#16
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So what you are saying is I need to throw away all my fret wire
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#17
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I told the chap that put them on (an excellent job) that I wouldn't use it again, but I just might. He uses Evo on all his (very fine) guitars. I don't experiment much with strings - EJ17s are my thing, although at present it has Rotosound PBs on which are , in themselves, a tad more "punchy" than D'adds. Collings are often said to be bright - I say they are just better balanced than, say, Martins - and so I think Evos would work excellently on more bass biased Martins.
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Silly Moustache, Just an old Limey acoustic guitarist, Dobrolist, mandolier and singer. I'm here to try to help and advise and I offer one to one lessons/meetings/mentoring via Zoom! |
#18
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The metal composition of nickel frets is 18% nickel, 80% copper, and 2% whatever across all brands that I am aware of, and I can't believe that the 2% of the "whatever" would make much difference. I DO know that playing style makes a big difference in how frets wear.
I had one customer that I did a fret level/recrown bring his guitar back in for some other servicing less than a year later, and he had already worn substantial grooves. Another customer brought me his 20 year old guitar for a first time fret level/recrown that had deep wear spots in the finish and pick guard, and he claimed he had played over 2,000 gigs with it, and had never had the frets worked on. Some people play with a light touch, some with a heavy touch. |
#19
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Derek Coombs Youtube -> Website -> Music -> Tabs Guitars by Mark Blanchard, Albert&Mueller, Paul Woolson, Collings, Composite Acoustics, and Derek Coombs "Reality is that which when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away." Woods hands pick by eye and ear
Made to one with pride and love To be that we hold so dear A voice from heavens above |
#20
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Maybe Jescar could chime in on this. |
#21
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I dressed frets about seven years ago for a local musician, a petite gal with delicate looking hands. I looked at her guitar a few months ago. It's her only guitar and she gigs and tours constantly, so I assumed her frets would look shredded, but they looked almost like they did right after I dressed them. Comparing her to the customer I mentioned in the OP, who's a big guy with big hands who has several guitars, and he wears out his frets quickly, it's obviously not a coincidence - his hands are at least twice as massive as hers.
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https://www.reverbnation.com/bootheelers Last edited by Hot Vibrato; 12-02-2016 at 11:48 AM. |
#22
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But he had worn right through the frets in one year. I'd never seen anything like that, I'd hate to shake the guy's hand because he's probably break it. |
#23
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Just from personal experience my 1970 Martin that I purchase new was played extensively and did not require any fret work until 4 years ago, and that was only for reducing the fingerboard relief through compression fretting. However my 1995 Taylor was played infrequently and required a complete refret two years later and now has stainless steel which have been showing zero wear and did not alter the tone to my ears at all. There are many factors that will affect wear; playing style, fret material and hardness, chemistry of the players hands, etc. With that said a hard NS18% will last longer than soft NS18% and other alloy such as EVO or stainless steel will provide much longer fret life for the player. Jeff |
#24
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~~0.25% Carbon makes iron into steel... If I ever own a guitar long enough to refret I'm going to try stainless!
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jf45ir Free DIY Acoustic Guitar IR Generator .wav file, 30 seconds, pickup left, mic right, open position strumming best...send to direct email below I'll send you 100/0, 75/25, 50/50 & 0/100 IR/Bypass IRs IR Demo, read the description too: https://youtu.be/SELEE4yugjE My duo's website and my email... [email protected] Jon Fields |
#25
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IMHO, it is superior to any new wire I have ever used. More durable, and much easier to work. |
#26
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Brass is simply copper with a bit of zinc Cupronickel is simply copper with a bit of nickel and trace bits of other stuff Nickel silver aka German silver is simply copper with zinc and nickel. I hear people say, the nickel silver fret is 80 percent copper 18percent nickel and 2 percent of other stuff, but if that is the composition then the fret is not pursay a nickel silver fret but in fact a cupronickel fret, for info, that is a very soft fret. For the composition to be a nickel silver fret, it would have approx 60 percent copper, 20 percent zinc, 18 percent nickel and 2 percent of proprietary alloys. It was rumoured years ago Martin had 30 percent nickel in the mix, but I have no way of knowing if that's true or simply internet whispers, I do warranty Martin repair work and have asked, but alas I think this info (truth) maybe lost. Steve
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Cole Clark Fat Lady Gretsch Electromatic Martin CEO7 Maton Messiah Taylor 814CE Last edited by mirwa; 12-04-2016 at 04:47 AM. |
#27
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It was spelled out.
In recently found correspondence from the 1930's, Martin asked their supplier to continue the same specification that they preferred, which was 30 percent nickel. The implication was that they had used it for many years in their bar frets, and wanted it used for their tee frets. The durability of both seems to indicate that it was in fact what they used. I researched 30% nickel-silver alloys when I first heard that Martin had used it. It is a bit hard to find, but it is available. |
#28
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I deal all the time with a company in the UK who have just recently installed a super-duper high tech analysing machine which will determine the percentage of every element within any metallic sample.
I contacted the CEO to determine whether they were offering a service with this machine, or whether it was purely for in house product testing, and he replied that at this point they hadn't determined the end-usage, but he said that if I had a sample requiring testing, then they would do it for free, and would quote me for any subsequent tests, based upon the time it took to do the analysis. As it happens, I don't have any samples of any metal which require testing, but if any luthier out there has a sample of fretwire which they would like tested, then get in touch by PM and I will organize it for you ... free of charge. You would of course need to send a sample of the wire to me here in the UK. I can only do this once, or at least do it free only once ... what any subsequent charges would be I have no idea. |
#29
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I am refretting a guitar with dunlops today and another with standard stewmac frets Steve
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Cole Clark Fat Lady Gretsch Electromatic Martin CEO7 Maton Messiah Taylor 814CE |
#30
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I mostly use Stew Mac wire, and I find it to be very consistent. I would judge the hardness as medium.
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