#1
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Best Fretwire: Jescar, Sintoms, Dunlop, Stew Mac or some other brand?
There is yet another fretwire thread in the general forum where I posted this question too:
Is there any reason to prefer Jescar, Sintoms, Dunlop, Stew Mac or some other brand? Does the prefered brand depend on the metal selection? And another tangent, is Cryo nickel silver competitive with EVO?
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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 |
#2
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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. |
#3
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I just tried the Cryo stuff on the last two and will use it on the two I am finishing now. Client doesn't like the look of Evo so I thought I would at least try it, it's not that much more expensive. The jury is still out on that one. So far it handles just like the regular Nic/Silver stuff.
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#4
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I was taught mettalurgy as part of an apprenticeship i did in my younger years, nickle silve is typically copper, zinc and nickle, this composition only gets harder through cold working, we use heat to soften it again. If a customer wants hard nickle silver you can roll it and then unroll it and roll it again a few times, this will dramatically increase the hardness Steve
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Cole Clark Fat Lady Gretsch Electromatic Martin CEO7 Maton Messiah Taylor 814CE |
#5
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Quote:
Sounds gimmicky, I totally agree, and it probably is. But, it's not that expensive in the shop and might even make more money in the marketing department. Re-reading what you say, when you say 'cold working' I think you mean room temperature manipulation and or hammering and folding of the metal? I know nothing of it so sorry for my ignorance. |
#6
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That is correct
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Cole Clark Fat Lady Gretsch Electromatic Martin CEO7 Maton Messiah Taylor 814CE |
#7
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Quote:
One discussion of it is as follows: Quote:
A scientific study on Nickel-titanium concluded the following: Quote:
It appears that Gibson started the cryo fret thing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmkVxzeKttM The description of it in the video isn't very scientific: it suggests marketing with little substantiating evidence. Stewmac's description of it is subjective: https://www.stewmac.com/luthier-tool...-fretwire.html It seems unlikely to be an improvement, but, it isn't more expensive than regular fret wire. If one believes in the marketing, no reason not to try it, despite there not being substantiating science behind the claims. |
#8
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I have softened nickel-silver by heating it red hot, then quenching in water. I do this with bar fret material to make it more pliable, but it would work the same on tee frets. That process has the opposite effect on carbon steels.
The original Martin bar fret wire was rolled flat from round wire, which work hardened it. It was made dead soft by heating, which gave it a characteristic dark gray (oxidized) surface. Softening it facilitated the rolling, but it also made the wire easier to install. It spite of this softened state, original Martin bar frets wear an extremely long time, possibly due to the high nickel content. Martin specified a 30% nickel alloy, which today is generally called cupro-nickel. I have used Martin, Dunlop, Jescar, and Stew Mac wire at various times, and they all work just fine. I do use a lot of Stew Mac wire, but the Evo wire I have used came from Jescar. I have only done one stainless fret job, and I found it to be a royal pain. Unless someone wanted to pay a significant premium, I would rather not mess with it. |
#9
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Quote:
I do have round lengths of stainless, brass, copper, nickel silver and cupro-nickel for manufacturing keys on flutes / clarinets and other musical instruments. Nickel Silver has copper, nickel and zinc, Cupro Nickel has copper, nickel, iron and manganese. I would be genuinely surprised if martin used cupro nickel, but again beyond my personal knowledge Steve
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Cole Clark Fat Lady Gretsch Electromatic Martin CEO7 Maton Messiah Taylor 814CE |
#10
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The best fret wire is the width and height you prefer. Material differences have mainly to do with longevity.
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