What is Fret Wear and Why Should I Care?
Fretted instruments that have been played a while will eventually become flat and develop grooves and pits that can cause
1. Fret buzz due to uneven surface
2. Less sustain and dead notes
3. Harder to bend due to increased friction
4. Intonation problems since the string cannot note on a clean center point.
5. Less gigs due to you ruining rehearsals and recordings.
So what to do? theres a few options to remedy this issue. Let’s dive in!
Fret level
Fret Level and Crown- The process of leveling out worn out frets and re-rounding (crowing).
Frets eventually wear out. When this happens, the instrument may need refretting or in less severe cases, a “fret level". This is ideal and a few fret levels can be performed on a guitar before it requires a complete refret. It’s best to catch it early and it’ll also save you some serious cash.
Pictured here is a perfect candidate for fret level. It shows some wear but the grooves can be leveled out without removing too much material.
Refret and Partial
Refret- The process of replacing all frets. If the grooves are too deep and its below the fret’s halfway mark its best to replace the frets. If the frets are flat and uneven its best to replace the frets
Partial Refret- process of only replacing worn out frets. I usually only do partials when its 5 frets or less. If its more than 5 frets I I suggest a full refret because Its a waste to file the good frets to the level of the bad frets.
Pictured here is a vintage fender jaguar that is in dire need of a full refret. No dings were present but the frets are worn out and flatter than the earth.
Fret Alloy Material
Nowadays, theres a few different options out there. You got different metals and sizes. Each have advantages and disadvantages to them but ultimately I always leave it up to the client.
Stainless Steel- Strongest material out there and will last longer than any other metal. Since there is more involved in the installation expect to pay a bit more. Also, it does seem to add more fret noise and treble to the overall sound.
18% Nickel/silver- The traditional and industry standard. Comes in a variety of sizes and shapes. Easy to work with (compared to the other stuff) but wont last as long (compared to the other stuff).
Cryowire- Nickel frets that have undergone deep freezing treatment in order to make them tougher. Expect to pay an upcharge and they do have limited sizes available.
Gold Evo Wire- Evo gold fretwire is a copper alloy and looks gold. Great if you are allergic to nickel (more people than you’d think). Its pretty tough and durable if stainless isn’t your jam. Some people cant stand the look of gold though.
What’s up with the size?
I can write a whole blog about size and material but for our sake imma keep it simple. Here are the most common sizes I get asked for.
Common Fret Wire Sizes -
Dunlop 6230 : the smallest fret wire found on many vintage Fender necks. Sometimes called fretless wonder.
Dunlop 6105 Tall : modern version of a smaller fret.
Dunlop 6130 Wide/ Tall: very popular and standard for Gibson style modern guitars
Dunlop 6100 Jumbo Wide/Tall: the largest size available. Easy for bending but some people can never get used to it since its a lot more stiff and thick (insert your joke). I recommend trying a guitar with this fret wire before you commit.
There you have it folks! hope this helps someone out there. If you have any questions please feel free to comment or email me at luis@modernguitartech.com