Fret crown.

[LarryUK]

I've mentioned before that I use an Ibanez SA160 at home because it's so smooth to play. I used my Les Paul today and it just isn't 'smooth' to play. As in when you slide up the neck, your fingers go bump on every fret. Almost a resistance. So I sat them side by side. The Ibanez has rounded frets and the Gibson has squared off frets. Is this the reason it doesn't play as smooth? Should it be crowned?

The Ibanez is new and the Gibson is a 93.

This subject may be useful to younger players as it can help them understand.

[AlanH]

Hi,

 

The strings will wear frets flat in spots where where you use a lot of vibrato. This is less obvious in frets that have been more recently crowned as the curvature that has worn away is initially less obvious to the eye. The other type of fret wear is divoting caused by compression, often when the player frets open position chords with a lot of pressure. As any fret wears down this will cause buzz as the vibrating strings hit the higher, unworn frets. When this occurs a higher action and/or more relief in the neck can temporarily alleviate the problem but, as you add more upward bow (relief) and raise the action the guitar will become more difficult to play and have a spongier feel. When that becomes problematic a fret dress is required where all frets are levelled with a file to give a uniform height before they are crowned off and finally polished. Frets can only be dressed so many times before a re-fret will be needed.

 

Ways to prevent fret wear include:

 

-Use certain strings which are supposed to cause less wear (can't remember which off the top of my head)

-Change your strings when they start to corrode (my theory only)

-Fret chords using less pressure

-Play your solo and riff work (as you practice) in different keys and scales so, for example, you're not always in the key of A minor playing penatonic boxes I and IV.

-Buy more guitars and rotate playing them (and repeatedly tell your wife that this is why you need so many- I've got a patent on that idea!)

-Use stainless steel frets - they don't feel as nice but wear out more slowly or discuss which nickel silver frets you want before having them fitted

 

About your Ibanez- FWIW, I've just purchased a new Ibby RG1570 (my first Ibanez) and I was amazed at how well it was set up. It has a dead straight neck with very low, buzz free action for effortless play. This indicates, to me, that the fret dress was done very well. This is not always the case with Gibsons, even when they use the Plek machine (from what I've heard.)

 

Alan

[AlanH]

Duplicate post

[LarryUK]

My Ibanez was only £117 off EBay. Brand new. It plays great. Has some tuning problems though.

[charlie brown]

I had that exact same problem, with my 2000 Gibson Les Paul Classic!

I Loved the guitar, itself, but hated playing it, because of the frets!

Finally, got an opportunity, to have the frets dressed (rounded, and

polished...and NOW, I can't put it down! What a remarkable difference

it made, in it's playability! Plek'd or not, I'll never understand why

Gibson is/was so set on squared off frets. They're like little "Speed

Bumps!"

 

Addition: I liked what my luthier did, to my Classic, so much, I had 2

Fenders (with "medium jumbo" frets), done the same way. Now, even they

play much nicer, than before...and they weren't even as bad, as my

Classic had been.

 

CB

[strat-o-steve]

All 4 of mine have those railroad cross-tie fret bumps! Well, HAD them anyway.....a good level and recrown and everything is slick, fast and smoooooooooth! ;)

[Andy R]

Agree 100% Gibson doesn't crown the frets nearly well enough. Flatter frets have more surface area to wear as well and with the soft fret materials they use they wear very quick and divot out quickly if your not careful.

 

 

 

Andy

[Kimbabig]

 

 

-Buy more guitars and rotate playing them (and repeatedly tell your wife that this is why you need so many- I've got a patent on that idea!)

 

 

Alan