fret dress, refret

djazzy

Wondering what people's experience has been with fret dressings, particularly with the number of fret dressings a selmac guitar can take. I understand there is a limited amount before a fret job is necessary. But is that true? Assuming here the frets are nickel or nickel based -- and not stainless steel, and also that some players are more aggressive than others, and that amount of hours on the instrument is an obvious factor. Aware of all that. Its just that a fret job takes months! 😮 I guess its normal for us to push the guitar's frets as far as possible. "Normal fret wear" can go for a while before buzzing? Have any of y'all had to get fret dressings every year? Every two years? Those damn dents.

Gouch

Is your guitar playing well right now? If so, don’t change it.

If it isn’t playing well, can you describe what sounds wrong to you?

djazzy

I hear no buzzing.

But I'm just generally curious -- how many fret dressings do people get before getting a total refret. My post may have been a little rambling. Wasn't looking for specific advice about my guitar.

Gouch

Unless you’re trying to address a neck deformity or hump, and assuming you aren’t needed to grind out deep divots, I think you can usually have the frets leveled and dressed 3 times, mayyybe 4.

richter4208

Having a trusted luthier in your life is truly a blessing. I don't and really wish I did. I inherently don't trust most luthiers. There are a couple here in Portland including Saul Koll who, if your are on their client list can work miracles. Add in the complexity that Gypsy Jazz guitars are not your average stat setup and your problem is compounded.

Gouch

Easy way to screen if a luthier has GJ guitar skills (or not):

Have you fabbed a bridge from scratch in the past 6 months, and if so what did it weigh in grams?

If they can’t instantly answer that, no offense to them but find someone else esp if it’s a nice guitar.

djazzy

Thanks guys. I think what you're both saying gets to the heart of it. I've had pretty good luck with my repairs -- no major work has been required yet. And the repair guys (mainly one) appear to be knowledgable, and they pretty much come through for me. But there's a limit to what I can surmise & I don't think they're incredibly experienced with SelMacs. And the turnaround time can be fickle, another big factor.

I play one of my guitars pretty regularly. It had a fret dress (the first one) last year. I noticed about two months ago slight dents forming in several frets. No buzzing. But fuck. So I sent my fix-it guy some pictures & he said it seemed to be "normal fret wear" unless I heard something out of the ordinary, which I do not. But I'm still wondering if it took just a year for these slight dent formations to develop what will they become by next summer? Or the coming winter? I could be over-thinking things. I do that. I just don't want to have to buy another guitar. Every 3-5 years.