No matter what kind of car you drive, sometimes it needs new brakes and tires. And sometimes with guitars, taking out and replacing each and every fret is the only way to correct certain problems like long-term fret wear and fingerboard irregularities. Most players have heard of this job: the infamous Re-Fret.
It’s a labor intensive process. And when we average everything out, it takes approximately 15-20 minutes per fret to do the entire job. Most guitars have 22 frets. This comes out to roughly 6 hours of work. My shop rate is $75 per hour.
Add a full custom setup with a new hand-carved bone nut to the job, then we’re done!
The work begins with removing every old fret and cleaning out each fret slot. Add an extra 3 minutes each if the fingerboard is bound or if you have pocketed slots… even longer if the slots are mucked up with old glue or residue, not to mention old brittle boards that chip out and need repairing after fret removal.
We then thoroughly and carefully level and prep the wood fingerboard. This is done with various sanding blocks and radius blocks to preserve the curve of the fretboard (unless it’s flat like a classical.) Leveling a fretboard to get it perfectly trued and consistent can be tedious—especially if there are relief issues or significant irregularities. Then each new fret gets individually shaped and prepped for installation. This involves clipping the ends to size and shaving off the tangs if it’s a bound fingerboard. We press or pound each new fret with precision for accurate installation. Then we finish with a complete fret level and setup job.
When considering that my quoted bench time is $75 per hour, and there are typically 22 frets on a guitar, our minimum re-fret estimate with a setup is $600 for unbound fingerboards and $690 for bound fingerboards. Any other repairs needed are added to this estimate.
Some re-fret jobs go exceedingly smooth and easy, and I often discount those. But nearly all guitars will fit into the above scenario. Big jobs like this always conjure the issue of value vs. cost. What you should always consider in this regard is the added life, tone, and playbility given to your instrument. Is it worth paying for precision work done by an experienced technician?
Yes. And I guaranteed your guitar will be happy about it too!
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Hey if you’re a guitar player in the Phoenix area go check out Guitar Gallery in Scottsdale. We have a couple guitars on their wall ready to go.
They have an awesome shop, great staff and a well regarded repair department run by @guitarpickens
We’re stoked to have some instruments in their store.
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We still offer a short menu of professional services. Check it out at solsticeguitars.com 🌞
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Ok. Getting back to this re-top project on the vintage B. Rico #flamenco guitar from the earliest days of #bcrich … braces are prepped and the new cedar top is seamed and rosetted. We ordered a frefab rosette from Luthiers Mercantile Int`l and it looks great.
If you’re interested in the history of this guitar go check out the previous posts.
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@luthiersmercantile
#arizona #arizonaguitar #arizonaluthier #luthier #guitar #guitarluthier #guitarrepair #guitarrestoration #acoustic #acousticguitar #restoration #guitars #custom #sound #customsound #fixit #whatsonyourbench #customshop #vintageguitar #vintage #bcrichfanpage @bcrich
I thought you’d be interested in seeing this guitar. I have a customer who keeps bringing me these things damnit! Lol.
But this is by far the nicest one I’ve seen from his collection… or really anywhere since this is only like the 5th harp guitar I’ve actually worked on.
Either way, this instrument was the real deal! Video coming in a reel form soon soon.
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#arizona #arizonaguitar #arizonaluthier #luthier #guitar #guitarluthier #guitarrepair #guitarrestoration #acoustic #acousticguitar #restoration #guitars #custom #sound #customsound #fixit #whatsonyourbench #customshop #harpguitar
To remove, heat thoroughly.
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Here’s the second in a series of posts about a vintage B. Rico flamenco guitar from 1970… “Rico” as in Rich, and “B” as in “BC”… Bernardo Chavez Rico… BC Rich.
Here we’ve removed the top. It was a little nasty, but the sides are untouched and re-binding will turn out well.
I believe this guitar was made by Bernie himself. He was a known flamenco player, a known builder of flamenco guitars, and he’d been building guitars out of his father’s shop for a decade by 1970, the date on this label.
It’s also around this time he started doing more with steel strings and adopting the name change for the brand. Just as he and his father were starting to see more popularity with electric solid body guitars, it’s said that his father was also producing guitars with builders from Paracho, but that was supposedly in the 50’s and early 60’s.
This guitar was made one year after Bernie made his first electric. And this is one of the last nylon guitars with the original name from his original shop in East Los Angeles.
Bernie saw it coming and he was perfectly positioned for the rock and metal scenes that dominated the late 70s and early 80s. B.C. Rich became a huge name brand in the world of guitars.
Anyway, we’re doing a full re-top on this guitar and bringing it back to life. To learn how this all got started, go visit the last post about this.
We have a nice cedar top prepped and seamed. Almost ready to install the prefab rosette from @luthiersmerchantile
Go check us out @solsticeguitars if you’re interested in custom #acoustic and #electric #handcrafted #guitars!
Interested in this guitar? Keep following us here and message me when it’s ready for sale!
#rico #rich #bcrich #arizonaguitar #arizonaluthier #luthier #guitar #guitarrepair #vintage #vintageguitar #guitarrestoration #custom #bcrichfanpage #cedar #flamencoguitar #brico @bcrichguitars @officialbcrich #bcrichguitars
This is the first in a post series about a cool project we just started. But before I tell you more about this old #flamenco guitar, I wanted to tell you what’s been going on in the shop lately, and why I won’t be posting here as much in the future…
We are focusing our #energy on making @solsticeguitars and ramping up plans for 2022. So please go follow us there if you don’t already!
Now, on with this #restoration job!
This guitar was made by the namesake for BC Rich guitars back in the late 60’s. This is an original flamenco guitar completed in 1970 by Bernardo Chavez Rico, i.e. BC Rich. Bernardo and then his son made the company into a major producer of electric guitars and it became the huge brand we all know during the 80’s.
So, what’s up with this repair? Long story short… we’re doing a complete re-top. Whoever buys it will also get the original top along with the guitar.
Speaking of long stories, here’s the gist. I’ve had this guitar for over 20 years. When I bought it there was a lot of top damage from years of aggressive playing. The plan was to refinish and epoxy fill the deep fingernail divots.
Back in 2014 I had an employee start the sanding process. When I wasn’t looking he took an orbital sander to the thing and wore right through the top at the waist. And the rest of it was paper thin. I think he was trying to sand out all the divots and dings… or he was trying the Willie Nelson the thing. Anyway it was a bummer.
After that I just put it away and tried to forget about it… until recently. After much consideration I’ve decided to retop it with my new apprentice. One of you #fanboy BC Rich cult members is going to love this thing when it’s done.
Message me for more info.
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@b.c.richcustomshop @bcrichguitars @officialbcrich #bcrich #bcrichguitars #brico #rico #guitarrestoration #bcrichfanpage #guitarart #classicalguitar #flamencoguitar #cedar #spanishcypress #nylonstrings #nylonguitar #arizonaluthier #acousticguitar #guitarrepair
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Neck resets are fun?
Honestly I just can’t tell.
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This is the most over braced thing I ever did see. Check out the inside of this thing! #funnyfridays
Wow! 😂
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#loothing #repair #overbuilt #tone #ukerepair #baritoneukulele #harpguitar #harpuke #ukulele #luthier #guitarrepair #guitarrepair #arizona #instrumentrepair
ANNOUNCEMENT: I’ll be hosting the Luthiers Workshop today at noon over at the Pickin` in the Pines Bluegrass & Acoustic Music Festival
Are you coming out to the amphitheater for the shows? I’ll be outside the fairgrounds area where they have the workshop stage. We’ll be talking about tone woods and tap tones and all sorts of guitar building related matters.
Hope to see you there!
In the meantime, go check out my line of guitars @solsticeguitars …
#guitar #luthier #teaching
Can you over-humidify an acoustic guitar?
Check out my recent article. Link in bio.
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excerpt
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Northern Arizona is known for being a high desert. The dryness is a valid concern to musicians with acoustic instruments. Obviously, dryness can cause all sorts of problems for instruments made of wood, cracks, playability issues and other things. It’s a common topic I bring up with customers…
But today I want to talk about something that seems new, or at least rare. This recent level of consistent moisture and sustained humidity is unprecedented.
When it gets dry again be careful! Your guitar is going to experience a shock. I’ll tell you how to help prevent it later. But this is why it matters.
— full article at customsoundinstruments.com —
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Hey @guitarspecialistinc , the guy with the glue cannon worked on this one too. He even managed to do some target practice with a bridge pin and blasted it to the tail block. Impressive skills.
