Got a quote for a partial re-fret

[Bruce Sexauer]

Originally Posted by redir

I really want to like Evo but... That color

Yeah, who can stand the color of gold?

[Tom West]

Since I discovered and started using EVO wire I have not used a single piece of regular wire. EOV is easier to use and stands up much,much longer,and costs very little extra. The bit of different color bothers me not one bit and actually now I don't even notice. Regular wire is almost like using lead wire compared to EVO. I'm amazed the regular wire is still being used by manufacturers .............................guess repair folk still have to make a living.
Tom

[Ned Milburn]

Originally Posted by Tom West

Since I discovered and started using EVO wire I have not used a single piece of regular wire. EOV is easier to use and stands up much,much longer,and costs very little extra. The bit of different color bothers me not one bit and actually now I don't even notice. Regular wire is almost like using lead wire compared to EVO. I'm amazed the regular wire is still being used by manufacturers .............................guess repair folk still have to make a living.
Tom

Evo fret-wire is generally inappropriate for classical/flamenco guitars since the metal alloy's hardness shreds the strings too quickly. Like anything, there ain't no silver bullet! ;-)

[Tom West]

Sorry Ned, but have never built or for that matter worked on a classical. So my experience is limited to steel string...........!
Tom

[mirwa]

I charge 310 for a refret and setup with new strings.

I charge 195 for a partial refret.

If its maple and requires recolouring to match the neck I add another 50.

If you want Stainless I add a surcharge of 50, for the extra work and tool wear.

Anything that needs more than 9 frets I wont partial refret.

One of the issues with partial refrets is you cannot level the fretboard out as nicely as you can on a full refret, so their is always a compromise happening.

Steve

[dekutree64]

Originally Posted by Ned Milburn

Evo fret-wire is generally inappropriate for classical/flamenco guitars since the metal alloy's hardness shreds the strings too quickly. Like anything, there ain't no silver bullet! ;-)

Huh, I thought harder wire, if sufficiently polished, would remain smoother and less abrasive to strings.

[Silly Moustache]

Collings just charged me $300 for a full refret. - it's OK but not up to the standard I used to get from my private luthier. Showed it to my new man - he called it a typical "factory refret" - machine done - minimal crowning, and finishing.

[Ned Milburn]

Originally Posted by Tom West

Sorry Ned, but have never built or for that matter worked on a classical. So my experience is limited to steel string...........!
Tom

Yup, I understood that about your sticking to steel string guitars, Tom. Just as much a response to the "thread" as well, to make sure even silent readers are informed properly. Also, it is a nice bit of information to know. I wouldn't have known it till I knew it, and who knows... Someday someone might ask you to refret a flamenco... ;-)

[Bruce Sexauer]

Originally Posted by Ned Milburn

Yup, I understood that about your sticking to steel string guitars, Tom. Just as much a response to the "thread" as well, to make sure even silent readers are informed properly. Also, it is a nice bit of information to know. I wouldn't have known it till I knew it, and who knows... Someday someone might ask you to refret a flamenco... ;-)

I fretted the "Blanca" I built last year with EVO. I have put many hours of play on it. I am on my second set of strings but only changed because the first strings were the wrong type. Have 520Rs on now. I see not evidence of unusual wear on the strings after what must be over four months. Just saying', but I can't see why one smooth metal would wear strings harder than another smooth metal.

That said, I have a pretty good stash of 50 year old nickel wire that was the statndard for classical guitars at its time, and it is more malleable than any wire I've seen offered lately. It is so malleable that it is quite challenging to get it looking professional by today's standards, it is always slightly bumpy looking when installed. . . By me, anyway.

[Ned Milburn]

Originally Posted by Bruce Sexauer

I fretted the "Blanca" I built last year with EVO. I have put many hours of play on it. I am on my second set of strings but only changed because the first strings were the wrong type. Have 520Rs on now. I see not evidence of unusual wear on the strings after what must be over four months. Just saying', but I can't see why one smooth metal would wear strings harder than another smooth metal.

That said, I have a pretty good stash of 50 year old nickel wire that was the statndard for classical guitars at its time, and it is more malleable than any wire I've seen offered lately. It is so malleable that it is quite challenging to get it looking professional by today's standards, it is always slightly bumpy looking when installed. . . By me, anyway.

Interesting. One of my local flamenco player friend/clients had a flamenco done with evo frets. He kept shredding strings, including the trebles. The evo wire had a moderately narrow profile... perhaps simply that combined with a mediocre finish on the frets could shred the strings much more quickly...?? Any similar minor blemishes in a softer alloy would likely smooth out much more quickly, causing less string wear...??

[Bruce Sexauer]

I surface my frets at +/- 2000 gpi and make sure there are no coarser scratches. DMT green diamond "stone" does this quite quickly, following the red one, following the blue, following the black.

The hardness of the alloy bears little relationship with it's ability to wear, oddly. The soft wire I mentioned earlier wears several times longer than the modern nickel wire that replaced it in our world. I cannot explain the why of it, but I have seen the real world evidence and believe.

After nearly ten years of using the EVO wire, I have done just one fret mill on a returning guitar. I have to believe I'd have seen more if it were needed as I include ongoing fret maintenance service on any of my new guitars, and have for some time.

[tahoeguitar]

I have one regular customer who prefers EVO. He plays his guitars a lot and they just don't show any wear. I'm a believer. I offer it to others but so far almost everyone wants silver.

There's a principle at work here. Better does not equal more desirable. A good example would be adjustable truss rod vs metal T bar in some "Authentic" reproduction guitars. The adjustable is a clearly superior design, yet many insist that the old way is better. I don't have the guts to say this on the UMGF BTW....

[Tom West]

We are watching Larry........................................!!!
Tom

[John Arnold]

I have only used EVO wire a couple of times, and I really liked the workability. I haven't ventured into stainless.
Refretting prices (like all repairs) are somewhat related to the location.

The soft wire I mentioned earlier wears several times longer than the modern nickel wire that replaced it in our world. I cannot explain the why of it, but I have seen the real world evidence and believe.

I believe the durability of the old soft wire is related to the nickel content. Martin specified 30% nickel for their wire, while 18% is the standard today.
Any nickel alloy can be softened by heating it red hot and quenching it in water. I do that routinely when using new bar fret wire. It makes it much easier to install.

[Tom West]

Originally Posted by John Arnold

Any nickel alloy can be softened by heating it red hot and quenching it in water. I do that routinely when using new bar fret wire. It makes it much easier to install.

John:
In its softened state does it wear as well as in the supplied hardness ?
Tom