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Strings that cause the least wear on frets/fretboard


iddude

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Flatwound strings make for more comfortable playing and decreased wear for frets and fretboards. They also have a longer playable life because of fewer and smaller grooves for dirt and oil to build up in. On the other hand flatwound strings produce a less bright sound when compared to roundwounds and usually cost more. Not sure about coated strings but I would imagine they cause even less wear.

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I don't really know. I don't worry too much about fretwear really. It's something that happens as part of normal playing. I've got guitars I've had between 15 and 25 years (some of which are old ie from the 60's or 70's and I've only ever needed to get one re-fretted (a 1966 J-45) and have one 1965 guitar that is about due for a re-fret, but I keep putting it off as I have a 1966 version of the same guitar that still has lots of life left in the frets. I use strings that I like the sound of and accept whatever wear results from normal playing. As for Elixirs, I don't personally like coated strings.

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Without considering how the strings sound

 

"Without considering how the strings sound"... that's the most important part of any guitar.

 

Just what are you getting at here, are you afraid to play your guitar because it might get some wear and tear on it? The only way to not get wear on the frets and fretboard is to put the guitar in it's case and slide it under your bed. If your going to be a guitar player, you need to set the guitar up with strings, action and such for the SOUND and PLAYABILITY your looking for, and suits your style. Dents, dings, scratches, fret wear, hardware pitting, forearm hazing and many other things are going to happen to your guitar, there's not a thing you can do about it.

 

You can't drive a car without tire wear, and you can't play a guitar without fret wear.

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To cause less wear, I think you would want strings made of metal that is as soft or softer than the metal of the frets.

 

So I'd recommend nickel or nickel wound strings.

 

According to this logic, titanium strings would probably cause pretty serious wear.

 

I'm not a fan of titanium strings anyways.

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To cause less wear, I think you would want strings made of metal that is as soft or softer than the metal of the frets.

 

So I'd recommend nickel or nickel wound strings.

 

According to this logic, titanium strings would probably cause pretty serious wear.

 

I'm not a fan of titanium strings anyways.

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I've also heard that Stainless Steel strings are very hard on frets.

 

I've always used good ole nickel round wound D'Addarios on my Rock & Roll guitars. In 40 years of playing I HAVE worn the frets off two guitars. One I had refretted, the other I sold in "original" condition, and replaced it.

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To reduce wear, you can try a pure nickel round wound set. The pure nickel wrap gives a mellower tone, so you might need to tweak the eq. The plain strings are still steel of course.

 

Avoid stainless steel strings, and keep your strings clean and free of corrosion which accelerates fret wear.

 

Fret wear also depends on how much you play, the habit of playing in the same positions, technique (for example the extra wear caused by tapping) and also how hard you press down on the strings.

 

The frets themselves make a big difference - are they 12% nickel (soft), 18% nickel (hard) ? EVO gold (hypo-allergenic), and stainless steel are both superior harder wearing alternatives.

 

Consider the fret profile also - narrow frets wear out sooner.

 

Dub, the 'titanium' electric guitar strings are actually misleading. The wound strings have a micro - enamel coating, and the plain strings have a titanium locking wrap to secure the ball end. Titanium is non - magnetic so true titanium strings are only used on acoustics and violins etc.

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I've got a suggestion that will work better than anything else - guaranteed!

 

 

It's quite simply really; just buy more guitars then you can rotate playing them so none of them are subject to excessive wear. You'll get the pleasure of owning many guitars and you can play one while you admire the rest.

 

Oh, and if you tend to play one style of guitar more than another then just buy more of that model. Also, if there is a guitar you are just not picking up and playing; if it's due to a fault, repair it and if you don't like the feel/style, sell it and buy something you do like.

 

Alan

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Guitars grow on trees' date=' but money does not. [biggrin']

 

 

Well, you do have to make these sacrifices to keep your frets in good condition.

 

 

Right, I'm off to the Garden Centre to find some seeds for that tree: Gassus abatus. This may well be the solution to keeping the wife happy.

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Thanks to all that have responded to my string question. As a middle aged guy; maybe it's ridiculous for me to be concerned about this string wear issue. I think the response by 80LPC sums it up well for me, "Guitars grow on trees, but money does not." Most of us work hard to pay for our Gibson guitars. I have a full time job, but my part-time custodian jobs that I have had for years pay for mine. Maybe I will start by trying some nickel strings and will be pleased with the sound and the amount of wear that occurs over time. If things get tough and I have to sell one of my guitars, I would like to think that I would get more for my guitar(s).

 

We all make decisions on how we take care of our instruments. Obviously if you make a living playing the guitar or gig on the weekends (I wish I was good enough!), I think it would be unrealistic to think you wouldn't have more wear and the occasional ding. It's going to happen. I also agree with Alan H.; maybe I should just spread the wear around on my current guitars; and "work" on getting another!

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