Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I have a guy at a local music store who does good service work on guitars, but he's not really a "Ric Guy". I wondered how hard it is to refret a 4003 bass neck compared to other basses, especially considering the binding on the edge of the neck. There are just a few frets that are bit low and create some extra buzz on my '87, but it's not too bad.

Opinions?

Thanks

It would be a nice option to see if a dressup and leveling would work first. I gather that a good luthier should be able to do a refret on a bound neck though.

No, it is not terribly difficult. It is a good idea to run a sharp razor blade along the sides of the frets so they don't pull off the finish as they are removed.

How do you guys prevent the wood from being "spliced" by the thicker V-shape end (diameter perspective) of the fret wire in the wood of the fingerboard???

When I got the bass, this guy did dress and level the frets, but there is only so much of that you can do right? They're just going to keep getting lower by the dressing, right?

I am not sure I understand the question. RIC uses fairly standard fretwire with a tang thickness of about .022". Any fret wire with a similar thickness (most are) will press in and do the job without altering the instrument. The skill comes in cutting the frets to length so they fit neatly between the nubs in the binding (deluxe models only). The ends have to partially dressed before inserting them and that makes the job a little more difficult.

Greg: Dressing is cleaning up the rough spots and giving the frets nice round tops. If done right, only a little metal is removed. Leveling is another story.