Fret divots caused by capo

[Alexrkstr]

I meant to ask this yesterday. When I dropped off my guitar at the shop, the tech made me notice some slight divots on the fretboard which he attributed to using capo.

I wanted to ask here, is it my capo, the placement of the capo, or something just unavoidable when using capos? (especially in strings 1-3)

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by Alexrkstr

I meant to ask this yesterday. When I dropped off my guitar at the shop, the tech made me notice some slight divots on the fretboard which he attributed to using capo.

I wanted to ask here, is it my capo, the placement of the capo, or something just unavoidable when using capos? (especially in strings 1-3)

Hi Alex...

Dents in fret wires happen whether you use capos or not. Certainly they can exacerbate the dents if you play with a capo a lot, but that is just part of guitaring.

To worry about it is like a NASCAR racer worrying about his tires wearing out. Frets are one part of the guitar that we can dress, level and replace with frequency without damaging the instrument.

The first 5-6 frets on my Olson have been changed 3 times now (plus the originals makes the current ones my 4th set).

Totally normal...

[jlwoodall]

I think the OP was speaking of divots in the actual fret board itself.

If I'm wrong, please let me know.

I have never had a Capo do this. I'm thinking your capo might be the wrong fit for your guitar. I would get one with a little less tension, or maybe a Shubb so you can adjust it.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by jlwoodall

I think the OP was speaking of divots in the actual fret board itself.

If I'm wrong, please let me know.

I have never had a Capo do this. I'm thinking your capo might be the wrong fit for your guitar. I would get one with a little less tension, or maybe a Shubb so you can adjust it.

Hi jl...

If that is so, then there's been some over tightening going on!

[jlwoodall]

Originally Posted by ljguitar

Hi jl...

If that is so, then there's been some over tightening going on!

I think you hit the nail on the head! I've had some Kyser capos that took the jaws of life to open... needless to say they didn't go on my guitars!

I have a Shubb and and Dunlop that I love.

[Alexrkstr]

Hi JL and LJ (cool huh?)

I was referring to the dents on the frets. Thanks for being thorough though. Even though the dents are only in frets 1-4 of strings 1-3 I wanted to ask before I need to replace them.

My follow up question is - is fret dressing something any tech could do or should I start looking for someone who specializes on this? Is the process pretty straight forward?

[jlwoodall]

Of course LJ had it right. One of these days I'll learn to sit back and keep my mouth shut.

[Alexrkstr]

Originally Posted by jlwoodall

Of course LJ had it right. One of these days I'll learn to sit back and keep my mouth shut.

Hey we covered both scenarios! I would say this was a pretty efficient and encompassing thread.

[jlwoodall]

I would add to your questions about fret dressing, but I never hang onto a guitar long enough to have it done, so I know very little about the subject. I'm sure LJ will be able to chime in and give some good info.

[Landru]

I never dress frets - new frets only.

[Alexrkstr]

Originally Posted by Landru

I never dress frets - new frets only.

What is the process of dressing and replacing frets?

[DamianL]

Stainless steel, or EVO, fret-wire will be your friend by the sounds of it...

[Alexrkstr]

Originally Posted by DamianL

Stainless steel, or EVO, fret-wire will be your friend by the sounds of it...

Thanks DamianL.

I wonder if someone can educate me in the dressing vs. replacing process...

[Big.Al]

Fret dressing means that material is removed (filed or sanded) from the tops of all the frets until the wear spots are gone and all the frets are even. This leaves the tops of the frets flat. The next step is to re-crown all of the frets with a special file so that they look rounded like new ones. Every time this is done, all of the frets get lower. Eventually the frets get too low to be usable and all of the frets will need to be replaced.

If you are playing mostly first position chords and the bulk of the wear is in the first five frets or so, then it might make more sense to have just those frets replaced. The old ones get extracted (kind of like pulling teeth, except painless) and new ones are pushed back into the slots. That way you aren't losing height on any of the frets and are basically returning the fretboard to like-new condition.

[royd]

Clearly capo use increases fret wear. Just think about it. A fret wears when you hold the string down next to it (hence the wear of specific frets related to certain chords that are played more than others) Playing a song in the key of D... you might be holding down the D note, 3rd fret, B string, 1/4 of the time during that song. If you are paying something with the capo on the 3rd fret, the string is pushed down 100% of the time which equals wear... For a few years I was playing with a singer who often required me to capo at the 1st fret and the frets wore down very fast. I had more wear in 2 years with her than I had had during the previous 6 years playing that guitar. I think I would have gotten the equivalent of about 4 years play in those frets playing with her, starting from new.

I love LJ's analogy of the NASCAR driver complaining about tire wear... truer things have not been said.

So there are things you can do. You can avoid the capo which will move your fret wear to the chords/notes you play most often and lessen the speed of wear. Or you can get stainless steel or EVO frets. Or you can just plan to dress and replace frets fairly regularly.

I chose stainless steel and couldn't be happier with them. They do cost a bit more and many repair people do not install them (they are much harder on their tools) but the resistance to wear more than made that worth it to me. When I replace the frets on my #2 guitar, they will be stainless.