Fret life

[buck7617]

I bought my les in september of last year and today I was looking at the frets and noticed they were already developing ugly notches. Is this normal after this short period? This is my first new guitar all the others I bought already has considerable play. Is it possible to press to hard? How long do frets usually last? Do the fretts on a les paul have a shorter life than on a strat? Probably a dumb question but oh well.

 

[Roman]

Sorry, it all depends on you.

I have refreted this one players guitar 6 times in the last ten years.
Some it will take ten years to need new frets.

They will last longer if you dress them every once in a while (maybe once a year), just because you will get more usable life out of them.

If you let the grooves get deeper, the repair man has no choice but to pull them out like bad teeth.

Roman

 

[Scooter2112]

Is there any truth to the notion that nickel strings will cause less fret wear than steel strings??

 

[BobbyK]

sometimes the frets wear down to a better size...
my oldest guitar has seriously worn frets on the top two strings, and it's so easy to play.

but, in time it'll probably need new ones

 

[buck7617]

Ok another dumb question whats it mean to have your frets redressed?

 

[bobb6k34]

Is there any truth to the notion that nickel strings will cause less fret wear than steel strings??

I wouldn't know about just the normal steel stings but i use stainless steel stings and thay do wear down the frets quicker than normal stings

 

[v8ko]

Ive only ever worn down frets on my Lp. Ive owned plenty of guitars longer but no wear to speak of.

Hmmm.

 

[GeeJay]

Steve Howe's 175 still has the original frets in it IIRC..

 

[Roman]

Ok another dumb question whats it mean to have your frets redressed?

The frets get filed so the grooves are gone and they are all a uniform height.
Next they are "crowned", what this means is they are rounded again,
They are then sanded and polished.

The end result is you have brand new frets again with a slightly shorter height

 

[buck7617]

Thanks!

 

[Liam]

If you're wearing out particular frets more than others (first 3 go on mine) then a partial refret every year or 2 makes a whole lot of sense. I have generally dressed them all down, but in future I'm going to see if changing a few frets will get the guitar going again. It does get expensive if you're heavy on frets. I'm OK until I start playing in "function" bands, and you just end up playing too many hours a week, and a lot of open chords.

 

[Blues Power]

my 80 still has plenty of life left in them and so does my 88 Strat.


i prefer them a little worn. my 02 is a bit hard to play b/c imo the frets are still too new for my likings

when the crown is gone i find it plays the best.

but its all up to your preferece

 

[LoKi]

My 79 has original frets. I've had them redressed once... They are pretty solid.

It really depends on how often you play and if you use heavy gauge strings, and if they are nickel or steel plated. Nickel is softer than steel and won't wear out your frets as fast, but frets are a wearable part that need plenty of attention.

 

[LoKi]

Also I have 3-4 guitars that I use gigging regularly, and I use either my favorite Standard or my fav Custom for rehearsals, alternating each time. They all sort of wear out at the same time which sucks on the wallet, but hey! Thats life. No worse than getting tube amps serviced... Or your car for that matter. Maintenance must be done.

 

[coldsteal2]

Sorry, it all depends on you.

I have refreted this one players guitar 6 times in the last ten years.
Some it will take ten years to need new frets.

They will last longer if you dress them every once in a while (maybe once a year), just because you will get more usable life out of them.

If you let the grooves get deeper, the repair man has no choice but to pull them out like bad teeth.

Roman

Dang is the guy using rusty cables on it?

 

[lp59aholicDon]

IF you play in only certain areas of the neck or just a particlar scale in only one or two keys you can get this wear in various parts of the board, playing in as many keys as you can to try and even it all out helps, I have one strat I recently got needs a dressing but my main axe I have been playing steadily since 92 is still pretty damn good ( Les Paul)
Local guitar tech, Newbie Luthier , let me use his Stew mac tools to re level another Les Paul I had, maybe two hours work at most

 

[lexluthier]

Depends on the quality of the fretwire as well. I noticed that some brands are softer than others and wear faster. Seems like Dunlop frets wear faster. Jescar wire from Germany is harder.

 

[lp59aholicDon]

Depends on the quality of the fretwire as well. I noticed that some brands are softer than others and wear faster. Seems like Dunlop frets wear faster. Jescar wire from Germany is harder.

Will remember than when getting frets, Thanks Lex, Always helpful info from you
What does Stu Mac sell?