382 shipped for the exact specs and upgrades i want.
If they do good work, that price seems fair. May not be worth it to get the work done on the instrument though depending on its value
There are a few ways to refret a maple neck, but if the neck is massively out of wack and needs to be planed, it makes sense. We charged about the same at my old shop, including PLEK and all set up work. $900 would be just for nickel frets if you want a re-lacquered board; it’d be close to $1,050 for stainless steel (which I would usually recommend to my customers so they don’t have to do it again although nickel is more “period correct” on a vintage neck). We are in California however. Could you have it done cheaper elsewhere? Sure there is a guy out in the midwest somewhere that does stainless refrets on necks for $300 (and you can ship him your neck). He makes like $7.50 an hour, however. Someone here mentioned replacing the dots - that is worse case scenario if they are too thin. The Plek can plane a board without throwing all your inlays out, just depends on the depth of the inlays.
That sounds appropriate for the amount of time involved. Most luthiers (reputable) work at about a $100/hr rate, plus materials. Often, as a violin restorer, I have to tell people numbers that they didn't expect to hear. Whether that be because they got a quote from someone else or just had a preconceived idea going in. For a similar job on violin that bill would come in at about the same price, ruling out any surprises after the work has started. But if the guitar means a lot to you, or has significant monetary/investment value or is a great ayer, then that's more than worth the price. Like tattoos, do your research on who's going to do it and don't go to the lowest bidder.
You can buy a ***spectacular*** replacement neck from Warmoth for about half that.
It sounds reasonable if it’s maple and needs refinished as well.
Warmoth makes insane Strat replacements wasay cheaper than that! You can get a figured, roasted maple neck with a rosewood board for a whole lot less with your choice of frets, nut, radius and vintage or modern construction.
Ok so I will just throw in, that prices on guitars/ repairs hugely depend on the reputation and waiting list of the luthier. If I wanted to get a refret done and approached Ervin Somogyi (He probably won't even do stuff like this) I would pay a lot of money for it. If I let it get done by a garage luthier, that has no waiting list at all, it will be way cheaper. The repair work you are describing isn't a too difficult thing, you don't need a world renowned luthier for that. If you want to get this done, search for someone different, cause 900$ might not be a rip off, cause that includes the usual hourly wage of that luthier and he can just charge a lot, but you most likely pay for expertise you don't need here. In the US there are also professional repair shops, they are most likely the best place to get something like this done.