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I am re-fretting a friends guitar. The old frets came out great, no chip out to speak of. I have "instillation fret wire". As "replacement" the trench is too compromised to grab the tangs. I had an order in que' at LMI so I called. He came up with Bass wire, as it had a wider tang. The fret itself is a touch wider also (I think he said .02), before cutting and installing is there any "normal wire with a wider or larger bite tang? Or other options I should explore?

Hey John,

Here is the link to a fretwire chart I found. http://www.lutherie.net/fret.chart.html

Note that all StewMac fret tangs that are listed are hights not widths.
All others are width.

Steve

Most standard fret wire will run between .0195 to .0205 tang width. I carry thicker tanged wire for the compression fretting on older non adjustable truss rods. If you know the slot width I can get you something. Before you order did you wet the fret slot first , did you bend the fret wire ?
I like to use white or yellow glue thinned to about 25% . I work this into the slot and set the fret. The wet glue acts as a lubricant and then helps to harden the wood fibers. Water can help to make the barbs get a better bite but I prefer the glue. You can also CA in the frets or epoxy them . I feel the heavier tang gives for a stiffer neck and that can help with sustain .
Putting bass frets into this guitar may give you more headaches than you realize especially when you try and intonate .

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John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it

I did bend the fret wire. Wet the slot? No, I will try it but the frets really just slip out. Its a 80's Fender if that has any bearing.
I will give you a call tomorrow and get the low down.

Cool chart thanks!

John -

Sounds like a cool project. I think John Hall's comments about intonation (and maybe introducing a backbend) by using fatter fretwire would be my concern. Others have set their frets in epoxy, clamped, when the fit wasn't tight enough. Might be worth exploring.

Here's another thought - wonder what the others think about this one. What about filling the fret slots with some ebony saw dust, wicking in some thin CA, then recutting the slots at the appropriate slot width? Then use the fretwire that is original to the guitar? You probably ought to relevel the fretboard (with whatever radius is on that fretboard) before installing new frets anyway. Does that make sense?

This:http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Fretting_supplies/Pullers,_nippers,_sizing/Fret_Fitter.html

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