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Monday, January 25, 2016

All About Guitar Frets

All About Guitar Frets


When discussing frets at the Haywire Custom Shop, the discussion really needs to be divided up into two separate parts.  The first part to consider is whether or not the frets are properly installed, dressed, and maintained.  The second part to consider is if the frets that are on your neck are the right frets to match your style of playing and have the feel that you are looking for.

So let's talk about the first part for a minute, whether or not your frets are properly installed, dressed, and maintained. This is easy enough to determine. First, check for any wear on the frets where the strings might have created grooves in certain places, any nicks or irregularities that might catch a string and so forth.  If you find any of those things, you might want to consider some maintenance to correct those problems.

If you have checked your frets and found them to be well maintained without any noticeable wear, but still think that your neck doesn't feel just right for your style of playing, you might want to consider a different fret possibility. Frets come in a variety of heights and thicknesses, and each one will cause the neck to feel just a bit different under your fingers. The bottom line is that frets do matter. If a guitar plays well, it has the right frets. If it's hard to bend a note, that instrument probably doesn't have the right frets for challenging solo work.


Now let's talk about the different types of frets that are available.

Standard Nickel/Silver Fret Wire


The composition of this fret wire, while called "nickel/silver", contains no silver at all.  The ingredients are brass and nickel. Apparently, 18% nickel is sufficient to make brass look silver!  For general reference we use Dunlop's fret numbers, however, actual fret dimensions vary somewhat from batch to batch.








Fret Model         Width x Height  Description
6100       .112" x 0.55"       Huge! This is big stuff for the almost scalloped feel.
6105       .096" x 0.47"      Narrow and tall. A very popular choice.
6130       .106" x .036"      Often referred to as "medium jumbo". This is the size found on many Gibson® necks.
6230       .080" x 0.43"       This is the smallest fret wire. Used on older Fender® necks.
6150       .103 x .046"         A true "jumbo". It is about the same width as the 6130 but a bit taller.


Stainless Steel Fret Wire


If you want an extra slick feel along with super smooth bending and playability, stainless steel fret wire might be just what you're looking for. Stainless steel is harder than the standard nickel/silver fret wire, so it takes much longer for these frets to show wear from your strings, and typically last much longer than standard fret wire.




 Fret Model        Width x Height  Description
SS6105  .102" x .049"        A true "jumbo". It is about the same width as the 6130 but a bit taller. POPULAR!
SS6230  .080" x 0.43"     Small vintage Fender® size. Needs frequent dressing and leveling
SS6115  .107" x .052"     A true "jumbo" wire.

Almost Gold Color Fret Wire


New Gold colored fret wire is a tough copper alloy without Nickel and the color is similar to 12k Gold in appearance. This is not the same brass color as Warwick wire. This is not just a "plating".  The color is solid throughout. It's very rich looking wire. Gold alloy wire works and wears about the same as the standard nickel / silver fret wire.


image for Gold Fret wire at Haywire Custom Guitars



Fret        Width x Height  Description
61GD     .090" x .055"       Narrow and quite tall. Fret Model  Width x Height


Fret        Width x Height  Description
61GD     .090" x .055"       Narrow and quite tall. Fret Model  Width x Height

Thank you Warmoth Guitar Products Inc. for providing the fret info!