-
Personally, I feel the decision depends on how badly is the work needed (some older guitars also need new fretboards to make them playable), the pedigree of the instrument, and who does the work. Mirabella does some very fine work restoring D'A and D'Q's and I don't suspect the value really tanks as a result. Might even help maintain it. I would also decide whether the guitar was a "keeper" and not one to be sold in the near future. If it's a keeper, then I would do what's necessary to get the box in order, to your tastes.
-
04-02-2014 07:36 AM
-
Hi Rhoads. How's that beautiful American Eagle treating you? I enjoyed that guitar immensly before sending it of to Mark. That guitar has some fantastic acoustic tone! I'm glad you got it and it "kinda sorta" stayed in the family.
Originally Posted by rhoadsscholar
As I pointed out earlier . . you really don't pick up any additional real estate on the fret board by extending the frets over the binding. You're just replacing one substance of playable fret surface with another. If the binding is done properly and the nibs are shaped and finished properly . . even a blind man with enhanced sense of touch and feel couldn't tell if they were a continuation of the fret, or if they were binding nibs. If you have/had a guitar where the 1st or 6th string were actually pulled off of the fret board during playing . . then the nibs were formed incorrectly . . and a similar problem could occur even if fret ends were formed incorrectly. It also could have been the nut slot was cut too close to the outer edge of the nut . . or even the bridge saddle.
But, I agree that for a refret, a fret job over the binding is preferrable to replacing and rescraping the binding and then having to refin the neck. Now that Aaron has passed away . . I wouldn't really trust anyone else to do that to any of my arch tops. I'm sure there are others that could do just as good a job as Aaron would have. I just don't have the time or the desire to cultivate a new relationship to the level of comfort I had developed with Aaron. I know that Pete Moreno "got game" and I'd probably trust him with just about anything. But, I don't know him as well as I knew Aaron.
Here's a photo of a beautiful SE that I bought from Jay Wolfe a few years ago. I foolishly almost let this one get away from me because it was ordered from the factory with the frets installed over the binding, for the reasons you stated . . which at the time was not to my liking. Fortunately, I came to my senses and pulled the trigger. It plays and sounds great. Has the best acoustic properties of any SE I've played with one or two inset pups.
After that . . my apologies for hijacking the OP's thread to the extent that I have. I'll back away now. Cheers!Last edited by Patrick2; 04-02-2014 at 09:38 AM.
-
IMHO nibs are there for a technical reason, check out the picture...
The dusty/widdly end of a Fender Jap flat top and the frets overlap the binding on this. The owner has used this guitar as a pub session instrument and all levels of guitar musicianship has had a go at this and we can see finger fudge has been force under the fret end. Nibs would probably stop this.
This is the only fret that was glued into place as it popped out (poor refret). See how the glue has stopped the ingress of gunk (hey, that sounds like a death metal band, INGRESS OF GUNK, lol).
So nibs have a use in a way, but after a few winters and fret sprout and then they're not such a good idea!
-
Ingress of Gunk - never heard that theory, but then again, I've never thought about why the nibs are there. I always assumed it was a design choice, perhaps influenced by the manufacturing process. It seems a little odd that they would go to the trouble to cut each fret to fit exactly against the binding on both ends unless there was some good reason.
-
Thinking about it further it could be 'We do it because we can'. That final touch of detailed craftsmanship perhaps, Not only does the instrument sound good and feel good it has to look good. Originally Posted by kenbennett
Preventing the ingress of gunk (I've got to copyright that name!) is just a by-product of the detailing.
Glueing stops that gunk getting under the frets for the hard working instruments but collectors pieces should be repaired in the manner in which they were originally manufactured.
But back to the OP. If I were the owner I would weigh up the differences in values with the option of selling the piece as is and leave it to the new owner to decide the course of action!
-
I agree with this, especially on a narrower (for me) neck, like a 1-11/16. Originally Posted by rhoadsscholar
-
Phil Jacoby is, in my opinion a master technician. He did a set up on one of my arch tops, including a PLEK, He discussed this very subject with Dan Erlewine . . who needs no introduction. Here's an interesting article on the subject from Phil's web site.
Philtone Guitar Company - Nibs
-
From the article: Originally Posted by Patrick2
That's what I meant by the nibs being the result of the manufacturing process. I had forgotten that Gibson frets fingerboards before gluing them to the neck. So they don't actually cut each fret to fit against the binding, they file them even with the FB edge before installing the binding, a much easier process than we are stuck with during a refret.My understanding is that Gibson creates the nibs by fretting a fingerboard before it is glued to the neck shaft, filing the edges flush with the FB, gluing up the fretted FB thus creating a ledge for the binding, installing overheight binding and scraping it down to leave the fret ends effectively capped in binding.
Even so, the nibs can be saved and, if necessary, even restored as Erlewine describes. That's probably the way I would go on a vintage collector's guitar where looks are everything.
-
Fret wear, you said fret wear ?
(Not mine !)
The seller explains that the guitar is still fairly playable !
-
Just my opinion:
Two classes of vintage instruments. The not to be played, mint examples of interest mainly to collectors. For those, refrets would be not a good thing. Being neither rich, nor a collector, and wishing above all to play these things, such guitars are of little interest to me.
All the other vintage instruments, why not refret? What could be more important than being able to play it? I have refretted two vintage guitars ('61 strat, '66 ES-335). Neither of them collector worthy closet cases. Both of which came alive in the best way possible once the worn frets were gone. If I ever went to sell, and someone questioned a fret job ... I would be polite. But really.
Having another refretted now. A Silvertone 1427. One of those cheap seats classics that people are paying too much for. Can't wait to get it back, as I know well the feeling you get when a talented luthier does right by these old dogs.
MD
-
Did y'all see this?
Note the lacquer wear in the cowboy chord area, still sold for $250k!
-
$250K for a mid '50s strat sounds like quite a number . . . maybe close to 10X what they're actually selling for. Are you sure that 0 at the end of the 25 is supposed to be in there?
-
that's serial # 0100, supposedly the 1st production Strat.
Gruhn had it listed @ 1/4 mil. don't know what the actual price was.
-
Well, if it's 0100 and truly the first production strat I guess it is worth a premium to collectors. But, 1/4 mil?? David Gilmore had 001 and couldn't get a 1/4 mil a few years back.
-
Reply With Quote
Recommandations for Hollowbodies for $600 and under?
Today, 05:20 AM in Guitar, Amps & Gizmos