Fret wear

Hey Team 

Quick question re fret wear . When I first started playing I was a bit heavy fingered when fretting which lead to heavy grooves in the fret wires.

Over time I have learnt to try and be more gentle and the wear is considerably less . I clean the strings after each use and still notice a little bit of wear . The odd grove doesn't look to deep and am assuming that a little bit of wear is normal considering its metal on metal ?  Does anyone else find they get a bit of fret groves over time ? From time to time I will drop it in for a fret polish and they polish out. How normal are small groves in the fret wires?

Cheers Team 

Hey Team 

 

Quick question re fret wear . When I first started playing I was a bit heavy fingered when fretting which lead to heavy grooves in the fret wires.

 

Over time I have learnt to try and be more gentle and the wear is considerably less Survival Race. I clean the strings after each use and still notice a little bit of wear . The odd grove doesn't look to deep and am assuming that a little bit of wear is normal considering its metal on metal ?  Does anyone else find they get a bit of fret groves over time ? From time to time I will drop it in for a fret polish and they polish out. How normal are small groves in the fret wires?

 

Cheers Team 

 

If the grooves are deep enough to cause string buzz, intonation problems, or you feel like the strings are “stuck,” it may be time to balance the fretboard, crown, or even a fret. Occasionally polishing the fretboard, as you’ve been doing, is a good way to keep things smooth and prolong the life of the fretboard.

I missed this thread earlier!

That's completely normal.  In my experience it's only a problem when the grooves are deep enough to cause tuning or intonation problems.  Then it's time for a fret polish, as you are already aware.  At a certain point you might need to get a re-fret.  Sometimes you can get away with replacing a few particularly worn frets.  Sometimes it's a good idea to replace them all.  I've had both options done.

Hope that helps!