It depends on the intended purpose of the fret wire.
Many years ago, when I was first starting out, I had a lot of fretting issues - mostly getting the ends to stay down. There was no CA glue back then.
I was let-in on the "secret" that all of the Toronto builders of the time - Laskin, Larrivee, Manzer, etc. - used. They used a very soft nickel-silver fret wire from a German supplier named Dotzauer. The stuff goes in like a dream, having zero spring-back to it. I still use that on classical guitars where wear is irrelevant.
Evo is harder than nickel-silver and still relatively easy to work, and not too hard on tools. If one wants long-wearing for those that are hard on frets, it's a good choice.
Stainless is even harder, for the "ultimate" in wear resistance. It's a waste on a nylon string guitar. I don't use stainless, but am told it is hard on tools and more difficult to work with.
I haven't tried cryo nickel-silver and don't know much about it.
So, it depends on for what purpose one is using the frets. One can match the fret material to its intended purpose, rather than one fret wire for all uses. Your choice.
|