Would you Re-fret a new guitar you love?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Anxiety Serum
  • Start date Start date
Anxiety Serum

Anxiety Serum

Well-known member
So I picked up that used 58 murphy lab. Love the guitar. Prefer, jumbo or medium jumbo frets to the narrow tall. They just slows down any sliding of power chords or octave riffs.

I can pay for a fret job and still being WAY under what it would cost me to pick up a new or used 59 (which has medium/jumbo frets instead of narrow tall frets). Edit: I love the 58 neck, so paying up for a 59 to get the frets I like means moving away from a neck I like. Unless I pay way more for a M2M 58 with different frets.

I am going to play it more and see how I get on with it. But... am I crazy to even think about re-fretting a brand new (well 1 year old used) guitar? Keep in mind I don't care about selling it as long as the fret job turns out good.
 
Last edited:
You’re not crazy to think about it but give it more of a chance first. Let yourself acclimate to the narrow tall frets as much as you can, and if you still feel like you need the jumbos to take it all the way to loving how it feels to play as much as everything else about the instrument then I’d say go for it.
 
Bardagh said:
Let yourself acclimate to the narrow tall frets as much as you can...
Click to expand...
100% plan to do that. I am going to give it time. But I do have a Tele with narrow/tall. I can play it fine, but I KNOW I like the other frets better especially for heavier power chording slides.. And with the tele I don't do as much Drop D sliding, so the bumpiness is less of an issue when I play that guitar (more for cleans).

For reference:

rn2tdbmbzoo7lgamhb6x.jpg
 
If I love it, I won't be letting it go.
If I want to mod it, I will.
But I've never gone so far as to re-fret a guitar. But I would if I wanted to.
Even something as expensive as a Murphy Lab.
 
My Anderson Cobra I have refretted it 5 times over the almost 30 years I have had it.
I also have a Gibson SG Custom that has the fretless wonder frets which I really don’t like, but I won’t refret it. With the binding up over the edges, don’t want to change it. Love the guitar and am going to keep it the way it is.
I woukd hold off and see if you like the guitar enough to keep it.
 
japetus said:
Sell it and buy a guitar you like.
Click to expand...
I feel ya. Normally I would agree. But worth noting, this is not my main axe and it would cost at least another 1-2K (even after the cost of a refret) to get a 59 without the narrow talls. Also, I love the 58 thick neck which doesn't come on the 59. So truly would need to spend another 3K to get a M2M 58 with different frets.
 
Get some jumbo yum yums on there with a new taller nut. Just don’t go too wide past 17ish given the scale length.
 
As long as you do not care about resale value. I would play it for a good while and then decide if it's a keeper. That thinkg looks sweet. The wood looks like a good one.
 
Get out some calipers and measure the height and width and compare them to the ones you like. If the width is ok, you could always have the current frets leveled to take some height off.
 
If you love the guitar, you're going to play the hell out of it and will need to refret it at some point anyway. Just do it now and enjoy it that much more.
 
I've actually been pondering it. The only issue is the $400 price tag
for a stainless steel re-fret.
 
I’d do it. Hell, since R8s seem to the more affordable (a relative term, I know) of reissues, I’ve toyed with getting one and having the neck shaved down.
 
Greazygeo said:
Get out some calipers and measure the height and width and compare them to the ones you like. If the width is ok, you could always have the current frets leveled to take some height off.
Click to expand...

The bottom is what I have on this guitar and the top is what I like on my main axe. But I need to caliper it as this is just based on what Gibson says my guitars are. I thought my Vivian had Jumbos, or something like 57110, but the 47104 is more Medium Jumbo. But that's what Gibson says.

frets.JPG
 
Anxiety Serum said:
Damn $475 here in NC for non-stainless. And its a wait. But at least I have time to decide.
Click to expand...
I'm in N.C what place quoted you that price ? I went to a true master and he gets it done within days and he gets 100% 5 star reviews . Cheaper also.
 
Findthetone1 said:
I’d do it. Hell, since R8s seem to the more affordable (a relative term, I know) of reissues, I’ve toyed with getting one and having the neck shaved down.
Click to expand...
Seriously. $1500 for a figured top on a 59 vs same 58? I've seen some cool 58 figured tops. So in that case you are paying 1500 for a slimmer neck. Which is important if you don't like the 58. But that's just a big jump for no real reason other than figuring, neck shape, and fret size.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top