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  #16  
Old 06-13-2018, 04:41 PM
charles Tauber charles Tauber is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BigToeify View Post
I’m trying to ascertain whether a refret will get me the action I want or will only a neck reset get me that.
And, at your request, I listed the measurements you can take to explicitly determine that.


If the frets are now "like nubs", as you state, probably, they should have been replaced, rather than crowned. The repair person who did the work should have advised you of that and given you the choice, then, to crown them or replace them. Is he charging you twice: once for crowning them and then once for replacing them?
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  #17  
Old 06-13-2018, 05:48 PM
BigToeify BigToeify is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by charles Tauber View Post
And, at your request, I listed the measurements you can take to explicitly determine that.


If the frets are now "like nubs", as you state, probably, they should have been replaced, rather than crowned. The repair person who did the work should have advised you of that and given you the choice, then, to crown them or replace them. Is he charging you twice: once for crowning them and then once for replacing them?
Yes you did. Thank you. I apologize if I’m repeating myself. The guitar went in for a change of tuners only. He did not charge me for the crown since I’ve done a lot of business with the shop. We were only in a discussion about what could be done about furthering a better playability.
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  #18  
Old 06-13-2018, 11:11 PM
John Arnold John Arnold is offline
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If the frets are currently too low, taller frets will improve playability....even if the action remains the same. Installing taller frets does not automatically lower the action, unless the neck currently has excess relief that cannot be removed by adjusting the truss rod.
One thing that is certain....the nut will need to be raised after installing taller frets....unless it is too high now. The nut height should be in the same plane as the tops of the frets.
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  #19  
Old 06-15-2018, 05:33 AM
MC5C MC5C is offline
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For me, you are confusing two quite separate repairs. You do a neck reset if the neck joint or the guitar body has moved to the extent that you can't lower the bridge saddle enough to get normal action height. Neck resets on your guitar (I saw one in progress once) are a total PITA - you have to saw the neck off the body, and devise a bolt on joint with what's left. I'd have to truly love the guitar to do that to it. Edit: read your other thread, this is indeed a labor of love.

If you look at your bridge and there is enough saddle showing to let you lower the action (after adjusting the truss rod and all of that), then you don't need a neck reset. If it's marginal (which is what this actually sounds like) then you get to a re-fret. A re-fret is far less invasive than sawing the neck off, and while re-fretting there are many things that can be done to help with the action. Two that come to mind are planing the fretboard to slightly improve it's angle with respect to the bridge saddle and refretting with taller frets to lower action by simply moving the frets closer to the strings. I wouldn't discount the possibility that your guy is right, and he can get it playing well with a judicious re-fret. What you described in your original post is about what I would do.
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Last edited by MC5C; 06-15-2018 at 05:41 AM.
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  #20  
Old 06-15-2018, 09:35 AM
Ned Milburn Ned Milburn is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BigToeify View Post
I have a 1979 Yamaha. The action is not that great anymore. Not terrible but id like it to be better. I've read about neck reset conversion to bolt on for these 70's Yamaha's. My luthier believes that I can get back very nice action with a re-fret without doing a neck re-set. He mentioned when removing the frets he will loosen the truss rod, re-fret and re-engage the truss rod again, recut a new nut and saddle as well. Is this the typical process? I'm no repair expert. I do trust him with doing the re-fret but I was curious if this is the standard way of doing a re-fret.
Also can a re-fret improve the action to a point where a neck reset is probably not necessary? I know its hard to answer without seeing the guitar. Just curious to anyone who does repairs.
I'll also say that I know this guitar financially is not worth any of these repairs but it's not about money.
Thanks!
If the guitar is close to a reset, and has a thick enough fingerboard, when in the process of refretting, the fingerboard can be planed slightly to add taper (add neck angle) and extra tall frets can be used, which can also be "tapered" (ie: lower height frets near the nut moving to full height near the fingerboard extension). This can create more neck angle and can often avoid (delay by decades) the dreaded neck reset.

Done poorly, and you'll have popped a few hundred bucks into an ineffective repair. Done well, and you can have a guitar that will last the rest of your life without needing a neck reset.
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  #21  
Old 06-15-2018, 12:24 PM
BigToeify BigToeify is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ned Milburn View Post
If the guitar is close to a reset, and has a thick enough fingerboard, when in the process of refretting, the fingerboard can be planed slightly to add taper (add neck angle) and extra tall frets can be used, which can also be "tapered" (ie: lower height frets near the nut moving to full height near the fingerboard extension). This can create more neck angle and can often avoid (delay by decades) the dreaded neck reset.

Done poorly, and you'll have popped a few hundred bucks into an ineffective repair. Done well, and you can have a guitar that will last the rest of your life without needing a neck reset.
I believe that’s basically what he said he would do. Including planing the neck. So seems like that’s the best way to go in hopes of avoiding a neck reset. What frets would be best used?
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  #22  
Old 06-15-2018, 04:59 PM
Ned Milburn Ned Milburn is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BigToeify View Post
I believe that’s basically what he said he would do. Including planing the neck. So seems like that’s the best way to go in hopes of avoiding a neck reset. What frets would be best used?
Jescar make some that have a 1.4mm (aprx) crown height, in both jumbo width and closer to standard width. Depends what feel you like. Some people like jumbo, some don't. Jumbo tend to slide better.
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  #23  
Old 06-15-2018, 10:06 PM
BigToeify BigToeify is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ned Milburn View Post
Jescar make some that have a 1.4mm (aprx) crown height, in both jumbo width and closer to standard width. Depends what feel you like. Some people like jumbo, some don't. Jumbo tend to slide better.
Thanks for the suggestion. I'm hoping and assuming the luthier will know whats appropriate to install to get playability. We haven't discussed fret wire at all.
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  #24  
Old 06-15-2018, 10:07 PM
BigToeify BigToeify is offline
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Spoke with my luthier today. I am going with the re-fret! Apparently has recently done 2 re-frets on vintage Yamaha's . So that makes me feel more comfortable with my decision. Will report back when it's done.
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