Question Replacing the neck of Silhouette Special.

[Feras]

Hello! I am considering replacing my 1997 Silhouette Special's neck. The main reason is that the frets are showing some signs of dents, and re-fretting costs a lot nowadays.
Has anyone done this before? and any pointers how to go about it?

Thank you!

 

[beej]

Hello. I think you'll find that refretting costs a lot less than replacing the whole neck

Also, depending on the state of your frets, you might just need to have them crowned (filed down/polished) rather than fully refretted.

 

[GWDavis28]

I believe that you can't buy a neck from EBMM. So you might want to listen to Beej or just have the neck refretted.

Let's see the Silo Special. How do you like it?

Glenn |B)

 

[elvis2]

It's probably similar money for a neck vs a refret, and refretting gives you lots of options. Lots of different fret wires out there. For a bit more $ you can get stainless steel frets, for example, that will last forever.

 

[Sweat]

No a EBMM neck replacement is pricey, refret from a reputable luthier is less and you chose the fret size plus EBMM requires the neck back

 

[elvis2]

No a EBMM neck replacement is pricey, refret from a reputable luthier is less and you chose the fret size plus EBMM requires the neck back

I'm sure, I was estimating for a used neck.

 

[DrKev]

Used Music Man necks in good condition are rare as hen's teeth. New necks from Music Man, if they'll sell to you, are jaw-droppingly expensive. Refret is the way to go. As Elvis said, stainless steel would be a great choice and the best value for money in the long term.

 

[beej]

Hopefully you get lucky and it just needs a dress and not a refret. Would be your least expensive option if you still have a lot of fret material left.

 

[daneford]

Musicraft might make you a neck for around 350.00, but you'll still be dealing with needing a setup/level afterward. Total cost will probably be the same as a refret. I've read a few people who've needed necks say that if EBMM was willing to sell them one, they had to send in the old neck and the new neck was extremely expensive. I'm sure prices have changed, but I think I saw someone was quoted 800.00. That was a while ago.

Beyond cost, IMO, a big part of a guitar's tone and overall vibe is the neck. Unless you want a potentially completely different guitar, do a refret. I put stainless on one of my specials about 5 years ago, and I couldn't be happier. It's showing zero wear, despite being played a lot. Can't remember what I paid, but I think it was around 450.00, probably more now. Expensive? Yes. Worth it? I've had it for 20+ years and plan to play it until it falls apart (or I do), so yes. It's a comparatively minor cost in the grand scheme of things.

 

[tbonesullivan]

Refretting costs... a lot? Man you should see some of my amp servicing bills. Unless the fretboard is trashed, I seriously doubt getting a new neck will be less expensive, especially if you want it set up and dressed properly. A lot of the aftermarket necks will show up needing work, and there goes any savings you might have had, for a neck you might not like as much as the original. Used necks also can have their own problems, and one from that era would almost certainly have had the frets worked on before, so you might get a neck that has only one level/crown left in the frets.

Is it rosewood or maple? many charge a bit more for maple as unfortunately any tearout is a bunch harder to fix than it is on ebony or rosewood.

Definitely take it in to a tech / luthier and see what they say about the frets before thinking about a neck replacement, which is IMHO not a good idea.

 

[elvis2]

It's been a while since I've had a refret (I play mostly SS these days) but it was never super expensive. $200-$300 for std frets, $500 for SS. Is it much more these days?

 

[Vito Porkleone]

Refret all the way. Put some SS rails in and play forever.

 

[tbonesullivan]

It's been a while since I've had a refret (I play mostly SS these days) but it was never super expensive. $200-$300 for std frets, $500 for SS. Is it much more these days?

One of the places I have gone in NJ has this pricing schedule:

Complete Re-fret: (Fret Removal, Replace All Frets, Fret Dress & Set-Up)

Unbound Board: $325
Bound Board/Maple Board: $400
Lacquered Maple: $410(Lacquer touch ups additional charge)
Stainless Steel Frets: Add $110

Other places were similar. As always condition of the neck / guitar can greatly influence the cost.

 

[DrKev]

Those prices are in line with what I would expect.

 

[edhalen]

This thread is why I love this place and have been here for a LONG time. GREAT advice from some very knowledgable people.

 

[fbecir]

With 24€90 you can already solve a lot of problems :
Thomann Fret File

Before :


After :

 

[Feras]

Thank you for all the replies! This is great; I am new to the forum, and I don't know why I haven't joined earlier.
I took the guitar to a luthier, he told me that it didn't need a refret, nothing was buzzing and the dents were even on the frets.
The other thing I am thinking about is installing the Vega Trem bridge, but maybe I'll open that discussion in another thread.
I have had the guitar since 2015, and it has been my main guitar. Very versatile, works with most genres, and of course plays great. I love it!
Here are some pics.

Cheers!

 

[Norrin Radd]

Well, based on those photos and if it were mine, it’d be time for at least a crowning, dressing and polish. Maybe a refret too. YMMV

 

[tbonesullivan]

I think those wilkinson tremolos use pretty much the standard Fender spacing, so there are a lot of different tremolos you could install there without any mods.

 

[DrKev]

I agree a level and recrown and polish will probably make you very happy. The only time a refret is really necessary is if the levelling would result in less than 0.030" fret height (0.75 mm) which is too much "fretless wonder" for just about anyone.

Wilkinson bridges are truly excellent. If you don't like that one, measure up the E-to-E string spacing and the mounting screw spacing and there is a lot of choice on the market, including other designs of Wilkinson bridges.