New Frets for an old guitar

I was looking to replace/put brand new frets on a Standard with Rosewood fretboard. It's the first time I've needed to do this to a guitar (it's 15 years old, heavy use).

Was wondering if anyone can give me some insight on what this requires? Does the entire fretboard need to be replaced? Just the wire/frets pulled out, and glued in? And does anyone have a roundabout price on what it usually costs at a guitar shop?

I had my 68 done for $300 a few years back. It included new fret-wire and leveling the fret-board which had a few scallops between the frets from use.

The dot markers also must be taken out and put back for leveling I believe.

I had my 68 done for $300 a few years back. It included new fret-wire and leveling the fret-board which had a few scallops between the frets from use.

The dot markers also must be taken out and put back for leveling I believe.

Dot markers get sanded with the rest of the fingerboard.

The old frets are (carefully!) removed, any imperfections on the fretboard are addressed, new frets are either hammered or pressed in, often with glue to ensure they stay seated, the ends are trimmed, and then all the frets are leveled, crowned, and polished.

$200-450, depending on what shop you go to and what other work might need to be done. I'd guess that in the LA area $300 is going to be a fairly typical price.

Thanks guys!!! :) . I guess the question now is, is a 90's MIM Standard worth refretting for $300.

Worth it, if shipping to a cheaper part of the country doesn't appeal to you. Certainly worth getting refretted though. Done right, It'll beat the pants of anything you can go out and get off the wall at a guitar shop. We're talking custom work here on a mass produced item. American labor. But that's what you do sometimes when you want peak performance.

For $300.00 you could get another neck and then take your time learning how to do a refret on your own.

How far are you from OC (Huntington Beach)?

This luthier does an excellent job, is a great guy, and is very reasonable:

http://www.mcgrathmusic.net/

Thanks guys!!! :) . I guess the question now is, is a 90's MIM Standard worth refretting for $300.

No.

Unless you don't want to spend considerably more than $300 to get another guitar, or you are in love with it and do not want to replace it.

Swapping the neck will probably change how the guitar sounds. I used to believe in the practicality of that solution, but have since determined that tone can be somewhat elusive and you're better off making as few changes as possible.

I understand why people would be hesitant to spend a couple hundred bucks fixing a cheap instrument, but you have to ask if you put that money into another guitar, would you get one you like as much or more?

It's not like doing an expensive repair on an old car; the guitar is not going to break down in another 10,000 miles and leave you with a pile of rust. If it's a guitar you love, putting the money into it will probably make you love it more when it plays the way it should.

Here are two links that have all you need to refret: Great resource that served me well.http://www.stewmac.com/freeinfo/Fretting.html

Great book:
http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Books,_plans/Building_and_repair:_Fretting/Fret_Work_Step-By-Step.html?actn=100101&xst=3&xsr=13514

A good refret will actually leave you with a far better guitar than you brought in. Looks like you're in SoCal, the two folks I can recommend are the Blue Guitar down in San Diego, and Suhr, who's up in Temecula these days. Suhr also has a Plek machine, might as well get that done too. Think with the Plek treatment a refret's about $400. Without, it will be less.

If you're interested in building, you should definitely do a DIY refret, but not on that Strat! Get on Cragislist and find a couple of First Act guitars to chop up, you can score those easy for fifty bucks.