We’ll be in touch shortly to confirm your price, check anything unusual about your instrument and let you know current turnaround.
How much a refret costs depends on your instrument — the fingerboard timber, whether it’s bound, the fret wire you choose and whether you want a new nut cut at the same time. Build your specification below and your price updates as you go.
Every refret includes a full PLEK Setup, customised to your specs. For background on why and when an instrument needs refretting, see our refretting services page.
- Starts from
- $770Rosewood or ebony, nickel wire
- Typical range
- $770 – $1,400Depending on your options
- Always included
- PLEK SetupValued at $379 – $429
- To book
- 50% depositBalance due on completion
01 What are we refretting?
Unusual instruments may need a look before we quote.
02 Fingerboard timber & finish
Choose the option that matches your instrument.
03 Fingerboard binding
Binding is the strip of plastic or timber running along the edge of the fingerboard. “Nibs” are the small tabs of binding that sit at the end of each fret — common on Gibsons.
04 Fret wire material
About half our refrets go to stainless steel. It lasts far longer and feels slick, but it’s much harder on our tools and machines.
05 Fret wire size
No cost difference — this just tells us what to order in. Unsure? Leave it as is and we’ll talk it through with you.
06 Fingerboard radius
Radius changes happen while the board is being replaned in the PLEK, so they’re only possible on boards we plane.
Your fingerboard selection means the board won’t be replaned, so a radius change isn’t possible on this job.
07 New nut, cut on the PLEK
Highly recommended, and in most cases essential to getting the full benefit of the refret. Slot widths, depths and break angle are all cut to your new fret height and radius, then finished and polished by hand.
08 Anything else we should know?
Locking trem, unusual scale length, existing damage, a deadline you’re working to — tell us here.
Next step
Send us your specification
We’ll confirm the price, check anything unusual about your instrument and let you know current turnaround before you commit to anything. If you decide to go ahead, we’ll send you an invoice for 50% of the estimated job cost to lock in your spot in the queue, with the balance due on completion.
Refret cost — common questions
How much does it cost to refret a guitar?
At Port Mac Guitars a refret starts at $770 for an unbound rosewood, ebony or other dark timber fingerboard with nickel fret wire. From there, cost is driven by four things: a maple board (which needs either extra care or a nitrocellulose refinish), fingerboard binding, a change to stainless steel or EVO gold wire, and whether you want a new nut cut on the PLEK. Most complete jobs fall between $770 and $1,400. Use the calculator above for a figure specific to your instrument.
What is included in the price?
Removing the old frets, preparing and where possible replaning the fingerboard, installing your new frets, then levelling, crowning and polishing them.
Every refret also includes a full PLEK Setup, valued at $379 to $429 on its own. That means your frets are levelled to a tolerance no hand tool can match, and the instrument is set up to your specifications before it comes back to you.
Do I need to supply my own strings?
Yes. Please include a new set of your preferred strings with your instrument when you send or bring it to us, and we’ll fit them as part of your setup. Since your setup is cut to the gauge and tension you actually play, using your own strings gives a more accurate result than a generic set.
Can I send just the neck instead of the whole guitar?
Yes, on bolt-on neck instruments. Sending the neck on its own cuts your shipping cost significantly and reduces the risk of transit damage. Select “Neck only” in the calculator above. Set-neck and neck-through instruments need to come to us complete.
Do I need a full refret, or will a fret dress do?
If your frets have light wear, a fret dress and recrown will often solve buzzing and intonation problems for a fraction of the cost of a refret.
A refret becomes the better option when divots are deep enough that dressing them out would remove too much fret height, when frets have worn flat after years of hard playing, or when the fingerboard itself has humps and dips that need correcting. It’s also the moment to change fret size, switch to stainless steel or alter your fingerboard radius. If you’re unsure which you need, send us photos and we’ll tell you honestly.
Should I choose nickel or stainless steel frets?
Nickel is the traditional choice and accounts for about half the refrets we do. It has a great all-round tone and feel, and it’s easier to dress later in life.
Stainless steel lasts dramatically longer, keeps its polish and feels slick under the fingers, with increased brightness and note attack. It costs an extra $220 because it’s considerably harder to work with and adds real wear to our tools and PLEK machines. For a player who wears out frets quickly, it’s usually the better long-term value.
How do I book, and do you take a deposit?
Send us your specification using the calculator above. We’ll confirm the price, check anything unusual about your instrument and let you know current turnaround. If you decide to go ahead, we’ll invoice 50% of the estimated job cost to lock in your spot in the queue, with the balance due on completion.
Port Mac Guitars operates by appointment only and our showroom is not open to walk-ins, so please get in touch before bringing an instrument to us.
