Got a quote for a partial re-fret

[sharkydude50]

I got a quote for the refretting of the 1st (7) frets on my acoustic. I asked for either SS or Evo Gold fret material, but they said that they will only use the softer nickel blended ones. The price was $250.

My question is- Is that a good price for this work? My neck has binding on it, but I didn't mention that when I asked for the quote. Will that make it more expensive to do?

[dchristo]

that sounds way too expensive to me

[steveh]

I've had guitars refretted and PLEK'ed for less.

Cheers,
Steve

[sharkydude50]

Thanks guys- I was thinking that was at least a bit on the high side.

[redir]

That's about how much I charge for an entire refret with all the bells and whistles. I think maybe there was some miscommunication there?

[dekutree64]

I don't blame them for refusing stainless steel, but IME evo gold is no more difficult to work with than nickel silver. Keep asking around and you should be able to find someone who will do it.

[sharkydude50]

Originally Posted by dekutree64

I don't blame them for refusing stainless steel, but IME evo gold is no more difficult to work with than nickel silver. Keep asking around and you should be able to find someone who will do it.

I know that SS reeks havoc and a lot of people won't install them due to the damage they can do to presses and fretting equip.. I do love their durability though!

[redir]

Seems to me a simple answer. Just add an up charge on stainless steel fret jobs to account for the wear and tear on the fretting tools.

[Ned Milburn]

Originally Posted by sharkydude50

I got a quote for the refretting of the 1st (7) frets on my acoustic. I asked for either SS or Evo Gold fret material, but they said that they will only use the softer nickel blended ones. The price was $250.

My question is- Is that a good price for this work? My neck has binding on it, but I didn't mention that when I asked for the quote. Will that make it more expensive to do?

Guessing you are talking USD...

Up here in the Great White North, a full re-fret and setup will cost 300 bucks market price at many stores. A partial re-fret doesn't save a tremendous amount of time, and still requires a full fret dressing, so a partial refret is not usually a recommendation of mine because there is not too much money to be saved. 5 frets or less, sure. Up to 7... Hmmm....?? Now we are getting close to the edge. 9 frets... Just get the whole fingerboard done.

Evo and SS frets do indeed take more working time, and can be harder on tools, so an upcharge is entirely fair.

Had you intended to blend Evo and standard frets on the same fingerboard??

[Howard Klepper]

I would not want to do a partial refret with mismatched frets, either.

[Bruce Sexauer]

I do not enjoy doing partial refrets, and would be a very hard sell on mixing wire types in any case. In my shop the quoted amount would buy a full refret with Evo wire. I find EVO easier to deal with that nickel wire because for a reason I have not identified, it lies more firmly in the slot and I rarely have to deal with loose ends. EVO wore seems to last several times as long as nickel wire, at least four times, and possibly eight times! That's not annecdotal, that is actual experience.

[redir]

I really want to like Evo but... That color

[dekutree64]

Originally Posted by Bruce Sexauer

I find EVO easier to deal with that nickel wire because for a reason I have not identified, it lies more firmly in the slot and I rarely have to deal with loose ends.

I think it has to do with the springyness. Nickel silver bends very easily, so assuming you over-radius the frets a bit, the ends make contact first and bend up while the fret is pushed in. Evo will spring back down after a small bend like that, but isn't so stiff that it will pop up in the middle either (usually).

Stainless steel is springy and stiff to the point that it has to be bent absolutely perfectly to the fingerboard radius, or else it will pop back up. That's what makes it a pain for me. Probably could be dealt with by using a press to hold it down while wicking CA glue around it, but just not worth the trouble when evo works so well.

[B. Howard]

I personally will do no more than 5 frets on a partial refret because after that it gets too difficult and time consuming to get the fret plane level at the end. If you need 7 replaced get them all replaced or do a level crown and polish.

And man I gotta raise my prices! Thats $35+ per fret....most I charge is $20 each for SS.....

[phavriluk]

Not directly related to lutherie, in my part of the world contractors bid their jobs with an eye to maximizing revenue. If they're not busy, they will bid jobs to keep themselves busy, adjusting price so as to keep the queue moving. If they're busy, they bid high, and that job is either highly profitable, worth fitting into the schedule, or not performed, as there is a higher-revenue job waiting to get done. None of this is possible if the provider has a posted schedule of charges, but easily possible on a bid-every-job-according-to-workload basis.

Just my take...