how much does a refret typically run nowadays?

For help with setups and other technical issues.
User avatar
seenoevil II
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 1307
Joined: Tue Nov 19, 2019 12:59 pm

Re: how much does a refret typically run nowadays?

Post by seenoevil II » Tue Mar 28, 2023 6:58 pm

Guitar work prices are kinda crazy. The whole field is the Wild West. Unlike auto mechanics, there are no standardized man-hour tables for different jobs. You have old heads who can't be bothered or have some complex about increasing prices, you've got new techs who are self conscious about charging full price and trying to gain market share by underselling themselves, and meanwhile the cost of living is skyrocketing for all concerned.

A lot of estimates I see here seem low. Non-nib-cut Gibson job for sub 500 seems insane personally. As does a sub 3 hour refret (when does the glue dry?).

Seems like people expect very high degrees of education and or experience on jobs performed with expensively equipped shops all for virtual peanuts.

I was trying to build up my chops in the hopes of eventually hanging a shingle, but I think I'm noticing something. When it comes to skilled trades, it's better to be paid by money that's on institutional balance sheets. Money that's thrown around by people as part of their jobs and doesn't actually live in anyone's pockets. Trying to make a living off money that's people's net take home after the real bills are paid...oof, IDK.
If it wasn't for disappointment, I wouldn't have any appointments.

User avatar
andy_tchp
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 8010
Joined: Fri Apr 02, 2010 1:36 am
Location: Brisbane

Re: how much does a refret typically run nowadays?

Post by andy_tchp » Tue Mar 28, 2023 7:36 pm

seenoevil II wrote:
Tue Mar 28, 2023 6:58 pm
Guitar work prices are kinda crazy. The whole field is the Wild West. Unlike auto mechanics, there are no standardized man-hour tables for different jobs. You have old heads who can't be bothered or have some complex about increasing prices, you've got new techs who are self conscious about charging full price and trying to gain market share by underselling themselves, and meanwhile the cost of living is skyrocketing for all concerned.

A lot of estimates I see here seem low. Non-nib-cut Gibson job for sub 500 seems insane personally. As does a sub 3 hour refret (when does the glue dry?).

Seems like people expect very high degrees of education and or experience on jobs performed with expensively equipped shops all for virtual peanuts.

I was trying to build up my chops in the hopes of eventually hanging a shingle, but I think I'm noticing something. When it comes to skilled trades, it's better to be paid by money that's on institutional balance sheets. Money that's thrown around by people as part of their jobs and doesn't actually live in anyone's pockets. Trying to make a living off money that's people's net take home after the real bills are paid...oof, IDK.
Agreed with all this.

And assuredly wouldn't be using someone who only billed 3 hours for a full refret.
"I don't know why we asked him to join the band 'cause the rest of us don't like country music all that much; we just like Graham Lee."
David McComb, 1987.

User avatar
øøøøøøø
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 5984
Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2008 8:26 pm
Location: Los Angeles
Contact:

Re: how much does a refret typically run nowadays?

Post by øøøøøøø » Wed Mar 29, 2023 9:59 am

Had a couple of cheap old guitars that needed refrets recently. A Kay Value Leader and a Harmony H22 bass (okay, that one is not so cheap anymore).

I heard about a cheap guy in North Hollywood who worked out of his garage and did decent work for very affordable prices so I decided I'd give him a try.

Value Leader first. $250. Solid job, would use again, so I brought the H22. H22 had already had its frets pulled (and slots filled) by previous owner. Was quoted and charged $200. Again, solid job; no surprises, no regrets.

Were they the best frets I've ever had done? Perhaps no, but not by much--the work was more than fine. And it was turned around in a couple of weeks (even at what I'd call "1994 prices"). Easy sell.

My favorite in the NYC region (Alex Glasser slightly upstate) is the best I've ever found in terms of the absolute quality of work, but most of my guitars are on the west coast now so that's impractical. Plus he is so busy that it likely would've been 3-4x as expensive and taken 3-4x as long.

If I have a point at all, it's that frets aren't rocket science, there are more good tools than ever available, and once in awhile you can find someone to do okay work for a bargain price. And like everyone said, prices can be all over the map.

But bargain shopping brings a certain amount of risk that you have to be willing to embrace. If you don't end up liking the work, you can end up paying more in the end if you have to have it redone by someone else (I've been down that road, too).

User avatar
JSett
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 8803
Joined: Mon Jun 01, 2009 1:33 pm
Location: Old Hampshire, Old England

Re: how much does a refret typically run nowadays?

Post by JSett » Wed Mar 29, 2023 11:29 am

seenoevil II wrote:
Tue Mar 28, 2023 6:58 pm
As does a sub 3 hour refret (when does the glue dry?).
Although I agree 3 hours seems a little short (most of the time I've heard 6-10 hours of actual work), if my tech charged me bench hours for the time the guitar was off to the side for the glue to spend drying I'd have more of an issue.

Some people are just fast workers though. I can do what would take others in my studio 5 hours often in 2-3 hours as I'm just quick-handed and work very efficiently.
Silly Rabbit, don't you know scooped mids are for kids?

User avatar
PapaB
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 286
Joined: Sun Mar 05, 2023 9:02 pm
Location: Southern US

Re: how much does a refret typically run nowadays?

Post by PapaB » Thu Mar 30, 2023 1:38 pm

Fellas. $250 or $300 for a three hour job ain't cheap. It's fair. With 30 year experience he actually charged my friend less and did it in less time (Gibson LesPaul).
I just bought a brand new Jazzmaster, and you all know what bunch of, let's call them idiosyncracies, these have. Nut was off (a common problem with most guitars, except custom shop models), which he fixed, shimmed the neck, raised the bridge, intonated it, balanced the vibrato system, and reshaped the vibrato arm, gave it a quick polish, all in about 15-20 minutes while I waited and talked. (He had a lovely vintage Gretsch Chet Atkins with painted f-holes, access hole on the back, a mute system, ... lovely binding.)
Charged me $32.95 with tax. He had just re-haired a violin bow, but while I was there someone brought him a fruit basket, and a lady dropped a violin for work.
Like I said before, a good way of finding a good luthier is by contacting Martin Guitars and finding out who the nearest service representative is ....
If they can reset a neck or reglue a bridge on a $8000 guitar, they can certainly do a good refret.
Good luck!

User avatar
BoringPostcards
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 7046
Joined: Tue Jun 02, 2009 8:50 am
Location: Newfoundland

Re: how much does a refret typically run nowadays?

Post by BoringPostcards » Sat Apr 01, 2023 3:36 pm

I haven’t needed it done so far, so I’m unaware of Canadian prices.
One of my guitars is getting there though…. But at 500USD, if that’s what it is here (exchanged to CAD, of course), Id rather learn to do it myself. Lol
Det er mig der holder traeerne sammen.

User avatar
øøøøøøø
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 5984
Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2008 8:26 pm
Location: Los Angeles
Contact:

Re: how much does a refret typically run nowadays?

Post by øøøøøøø » Sat Apr 01, 2023 5:03 pm

BoringPostcards wrote:
Sat Apr 01, 2023 3:36 pm
I haven’t needed it done so far, so I’m unaware of Canadian prices.
One of my guitars is getting there though…. But at 500USD, if that’s what it is here (exchanged to CAD, of course), Id rather learn to do it myself. Lol
I felt the same way! I decided to buy refretting tools bc i owned too many guitars and keeping them all in shoes seemed expensive. For about the cost of one refret, I got a bunch of tools and figured I'd learn to do it myself, then would be home free from there on out.

I was really careful and did a lot of study. My first refret was "okay." My second one was "really quite good." My third was excellent, and I figured I was in the money from there on out.

But it's a lot of work. It's hard manual work, too... at least it was for me. Lots of filing, sanding, applying pressure. It was also kind of stressful work for me, and very time-consuming (if someone can do a good refret in 3 hours... from first evaluation to final setup... I salute them. That seems almost humanly impossible to me).

After I was done with each one I was very tired and my hands/joints ached. Once the novelty of DIY wore off it wasn't fun. When it came time to do the fourth one, I decided it was worth the money to pay someone very good, and that's what I've been doing ever since.

I am glad I still have those tools. I've been able to do spot levels and even full fret levels myself when I need to. It's happened that I'm cutting a track and there's some buzz issue or whatever, and I can just take an hour and fix the guitar and get right back to work.

But I'll most likely never do another refret myself.

User avatar
OffYourFace
Mods
Mods
Posts: 13681
Joined: Thu May 03, 2007 2:59 pm
Location: Los Angeles, CA

Re: how much does a refret typically run nowadays?

Post by OffYourFace » Sat Apr 01, 2023 8:33 pm

yeah learning how to level and crown your own frets is a great skill to have but leave refretting to the pros -who do it a few times a week or even every day. But if you must, you better practice on some garbage first.

User avatar
Dr Tony Balls
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 476
Joined: Thu Mar 12, 2015 10:05 am
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Contact:

Re: how much does a refret typically run nowadays?

Post by Dr Tony Balls » Sun Apr 02, 2023 6:23 am

Dropped a bass off yesterday for a refret and it was $650. That's for a proper luthier earning a living, not just a guy who does work on the side. Its also for a proper retail establishment in NYC which isnt known for its cheap rents. I find that to be completely reasonable.

The bass is a 1981 G&L L-1000 which i've only had for ~3 years but it appears to have been well played in its 39 years before it came to me. If the original frets lasted this long, $650 after 42 years is fine. Hell $650 after 20 years is fine. I *can* do this myself but i'm not exactly an ace at it. I'd rather send it someone who is and can do it proper and pristine.
Instagram: thetonyballs

Post Reply