Lethe
Hi all!
So my trusty Ibanez RG is giving me tons of buzz on the higher frets. It makes me sad. I've taken it in for a fret dress, but the sadness persists. I'm figuring I'll need to get it refretted and perhaps after 10 years it's due time. However, the cost of probably around R2000 makes me sad too. But I need to do this, right? I'll be happy after I'm sad? (and to all of you who think an Ibanez deserves to be thrown into the bin and replaced with something else -NO!)
AlanRatcliffe
How long they last is down to a lot of factors, but 10 years for your #1 isn't bad. My Sanox is (way) overdue for it's third refret in it's 28 year lifespan. It was my only guitar for about 15 years and was refretted twice in that time.
However, when you had the frets dressed, did the tech dress some fall-away into the frets (where the frets are tapered from the 12th to the last)? It's kind of essential to ensure the frets from the 12th don't buzz... Some guys Just make the whole board flat, which is easier, but means the action has to be higher (most cheaper guitars come from the factory with no fallaway).
If/when you do have it refretted, find someone who will refret with stainless steel and then you should be able to avoid ever fretting it again. Well worth the extra expense.
Lethe
Haha, this Ibanez was my only guitar for about 7 years. ?
Interesting! I never knew about this fall-away. I have absolutely no idea what he actually did. Took it to Music Connection and told em I want a service and a fret dress. I'm quite ignorant when it comes to set-ups. I was quite disappointed when I got it back, I must say. Maybe I'll take it with me and go speak to some okes...
But yeah, I think it's time for a refret none the less. I feel the fingerboard a bit too much when I play nowadays... Thanks for the tip on stainless steel! I'll definitely do that!
arjunmenon
Alan Ratcliffe wrote
If/when you do have it refretted, find someone who will refret with stainless steel and then you should be able to avoid ever fretting it again. Well worth the extra expense.
+1. If you're in Cape Town, Foster Vd Merwe does great work. I had a stainless steel refret done some time ago and it really is the bomb.
Bob-Dubery
I've asked MC about stainless steel frets. They don't do them. They say the extra wear and tear on their tools rules it out. That workshop is busy and they do a lot of refrets, it's not an occasional job for them, so it may be the case that the extra cost for tools may be non-trivial for them. That said, you'd think they'd find a way to factor that into the cost of a refret.
Lethe
Thanks, Arjun. Sadly I'm a Joburger.
@Bob, thanks for that! Crosses one place off my list of who to phone...
AlanRatcliffe
Yeah - that "feeling too much fretboard" thing is the key indicator for most people.
I think that if they accepted it as a fret dress job it should mean that there was enough meat left in the frets to do a dress (especially in the upper registers, where there is usually a lot less wear). If there wasn't enough meat to do it properly, they should have recommended a refret. So push for them to fix or offset the cost against a full refret.
Malkav
Grant at TOMS does stainless steel refrets - having tried his work I think it's incredibly good, and if he were in Cape Town he is who I would be taking my guitar to be refretted by.
Also for what it's worth I've only had my RG2228 for about a year and a half and it already needs a refret, and I mean full refret - not enough meat left on the frets to dress them ?
peterleroux
Just out of interest, is there a noticeable tonal difference with stainless steel frets?
Lethe
I've had the fret dress done already 2 months back, so I guess it's a bit late to come running back demanding stuff ☹ I must say that it was a poor set up for R600. It did seem like they just replaced my strings and nothing else. I also took in my Ibanez Artist. It came back with fret buzz on the open strings. and all other frets too. I wanted to have a $hitfit. So I'm actually looking for another place to have all my stuff done.
@Chad, thanks for that. I'll be phoning him this weekend ?
Malkav
peterleroux wrote
Just out of interest, is there a noticeable tonal difference with stainless steel frets?
In general the tonal difference is most likely negligible, they should be a tiny tiny touch brighter though, however they feel heavenly so it's totally worth it ?
BluJu
Ye man. Go to Grant at TOMS Sandton.
He is always busy but he will know what to do.
Cleric
Agreed, Grant at TOMS Sandton is about as good as they get locally. I was impressed with the MC guys, a with the guy at Marshall, but Grant is a touch above. If only he didn't make me feel so lame about owning an RG ☹
arjunmenon
Chad Adam Browne wrote
peterleroux wrote
Just out of interest, is there a noticeable tonal difference with stainless steel frets?
In general the tonal difference is most likely negligible, they should be a tiny tiny touch brighter though, however they feel heavenly so it's totally worth it ?
+1. It feels divine. And the attack does (at least to me) seem a bit quick off the mark.
Lethe
Cleric wrote
Agreed, Grant at TOMS Sandton is about as good as they get locally. I was impressed with the MC guys, a with the guy at Marshall, but Grant is a touch above. If only he didn't make me feel so lame about owning an RG ☹
hahaha, then I'm in for a bad time ?
Lethe
Joe Moore wrote
Lethe wrote
Thanks, Arjun. Sadly I'm a Joburger.
@Bob, thanks for that! Crosses one place off my list of who to phone...
Dude , you don't need a list , just go to Grant... He'll do the job right , whether you choose stainless / normal steel frets.... :?
Yeah, I think I will do so. He seems to be the man for this, judging by the responses! Thanks all for the info!
tiller
Yeah, guitars require maintenance once a year (at least) because we play them on daily basis. They do the hard work and they need to have maintenance ?
