fret maintenance exaggerated??

[smithy]

Hi there, being new to this forum I´m going to start with a question I asked myself after having read so many posts on different forums.

Does anybody, except me, regards 90% of those fret jobs as exaggerated ?

Don´t get me wrong, I don´t want to appear being sloppy maintaining my basses, and on almost all of them there are tiny flat spots ,even with flats used.

But- I really don´t get the point, why a fret dress or even a polish is really necessary, when playing isn´t affected at all. Some say, less care will increase wear.

Why that ?

After playing bass for 7 years now (amateuresque more or less), I´d like to hear your opinions.

 

regards

Thomas

[Lozz196]

The only times I’ve had fret work done was when they needed levelling due to one or more being slightly proud, and it really improved the basses. 

[Dan Dare]

I just keep them clean and have them replaced when the wear starts to be a problem. Obviously, you want them level, properly crowned, etc to begin with. It's often worth treating a new instrument to a fret level and polish, so you start out on the right foot. Unless you're spending serious money, the factory fret job will probably be adequate, rather than first class.

 

If you tend to play in first position all the time, you'll find the lower 4 or five will wear faster, so they may need replacing more frequently. I reckon it's best to replace just those, rather than have the lot levelled down to match them (which will mean you need a full re-fret sooner). The only thing you really need to worry about is that when frets get very low, it can accelerate wear of the board itself because you have to press the strings more firmly to get them to note cleanly.

[smithy]

16 minutes ago, Lozz196 said:

The only times I’ve had fret work done was when they needed levelling due to one or more being slightly proud, and it really improved the basses. 

OK ,I had to do this just to get them playable twice. But as you said it was the only time.

8 minutes ago, Dan Dare said:

If you tend to play in first position all the time, you'll find the lower 4 or five will wear faster, so they may need replacing more frequently. I reckon it's best to replace just those, rather than have the lot levelled down to match them (which will mean you need a full re-fret sooner)

So this explains what some people mean when saying that non-maintaining will increase wear (regarding a re-fret)

 

Will someone playing with a light touch playing almost all over the fretboard ever wear out the frets ?

How often did you replace frets , if I may ask?

[chris_b]

When I buy a bass I have it serviced and set up at the Gallery, and if required, I get them to fret stone and level the frets. The basses always come back playing better, smoother and faster.

 

So, my experience is that keeping your bass in top condition makes for a better sounding and playing bass.

[T-Bay]

I must have played well over 2000 hours on my go to bass and I can’t see anything but minimal wear. Maybe I have a light touch, but can’t see them needing doing for years yet.

Edited March 19, 2023 by T-Bay

[smithy]

22 minutes ago, chris_b said:

So, my experience is that keeping your bass in top condition makes for a better sounding and playing bass.

 

Well, admitted that as an amateur player my ears might not really be able to notice deteriorating sound. Maybe therefore I don´t realize that there might be an issue. ( Happy me )

Edited March 19, 2023 by smithy

[uk_lefty]

9 hours ago, T-Bay said:

I must have played well over 2000 hours on my go to bass and I can’t see anything but minimal wear. Maybe I have a light touch, but can’t see them needing doing for years yet.

Best thing is to take your main bass once a year to someone you can trust who will give it a set up, check all parts etc. And won't do unnecessary work just because you've asked about it or because it gets them more cash. 

 

Of course the more you play the same bass, the humidity, how you store it, etc. Means you may need it checking out more or less often.

[T-Bay]

57 minutes ago, uk_lefty said:

Best thing is to take your main bass once a year to someone you can trust who will give it a set up, check all parts etc. And won't do unnecessary work just because you've asked about it or because it gets them more cash. 

 

Of course the more you play the same bass, the humidity, how you store it, etc. Means you may need it checking out more or less often.

I do my own set ups. It has never needed more than a tweak of the truss rod in ten years but I am careful how they are stored.

[Dan Dare]

15 hours ago, smithy said:

How often did you replace frets , if I may ask?

 

My '72 J bass is on its second set (i.e. the first replacement of the originals), so not very often. I do use flats and am not heavy handed.

[BreadBin]

Use nickel wound strings and then the strings wear before the frets 

[smithy]

1 hour ago, Dan Dare said:

My '72 J bass is on its second set

50 years- this is what I´d call durability. By listening to several people I´ve got the impression that there´s a kind of hysteria concerning fret wear,

which will end up in spoiling the fun.

1 hour ago, BreadBin said:

Use nickel wound strings and then the strings wear before the frets 

I do (not because of fret wear but for sound and feel) . Three basses are strung with TI flats, one with Fender 7150 (I do like them really old and dead) and one with Pyramid pure nickel rounds.

[iconic]

I've seen some very worn frets, so much so the profile looks like Nessie's back, and also on the same well used exact same model, minimal wear....some players really do have fingers like Mole Grips. 

 

A well dressed fret, with good radius on the crown simply makes it easier and less tiring to play, and string bending is a breeze..

...but like anything, it will still perform with worn/flattended frets, why make it tougher though? 

Edited March 23, 2023 by iconic

[Burns-bass]

On 20/03/2023 at 14:07, smithy said:

50 years- this is what I´d call durability. By listening to several people I´ve got the impression that there´s a kind of hysteria concerning fret wear,

which will end up in spoiling the fun.

I do (not because of fret wear but for sound and feel) . Three basses are strung with TI flats, one with Fender 7150 (I do like them really old and dead) and one with Pyramid pure nickel rounds.

People on here moan about everything. 
 

Nut width, fret size, pickup location, string spacing, whether the string goes over the poles, the directions of the arrows on the knobs. 
 

When I started you’d just buy a bass. I’m still pretty ambivalent about it now to be honest.

[Linus27]

Frets ... what are frets? Are they those funny little guide posts to keep you in tune, how very quaint 😋

 

 

Seriously though, as long as everything works, the only thing I've adjusted is the truss rod and string height on my fretted basses. One of my basses is about 35 years old and has seen probably over a thousand gigs and hasn't needed anything doing to the frets.

[smithy]

16 minutes ago, Linus27 said:

One of my basses is about 35 years old and has seen probably over a thousand gigs and hasn't needed anything doing to the frets.

That´s actually the core of my initial question. I do think there are much more basses around that did not have that exaggerated fret maintenance let alone a refret and still get played the snot out of them ( Kind of silent majority ??)

[Count Bassy]

3 hours ago, Linus27 said:

Frets ... what are frets? Are they those funny little guide posts to keep you in tune, how very quaint 😋

 

 

Seriously though, as long as everything works, the only thing I've adjusted is the truss rod and string height on my fretted basses. One of my basses is about 35 years old and has seen probably over a thousand gigs and hasn't needed anything doing to the frets.

My Gawd, you've worn your frets completely away.

[Count Bassy]

I've not had a problem with fret wear since I had the depleted Uranium ones fitted.

[Burns-bass]

10 hours ago, smithy said:

That´s actually the core of my initial question. I do think there are much more basses around that did not have that exaggerated fret maintenance let alone a refret and still get played the snot out of them ( Kind of silent majority ??)

There’s a difference between fret wear and damage.

 

In a lot of cases there will be dents out of frets that are often caused by the stings hitting the fret. You can also find that the frets can come loose and raise a little which can affect the action. 

[chris_b]

Would you drive your car with the tyres half inflated or fully inflated? You'll get from A to B either way, but which is best?

[Cato]

I think there a few variables at work.

 

The 32 year old Epiphone acoustic guitar I've had from new and played the hell out of for about 5 years while I was learning has grooves in the first three frets directly under the B and top E strings, to the point where those strings will snag in the grooves and then audibly 'ping' out if I try to bend those strings at certain points.

 

None of my basses or guitars, some of which I've owned and played for nearly as long, has anywhere near the same amount of fret damage which suggests to me that maybe the frets on my old cheap acoustic are made of softer material or the higher tension on the acoustic strings (I used 12s or 14s for years) exerts more downward force on the frets or maybe something else.

 

Interesting that it's happened under the 2 thinnest strings though and the 2 that have always been plain (unwound) as in theory I'd have assumed that it would be the thicker, more abrasive wound strings that would cause more damage.