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My custom tele's frets are fucked. Hella flat spots. The only local guy I know of quoted an inordinate amount of money to do a refret. Now I'm torn between just getting the frets leveled, a refret, or buying a new neck. The problem with a new neck is I would be afraid to get the wrong size/scale/fret size. Refret = too much monies. I'm kinda attached to the neck too..
What do?
Anyone have any experience with any of this shit?

Has the guitar had a fret level before? How long have you had it? How deep are the flat spots? Sometimes flat spots look a lot worse than they are and a good fret dressing will get you back up and running. Much cheaper than either a refret or a new neck. Pics?

How bad are the frets? I re crowned my Les Paul's frets which were divoted and flattened most of the whole way down the board without needing to level the frets. Though I do have a leveling block for 12" radius fretboards. I'd be willing to help you too if coming up to Oakland isn't that big of a deal for ya.

Pretty much every fret has flat spots in it, and there are a couple divots from drops. I don't think the flat spots are too deep, but who knows. This guitar has been my main squeeze for about 10 years with no neck servicing done to it. I can't get an adequate picture of it.. Maybe all it needs is a dressing.

Also there is a good chance I don't the terminology well enough to know what needs to be done to it

How much did he quote you?!
The nice thing about your situation is you could always send the neck to someone to have it refretted.

WORMDIRT wrote:Pretty much every fret has flat spots in it, and there are a couple divots from drops. I don't think the flat spots are too deep, but who knows. This guitar has been my main squeeze for about 10 years with no neck servicing done to it. I can't get an adequate picture of it.. Maybe all it needs is a dressing.

I gave my main squeeze a fret dressing exactly 10 years from when I got it new. Unless you practice like, 8 hours every day or use stainless steel strings on nickel frets, I bet all it needs is a fret dressing. My guy charges me $120, but I live in an expensive city.

I'm also curious what he quoted you, and whether or not he looked at it.

Well if the guitar had tiny vintage frets to begin with they might be worn beyond dressing. It just depends on the original height and how deeply they are worn.

^ this.

We'd have to see it. I'd hate to waste your time but it sounds like all you need is a dress/re crown. I don't think I have the terminology right either.

Just to clarify: a refret is installing new frets, and then dressing them. (Dressing is also referred to as "levelling and crowning).

A fret dress is just sanding the frets down to get rid of grooves and to get them allthe same height again, and then crowning and polishing.

As I mentioned above whether or not the frets can be levelled and crowned depends on how high they were to begin with and how badly they are worn.
If they were tiny vintage frets and if the grooves are too deep then there might jot be enough fret left to level.

I think he said a refret was $400+, and he didn't see the guitar. He works at GC (i know, I know) but he does work on the side. Supposedly he went to a luthier school. The frets are definately vintage style and tiny. I'm going to shoot him another email tonight. I'm going to research diy fret dress and try to do it myself. Worst case, I get a refret.

$400+ is what I'd charge for an ebony fingerboard with binding.
For a fender neck I'd refret it for $250 if it's a rosewood board. If it's a maple board it would be $280

Yea, $400 for "supposedly went to school" is waaaay high.

Know what you're buying hardcore here.

The one caution I have is sometimes the refret and attendant likely need to flatten the radius a little changes the feel of the guitar to a point where it's not the same.

For Fender-type necks, if I wear out the thing, I'd probably just swap it out unless it had massive sentimental value or was a vintage piece.

I haven't worn out the frets on anything not a vintage MIJ junker with stainless strings and it's not for lack of trying.

^ Dudes above have already given you all the good advice you need but yeah, chances are you'll be able to get away with a fret dress. Re-frets are really only a "last resort" option.
Bring on the pics…

I'll post some pics this weekend. If I can't DIY level and dress this weekend, I'm going to sell one of my heads and get a warmoth. Thanks guys