Fretwork

Unmatched Fretwork That Sets Us Apart

Precision Fret Dressing for Ultimate Playability

A Southeast Guitar Repair Fret Dress—also known as a fret level—will have your instrument playing better than the day you bought it. If you’re experiencing fret buzz or noticing wear, such as grooves or divots, our expert fretwork will restore your guitar’s feel and tone.

We level, re-crown, and polish every fret to perfection, ensuring each one is precisely even so your strings make consistent contact across the fretboard. The result? Smoother playability, improved intonation, and a buzz-free experience. Every fret dress also includes our signature Southeast Setup for maximum performance.

Why We Don’t Use a Plek Machine

At Southeast Guitar Repair, we rely on expert craftsmanship—not a machine—to achieve flawless fretwork. While Plek machines have their place to calculate fancy measurements, we’ve had to correct many poorly executed Plek jobs, including one recently featured on our Instagram Highlights. Our customer, Ian, tried a free Plek service at a local music store, only to end up with a bad fret job and damage to his guitar’s finish.

At the end of the day, a Plek machine is only as good as the tech operating it, and the final setup is done by a person—not the machine. When you choose Southeast Guitar Repair, you're trusting skilled hands with decades of experience to make your instrument play its absolute best.

Get your fret dress today and feel the difference!

Expert Refrets for a Lifetime of Playability

If your frets are too worn down to be leveled, it's time for a refret. Our refrets include a hand-carved bone nut, a light fret dressing, and our signature Southeast Setup, ensuring your guitar plays and sounds better than ever.

A properly done refret won't hurt your guitar’s value—in fact, an unplayable guitar isn’t worth much at all. With thousands of refrets under our belt, we’re not practicing on your instrument. When we’re done, your guitar will be better than the day you bought it—guaranteed.

A Southeast Guitar Repair refret will keep you playing for another 10,000 miles!

A Word of Caution – Do It Right the First Time

We see it way too often—a customer brings in a guitar after paying someone else for a refret, only to have us fix their mistakes. And every time, we hear:

❝ Now I know why you guys cost more than the competition. ❞
❝ I see why people drive an hour or two just to get to your shop. ❞
❝ I should have just had you guys do it from the start. ❞

Don’t let this be you. Do your research before trusting your guitar to just anyone.

How to Find a True Expert

Look beyond the shop name. Who’s actually doing the work? A guitar store’s repair area isn’t the same as a luthier’s bench.
Read real reviews. Be sure they’re about the tech, not just the store. Forums and personal experiences matter more than paid Yelp reviews. (We don’t recommend Yelp—did you know they offer to remove bad reviews for a fee?) Try Google or Facebook instead.
Ask other musicians. Word-of-mouth recommendations are powerful. If a shop is great, players will talk about it.
Find out if the work is outsourced. Some stores send repairs to third-party techs. If you can’t contact the person working on your guitar, you might have trouble down the road.

Protect Your Investment

A proper refret is a big investment, and fixing a bad one costs even more. Choose a luthier with thousands of successful refrets—not someone learning on your guitar.

Flexible Payment Options

Because a refret is a significant project, we allow you to:
✅ Make payments over time
✅ Put down a deposit at drop-off and pay the rest at pickup

Get it done right the first time—your guitar deserves it.