Refret question

[Kurt Gregory]

Hi. I have a Gibson J-45 that I did a refret job on some years ago. I got the advice of a local luthier who walked me through the procedure. I leveled the neck and then did a slight drop off starting around the 13th  or 14th. I did this just based on issues I had seen at the place where the neck is attached to the body. It turned out well the the guitar had great low action without buzz and served me well for some 20 years. Recently I decided to have it refretted again due to worn frets over the years but the neck was still good with no issues. I dropped off the guitar at the local guitar shop and mentioned the drop- off or fall off that I had done on the neck . When I got the guitar back the fret job looked great but I noticed the action was higher. I saw that he had leveled the neck including the drop off I had down  which changed the neck angle enough to make a noticeable difference in action. We took about a 1/16 off the saddle and had no more room to go there and still action not to where it was when I brought the guitar in. I was told that you always level a neck before a refret job and that they never heard of drop off or fall off of the neck that I had done and that it wasnt traditional. When I got home I looked it up and found that that it is something that is done. The shop owner defended his tech saying that it was a perfect fret job and I was trying to say yes but leveling out the intentional drop off changed the geometry and action. Am I wrong in thinking that neck drop-off  technique is not unknown and when doing a refret to consider that and do what is appropriate? At this point we are taking down the bridge and slot to adjust for the change  the neck leveling did. If that doesnt work I guess a neck reset or new fret board and starting over.

Thanks

[Kurt Gregory]

I am just curious when the technique was developed. I did it around 1982 or 1983 when I re-fretted my J-45.

[Jim Bancroft]

I'd just reset the neck, it will bring back some drop off, and get the proper neck angle for the bridge. I wouldn't shave the bridge.

Jim