Replace frets on a 1998 EC-30 Blues King

[guilherme]

Hello,

I believe it's time to replace the frets on my 1998 Gibson EC-30 Blues King. I'm the 2nd owner since 2003 and the frets were redressed a few times over the years.I'm not a professional player but I play almost every day.  The 3rd fret on  1st and 2nd string have the most wear and it is noticeable on G and C chords that the guitar sound a bit out of tune. Also, I started using heavier gauge strings (012-053) with D standard tuning and it seems that these chords sound even more out of tune with this setup.

So, I have measured the frets with a digital caliper in different points, and the last frets on 6th string measure 0.99mm height and about 1.90 width. Obviously this is that less used region of the fretboard. The 3rd fret measured 0.78mm height.

I could not find the original fret model for this guitar. Does anyone know? I'm considering going with stainless steel frets. Any brand recommended for Gibson acoustic?

 

Edited March 3, 2020 by guilherme

[j45nick]

Go on stewmac.com and check out their fret wire dimensions. I only have one guitar with stainless steel frets, and I'm not crazy about the feel. That is more likely a function of the fret profile than the fret material.

Those are fairly skinny frets you have. The original frets on my 1950 J-45 are about 1.84 mm wide, and are considered fairly narrow. The frets on my 1943 SJ re-issue (made in 2010) are 1.94mm wide, and are probably more typical of modern Gibson acoustic frets.  I have another modern Gibson acoustic with the "jumbo" 2.35 mm frets Gibson used in the 1960's.

Unless you really want to re-fret, you could probably get away with replacing only the worn frets, unless you feel the other frets are already too low. What you need to do is check the general fret heights to see if they are  the same heights everywhere. You can use a short steel straight edge (150mm) to do that, as it will take the neck relief out of the equation. If there is a lot of variation in fret heights due to multiple levelings, it may be time to replace them. Inconsistencies in fret height can be a source of the intonation problems you have.

[guilherme]

Hello,

Thanks for the reply. The frets are uneven along the fretboard, mostly on 1-3 strings as usual. I will go the refret route. I thought about replacing the worn frets with the frets from the end of the fretboard but I could end with string buzz problems. 

I read in another forum that Gibson J45 (don't remember the year) use Jescar 43080  that are 2.03 x 1.09 mm. Dunlop also have a similar size.  This size is similar to my measurements so I guess I should pick this one. Also they have a stainless steel version.