I’m a luthier by trade, and I was commissioned to refret a “one owner” ‘56 Strat. Customer’s ONLY requirement……”do not touch one spec of the original aged finish on the fretboard”. 😬 I approached the job with surgical precision, extracting each and every original fret with extreme care. I followed up with a perfect refret AND new bone nut, lightly aged to look original. Looked like I was never there. Needless to say, my customer was beyond happy…..he was genuinely emotional. It was actually his Dad’s guitar since new. ❤️
I'm _not_ a luthier, and refretted my Telecaster myself! It didn't go as well as it could have done, but although the end result looks poor, even from a few feet away, it plays an awful lot better than before. I would never do this to someone else's guitar! He was wise to bring the Strat to a proper luthier.
Refretting by a talented luthier is like getting a brand new guitar...only BETTER. My wife had my 1972 Yamaha acoustic refretted at Emerald City Guitars in Seattle back in 2006 for a birthday present, and the result was soooo good. They leveled the fretboard, filling in all the ruts I'd worn in it over the years. Installed new frets. Replaced the nut, and it played like a dream...still to this day. The fretboard edges were "rolled" from years of playing, and just felt so comfortable in my hands. I love this guitar and the work just extended the life.
My 1984 MIJ E62 Strat I had worn completely down, the board was wrecked with divots and needed flattened. The guys at Casino hooked me up with a luthier and I got vintage sized stainless-steel frets and I have never looked back. It made a barely playable guitar one I will never part with. Do it if it needs it. I could not be happier with how it turned out.
I had my 67 Strat refretted once and it has held up great. Later on, I had my 72 Goldtop Deluxe refretted. I lost the nibs but it was a small price to pay for a great playing guitar. Aside from the refret, it's completely stock and an awesome guitar.
"It will be mine, oh yes, it will be mine." - Congrats, man, that looks flat out dreamworthy, jealous, but more than anything happy for you. I recently had my 2000 American Strat (had for 23 years now, bought with my childhood fastfood job) refretted with fatter/taller Jescar stainless steel frets, and a nice dark tine on the maple board, it's breathed a whole new life into that instrument. This however, this is truly special.
Had my 99 Strat and Gibson Les Paul Standard re-fretted at Sweetwater with Stainless frets. Pleking was part of the process and those guitars are soooo smooth to play. It's been almost 2 years and there are no signs of wear. Best decision ever.
I'm not sure if you are braver, more foolish, or just enthusiastic...the last time anyone touched my 69 tele thinline was 1974 in Orange California, since then I've cherished every crack in the original finish and every mm of the original maple neck and it's original frets. It was abused by the original owner and I've felt like a caretaker ever since I purchased it for 150 bucks at a pawn shop while playing in Vegas... I'm 73 now and that guitar is still my favorite...it will stay, as is, until I pass or something extremely terrible forces me to modify it. To me, part of my tele IS it's age and that feel, as well as the sound...like me, we get older and our bones may be stiff but both of us get more and more unique and defined with each passing day...something I prefer to live with. Thanks for sharing. PS no suggestions for Nashville last time I was there the cheap bar owner only paid me 20 bucks so I left town after the gig.
I live 2 1/2 hours away from Nashville....but I make the drive to Glaser's whenever I need anything done to my guitars. Those guys are pros and I have always been happy with everything they have done.
Nick was such a nice dude huh Rob? He let you geek out and watch him while he breathed new life into that Strat that's older than you (and me). He was such a pro, I'm glad you made a new friend. Guitars and friends, 2 things you can't have enough of! ✌️❤️🎸🎶🙏
There's this guy on TH-cam, his channel is twoodfrd if you're not aware of him and in one of his past videos he addressed the issue of having vintage guitars refretted or any work done to them. Basically his stance is "Cool, you have a pre-war Martin but the frets are shot and the action is like 1/2" tall... That's just a wall hanger!" ...get the work done and get that piece of history playing again!! Like Nick said here, if he'd put the original type fretwire in there it might have made the guitar unplayable to you, you have to make these choices sometimes and it's fine!! If you're into this type of nerdery, twoodfrd is great, he's soft spoken, really chill and does fantastic work. A great channel to watch while doing mindless chores or working in the shop and having that as an inspirational backdrop. He also shares information about how the guitar gets into those issues. Sometimes an instrument might feel just a little off but you put up with it and then a few years later you end up with a bellied top or a crooked neck that could have been an easier save then.
Therapy session? I thought I was the only crazy one! Even just simple maintenance does it for me. Every time I change strings I am polishing frets, cleaning up the fret board, polishing the body. OMG it is the most relaxing/zen thing ever. 45 minutes of total relaxation. And then the best part is that when you are done, your guitar is in fantastic shape and ready to rock again.
I used to get my guitars plek’d at Westwood Music in LA. If you are near a music store that has the ability to plek your guitar, don’t hesitate. They play so well after the process. Maybe Robert could talk about getting his 63 strat plekd at the difference he notices.
I had a 52 reissue telecaster fender Japan refretted, reradiused, pleked, neck refinished and new bone nut installed. It transformed the guitar in the best way. So awesome.
I bought a $99 clearance 335 style guitar from guitarfetish that was unplayable on arrival. I went and had it plek'd and setup. Now it has such low action that while my strat was in the shop for a month, it took me a week to stop muscling the 335 to play it, and it plays/sounds amazing, especially for what I paid for it. Easily compete with an Epiphone. Got the strat back, it's simply amazing now. Robert if you're ever in southern California, I'd love to hear you play my strat to get your opinion on it.
If your Strat has the original frets and they are worn down to near nothing, yes, a refret will definitely change the feel. And if you install contemporary frets which are generally much higher than the originals, even more it will change the feel. I don't know what you or anyone else can do about it. I've had vintage Strats all my life but 10 years ago got a Strat-plus which has much taller, contemporary frets. It took a little time (couple of weeks) to get used to, but the guitar plays much better than the old ones, is a lot more resonant (could be just that one particular Strat) and "gives back" more. It sings more. It's true that the new Strat doesn't quite have the feel or vibe of the well-worn one, but on the other hand, the satin finish on the back of the neck sticks a lot less than traditional lacquer and even bare, worn-down wood. Stays in tune much better than crappy Klusons. I obsessed over old Strats for 35+ years. Today they don't do quite as much for me.
I had a vintage Les Paul Custom refreted. It was a little scary and it was really expensive, but now it plays like butter. Totally worth it even if the guitar would have been worth more with the original worn out frets!
I live in Nashville, there are a ton of good restaurants, but these are 3 of my favorites! Maiz de la Vida for Mexican (either the food truck or the tortilla shop), black dynasty ramen for ramen, and beared iris for beer!
So many players have not experienced a great refret and set up. Once you find the fret you like and have a talented tech/luthier do the work you will never go back. You will be bringing all your guitars in. I used to have any guitar I purchased automatically refretted to my specs. Too many players expect this type of magic out of the box.
The exact video I also like to see. Thank you so much Robert. I'll be putting the few guitar nerd friends onto it. The whole Plek idea has always scared me but after watching this I want my 67' Custom Tele with original totally worn out frets refretted & Plekked by Glasers. Pity I'm in Nashvilliquin (Deniliquin) Australia 😩
all this knowledge he has about things i cant even imagine noticing reminds me why i could never be a luthier. its crazy he knows how much backbow he comes from wide fret slots like that makes perfect sense but also god damn how many did u have to do to notice that. kudos the knowledge this guy has hes a true master
Great video bro,and welcome to Middle Tennessee ,I live in Gallatin,there is a little place on the square called Swaney Swifts.I think you and your family would dig it .
Joe’s guys did a plek on one of my teles and it made a huge difference. They are great. I’d recommend ML Rose for a burger place with a lot of beer options. As for downtown Broadway area I would recommend The Stillery. Go upstairs and it is more chill there. One of the best wood fired pizzas I have had.
They did a stunning job. The biggest thing that scares me is when people sand down the old rosewood fretboard. Glad to see they didnt need to do that with yours!!! I have a ‘66 mustang with original frets, and theyre gettin downnn there. Frets out a lot past the 12th fret. I’d absolutely love to have the same care put into refretting my guitar as they put into yours. Great video!
This might go without saying, but have you tried straightening the neck on that Mustang? Excessive relief can cause fretting out in the upper register. Just trying to help.
that's freaking awesome that he already knew about getting back-bow from the frets bing slightly wider than the slots... I never even considered this ... but it makes sense!
An amazing process Robert... "But this is why I subscribed to your channel?" This guy is very good at what he does! Thanks for posting this video Robert... ✌
This is awesome!! Never had it done, but I've been thinking about taking my first guitar which is a 1980s Peavey T-60 lead. I know what everyone is thinking. It's junk, but not to me. It still feels so good in my hands. I must've gotten a good quality one. You can laugh, but the serial number is 001973. So I'm pretty sure they scraped making guitars. Years ago I bought this and my band mate Larry loved it so much, we went right back to the music store and he bought the same guitar only his was Woodgrain Gray and mine was White with Black pick guard. We got it back to my garage and we couldn't even keep it tuned. He immediately took it back, and I actually felt a bad. Like it was my fault. But it was just a bad guitar. Don't know if it's worth doing, but I'm gonna find out. Thanks for letting us watch this phenomenal process. It's something that I could never do. Wish I lived in Nashville, but I am an owner operator trucker so maybe I can have him do it. Later from Wisconsin!🤘💯🎸
I reached out to Glaser's but they only deal with big time clients. Ended up finding a guy in Georgia that refretted a couple of Gibson's and did an absolutely fantastic job.
@@cosmocalypse3708 I have no idea where that comes from. They are taking new work all the time and I know first hand. Sounds like maybe you didn't wanna wait or you were being difficult 🤷♂️
@@jakesMisc I called, asked about a refret and was told exactly what I said above. No mention of time or pricing or anything. Why would I make up a story about something so trivial?
@cosmocalypse3708 I don't know but your comment was roughly 2 months ago and I personally know of totally regular, non famous people who have sent guitars within the last 2 months and got work done and are waiting on work to be done. Refrets, benders, etc. I feel like there's more to your story. Just sayin....
I’d love to get a refret on my new-to-me Gibson Studio HP. It’s got all the great modern specs I love paired with the tiniest little frets I’ve ever played with. Some Jescar evo gold jumbos would be sweeeeet
Dressing down taller frets sounds exactly like what Guitar Clinic Hamilton did for my friend's Bill Nash T-52. BSBG Friend didn't love it after but for me it's perfect. So this is my main guitar now. 🏆
I don't know if it's because of the optical effect, but it gives the sensation that the first and sixth strings are too far out on the fretboard, in some parts of the video, and the last frets seem to be even outside the fretboard. I insist, it may be because of the optical effect, but it gives that sensation. Beautiful guitar :)
Very cool Mr Baker, over the past couple of months I completely refurbished my '90 Fender Squier HM IV neck thru. This included having to replace one of the EMG's, doing a half soldered and half plug in system to make the old 5 way switch work. But the hard part was I did a complete refret with jumbo stainless steel. It turned out awsome, I didn't even need to level the frets after I installed them. Man those fret ends are like a bag of razor blades when first installed! They were down to .030, now a fat .058 =D. By the way, my first ever do myself refret. =)
And I should also say that this is one gorgeous Strat. Mint pickguard, clay dots, and it sounds fantastic. Nice vintage patina without looking like a relic. Enjoy it!
I had my Strat refretted with Jumbos since I used to be a huge SRV fan. There was an issue I had where the repair tech didn’t widen and/or clean out the fret channel. Over time with the wider fret tangs, it put the neck into backbow. Eventually I had regular frets installed and the problem corrected itself.
Did you ever consider S/S frets for the refret? It would be a one and done versus the N/S ones that have to be leveled "based on use". Good video, Cheers
@@michael_caz_nyc SS frets are the truth...especially those that also Suhrs use the jescar fretwire(the best out there).I learned refrets just to install them to all my guitars..now even my bullets have jumbo ss frets....no point in going back to NS ones....
You need to trust whoever is doing your refret. If you don’t have a luthier you do trust, do your due diligence. Ask players you know and respect who they use and/or recommend. Networking like that is important. If you do have someone you trust, everything will be fine. Counting the original frets, my ‘66 Strat is on its 4th set. I refretted when I got it (1984), and it’s had two more fret jobs since then-three refrets in total-and all is well! The guitar I’ve had longest, a ‘69 SG Special, has been refretted twice. I’ve also had the nut changed on both guitars. My guy is terrific, with a great reputation. He cares about instruments and gives you the straight story. That’s what it takes to feel comfortable with refretting a cherished guitar.
I accidently ordered my $4k custom shop guitar with medium jumbos instead of jumbos and have been debating on whether to have it refretted or not. This gives me confidence that it's not as scary when you have an experienced Luthier. Thanks Rob!
It is crazy to think that when Leo Fender designed his guitars with the bolt-on necks, he intended the necks to be disposable. His vision was that if a player wore out the frets on the neck, they would just buy and then bolt a new neck on. hehe. That is biggest piece of proof that Leo wasn't a player. It is remarkable that he was able to design such wonderful instruments as a non-player. He obviously did a lot of studying and talked to some really good players about what they wanted and what worked. I am not a Fender guy at all...but I have to admit, they are great guitars for the peopel that dig them.
My vintage original 1955 Les Paul Standard Goldtop was refretted at Glasers and it plays amazing. I played a Suhr Aura that was a phenomenally smooth playing guitar & that Goldtop played every bit as good. Great choice!
I've been in Nashville for 11 years. Party Fowl in Donelson is great for Hot Chicken. China Cottage in Rivergate is some of the best Chinese Food and Robert Plant has been known to stop in periodically. Liz's Kitchen in Goodlettsville by City Hall is a great Meat and Three. I'm originall from Ohio too. Welcome.
I had a Luthier replace some frets on my 1975 Fender Mustang and he did it as Fender would have done it at that time by pulling the frets sideways and installing them sideways.
It’s nice that you got to video document this for yourself and your channel. I’m curious, going to well-known luthier’s business what they charged you for this refret? I have had a refret also done on my 96 lonestar strat but it wasn’t plex like yours was, but I had stainless steel frets installed due to the originals wearing out way too early in my opinion. If you don’t mind sharing that information, I think it would be beneficial to everybody that plays and owns guitars.
I have replaced a few frets in my day.. just logic . But sent my 76 SG out to a pro as those were 0.018.. fretless wonder.. out jumbo frets on there.. never looked back. Plays fantastic..no sweat.. your 63 board was in beautiful shape .. great job..
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I’m a luthier by trade, and I was commissioned to refret a “one owner” ‘56 Strat. Customer’s ONLY requirement……”do not touch one spec of the original aged finish on the fretboard”. 😬
I approached the job with surgical precision, extracting each and every original fret with extreme care. I followed up with a perfect refret AND new bone nut, lightly aged to look original. Looked like I was never there. Needless to say, my customer was beyond happy…..he was genuinely emotional. It was actually his Dad’s guitar since new. ❤️
I respect an artisan of any field. It takes knowledge, passion, and respect to be good at any craft.
This was a cool story. Thanks so much for sharing.
I'm _not_ a luthier, and refretted my Telecaster myself! It didn't go as well as it could have done, but although the end result looks poor, even from a few feet away, it plays an awful lot better than before. I would never do this to someone else's guitar! He was wise to bring the Strat to a proper luthier.
ok
Where at? Someone such as yourself doing the most for the customer is RARE. I'd trust you with my guitars if what you're saying is true!!
Nick is my wife’s son. We are so proud of him! Thank you for such a great video! Job very well done
No way! He's my wife's son too! Small world!
That was so awesome of Nick to allow Robert to come in and record everything and explain it all. Really cool guy
I mean, it's the best advertisement they could wish for. If you're this good, the work you do really speaks for itself.
@@jannik19191Exactly!!
One of the best refrets I have ever seen on YT. This guy knew his stuff and shared things nobody else has.
Refretting by a talented luthier is like getting a brand new guitar...only BETTER. My wife had my 1972 Yamaha acoustic refretted at Emerald City Guitars in Seattle back in 2006 for a birthday present, and the result was soooo good. They leveled the fretboard, filling in all the ruts I'd worn in it over the years. Installed new frets. Replaced the nut, and it played like a dream...still to this day. The fretboard edges were "rolled" from years of playing, and just felt so comfortable in my hands. I love this guitar and the work just extended the life.
My 1984 MIJ E62 Strat I had worn completely down, the board was wrecked with divots and needed flattened. The guys at Casino hooked me up with a luthier and I got vintage sized stainless-steel frets and I have never looked back. It made a barely playable guitar one I will never part with. Do it if it needs it. I could not be happier with how it turned out.
I had my 67 Strat refretted once and it has held up great. Later on, I had my 72 Goldtop Deluxe refretted. I lost the nibs but it was a small price to pay for a great playing guitar. Aside from the refret, it's completely stock and an awesome guitar.
"It will be mine, oh yes, it will be mine." - Congrats, man, that looks flat out dreamworthy, jealous, but more than anything happy for you. I recently had my 2000 American Strat (had for 23 years now, bought with my childhood fastfood job) refretted with fatter/taller Jescar stainless steel frets, and a nice dark tine on the maple board, it's breathed a whole new life into that instrument. This however, this is truly special.
Therapy session complete. I think almost anyone can appreciate seeing a refret done firsthand. SWEET!
Cool video Robert, thanks for taking us along for the journey.
Had my 99 Strat and Gibson Les Paul Standard re-fretted at Sweetwater with Stainless frets. Pleking was part of the process and those guitars are soooo smooth to play. It's been almost 2 years and there are no signs of wear. Best decision ever.
I'm not sure if you are braver, more foolish, or just enthusiastic...the last time anyone touched my 69 tele thinline was 1974 in Orange California, since then I've cherished every crack in the original finish and every mm of the original maple neck and it's original frets. It was abused by the original owner and I've felt like a caretaker ever since I purchased it for 150 bucks at a pawn shop while playing in Vegas... I'm 73 now and that guitar is still my favorite...it will stay, as is, until I pass or something extremely terrible forces me to modify it. To me, part of my tele IS it's age and that feel, as well as the sound...like me, we get older and our bones may be stiff but both of us get more and more unique and defined with each passing day...something I prefer to live with. Thanks for sharing. PS no suggestions for Nashville last time I was there the cheap bar owner only paid me 20 bucks so I left town after the gig.
Yeah, well, you know, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
I live 2 1/2 hours away from Nashville....but I make the drive to Glaser's whenever I need anything done to my guitars. Those guys are pros and I have always been happy with everything they have done.
Nick was such a nice dude huh Rob? He let you geek out and watch him while he breathed new life into that Strat that's older than you (and me). He was such a pro, I'm glad you made a new friend. Guitars and friends, 2 things you can't have enough of! ✌️❤️🎸🎶🙏
I prefer guitars to friends.
Purty, shiny new frets! Thanks for sharing the process, too. I really do enjoy watching luthier activities like this, too.
There's this guy on TH-cam, his channel is twoodfrd if you're not aware of him and in one of his past videos he addressed the issue of having vintage guitars refretted or any work done to them. Basically his stance is "Cool, you have a pre-war Martin but the frets are shot and the action is like 1/2" tall... That's just a wall hanger!" ...get the work done and get that piece of history playing again!! Like Nick said here, if he'd put the original type fretwire in there it might have made the guitar unplayable to you, you have to make these choices sometimes and it's fine!!
If you're into this type of nerdery, twoodfrd is great, he's soft spoken, really chill and does fantastic work. A great channel to watch while doing mindless chores or working in the shop and having that as an inspirational backdrop. He also shares information about how the guitar gets into those issues. Sometimes an instrument might feel just a little off but you put up with it and then a few years later you end up with a bellied top or a crooked neck that could have been an easier save then.
I’ve been going to Glaser instruments since 2018. Great group of guys, and i always learn something new walking in. Great video Robert!
Nick is a master of his trade. Top notch work for sure.
I'm liking the open grain and old school clay fret marker dots.
That Strat ooozzzes tone and sucess....
Nick is THE GUY!!!! I take all of my guitars to him. Glaser Instruments and the gentleman that work there are outstanding!!!!
Therapy session? I thought I was the only crazy one! Even just simple maintenance does it for me. Every time I change strings I am polishing frets, cleaning up the fret board, polishing the body. OMG it is the most relaxing/zen thing ever. 45 minutes of total relaxation. And then the best part is that when you are done, your guitar is in fantastic shape and ready to rock again.
You're the man... As I was watching I was thinking Robert should be giving Jim a call out. And at 14:25, there it is..... Much respect to you, Sir!
I used to get my guitars plek’d at Westwood Music in LA. If you are near a music store that has the ability to plek your guitar, don’t hesitate. They play so well after the process. Maybe Robert could talk about getting his 63 strat plekd at the difference he notices.
I’ve been following you for some time and have to say your new camera quality/editing is on point. Great work! Always love watching your stuff.
I had a 52 reissue telecaster fender Japan refretted, reradiused, pleked, neck refinished and new bone nut installed. It transformed the guitar in the best way. So awesome.
Both of my main guitars, a 2003 and 2007 Axis, are on refret number 3.
Beautiful guitar. And awesome job by Glaser. And totally not weird to keep the old frets. You can make something with them I hope.
I bought a $99 clearance 335 style guitar from guitarfetish that was unplayable on arrival. I went and had it plek'd and setup. Now it has such low action that while my strat was in the shop for a month, it took me a week to stop muscling the 335 to play it, and it plays/sounds amazing, especially for what I paid for it. Easily compete with an Epiphone. Got the strat back, it's simply amazing now. Robert if you're ever in southern California, I'd love to hear you play my strat to get your opinion on it.
Go to The Pharmacy! Beer, brats and everything in between! My go to in Nashville!
I hear you on the ASMR tiip. I just get happy seeing frets made all shiny and precise!
Really cool video. I could watch this type of guitar repair stuff all day long.
If your Strat has the original frets and they are worn down to near nothing, yes, a refret will definitely change the feel. And if you install contemporary frets which are generally much higher than the originals, even more it will change the feel. I don't know what you or anyone else can do about it. I've had vintage Strats all my life but 10 years ago got a Strat-plus which has much taller, contemporary frets. It took a little time (couple of weeks) to get used to, but the guitar plays much better than the old ones, is a lot more resonant (could be just that one particular Strat) and "gives back" more. It sings more. It's true that the new Strat doesn't quite have the feel or vibe of the well-worn one, but on the other hand, the satin finish on the back of the neck sticks a lot less than traditional lacquer and even bare, worn-down wood. Stays in tune much better than crappy Klusons. I obsessed over old Strats for 35+ years. Today they don't do quite as much for me.
You’re such a nice person, Robert. The offer to Joe was lovely. Next level cinematography as well.
I had my 77 Les Paul Custom re-fretted around 1999. The frets were absolutely flat. That is some really dark rosewood on your baby. Nice!!
I had my guitars refretted at Bronson Guitar Works in Scottsdale. Those guys brought my guitars back to life
I had a vintage Les Paul Custom refreted. It was a little scary and it was really expensive, but now it plays like butter. Totally worth it even if the guitar would have been worth more with the original worn out frets!
Such a lovely dark RW fretboard, love it.
Love the Eric Johnson “Trademark” there at the end. Congrats on the refret. Hope it plays well for you.
Saving the frets was awesome!! I was thinking that watching the video so I was so happy at the end that you did it.
Beautiful work! Was a pleasure to watch a skilled craftsman make easy work of an otherwise terrifying task.
That rosewood board is just amazing!
Sweet - I Had Nick refret my '60 tele last year and it is phenomenal.
I live in Nashville, there are a ton of good restaurants, but these are 3 of my favorites! Maiz de la Vida for Mexican (either the food truck or the tortilla shop), black dynasty ramen for ramen, and beared iris for beer!
Thanks for keeping guitars alive! ❤️
Not some unplayable collectible.
So many players have not experienced a great refret and set up. Once you find the fret you like and have a talented tech/luthier do the work you will never go back. You will be bringing all your guitars in. I used to have any guitar I purchased automatically refretted to my specs. Too many players expect this type of magic out of the box.
What a great shop . I made living repairing and building guitars and I would have loved to work in this shop .
The exact video I also like to see. Thank you so much Robert. I'll be putting the few guitar nerd friends onto it. The whole Plek idea has always scared me but after watching this I want my 67' Custom Tele with original totally worn out frets refretted & Plekked by Glasers. Pity I'm in Nashvilliquin (Deniliquin) Australia 😩
This video was so satisfying to watch. Sounds like they did a great job.
all this knowledge he has about things i cant even imagine noticing reminds me why i could never be a luthier. its crazy he knows how much backbow he comes from wide fret slots like that makes perfect sense but also god damn how many did u have to do to notice that. kudos the knowledge this guy has hes a true master
Great video bro,and welcome to Middle Tennessee ,I live in Gallatin,there is a little place on the square called Swaney Swifts.I think you and your family would dig it .
I had my father's '63 p bass refretted at 12th Fret in Toronto Ontario. No problems, they did an amazing job!
Joe’s guys did a plek on one of my teles and it made a huge difference. They are great. I’d recommend ML Rose for a burger place with a lot of beer options. As for downtown Broadway area I would recommend The Stillery. Go upstairs and it is more chill there. One of the best wood fired pizzas I have had.
What a beautiful guitar ❤
They did a stunning job. The biggest thing that scares me is when people sand down the old rosewood fretboard. Glad to see they didnt need to do that with yours!!! I have a ‘66 mustang with original frets, and theyre gettin downnn there. Frets out a lot past the 12th fret. I’d absolutely love to have the same care put into refretting my guitar as they put into yours. Great video!
This might go without saying, but have you tried straightening the neck on that Mustang?
Excessive relief can cause fretting out in the upper register.
Just trying to help.
When I had my 63 refretted, it was like electricity being invented lol. So much better than wore out originals
I love watching repair videos like this. Thanks! :)
that's freaking awesome that he already knew about getting back-bow from the frets bing slightly wider than the slots... I never even considered this ... but it makes sense!
That is a very clean looking 63 Strat
An amazing process Robert... "But this is why I subscribed to your channel?"
This guy is very good at what he does! Thanks for posting this video Robert... ✌
Just wow. Excellent work and the plek on top...outstanding
May I ask what material where the original frets and what material are the new frets? Nickel, stainless steel etc? Thank you for your videos, Robert!
This is awesome!! Never had it done, but I've been thinking about taking my first guitar which is a 1980s Peavey T-60 lead. I know what everyone is thinking. It's junk, but not to me. It still feels so good in my hands. I must've gotten a good quality one. You can laugh, but the serial number is 001973. So I'm pretty sure they scraped making guitars. Years ago I bought this and my band mate Larry loved it so much, we went right back to the music store and he bought the same guitar only his was Woodgrain Gray and mine was White with Black pick guard. We got it back to my garage and we couldn't even keep it tuned. He immediately took it back, and I actually felt a bad. Like it was my fault. But it was just a bad guitar. Don't know if it's worth doing, but I'm gonna find out. Thanks for letting us watch this phenomenal process. It's something that I could never do. Wish I lived in Nashville, but I am an owner operator trucker so maybe I can have him do it. Later from Wisconsin!🤘💯🎸
My #1 is due a refret and I can't quite bring myself to drop it off. I don't blame you for being nervous.
I reached out to Glaser's but they only deal with big time clients. Ended up finding a guy in Georgia that refretted a couple of Gibson's and did an absolutely fantastic job.
This is just a lie. They deal with just about anyone. Misinfo at its finest.
@@jakesMisc I was told explicitly "we aren't taking outside work."
@@cosmocalypse3708 I have no idea where that comes from. They are taking new work all the time and I know first hand. Sounds like maybe you didn't wanna wait or you were being difficult 🤷♂️
@@jakesMisc I called, asked about a refret and was told exactly what I said above. No mention of time or pricing or anything. Why would I make up a story about something so trivial?
@cosmocalypse3708 I don't know but your comment was roughly 2 months ago and I personally know of totally regular, non famous people who have sent guitars within the last 2 months and got work done and are waiting on work to be done. Refrets, benders, etc. I feel like there's more to your story. Just sayin....
I’d love to get a refret on my new-to-me Gibson Studio HP. It’s got all the great modern specs I love paired with the tiniest little frets I’ve ever played with. Some Jescar evo gold jumbos would be sweeeeet
Awesome video! I have done a few of my own refrets, but it's nice to watch a real pro at work and to see their process.
Dressing down taller frets sounds exactly like what Guitar Clinic Hamilton did for my friend's Bill Nash T-52. BSBG
Friend didn't love it after but for me it's perfect. So this is my main guitar now. 🏆
I don't know if it's because of the optical effect, but it gives the sensation that the first and sixth strings are too far out on the fretboard, in some parts of the video, and the last frets seem to be even outside the fretboard. I insist, it may be because of the optical effect, but it gives that sensation. Beautiful guitar :)
Oh my gosh, I had the very same thought about saving the frets!
Very cool Mr Baker, over the past couple of months I completely refurbished my '90 Fender Squier HM IV neck thru. This included having to replace one of the EMG's, doing a half soldered and half plug in system to make the old 5 way switch work. But the hard part was I did a complete refret with jumbo stainless steel. It turned out awsome, I didn't even need to level the frets after I installed them. Man those fret ends are like a bag of razor blades when first installed! They were down to .030, now a fat .058 =D.
By the way, my first ever do myself refret. =)
Great video! I could watch these types of videos all day long!! 🤘🏻😎🤘🏻
So soothing watching craftsmen...
Love these kind of videos and it's cool to see you doing one! Came out looking great!
Guys that can revive an old instrument like that are heroes 👍
And I should also say that this is one gorgeous Strat. Mint pickguard, clay dots, and it sounds fantastic. Nice vintage patina without looking like a relic. Enjoy it!
I had my Strat refretted with Jumbos since I used to be a huge SRV fan. There was an issue I had where the repair tech didn’t widen and/or clean out the fret channel. Over time with the wider fret tangs, it put the neck into backbow. Eventually I had regular frets installed and the problem corrected itself.
Very Cool, Thankyou. So interesting seeing the process. Nice Work. Cheers
Cool video. I've been contemplating trying a refret myself.....
Did you ever consider S/S frets for the refret? It would be a one and done versus the N/S ones that have to be leveled "based on use". Good video, Cheers
Agree. I have SS Frets on my Suhr Strat and I will Never go back.
@@michael_caz_nyc SS frets are the truth...especially those that also Suhrs use the jescar fretwire(the best out there).I learned refrets just to install them to all my guitars..now even my bullets have jumbo ss frets....no point in going back to NS ones....
That guitar is a rare gem. Enjoy it!
Congrats! Looks like you brought it to the right place! It sounds heavenly btw❤
You need to trust whoever is doing your refret. If you don’t have a luthier you do trust, do your due diligence. Ask players you know and respect who they use and/or recommend. Networking like that is important. If you do have someone you trust, everything will be fine. Counting the original frets, my ‘66 Strat is on its 4th set. I refretted when I got it (1984), and it’s had two more fret jobs since then-three refrets in total-and all is well! The guitar I’ve had longest, a ‘69 SG Special, has been refretted twice. I’ve also had the nut changed on both guitars. My guy is terrific, with a great reputation. He cares about instruments and gives you the straight story. That’s what it takes to feel comfortable with refretting a cherished guitar.
Would love to know the technical details… what size frets, what kind of glue was he using, etc…
Awesome, Robert!
I’ve got an 02 Taylor in the shop getting the first 7 frets redone. Bought it off a bluegrass guy. I’m ready to get it back!
Very good choice going with the wider frets. Professional work no doubt.
I accidently ordered my $4k custom shop guitar with medium jumbos instead of jumbos and have been debating on whether to have it refretted or not. This gives me confidence that it's not as scary when you have an experienced Luthier. Thanks Rob!
It is crazy to think that when Leo Fender designed his guitars with the bolt-on necks, he intended the necks to be disposable. His vision was that if a player wore out the frets on the neck, they would just buy and then bolt a new neck on. hehe. That is biggest piece of proof that Leo wasn't a player. It is remarkable that he was able to design such wonderful instruments as a non-player. He obviously did a lot of studying and talked to some really good players about what they wanted and what worked. I am not a Fender guy at all...but I have to admit, they are great guitars for the peopel that dig them.
As soon as I saw your old frets all pulled, I thought, I'll bet he's gonna keep them. :)
My vintage original 1955 Les Paul Standard Goldtop was refretted at Glasers and it plays amazing. I played a Suhr Aura that was a phenomenally smooth playing guitar & that Goldtop played every bit as good. Great choice!
I've been in Nashville for 11 years. Party Fowl in Donelson is great for Hot Chicken. China Cottage in Rivergate is some of the best Chinese Food and Robert Plant has been known to stop in periodically. Liz's Kitchen in Goodlettsville by City Hall is a great Meat and Three. I'm originall from Ohio too. Welcome.
I am sure that it plays much better now. Love the Eric Johnson passage at the end of the video. Trademark..am I right?🤘🏻❤️🎶
Totally relate. When I had my preCBS '61 Strat refretted....I was like a father seeing their newborn at the hospital.
Thank you so much Robert!
I had my '64 es-335 refretted by James Hood Guitar Repair in Escondido, CA. They did a great job. No regrets, it's a huge improvement in playability.
What'd they charge?
@@scottdunn2178 I think the refret was 400. I had other things done, too, including a new nut installed so I paid a bit more..
@@clearcoat Yeah, I was thinking $300 or so would be the going rate. A bit more if they're dealing with binding, etc.
Awesome production on these new vids! You're a great player and seem like great dude. Nice going!
I had a Luthier replace some frets on my 1975 Fender Mustang and he did it as Fender would have done it at that time by pulling the frets sideways and installing them sideways.
CBS years, he have the machine to put them back in 🤔
It’s nice that you got to video document this for yourself and your channel.
I’m curious, going to well-known luthier’s business what they charged you for this refret? I have had a refret also done on my 96 lonestar strat but it wasn’t plex like yours was, but I had stainless steel frets installed due to the originals wearing out way too early in my opinion. If you don’t mind sharing that information, I think it would be beneficial to everybody that plays and owns guitars.
Stop into Phat Bites in Nashville for a hip place with fun food. They also do live music(not sure on the days). Love the video
Nice work. I love watching guitar luthier videos. Happy to see the Strat finally get new frets. ✌🏼
I have replaced a few frets in my day.. just logic . But sent my 76 SG out to a pro as those were 0.018.. fretless wonder.. out jumbo frets on there.. never looked back. Plays fantastic..no sweat.. your 63 board was in beautiful shape .. great job..