My uncle gave me this old Kramer PDG (Paul Dean something something, it’s repainted originally it was yellow). It’s one of his first guitars, but after he got injured, it hasn’t been played or maintained for about 30 years.
The problem is, I’m a new player, and I’ve been playing only acoustic for less than a year. This Kramer needs some maintenance: the fretboard is extremely dirty, the frets are almost worn flat, and there’s some rust here and there.
I have no idea about its possible value or how much it’s worth spending on repairs. I don’t have any problem with cleaning, restringing and working on electronics, but I’m more concerned about the refretting process, which I’ve never done before and would have to learn as I go. Is it possible to do it on my own without expensive professional tools and without making a disaster? Or would it be better to go to a professional for this task? How much would they charge for this job?
Agree. A re-fret, and fretwork in general, sucks. That, and it does require a few specialized tools. A couple you can make yourself but you’re not going to get around needing a crowning file. That, and if you install new, higher frets you may also need a new nut as the old one may have had the string slots filed down to compensate for 1st fret playability (in general, not talking about locking Floyd-type nuts)