You may be thinking about re-fretting one of your favourite guitars, or maybe you’re just curious about what’s involved in a re-fret. Either way, we’ve got you covered! Read on…

What is a ‘re-fret’?

In short, re-fretting a guitar is the process of removing the existing frets and fitting brand new ones.

Full re-frets (replacement of all the frets on the neck) are most common, but partial re-frets (in which only one, or a few, of the worst offenders are replaced) are also achievable in some cases.

Why are re-frets necessary?

Some guitars will never need a re-fret. This could be because they are not played a lot, have stainless steel frets (which are much more resistant to wear) or because the owner’s playing style is gentler on the frets.

However, frets don’t last forever, particularly the most common nickel-silver variety. They will eventually get worn in the spots where the strings are most often in contact with them.

Typically this is in the ‘cowboy chord’ positions (frets 1-3), but it can occur anywhere on the neck. If you routinely use a capo in a particular position (e.g. 5th fret), you may experience faster wear at that fret.

Steel strings are made from a tougher material than most fret wire, so repeated contact and bending against frets over time will eventually wear them down.

The main reason worn frets is a problem is that it can result in unwanted fret buzz. The lower a divot in a fret, the lower the string will be when fretted in that position. This means it can buzz against the fret(s) in front of it when played. A worn fret can affect intonation too.

Since it is not possible to add material back onto a fret once it has worn, the only long-term solution is to replace it. (I say ‘long-term’ because adding neck relief and/or raising action can provide some short-term relief from the problem. They won’t cure it though, and it will only get worse.)

Even if your frets are in good condition, you might just want to try something different – taller, shorter, wider or narrower frets, or a different material.

Bass guitars typically don’t need re-fretting as often as electric and acoustic 6-string guitars, but bass players may still choose to re-fret to change to a different type of fret wire for a change in tone or playability.

Partial re-frets

As mentioned, in some cases it can be acceptable to perform only a partial re-fret. For example, imagine your guitar toppled over and fell against a hard edge of some kind. Perhaps one fret received a significant dent that affected its use. In this scenario, it would not make sense to replace all the frets. It would be enough to replace just the damaged fret.

Another scenario in which a partial re-fret might be acceptable is if your guitar has a ‘zero fret’ (effectively acting as a nut). Because all strings are in contact with a zero fret all of the time they can wear faster than the other frets, and require replacement.

A third scenario is when the fret wear affects only a couple of frets (typically frets 1, 2 and/or 3), and all others are in good condition with plenty of height. Arguably, this scenario is more likely to arise with acoustic guitars. In this case, it might be acceptable to replace just these frets and leave the others untouched.

However, it’s important to think carefully about whether a partial re-fret is the best option in the long-term both financially and in terms of future wear of the other frets (the ones we didn’t replace). This is something we would discuss with you.

4. At this stage, we can also steam out any dents or scratches and repair any chipped areas

5. The fretboard is then sanded and polished to a high grade

6. The fret slots are thoroughly cleaned out and measured to ensure they are deep and wide enough to accommodate the tang of your chosen fret wire

7. Fret wire is radiused and cut to size. If your guitar has a bound neck, the tang of the fret wire is undercut so the frets themselves will sit on top of the binding at either edge of the neck

8. New frets are installed! The ends are snipped flush with the neck

9. A diamond fret file is used first to file the frets flush with the neck and then to file an angle onto the fret ends

10. The guitar then benefits from our full setup, which involves levelling, crowning and polishing the frets and then setting up and testing the guitar ready for its new lease of life!

Here’s what your re-fretted neck could look like – good as new!

Some final thoughts…

It’s a good idea to budget for a new nut if your guitar is undergoing a full re-fret. The new frets will likely be taller than the old ones, as a result of which your existing nut slots may be too low (relatively speaking) causing the strings to buzz on your new frets. It’s not always necessary to replace the nut (e.g. nuts can be shimmed) but in many cases it will be required or preferable.

If you intend to change fret wire material or size, we recommend you research the impact that this will have on the feel and tone of the instrument and whether it will give you the result you want. ‘Jumbo’ frets feel very different if you’re not used to them, and stainless steel frets can yield a brighter sound in some guitars than nickel-silver frets. A full re-fret is an investment in your instrument and in your musicianship, and we want that investment to yield as much benefit as possible!