Before & After Pictures of
Fret Work

Refretting old maple necks can present a real challenge. The factory applied finish (nitrocellulose lacquer) over the frets, after they had been installed.  Removal of the original frets is time consuming and meticulous, at least the method I prefer is. My goal is to do as little damage to the original finish as possible and preserve it's vintage appeal.
If you look closely at a maple neck you can often see "puddle's" of finish along the length of the frets. While the finish was removed from the crown of the fret it still seals the sides of the fret nicely and can create a great deal of chipping when attempts are made to remove it.

On this neck the frets had been leveled far past an acceptable height and the wear is quite apparent. The short crown height made removal twice as hard. Without a crown to get a hold of with my end nippers it was difficult to lift them from the board.

BEFORE

Fortunately the finish on this neck was not worn thru to bear wood, it was in superb condition making a clean refret even more important. The dark spots present in photo 1 are merely dirt. Take a peek a photo 3 and you can see that I cleaned the neck before beginning the refret. On many necks of this age you will have dark discolorations on the fretboard due to sweet and dirt that is absorbed into the bare wood once the finish has worn away.

I began removal by slicing thru the finish on each side of the fret. Normally you can use a set of end nippers ground flat on their face and slowly inch a fret out by pinching beneath the fret and walking the nippers as you go. On a finished surface however, you must be cautious not to leave an impression in the finish that would require further touch up.

AFTER

After the new frets had be installed and leveled, I applied a couple of top coats of lacquer in order to duplicate the original look and technique used. Finish is then removed from the crown only.

This one is all spiffed up and ready to go!  Do you think it takes additional time to do professional quality repairs? You betcha!  More pictures and details on refretting.

Related Articles:
Refretting Guitars
Refretting Mandolins
Fingerboard Replacement
Neck Repairs

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