Is It Worth Refretting a Used Guitar? What a Refret Costs — and When to Walk Away

Here is the honest version, before the internet talks you into either extreme: a refret is worth it when you already love the guitar and the frets are genuinely worn out, and it is a bad idea when you are trying to rescue a cheap instrument or salvage a deal that only looks good until you add the repair bill. Most of the guitars that land on my bench for worn frets fall cleanly into one camp or the other. The trick is knowing which one you are holding.

After hundreds of used guitars across the bench, "does this one need a refret, and is it worth paying for?" is one of the most common questions I get from buyers. So let me walk through how I actually decide — what a refret does, what it costs, and the specific moments where I tell someone to keep their money.

First, a refret and a fret level are not the same job

People use "refret" as a catch-all, but two very different repairs hide under that word, and they cost very different money.

A fret level and crown leaves your existing frets in the board. A tech files the tops of all the frets down to the same plane, knocks out the high spots and the little divots where strings have worn in, then re-rounds (crowns) each fret and polishes it. It cures buzzing and evens out playability. The catch is that every pass takes height off all your frets, because they all have to come down to meet the most worn one.

A full refret is exactly what it sounds like: the old fret wire is pulled out entirely and new wire is installed, then leveled, crowned, and dressed. It is the reset button. You get full-height frets again and, done well, the guitar plays like it just left the factory.

Why does this matter for the "is it worth it" question? Because a level is a fraction of the cost of a refret, and in my experience you can usually get two or three good levels out of a set of frets before they are simply too low to save. If your used guitar just needs a level, you are not really facing the refret decision yet. If it has already been leveled into oblivion — thin, flat, low frets with no crown left — then a level is not on the table and you are looking at the real bill.

What a refret actually costs

Prices vary by region, by shop reputation, and by the guitar, so treat these as ballpark numbers and always get a written quote from your local tech. That said, here is the range I see quoted around the U.S. right now.

A standard refret on a rosewood or similar unbound board — the most common job — typically runs somewhere in the $250 to $500 band. From there, cost climbs with complexity. A bound fingerboard (the binding has to be dealt with at the fret ends) adds labor. A lacquered maple board adds more, because the finish has to be handled and often re-shot. And stainless steel fret wire — harder to work but far more durable — pushes the total toward the upper end, with plenty of shops landing around $400 to $700 for the nicer jobs. Figure four to eight hours of a good tech's time. By contrast, a plain level and crown usually costs a fraction of that — which is exactly why my first question is always "does this need a refret, or just a level?"

When a refret is worth every penny

I say yes without hesitation when three things line up. First, you actually like the guitar — the neck feels right, it sounds the way you want, it is a keeper. Second, the frets are genuinely done: deep divots under the first few frets, dead spots, buzzing that a level can't fix because there is no height left to work with. Third, the guitar is worth clearly more than the repair. A $1,200 instrument you love is an easy call at a $400 refret. You are spending a few hundred dollars to make a guitar you will keep for a decade feel new again. That is money well spent.

It is also worth remembering that a neck can be refretted several times over its life. There is no hard limit stamped on the wood — some well-loved instruments are on their fourth or fifth set of frets. Eventually the fret slots and the thickness of the board set a practical ceiling, but for the vast majority of guitars, a refret is a renewable repair, not a last rite.

When to walk away — or use it to negotiate

Here is where buyers get burned. A worn-out neck on a used guitar is not automatically a dealbreaker, but it is a cost you are about to absorb, and you should treat it that way.

If the refret would cost more than the guitar is worth, that is your answer — walk. A budget instrument that needs $400 of fretwork is almost never worth it; you are better off putting that money toward a better used guitar that doesn't need the work. And if the guitar is worth saving but the seller hasn't accounted for the fretwork in the price, use it. "This is going to need a refret, and that's three or four hundred dollars" is one of the most legitimate, hard-to-argue price levers there is. A fair seller will meet you partway or drop the number.

The trap to avoid is falling in love with a "deal" and quietly deciding you'll deal with the frets later. Add the repair to the sticker price before you decide whether it is actually a deal at all.

The vintage exception: sometimes original frets are the point

There is one case where I get cautious about refretting even a guitar that could use it: a collectible instrument with its original frets. For genuinely vintage or collectible guitars, original frets are part of what makes them worth what they are, and a refret — even a beautiful one — can reduce the collector value even as it improves the playability. If you have something like that, a careful level to buy more life out of the original wire is often the smarter move, and a full refret becomes a last resort you think hard about. For a normal player-grade guitar, this doesn't apply — refret away and enjoy it.

What I actually check on the bench

Before I quote anyone a refret, I put a fret rocker and a straightedge on the neck. Plenty of guitars that "need a refret" according to a nervous buyer actually just need a level, a nut tweak, and a proper setup. I check how much fret height is genuinely left, whether the wear is localized to the first few frets or spread across the board, and whether the board itself is flat. Only when the frets are truly low and worn out do I call it a refret. If you are shopping used and unsure, that is exactly the kind of thing worth having a tech look at before you commit — and it's why the guitars in our own in-stock collection get gone over on the bench before they go up.

FAQ

How do I know if I need a refret or just a fret level?

If only a few spots buzz and the frets still have decent height, a level and crown will usually fix it for a fraction of the cost. If the frets are visibly low, flat, and divoted across the board, or the guitar has already been leveled a couple of times, you are into refret territory. A tech with a straightedge can tell you in a few minutes.

Does a refret hurt the value of a used guitar?

For an ordinary player-grade guitar, a quality refret usually helps — it makes the instrument play like new. For a collectible vintage piece with original frets, a refret can lower the collector value even though it improves playability, so weigh that before pulling the wire.

Are stainless steel frets worth the extra cost when refretting?

If you play a lot, yes — stainless wire lasts far longer than standard nickel-silver and resists the divots that send you back for another level. It costs more up front and pushes the refret toward the top of the price range, but for a gigging player it can be the last fret job the guitar ever needs.

Should I refret a cheap guitar?

Usually not. If the refret costs more than the guitar is worth, put that money toward a better used instrument instead. The math only works when you love the guitar and it's worth clearly more than the repair.