How long to wear out frets
 

Seeing other fret threads... I changed strings on Monday. For the first time ever, I noticed that I have grooves in the frets near the headstock. I play mostly rhythm in the first position, but I never considered what I do to be heavy usage. This is my first and only acoustic, for about 2 years.

I'm wondering if it is a symptom of cheap metal (low cost guitar) or normal. I've been looking for an excuse to upgrade... but I was curious about it too.

I bought my Yamaha in 1990 and I have just noticed a couple groves in a couple of my frets as well. I don't know when they actually started. I'm sure it was a long time ago. They can replace the frets or they can fill them. If it's just a couple of frets it won't cost much. I think it's about 10 bucks a fret around here.



2 years seems pretty fast to me.

Softer frets will wear more quickly than harder frets. That is why some players choose stainless steel or evo fretwire. Those fretwires usually incur an "upcharge" when refretting.

Also, a heavy left hand will wear frets more quickly than a light left hand.

It is common for a guitar to require its first fret dressing after only 2 to 3 years of playing. However, after subsequent fret dressings, the crown (while rounded) will be a "flatter" round than the original fret, so fret wear will be slower than when the frets were fresh.

You shouldn't need a fret job for many years, and a nice fret dress and/or level can fix most issues that arise. Frets will 'dent' or wear a bit as they get played, but most frets are fairly tall and won't cause playability issues for a long time. You can get a couple of dressings easily in the life of a fret, maybe more, where a good tech will clean them up and possibly re-crown them, and then you're good to go.

FWIW, one thing that will accelerate fret wear is capo use.

I have one acoustic that I bought new in 1966 and have played practically everyday since then, quite often using a capo. I had to have a "partial" refret about a year and a half ago (first seven frets.) I got 47 years out of the original frets.

Coincidentally, I play a lot with Capo on 1 (no idea why, it works for me in lots of keys). That is where the wear is the worst. I use the Kyser capo (tension is not adjustable).

But reading through this thread makes me thing it is not terribly unusual what is happening...

To the post about 47 years... they don't make them like they used to :wink: I have noticed with a lot of other metal products (tools in general), that the new ones in store are of far less quality than the old ones I find at thrift stores.

The guitar I have is a house brand and came with a 7 year warrantee. Maybe I'll see about getting things leveled/dressed or whatever it is, and then try an adjustable tension capo. :)

Fret wear is part of playing a guitar... and dealing with overly-worn fret wire is just part of the "price you pay to play"... not unusual at all, and certainly NOT covered by most warranties...

It's like having to put brake pads on your disc brakes... every once in a while. it needs your attention.

How much wear and how soon depends upon a LOT of different factors... but I have already noticed a couple replies here that I would have to classify as "horsefeathers!" (I believe that's the polite way of putting it...), so I would heartily suggest you go to someone who actually KNOWS what they're talking about if you want the straight story...

I have Evo fretwire on my little Goodall... made for me in 2011, not a mark on the fretwire to this day... in my Mark Angus guitars, I have more standard nickel alloy frets, and they need attention every few years, depending on how much I'm playing...

Good luck getting them "dressed" ( the term for a slight filing-down and leveling) or replaced! You may find that it's time to upgrade your instrument! It could only cost a nominal fee...

This. Frets are consumables, like strings and picks.

It's very normal to have noticeable fret wear in a year or two - and even traditional fretwire (nickel/silver) is not all of equal hardness.

Great! No worries.

Regardless, any capo causes all six strings to come into constant contact with a fret, which indeed is its purpose. After about 5 years on my Taylor I needed a little fret work done, and was told it was partially due to capo use.

Again no worries - some folks will need new tires on a car more quickly, based in part on their driving habits (and, yes, the particular car and tire). FWIW, I also put some significant pickwear on that guitar during that time frame... my technique has since improved.

Obviously playing in the same position (cowboy chords) is going to wear those frets (usually the first 3 or 4) much faster than the others........other than that there are too many variables to determine what has caused your frets to wear faster than you feel they should (only you know just how much time you have on the guitar) If you only wear the first 2 or 3 frets it is not a big expense to have them replaced and you may find that after some time you may not be jamming down as hard with your fretting hand as before and the new frets may last somewhat longer than those you replace. jmho

When I started building guitars 48 years ago the fretwire I used was more malleable than the standard wire of today, but I estimate is lasted 4 to 6 times as long between fret mills. That old wire had othe issues though, it was difficult to install and generally required a lot more attention to get a good playing surface in the first place.

Typical modern wire (the last 35 years) installs easily, but many players need a dressing in as little a six months, and most do in a year or two. Starting out at .040" high, it can be taken down to about .030" before playing becomes difficult, for most people. That is 4 light dressing or 2 heavy dressings.

Now we have EVO and SS fret wire, both of which last many times longer than standard alloys. SS wire requires upgraded tools to work with, and costs somewhat more as a material, it therefore costs the user significantly more than standard wire. EVO, however, barely costs more than standard wire, about $2 per guitar, and takes no more time at all, less in my opinion because it goes in more consistantly. I do not charge more for it, therefore. It lasts at least 4x as long as standard, making it a wise choice.

Interesting about older "standard" fretwire. I had guessed it was more durable than a lot of the new stuff being used. With guitars I had built in the late 1960's I did not notice much fretwire wear, my flattop which I played often even after many years. On the other hand noticeable fretwear occured within a few months on guitars I have purchased which were built within the last 10 years or. So far I have had three guitars refretted with stainless steel.

When it comes time to refret I strongly recommend you spend the extra $100 or so to have them use stainless steel. They'll last a lot longer than you will.

Here's my '99 Collings D-1 with it's new stainless steel frets. The work was done by Frank Ford at Gryphon. As you would expect from any work done there, the job is perfect and the guitar plays effortlessly.

http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/...ps80fadcf2.jpg

Bill