Mail-In Nationwide
Stainless is the last refret most guitars will ever need. It does not groove, it does not pit, and it does not require polishing to stay smooth. The work is harder than a nickel silver refret, which is exactly why fewer shops take it on. We do. $450 baseline, five business days, guaranteed for life.
On The Bench
Jumbo stainless on a maple board, installed around the original finish. The board was never stripped or refinished. Ends are cut to the Artifact snakehead profile in place of the original 35-degree bevel, which leaves more playing surface at the edge of the board and looks better doing it.
The Case
Nickel silver has been the default since the 1950s, and it wears the way soft metal wears. Stainless changes the arithmetic of how often an instrument goes back on the bench.
Jescar describes their stainless as having greater hardness and a tighter grain structure, giving much higher wear resistance and longer fret life. For a player who wears out nickel in a few years, this is often the last refret the instrument needs.
The most common thing players report is the bend. Jescar puts it plainly: string bending is much smoother, without the friction or grinding felt with traditional fret material. It is the reason most people who switch do not switch back.
Stainless does not tarnish and does not need periodic polishing to stay smooth under the strings. Once the frets are dressed and set up correctly, they stay that way.
An honest note: some players hear a difference in attack with stainless, and some do not. It is a real debate and not a settled one. If you are refretting a vintage instrument or you are unsure, say so when you write. Sometimes the right recommendation is nickel silver, and we will tell you that.
Pricing
A published number, because you should not have to send an email to find out whether this is in your budget.
Six-String Stainless Refret
Baseline. Includes fret removal, slot prep, installation, leveling, crowning, hand-dressed ends, and a complete setup before it ships.
What Adds To It
Every job is quoted before any work begins. You will know the number before your instrument is touched.
The Wire
We use Jescar exclusively, in both 18% nickel silver and stainless. If Jescar produces it, we will order it for your instrument. Crown dimensions below are listed width by height.
Vintage
Medium
Jumbo
Specialty tang widths are available on several profiles for oversized or previously worked slots. If you are matching an existing slot dimension, tell us the measurement and we will spec the wire to it. Not sure what you want? Describe how you like a neck to feel and we will recommend a profile.
Mail-In Service
Stainless refretting is specialized enough that players routinely ship instruments across the country for it. We accept mail-in work on every repair we offer.
Step 1
Tell us the instrument, the fretboard material, whether it is bound, and what profile you are after. We quote before anything ships. No guitar arrives here unexpectedly.
Step 2
Loosen the strings, support the headstock, and ship in a hard case inside an outer box. We will walk you through it and confirm the details before you drop it off.
Step 3
Full refrets currently run a five business day turnaround once the instrument is here. Transit time is on top of that in both directions.
Step 4
Nothing leaves without a complete setup. Tell us your string gauge, tuning, and how you like the action and we will dial it in before it ships.
The Guarantee
Every repair that leaves this bench carries a lifetime guarantee on the workmanship. If a fret lifts, if something we installed fails, it comes back and we make it right.
Setup is personal, and a guitar that felt right here may want adjusting once it is back in your hands and your climate. For two weeks after the work, we will keep refining the setup until it is dialed in to your preference.
Mail-In Nationwide
Tell us about the instrument and the profile you want. Quoted same day, five business days on the bench, guaranteed for life. Prefer to talk it through? Call (402) 317-6942.