How To Refret A Finished Guitar?

[Daniel Sorbera]

My takamine is in serious need of a refret.

But the way I fret (not sure if it's right, but it's how I do it) is to file, than sand down the ends of the frets to dress them. How can this be done without completely scratching up the finish on the neck?

[azz-230]

U will need to cover or "mask" the finished wood in tape.

im not sure if theres some kind of standard tape to use tho?

[Daniel Sorbera]

Well yeah, thats the obvious solution, but I figured there has to be more to it than that.

[mikhailgtrski]

A few layers of masking tape should do it. Just keep an eye on it to make sure you haven't filed/sanded through the tape. Worked fine refretting my son's Epi LP.

Are you using Brian's sanding sponge method?

[Setch]

On a finished neck, you just switch to high grades a bit sooner. You can bevel the fret ends with the neck taped, and when you start to touch the masking tape, switch to a hard block with 600 grit silicon carbide. The final sand will require removing the tape. If you keep the block at the bevel angle there's no reason to touch the finish on the neck more than a hair.