New frets or fret level?

A fret level is sufficient to last several more years before a full fret replacement is required. If your current frets still have adequate height but are causing buzz, dead notes, or poor intonation due to uneven wear. It is a faster, much less invasive and less expensive ($65) way to restore, renew and improve play-ability, often making a guitar feel great and players happy. Is this a good way to solve the problem? Try it first and I think you’ll appreciate your Luthier for that assessment. At Haywire Custom Guitars we perform a fret level, crown and polish on every guitar we build at no extra cost.

A notched straightedge for guitar neck  checks for straightness, string buzz, action and intonation for guitar setups

Fret sprout

Fret sprout is an uncomfortable condition where metal fret ends protrude from the edges. It is not however a reason for a re-fret or a fret level.  Simply leveling frets will not address this issue. Fret sprout is fixed by a completely different approach and at a different angle with different tools. This is a comfort issue for players and has no relation to fret buzz, longevity, fret wear or uneven height.

What is a PLEK?

A Plek machine is a German-engineered, computer-controlled tool used for precision guitar setup, fret leveling, and nut shaping with an accuracy of  (1/1000) of a millimeter. It scans the neck under string tension to map the fingerboard, then grinds and polishes frets to eliminate buzzing and improve play-ability.

Not every guitar can get PLEKd from the factory. It’s all about dollars.  I’d budget a professional set-up and possible fret level (even just knocking down and re-crowning a few tall frets) into every guitar purchase under $2500. A good Luthier will produce as good or better results than the Plek. He knows how to use radius blocks to maintain the original radius arc of the fret board with the added benefit of accurate re-crowning and polishing. Plekking is yet one more way of intimidating some players into believing it’s something they need but don’t yet have.  The job of the musical instrument industry is to sell, sell, and sell to musicians. Unfortunately it’s a group that typically makes less money than most other professions. Players are easily taken in by the barkers in the music industry hawking new devices about more ways to over-process their sound.

One of the things you’re paying for in to $3000+ range – a human touch at the end of the assembly line, or possibly fewer hands overall in the production of the instrument like Fender’s custom shop. When purchasing a guitar in the $3,000+ range, you are paying for professional-grade, high-quality materials and craftsmanship, which generally results in a far superior factory setup compared to budget instruments. Custom instruments are often crafted with tighter tolerances, featuring level frets, properly cut nut slots, and better electronics. Work-a-day musicians playing for a living are often priced out of custom services.

Guitars Still May Need Minor Adjustments Post Ship

Despite the high price tag, even premium guitars often require a “post-shipping” setup to achieve perfection, due to environmental changes. 

My question still remains, are you sure your guitar needs new frets? As well as an added question of why can’t players who can’t afford a $3000 plus guitar simply get a guitar that plays great. The answer is you can. Look for an experienced Luthier who is player-centric, is himself a guitarist and is more concerned with players than with making money. That is a good start. At Haywire Custom Guitars-Custom Shop, we’re musicians working for musicians. Let us work for you. We can do it for you.