Does Coated Strings Cause Less Fret Wear?

[Baloney Balderdash]

I was wondering if coated roundwound strings, especially Elixir where they actually coat the whole string, rather than just the wrappings (which I understand otherwise is the most common approach), might cause less fret wear than non coated roundwound strings of otherwise similar construction (that is coated nickel-plated roundwounds vs. non coated nickel-plated roundwounds, coated stainless steel roundwound vs. non coated stainless steel rounwounds e.t.c)?

 

Edit!!!:

Apparently I need to point out that I am curious to have the actual question that I ask here answered and that I don't have an actual problem with fretwear or seek advice in general on how to reduce it beyond that.

 

In other words this is a matter of strictly intellectual curiosity, rather than seeking a solution to an actual practical issue or concern (if that had been the case though, trust me, I would have pointed it out and asked accordingly, as well as chosen a more fitting headline for such inquiry something along the lines of : "How to Reduce Fret Wear?").

 

Edited March 26, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash
assumptions

[chris_b]

Is this countering a problem you have with your basses ? Or just insurance.

 

Is fret wear a thing anymore? I wore the frets out on my 68 Precision bass in less than 4 years, but that was not a good time for Fender quality. I haven't seen any modern built bass with significant fret wear.

 

The cheap solution is to lower the action and play with a lighter touch.

[Baloney Balderdash]

9 hours ago, chris_b said:

Is this countering a problem you have with your basses ? Or just insurance.

 

Is fret wear a thing anymore? I wore the frets out on my 68 Precision bass in less than 4 years, but that was not a good time for Fender quality. I haven't seen any modern built bass with significant fret wear.

 

The cheap solution is to lower the action and play with a lighter touch.

Uhm... 

 

I don't have any problem or issues for that matter with fret wear on any of my basses, I am just curious.

 

And you're not really addressing the actual question I asked, which happens to be what I am actually genuinely interested in knowing, as said from a perspective of pure curiosity, there wasn't actually any additional underlying motivations or practical concerns behind my OP.

 

I'll assume though that you actually genuinely was only trying to help, despite making quite a few assumptions about my reason to ask this question.

 

Edited March 26, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash
removing an a bit too snarky remark for something that probably was actually just a genuine attempt to help

[Woodinblack]

2 hours ago, Baloney Balderdash said:

I was wondering if coated roundwound strings, ... , might cause less fret wear than non coated roundwound strings of otherwise similar construction 

 

 

It seems that it has to cause less fret wear to have a plastic (or whatver they are coated with) contact on metal than metal on metal as some of the presure of the fretting has to be absorbed by the coating so the overall pressure on the fret must be lower.

[Baloney Balderdash]

2 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

 

It seems that it has to cause less fret wear to have a plastic (or whatver they are coated with) contact on metal than metal on metal as some of the presure of the fretting has to be absorbed by the coating so the overall pressure on the fret must be lower.

That was my line of thought too.

[Woodinblack]

and I guess more significantly it would mean that a fretless would cause less wear on the fretboard if you were using coated strings. Probably easier to tell.

[BigRedX]

IMO the frets are more likely to wear the strings than the other way around. If I ever leave the strings on my basses for too long when I come to change them I find that they have slight indentations at the most commonly used fret positions.

 

The only time in 50 years of playing guitars and basses have I ever worn any frets to the point of needing replacement, was one position on a guitar. A band I used to be in (playing guitar) had a song that required me to produce a note by hammering onto the string using my plucking hand and then "bow" the string against the fret to produce a sustained note for close to 30 seconds. Given that I played this song roughly 10 times a week (either practicing or gigging) for almost 3 years (that's about 30 hours of wear in total), it's not surprising that after all that time I had produced a significant indentation at that particular fret position to the point that normally fretting the sting no longer produced a consistently clean note.

 

If you are subjecting your instruments to this level of abuse then my all means consider trying a less abrasive string, but otherwise you shouldn't have anything to worry about.

Edited March 26, 2023 by BigRedX

[Chienmortbb]

On 26/03/2023 at 17:32, BigRedX said:

IMO the frets are more likely to wear the strings than the other way around. If I ever leave the strings on my basses for too long when I come to change them I find that they have slight indentations at the most commonly used fret positions.

 

The only time in 50 years of playing guitars and basses have I ever worn any frets to the point of needing replacement, was one position on a guitar. A band I used to be in (playing guitar) had a song that required me to produce a note by hammering onto the string using my plucking hand and then "bow" the string against the fret to produce a sustained note for close to 30 seconds. Given that I played this song roughly 10 times a week (either practicing or gigging) for almost 3 years (that's about 30 hours of wear in total), it's not surprising that after all that time I had produced a significant indentation at that particular fret position to the point that normally fretting the sting no longer produced a consistently clean note.

 

If you are subjecting your instruments to this level of abuse then my all means consider trying a less abrasive string, but otherwise you shouldn't have anything to worry about.

Nylon is a very good lubricant so would probably avoided the fret wear noted above. 
 

When you fret a wound round, the point of contact on both string and fret is quite narrow, although there will be a difference between narrow and jumbo frets. However a wound string is not just a long piece of steel. it is likely that the constant compression caused by fretting compromises the  integrity of the wind. 
 

So the nylon will both hold the wind together as well a cushioning the impact of string on fret meaning less fret wear. I have three basses, one strung flats, one round and one coated and I realised recently that I use bends and vibrato more with the coated strings. 

[BigRedX]

1 hour ago, Chienmortbb said:

Nylon is a very good lubricant so would probably avoided the fret wear noted above. 
 

When you fret a wound round, the point of contact on both string and fret is quite narrow, although there will be a difference between narrow and jumbo frets. However a wound string is not just a long piece of steel. it is likely that the constant compression caused by fretting compromises the  integrity of the wind. 
 

So the nylon will both hold the wind together as well a cushioning the impact of string on fret meaning less fret wear. I have three basses, one strung flats, one round and one coated and I realised recently that I use bends and vibrato more with the coated strings. 

 

Actually it was on a plain G on a guitar, so I doubt any coating would have helped.

 

Personally I can't stand the feeling of Elixier guitar strings - I used to be in a band where both guitarists used them, and playing one of their guitars to show them a song idea, was for me a thoroughly unpleasant experience. I've not tried their bass strings as the guitar experience has been enough to put me off for life!

[Chienmortbb]

14 minutes ago, BigRedX said:

 

Actually it was on a plain G on a guitar, so I doubt any coating would have helped.

 

Personally I can't stand the feeling of Elixier guitar strings - I used to be in a band where both guitarists used them, and playing one of their guitars to show them a song idea, was for me a thoroughly unpleasant experience. I've not tried their bass strings as the guitar experience has been enough to put me off for life!

I have used elixirs on an acoustic and the drop in tone was not compensated for by the extra longevity. Om my bass I have Rotosound Nexus and they take some getting used too but they look great being black on a black bass but more importantly are easier ad nicer to play once you are used to them. I would buy Nexus again but Elixir do not work for me either.

[Stofferson]

Used elixir for the past 18 or so years.

Haven't noticed any fret issues or wear, and I give them some hammer