If you havent already could you do a video of a fret job? two years ago i tradd for a squire strat with a maple fretboard that had the same issues. i wanted to save the guitar and try my hand at a fret job it took my the better part of a day to do it. i couldnt have been happier with the outcome
I have a 1999 MIM Fender Stratocaster Olympic white and she's rough looking. The bridge is rusted, the nut is homemade, and the guy I got it from did all that to it, he never took care of it. He carved his initials in the back of the body right below the neck plate, it has a few big chips of finish taken off all the way to the wood, and a little of the lacquer on the maple fretboard is worn off.
Dave, How do i keep my frets from getting this worn down. I have minor dents in some places in the bass i have now but id like to stop them from getting worse or just remove them in general. Could you help me out with this? Thanks a bunch and i love your videos. I'm trying my best not too gooch it up.
Also, these Mexican strats can actually feel, sound, and play really great. You just have to shop around and play a lot of them until you find a good one. I found a stock Mexican strat at guitar center used for$250. It is an '02 and to this day it is one of the best sounding and playing strats I have ever played! Ps... Love the vids Davey.., I have almost seen them all!
I had this exact problem with a fender strat last year. I assumed that the owner had put stainless strings on it at some point and they had chewed up frets all along the G string. Now ive seen this one, im wondering if they are all like this!!!! Mind you, my one had dried coffee under the scratch plate and in all the electrics. gunky!!!
LOL! They took the handle away and Dave still finds a way to do wah-wah's! (Hi, my name is Dave, and I'm a Trem-aholic. ROTFLOL!) Thanks for the video Dave.
I had a similar story. I kept hearing a regular ticking sound on my guitar coming through the amp and I only realised it was my watch because I'm left handed yet play the guitar right handed that I wear my watch on my right wrist. Doh!
haha my 03 mexican strat was in such a similar condition to this one, 10 years of constant playing messed her up real good, fixed her up best I could but she too needs new frets, oh well, looks like she's become a wall-piece and I'm buying a new MIM strat ^^
I have an early 90's Strat that was dropped a long time ago and I freaked out when I did it. It has nvr really been played that much, but pro set up 2 times or so. I noticed that the nut looks sort of slanted looking, and that it was maybe rmvd by someone at some point. I was looking at it a few days ago. Not a big deal. If it needs replaced at some point it will be pretty cheap. The guitar also has a factory drip near the neck pocket. Kind of odd, but it's there if you look for it. Anyway, that's my story.
That just goes to show you how hard a poly finish really is. The body looks great for how much that thing has been played. I really wish we could get guitars with a nitro finish without having to spend so much damn money.
Another guitar is another guitar. As much as that one has been played, the dude who owns it has attachment to it. Even with the bad frets, it can still make music. Those frets have been like that for a long time, obviously. The guy can live with it, I'm sure. Maybe I need to invent a quick change fret system.
That guitar was a great investment from his owner ! He played it to death. It could be a good "slide" guitar with a rised action. Thanks for the video.
Hey Dave.. love your vids, the metric and imperial, stuffed up a mars mission.., ESA Europe , metric.. NASA, imperial. Neither the twain shall meet. It crashed or is still going. What you get when a committee decides,.. a camel.
2001 ibanez jem555. Frets are so flat it need a fret job and repair to a small dent in the Back of the neck. Trem needs some work on it but I believe with a little time and care the guitar will play amazing!
Rather than a fret replacement might be worth that guys while going around some guitar shops and ask if they have any spare necks in the back of the shop. might be worth asking anyway
Hey Dave, For hard-tailing a tremolo, I used to do it the way u do: tightening the claw screws all the way, but I found a better way: Put a shim behind the tremolo block in the tremolo cavity and then LOOSEN the claw and let the block squeeze against the shim, this increased sustain and attack on my strat. I actually did it with some coins here is the link: watch?v=-soVm4WhrLo Hope it helps Take care, dig your vids
If it was me, I'd just get a new neck.. but that's just me.. I don't mind buying a well made far eastern crafted neck xD.. so long as it works and plays well im happy. Gotta have Jumbo frets :D.
Hey Dave, cool and old one I hadn't seen before or maybe I just forgot to like it. It'd be cheaper for him to buy a new MIM strat rather than pay for a re fret... right? Not to mention that neck is gouged out so bad anyway. Anyway, still enjoying you, and love when I come across one I don't remember.. Keep it up buddy. Thanks for all the entertainment.
Would be a good project guitar to learn to do your own refrets and stuff. Refretting a Fender maple fretboard can be more involved since they poly them, making it chip when frets are removed. You can either just retfret it and leave it all chipped and shitty looking...or take all the finish off and seal with tung oil (or just leave it bare). Dave said neck is still good...just needs a couple weeks with a lot more tension on the strings.
Yep and since the finish is so gooched already, might as well strip it anyway. Be a good learning piece to try a re-fret on since if you gooch it, it needed a new neck anyway.
I've never trusted eBay for necks... aways a reason a nice guitar is parted out. The body doesn't break, warp, bend, or twist around. Then the other times I wonder if it's even a real Fender neck... Amazing how the "G" string is doing all of that damage to the frets! I suppose he learned to cope with the occasionally loud string by using it for the notes that you want sustained. I wear down high the e, b, g, the most. Then low e is the last battle scar I get on my frets. This is a fault line :)
I'll wager the man that owns it can make it sing pretty. That wear didn't happen overnight. He's probably used to it, and knows how to work around it. Still, there has to be something better than buying another guitar. No guarantees that one you buy used would be any better, probably worse.
Ugh...rattling bushings...I thought I had rattling bushings on my bass a few days ago when I was recording some bass tracks. Stopped in the middle of about 15 takes throughout the song trying to figure out what was going on. Turned out my necklace was witting on the strap button and rattling up a storm.
Not go crazy with the finger vibrato on every single note while using excessive down force. Try using the trem bar every once in a while instead - for chrissakes, it IS a Strat! And the abrasions in the fretboard? Trim your finger nails once a year whether they need it or not.
it mostly depends on how much you play, if it's once a week don't worry, but every day for 3-4 hours it won't take that long. I bought a strat 4 months ago and the frets are already good for a dressing
Yes do this! Mask down the neck between frets and lightly polish the fret crowns once in a while when changing strings. It's the cheapest way to keep them shiny and slippery so they last a long time with no dents. I use jewellers rouge, you can use 0000 steel wool too but don't go too crazy, just remove the roughness and you are good to go. The other anti fret wear strategy is to keep clean strings on the guitar, rust will not be good for frets. Wipe them down underneath at the vey least or else change them,. Then you can do all the blues bending you want. If your sweat is very acidic be extra clean afterwards. Both of these are cheap ways to make the guitar play and sound better.
tMattLZ a least 300 bucks and probably a new nut, especially if changing the type of fret wire. Takes time and care and experience to do an accurate clean job, plus the investment in shop tools.
he needs a new guitar? why doesn't he just buy a new neck. fender makes mexican replacement necks for $200. That's much better than the $600 for a brand new entire guitar.
***** Very true, or if you can do guitar work yourself, install some jumbo stainless steel frets yourself on your old neck and you instantly have a new guitar playability wise with frets that ll never wear out for way less.
They part them out because just like with cars, the parts are worth more than the whole thing. You pay the same amount for a neck as you would the whole guitar.
holy fuckshaft jesus...I would've seen that g string wear (how the fuck do you even do that?) and said "yeah, this won't play"...i would feel soooo shitty about letting a guitar in that condition leave the shop...I mean, it's not your fault, you gotta do what you gotta do but man...what an absolute nightmare on that fretboard...I feel for you
Luke Thedrifter - I bet the frets and the rusty old strings were both very rough, I used to lightly polish my frets nearly every string change to keep friction very low. It's cheap to buy some jewellers rouge or 0000 steel wool, just mask down the fretboard to protect it.
If the owner is interested in selling it let me know. I think this would make a great project. Package of new frets is about $10 and for $25 you can get stainless steel. Would he take $200 and mail it to me in CA U.S.A.. He can take it apart to save on shipping.
A NEW mexican strat runs around 499 dollars at the present time........in 1998 it was probably cheaper than that.......so more cost effective to buy a new one......
This is what happens when you don't set up your guitar properly from the beginning...I would just order a new Warmoth neck or Fender..upgrade it..that neck has to go. The G string was so low on the action , it was unbelievable the amount of trenching on the frets on that string alone!...San Andreas fault...Keep the body/ hardware..new neck is in order...sorry.
Haha, they might not have to poke very much to find out you're full of shit :D Only joking dude, they are still poking and prodding me. It gets very annoying, it's been 6 months!
They suck because they hire 20 yr.-olds who don't know shit about the products they sell. This is because if you don't have a stellar credit rating, they won't hire you. This knocks out about 90% of the qualified people who actually know about and love musical instruments. Professional musicians aren't known for their financial acumen. This, plus the fact that their instruments are untouched from the factory, and thus, are set up badly - makes for a shitty customer experience.
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a satellite from space could see those dents on those frets
Well at least the owner has played the heck out of it. Hey Dave, I truly enjoy you vids on a weekday's night! Cheers, Tom
another great video. cheers.
Dave you are most certainly the guitar whisper love to watch you work your magic
this guys is freakin awesome..i added him to my guitar group! (its for bassists too..) thanks dave for being a good sport!
Considering the MASSIVE fret wear,you did a great job Dave!
i really enjoy when u do those soundtesting its fun
I love these videos.
If you havent already could you do a video of a fret job? two years ago i tradd for a squire strat with a maple fretboard that had the same issues. i wanted to save the guitar and try my hand at a fret job it took my the better part of a day to do it. i couldnt have been happier with the outcome
Pretty cool when the frets are so worn they act as additional nuts down the fretboard. Wow.
nice nice
8:46 you held up the shocker sign lol. peace and rock n roll!
That guitar has some mojo.
I have a 1999 MIM Fender Stratocaster Olympic white and she's rough looking. The bridge is rusted, the nut is homemade, and the guy I got it from did all that to it, he never took care of it. He carved his initials in the back of the body right below the neck plate, it has a few big chips of finish taken off all the way to the wood, and a little of the lacquer on the maple fretboard is worn off.
+Shane Ikemire Sounds like a sweet guitar!
+blewzguitar It is a really great guitar. I love playing my Stratocaster.
Dave, How do i keep my frets from getting this worn down. I have minor dents in some places in the bass i have now but id like to stop them from getting worse or just remove them in general. Could you help me out with this? Thanks a bunch and i love your videos. I'm trying my best not too gooch it up.
Those frets are toasted! :)
Also, these Mexican strats can actually feel, sound, and play really great. You just have to shop around and play a lot of them until you find a good one. I found a stock Mexican strat at guitar center used for$250. It is an '02 and to this day it is one of the best sounding and playing strats I have ever played! Ps... Love the vids Davey.., I have almost seen them all!
So that's why I couldn't get a job there. You solved a mystery for me, thanks.
I'd say the owner was a fan of using a heavy brass slide and had a heavy right hand when using it. Free Bird!!!!!!
Dave, good luck with the doctor stuff!
👍👍👍
I had this exact problem with a fender strat last year. I assumed that the owner had put stainless strings on it at some point and they had chewed up frets all along the G string. Now ive seen this one, im wondering if they are all like this!!!! Mind you, my one had dried coffee under the scratch plate and in all the electrics. gunky!!!
LOL! They took the handle away and Dave still finds a way to do wah-wah's! (Hi, my name is Dave, and I'm a Trem-aholic. ROTFLOL!)
Thanks for the video Dave.
I had a similar story. I kept hearing a regular ticking sound on my guitar coming through the amp and I only realised it was my watch because I'm left handed yet play the guitar right handed that I wear my watch on my right wrist. Doh!
haha my 03 mexican strat was in such a similar condition to this one, 10 years of constant playing messed her up real good, fixed her up best I could but she too needs new frets, oh well, looks like she's become a wall-piece and I'm buying a new MIM strat ^^
If the neck is just damages beyond repair, order a new one from Fender! Much cheaper than buying a whole new Strat..
Man, your like the masked magician, other guitar repairers probably want you dead for sharing sacred secrets! As always love your work
I have an early 90's Strat that was dropped a long time ago and I freaked out when I did it. It has nvr really been played that much, but pro set up 2 times or so. I noticed that the nut looks sort of slanted looking, and that it was maybe rmvd by someone at some point. I was looking at it a few days ago. Not a big deal. If it needs replaced at some point it will be pretty cheap. The guitar also has a factory drip near the neck pocket. Kind of odd, but it's there if you look for it. Anyway, that's my story.
Hell that's some fret wear. How did he manage to carry on playing?
do you think that bass neck back bending trick would work on an old kay acoustic with no truss rod?...great vids by the way.
Ass to mouth resuscitation - this guy is funny :-)
LOL Exactly!
I've got a 1998 Mexican Strat. Frets are fine, whew! :)
Hey Dave have you ever played any of the Fender Road Worn bass (P or Jazz)?
That just goes to show you how hard a poly finish really is. The body looks great for how much that thing has been played. I really wish we could get guitars with a nitro finish without having to spend so much damn money.
Another guitar is another guitar. As much as that one has been played, the dude who owns it has attachment to it. Even with the bad frets, it can still make music. Those frets have been like that for a long time, obviously. The guy can live with it, I'm sure. Maybe I need to invent a quick change fret system.
Do you leave tension on the truss rod the whole time its clamped?
How long do you leave a guitar/bass after turning the truss rod? I've heard people say that you have to leave it for a day after turning it a quarter.
can you order online perhaps?
Have you done any shielding videos or on grounding?
I have a strat that's kind of noise if u sit down. But standing it goes away
Thx
Thx for getting back but I couldn't find it oh well
I dig your vids!!
That guitar was a great investment from his owner ! He played it to death. It could be a good "slide" guitar with a rised action. Thanks for the video.
i am interested in the answer to this one as well
Belt sanden down to the wood then scallop the board!!! lol!...yup!
Hey Dave.. love your vids, the metric and imperial, stuffed up a mars mission.., ESA Europe , metric.. NASA, imperial. Neither the twain shall meet. It crashed or is still going. What you get when a committee decides,.. a camel.
Support from belgium dave ! ahaha gooshed, nice word. I'm gonna use it here and nobody will understand me for shit
2001 ibanez jem555. Frets are so flat it need a fret job and repair to a small dent in the Back of the neck. Trem needs some work on it but I believe with a little time and care the guitar will play amazing!
Rather than a fret replacement might be worth that guys while going around some guitar shops and ask if they have any spare necks in the back of the shop. might be worth asking anyway
I love strats because you can pick em up and go but theres so much wrong when they start for a big dude like me at least its so frustrating
holy shite! did paul bunyon wail on that strat?
Hey Dave,
For hard-tailing a tremolo, I used to do it the way u do: tightening the claw screws all the way, but I found a better way: Put a shim behind the tremolo block in the tremolo cavity and then LOOSEN the claw and let the block squeeze against the shim, this increased sustain and attack on my strat. I actually did it with some coins here is the link: watch?v=-soVm4WhrLo
Hope it helps
Take care, dig your vids
youve seen stevie my blue guitar right?
If it was me, I'd just get a new neck.. but that's just me.. I don't mind buying a well made far eastern crafted neck xD.. so long as it works and plays well im happy. Gotta have Jumbo frets :D.
I bought a brand new one, exactly the same as this one in the video a few months back, just over £400
Hey Dave, cool and old one I hadn't seen before or maybe I just forgot to like it. It'd be cheaper for him to buy a new MIM strat rather than pay for a re fret... right? Not to mention that neck is gouged out so bad anyway. Anyway, still enjoying you, and love when I come across one I don't remember.. Keep it up buddy.
Thanks for all the entertainment.
Would be a good project guitar to learn to do your own refrets and stuff. Refretting a Fender maple fretboard can be more involved since they poly them, making it chip when frets are removed. You can either just retfret it and leave it all chipped and shitty looking...or take all the finish off and seal with tung oil (or just leave it bare). Dave said neck is still good...just needs a couple weeks with a lot more tension on the strings.
Yep and since the finish is so gooched already, might as well strip it anyway. Be a good learning piece to try a re-fret on since if you gooch it, it needed a new neck anyway.
I've never trusted eBay for necks... aways a reason a nice guitar is parted out. The body doesn't break, warp, bend, or twist around.
Then the other times I wonder if it's even a real Fender neck...
Amazing how the "G" string is doing all of that damage to the frets! I suppose he learned to cope with the occasionally loud string by using it for the notes that you want sustained.
I wear down high the e, b, g, the most. Then low e is the last battle scar I get on my frets.
This is a fault line :)
I have 1998 MIM Strat and mine don't look like that...mercy.
I'll wager the man that owns it can make it sing pretty. That wear didn't happen overnight. He's probably used to it, and knows how to work around it. Still, there has to be something better than buying another guitar. No guarantees that one you buy used would be any better, probably worse.
Ugh...rattling bushings...I thought I had rattling bushings on my bass a few days ago when I was recording some bass tracks. Stopped in the middle of about 15 takes throughout the song trying to figure out what was going on. Turned out my necklace was witting on the strap button and rattling up a storm.
what care can you give to avoid that fret ware at 1:38?
Not go crazy with the finger vibrato on every single note while using excessive down force. Try using the trem bar every once in a while instead - for chrissakes, it IS a Strat!
And the abrasions in the fretboard? Trim your finger nails once a year whether they need it or not.
it mostly depends on how much you play, if it's once a week don't worry, but every day for 3-4 hours it won't take that long. I bought a strat 4 months ago and the frets are already good for a dressing
racerced If possible, get stainless steel frets.
Yes do this! Mask down the neck between frets and lightly polish the fret crowns once in a while when changing strings. It's the cheapest way to keep them shiny and slippery so they last a long time with no dents. I use jewellers rouge, you can use 0000 steel wool too but don't go too crazy, just remove the roughness and you are good to go.
The other anti fret wear strategy is to keep clean strings on the guitar, rust will not be good for frets. Wipe them down underneath at the vey least or else change them,. Then you can do all the blues bending you want. If your sweat is very acidic be extra clean afterwards.
Both of these are cheap ways to make the guitar play and sound better.
He needs a re-fret. and if he got stainless steel ones he may never have to change them again.
There have been bad fenders from the 50s, 60s, 70s, and so on. just because you got a bad one doesnt mean the whole decade of instruments is bad.
What's a good price to charge someone for a refret?
tMattLZ a least 300 bucks and probably a new nut, especially if changing the type of fret wire.
Takes time and care and experience to do an accurate clean job, plus the investment in shop tools.
Dave. At what point do you tell a customer thars its not worth $200 to fix a $200 guitar?
This guitar has been in the Mexican revolution 🇲🇽
Those frets was pitted so bad i thought he was using wound G on his Stratomacaster. That must be like falling into a sinkhole when he bends up, eh!!
Thats what I paid for mine $300.00 Put alnico III polepieces in the stock pickups and some new wiring,plays great
Why not just replace the fret wire?
he needs a new guitar? why doesn't he just buy a new neck. fender makes mexican replacement necks for $200. That's much better than the $600 for a brand new entire guitar.
***** Very true, or if you can do guitar work yourself, install some jumbo stainless steel frets yourself on your old neck and you instantly have a new guitar playability wise with frets that ll never wear out for way less.
They part them out because just like with cars, the parts are worth more than the whole thing. You pay the same amount for a neck as you would the whole guitar.
Why not replace the neck? $85 at GC.
holy fuckshaft jesus...I would've seen that g string wear (how the fuck do you even do that?) and said "yeah, this won't play"...i would feel soooo shitty about letting a guitar in that condition leave the shop...I mean, it's not your fault, you gotta do what you gotta do but man...what an absolute nightmare on that fretboard...I feel for you
How in the hell? The damage on the G string fret area all most looks delebret.
Luke Thedrifter - I bet the frets and the rusty old strings were both very rough, I used to lightly polish my frets nearly every string change to keep friction very low. It's cheap to buy some jewellers rouge or 0000 steel wool, just mask down the fretboard to protect it.
It will limp on to fight a little longer.
Shame those frets were lunched.
i would pop a 50's style all parts neck on that one
just what i was thinking too.
I thought Warmoth, but yeah.
Boatneck or fatback profile, 6105 tall narrow frets. Will play better than anything.
If the owner is interested in selling it let me know. I think this would make a great project.
Package of new frets is about $10 and for $25 you can get stainless steel. Would he take $200 and mail it to me in CA U.S.A.. He can take it apart to save on shipping.
I could never part with my strat. I'd buy Fender necks before buying whole guitars. And repair my neck before that...
+Dmtusic96 It could certainly use a new neck. Maybe send the guy a nail clipper. Holy Gouge.
looks like somebody smashed the g string against the frets, I would pull the frets and put bass frets in, level and crown be a badass neck.
Well it would make a good slide guitar..........
Why?
They'll keep looking 'til they find something you have to take an overpriced pill for.
that guy was pretty touch on his G-string, eh?
Might be easier to buy a new neck if they wanna keep playin it, just keep the original stored up
For being beat to shit, it sure sounds good.
A NEW mexican strat runs around 499 dollars at the present time........in 1998 it was probably cheaper than that.......so more cost effective to buy a new one......
Dave
That mex strat looks as though somebody's kid was cutting teeth on that thing.
Quick nurse get the paddles it's flatlining on Dave!
Only needed a new neck.
Someone just spent 500 USD attempted fix on an 800 USD guitar.
Whats the problem Dave? what did your doctor say sorry if its not my busness maybe i should have not asked.
He needs a new guitar?lmao..He has lots of options.
what the hell is wrong with ya nothing serious i hope , feel better ah
This is what happens when you don't set up your guitar properly from the beginning...I would just order a new Warmoth neck or Fender..upgrade it..that neck has to go. The G string was so low on the action , it was unbelievable the amount of trenching on the frets on that string alone!...San Andreas fault...Keep the body/ hardware..new neck is in order...sorry.
And a Squier waterslide decal...
www.croxguitars.com/decals/new%20Strat/JV%20Squier.JPG
I'm gay
Haha, they might not have to poke very much to find out you're full of shit :D Only joking dude, they are still poking and prodding me. It gets very annoying, it's been 6 months!
They suck because they hire 20 yr.-olds who don't know shit about the products they sell. This is because if you don't have a stellar credit rating, they won't hire you. This knocks out about 90% of the qualified people who actually know about and love musical instruments. Professional musicians aren't known for their financial acumen. This, plus the fact that their instruments are untouched from the factory, and thus, are set up badly - makes for a shitty customer experience.