Fret wire replacement

[mgap]

For sometime now I have been having a buzzing, and odd tone on my G string when fretted.  Well I decided to take my 814 in to have it looked at.  The last couple of times that I have needed to get luthier work done I have been taking the projects into Woodsongs Luthier in Boulder Colorado(my home town).  At 100 miles away it is not something I do at the drop of the hat, but they are people I trust, and they do excellent work.  I knew I was in good hands when the first time I brought in a guitar and the attending luthier was named Taylor.

Back to the guitar.  Ok, so I have had my 814 for about 2 years now.  In that short amount of time I needed to have 9 frets replaced.  Wow.  the top 3 or 4 were pretty bad. To get it done right they replaced them up to the 9th fret, they quoted me up to seven to do the repair, so thats all they charged me for.  I think that the wear seems a bit premature because I have a couple of other guitars that I rotate through daily, so I am not only playing the 814 but others all the time as well.  I have one older guitar(my 514ce) that is 8 years older and has had a whole lot more play time, but is in much better shape than the 814 prior to the repair.

I am wondering had Taylor changed anything with the wire that they used in later years.  Or do you think that the 814 just excites such enthusiasm that I am pounding the hammer ons more aggressively, and just wearing it out faster.   I don't think the wire is any different but what other reason would I get such a difference in wear from one guitar to the other.  I am not complaining about the cost of the job Woodsongs charged but I really don't want to have to a have frets replacement ever couple of years.  I might have to go to luthier school and do my own work, just to afford my hobbie.



 

[Edward]

...I am wondering had Taylor changed anything with the wire that they used in later years.  Or do you think that the 814 just excites such enthusiasm that I am pounding the hammer ons more aggressively, and just wearing it out faster.

LOL, I feel your pain on the "enthusiasm" ...you just gotta love a guitar you can love!  C'mon, man, relish the wear as it says much about your passion
Moreover, you may or may not notice how you play each guitar, but the guitar's wear tells you how you may play them differently.  FWIW, I've got some guits that show similar wear, and others that show different wear: clear indication of how I play them.  It's like wearing out tires: it reveals the owner's use ...which is all ok so long as you accept it

Fret wire: most of this everywhere is made by same handful of mfgs (Dunlop, being one of them); I seriously doubt Taylor has changed anything, and FWIW I have noticed no diffs across the decade+ of Taylors, IMHO anywhoo.

Personally, I'd wear out that trusty weapon of yours down to the bone; just continue loving on it as you clearly already do.  Then when it is finally time to address it, go the extra mile and do a refret in stainless steel.  FWIW, I've gone through a few refrets already and I've concluded that SS is the way to go.  Read up on it.  Only those with bionic ears (or terminal OCD ) hear a difference, but what the vast majority of actual users say is SS sounds no differentlyy than nickel fretwire, but plays astonishingly slick and smooth.  And here's the best part: zero wear.  SS is harder than those bronze (or nickel for electrics) coatings or the plain steel strings.  It cost more to do, but in feel and longevity, it is worth every dime to me.  Not to mention more than one boutique builder offers SS as a build option (as RT did), and some simply do it on all they build (eg. Suhr).  The key is to find the right guy to do the job well (luthiers seem to all agree SS is more taxing to work with because of its hardness), and play one of his examples and judge for yourself.  Food for thought, bro

Edward

[Earl]

Bob Taylor has commented in W&S that they have tried SS frets, but did not like the tone.  I did not understand how a *slightly* harder metal fret wire would change the tone perceptibly.  More likely, it was not a good fit for mass production tooling and building.  SS frets are reported to wear out tooling like fret files and crowning files faster because stainless steel is a harder metal.  But in terms of wear resistance I want that harder metal.  I would happily spend a few bucks extra for a guitar that had SS frets.

I have a heavy touch and a strong grip, so I feel that my primary guitars (mostly Taylor's) tend to wear the frets quickly.  Our Rainsong (which I believe came with SS frets) is showing almost no fret wear after 10-11 years and plenty of playing hours.  If I ever have to re-fret anything, it will be with stainless steel even if there is a premium charged by the shop.

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Woodsong in Boulder is a great shop.  I enjoyed visiting there a few years ago while in town, and my wife bought a classic used flute from them.  Nice folks, with a good selection of instruments.

[michaelw]

9 frets in two years definitely calls for a  , imho

jescar wire may be an option -
https://www.jescar.com/

they show 18% NiAg, SS & evo, which seems to be between the two -
evo was used as an option on R Taylors
http://www.unofficialtaylorguitarforum.com/index.php?topic=2766.msg27793#msg27793

SS frets likely have a more perceivable change in tone on an acoustic as the
profile of the wire is different than jumbo frets more commonly used on electrics -
the nickel silver frets may be easier to deal with in a high production environment,
but i'm wondering about the longevity of the frets on the SBs & how the T5z will fare

[guitarsrsoawesome]

I wore down my frets on my GS8e (now departed) past the point they could be dressed in about three years.  I played that guitar a lot, and for a big span of time it was my only guitar.  I capo'ed quite a bit as well. 

When it came time for a fret job, I decided to go stainless.  There was a good local luthier who could do the job well, and he did.  I did immediately feel the guitar was more playable as it seemed easier to move my fingers over the frets.  Also, the possibility of being 10 years or more before they would need replacing again meant it was worth the extra money.

But I will not lie, I felt that guitar brightened a bit.  It could have been placebo effect because others had told me this would happen, but nevertheless, the guitar did sound brighter to me with those frets.  Obviously when any string was played open, there should be no effect, but even the open E began to sound brighter to me.  I know that sounds crazy, but I've noticed that acoustic guitars change in lots of ways over time, and I'm sure a confluence of factors were effecting it including changes in my own perception and physiology, as well the frets. 

So, that's my two cents, and as Forest Gump would say, that's all I have to say about that.

[Tarekith]

I have an 814ce that's only 5-6 months old, and during a string change yesterday I was surprised at how worn some of the frets have gotten up in the first position.  I like to play and usually practice 30-60 minutes most days, still did not expect to see that much wear in such a short time.

My other guitar is an electric, a custom Parker DF724 that has stainless frets.  It was my first guitar with stainless steel frets and I love it.  Feels so much more durable and I personally find it easier to play (compared to nickel frest, not talking about it being electric).  When I have to refret my 814, I definitely plan on going SS.

In all honesty, after playing a SS, I don't know why they all aren't made that way, just feels like a better option to me.