Richard R Posted February 23 Share Posted February 23 (edited) A friend of mine owns an early '70s 4000s Rickenbacker which apart from being the best Ric I have ever played, and being worth more than a few bob, is of significant sentimental value to her. She was recently advised at a local guitar shop that it needed a re-fret, and was quoted I think £400. Now I wouldn't trust that particular shop with a vintage guitar, but before I suggest elsewhere I thought I would ask here on the pros and cons of even doing the work. As you can see, the frets are indeed very worn - should they be replaced? Noiseworks in Coventry, who do all the Bass Direct setup have a re-fret price listed around £200, and I think I would trust them more than the other place. Edited February 23 by Richard R Corrected the title! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baloney Balderdash Posted February 23 Share Posted February 23 You might want to change that, I assume auto-spell, typo from "regret" to "re-fret". 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard R Posted February 23 Author Share Posted February 23 1 minute ago, Baloney Balderdash said: You might want to change that, I assume auto-spell, typo from "regret" to "re-fret". Bloody predictive text!!!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baloney Balderdash Posted February 23 Share Posted February 23 (edited) 3 minutes ago, Richard R said: Bloody predictive text!!!! You missed one in the first paragraph, second sentence, of your OP post. And yes, auto-spell sometimes is a pain in the ass. Edited February 23 by Baloney Balderdash Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gary mac Posted February 24 Share Posted February 24 I wouldn’t refret a Ric for £200. For that job £400 is much more realistic. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard R Posted February 24 Author Share Posted February 24 Yes, and I suspect Noiseworks' standard list price wouldn't cover this one. The question is more about should it be done? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted February 24 Share Posted February 24 Only if it no longer plays well. I’ve had basses with frets like that which have played perfectly so I didn't touch them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baloney Balderdash Posted February 24 Share Posted February 24 (edited) 12 minutes ago, ped said: Only if it no longer plays well. I’ve had basses with frets like that which have played perfectly so I didn't touch them. While that is absolutely true, try to take a closer look at the fret at the very top of this picture under the D strings: 16 hours ago, Richard R said: That's a pretty serious gorge into the fret, not just regular, relatively light and uniform, fret wear as seemingly displayed on the other frets of the pictures, and I would think that would cause issues. Edited February 24 by Baloney Balderdash 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3below Posted February 24 Share Posted February 24 2 minutes ago, ped said: Only if it no longer plays well. I’ve had basses with frets like that which have played perfectly so I didn't touch them. 1 hour ago, gary mac said: I wouldn’t refret a Ric for £200. For that job £400 is much more realistic. Get someone reliable to assess the bass. I can highly recommend @Manton Customs, Robin advised me that the frets on my G&L SB-1 still had life in them however I chose to go ahead. Stainless frets fitted at a very sensible price and now a joy to play again. I would not hesitate to have Robin carry out work on my kit. 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madein1962 Posted February 27 Share Posted February 27 Just a few things to consider The fingerboard has a lacquered finish which, I believe, is applied at the factory after the frets are fitted. You can see the finish on the sides of the frets in your pictures. This obviously adds to the difficulty of removing the old frets without making a mess of the fingerboard. Rickenbacker doesn't sell fret wire so you'll need to decide what's going to be used. Stewmac sells what is supposed to be the nearest equivalent. Whoever does the work will need to be familiar with vintage Rickenbacker's, specifically the Truss Rod adjustment. This will have dual Truss Rods which shouldn't be used to adjust the neck relief. The neck needs to be manually bent into position and the Truss Rods then nipped up to hold it in position. £400 doesn't sound totally ridiculous if the work is done by someone who has experience of working on these. Having said all of this; most of the frets that I can see, appear to have some life left in them and could probably be revived. The one with the big dent under the D string might still be salvageable. The key is to find a knowledgeable luthier to advise on what is possible. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard R Posted February 27 Author Share Posted February 27 Thanks everyone- and @Madein1962 for the Ric-specifics. Given that the bass isn't getting a lot of use at the moment, and it still plays very nicely, I think the best plan is leave things as they are, but to get at least a couple of luthiers to look at it and scope them out regarding their expertise. If they can do the work properly then get them to provide an estimate for future reference. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.