Evo Gold Frets on Martin Guitars

[parasko]

Hi all,

One of my Martin dreadnoughts needs refretting and I have read a few posts about Evo gold fretwire being a happy medium between Nickel/Silver and Stainless Steel.

However, a few people have also commented on how distinctly gold and shiny the frets look and so do not suit all guitars aesthetically.

For those of you with Evo gold frets, can you provide any feedback on how the frets affect the tone of the guitar, and if possible post any pics of what they look like.

FWIW, my guitar is for recording purposes and I have been advised to steer away from stainless steel frets. If anyone has any advice about this also, that would be great.

Thanks.

[srick]

Hi Parasko -

I would not refret a guitar purely for tone. However, if you have worn frets and need a refretting anyway, they are a great option. Their wear rate is much lower than nickel silver. All of my guitars have been refretted with EVO because of a nickel allergy, and to be honest, my ears don’t hear much of a difference. And I think the gold color looks just fine. If you switch out the hardware to match, the instruments look even better (but it’s not a necessity). Also, a full refret gives you a chance to adjust the fret height which can really improve the playability.

As far as I’m concerned, all of the little items: fret material, nut and saddle material, tuners, bridge pins,even braces, affect tone by only a little bit. The biggest parameter that has affected my guitars tone that I can figure is the humidity, followed by the amount of playing time the instrument gets. Most important, your ears will quickly adapt to any changes in the tone and accommodate.

Here is a before and after on my old Yamaha FG140. The pic with the fret remover shows the nickel silver frets and of course the second pic is with EVO:

5B1BED83-30FE-4E04-BC3A-68BD497726D5.jpeg

89DA7607-8998-4380-B3C9-CEF50A8DC6BE.jpeg

Best,

Rick

[Bongas]

I have EVO on my Martin OM1, great fretwire! Of the above I would say saddle material affect tone the most. Worst material for a saddle is some kind of metal. Bone and tusq are great, bone a bit warmer than tusq (as a side note).

[Mr. Paul]

Modern Deluxe series Martins have these frets, it's a handsome look.

[Rudy4]

I've been using EVO frets on all of my instruments for several years. Based on my longest use I'd speculate that a player may never need frets replaced in their lifetime if EVO is used. It's fairly easy to work with if you match your board radius, unlike stainless steel which is just nasty to use.

I've never had any indication that EVO makes any discernible difference in tone or volume. I sure that most players who tell you they can hear a difference are suffering from perception bias that would not stand up to a blindfold test between EVO and standard N/S.

The gold coloration is actually rather subtle and blends well with the coloration of most acoustic strings. I've never understood why someone objects to EVO frets but doesn't consider what their brass strings look like.

[fwphoto]

Hey Rudy,

Is that a Victor capo? I haven't seen one that shiny in a while. Mine has taken on a nice, subtle patina over the years. Yours looks very nice, though. Might move me to get a new one.

I put EVO on my OM-21 when I got it refretted a while back. I wanted the new frets to be a bit taller than the OEM frets so I had the tech use Jescar 43080. Didn't really seem to make much difference in the tone & the gold color is very subtle IMO. Looks great on my OM-21 & plays good, too.

Frank

[Rudy4]

Originally Posted by fwphoto

Hey Rudy,

Is that a Victor capo? I haven't seen one that shiny in a while. Mine has taken on a nice, subtle patina over the years. Yours looks very nice, though. Might move me to get a new one.

I put EVO on my OM-21 when I got it refretted a while back. I wanted the new frets to be a bit taller than the OEM frets so I had the tech use Jescar 43080. Didn't really seem to make much difference in the tone & the gold color is very subtle IMO. Looks great on my OM-21 & plays good, too.

Frank

Hi Frank.

Yes, it's technically a Victor, but Dunlop bought the brand name several years ago. This one is a Dunlop Victor ("Dunlop" name cast in neck bar to replace the "Victor" brand name) purchased somewhere around 1995? It's my capo of choice, and I'm a bit of an accessory nerd, so I have a bunch of capos.

You might have difficulty if you want a new brass one, as I suspect Dunlop is going to discontinue them, since they are pushing the "new and improved" Pivot capo. That's the one to the left of the Victor style in the photo.

The Pivot is a nice capo, but I do not like the tensioning wheel located lower on the capo; it gets in the way.

The "Johnny Cash" version of the Dunlop Victor is still available if you don't mind the black paint.

[fwphoto]

Originally Posted by Rudy4

Yes, it's technically a Victor, but Dunlop bought the brand name several years ago. This one is a Dunlop Victor ("Dunlop" name cast in neck bar to replace the "Victor" brand name) purchased somewhere around 1995? It's my capo of choice, and I'm a bit of an accessory nerd, so I have a bunch of capos.

Thanks Rudy! Mine has Victor on it & I've had it for quite some time. I knew Dunlop had bought Victor & assumed the newish one you show was a Dunlop. I might have to see if I can find one before the design goes away altogether. I really like mine. I, too, am an accessory nerd, especially with capos, picks & electronic tuners. Can't seem to have enough of any of 'em! :-)

Take care,

Frank

[John Arnold]

I have noticed an odd wear pattern with Evo frets. With certain players, they seem to wear away between the strings, instead of under the strings where they contact them. I suspect this is due to the chemical makeup of the individual's perspiration.
I continue to question the capitalization of 'Evo'. AFAIK, it is not an acronym.
I have not noticed a change in tone with Evo compared to nickel silver. There is general consensus that stainless are a bit brighter.

[jklotz]

I personally am not a fan of gold or brass hardware on my guitars. If you are looking for an alternative that is equal in hardness and durability, check out Jescar fret wire. I went with Jescar-FW43080 on my last build and I like it a lot. I think it will be many years before I need a refret, if ever.

[fwphoto]

Originally Posted by John Arnold

I continue to question the capitalization of 'Evo'. AFAIK, it is not an acronym.

Don't know about that but Jescar labels it as EVO.

Frank

[John Arnold]

I need to ask them why. Marketing versus grammar, I suppose.

[Fathand]

Originally Posted by fwphoto

Don't know about that but Jescar labels it as EVO.

Frank

Interesting, LMI labels it as Evo

[Rudy4]

JASCAR holds the official Trademark for "EVOgold".

The trademark application specifically notes that there is no specific size, font, or color for the trademark. All three of their representative images for trademark application show EVO in caps with "gold" being in small or capitalized font.

The origin of the actual material may or may not be Sintoms (a Belarus manufacturer) but the formulation may vary by manufacturer. The only specific to being non-allergenic is a lack of nickel in the formulation.

Bottom line would be small letters, caps, or a mix would all be correct, your choice.

[parasko]

Great advice everyone and thanks for providing pics.

I’ve ended up sticking with Jescar Nickel/Silver fret wire this time round but with a height of .50”. Don’t know if this will be too high but I seem to wear down the standard .43” which are on Martins really quickly.

My other dreadnought will probably need a refret next year so I’ll try Evo gold at that stage.