How Long does a Fret Crown Last?

[MetalManiac]

How Long does a Fret Crown Last on Nickle Silver frets?
Especially with heavy handed chording and lots of lead and bends?
If the perfect Crown is compromised after a certain time, then Can one actually "wear" the frets in to his playing physics, if you catch my drift?

[the guy who invented fire]

That can't be answered...

It depends on what gauge strings you use...what composition they are...how hard you play...how often you play...what size the frets are...how often you bend...etc...

It's like asking how long a light bulb will last...until it stops working.

A re crown will last until it either needs another crown or a refret.

If you use light gauge strings and play 30 minutes a week I suspect a long, long time...if you use 12 gauge strings with a wound G made from steel and play that guitar 8 hours a day every day I suspect not too long at all...

I have no idea what the second part of that question means...

[aleclee]

Not long enough. That's why I've gotten two guitars refretted with stainless steel this year.

[MetalManiac]

I have no idea what the second part of that question means...

I can't figure out how to word it. Say if you play , for example, mostly around the 8th to 12th frets, and mostly doing lead with heavy gauge strings, will the frets wear in to the physics of yur playing ( and I cant use the word "style" of playing , cause that means something else).
Could the frets wear into your playing physics whereby maybe even if the crown was lost over time, you would still get the best action off that particualr guitar that noone else could if they tried playing the same guitar

probably still way to nebulous a question- best I can do..

[the guy who invented fire]

I can't figure out how to word it. Say if you play , for example, mostly around the 8th to 12th frets, and mostly doing lead with heavy gauge strings, will the frets wear in to the physics of yur playing ( and I cant use the word "style" of playing , cause that means something else).
Could the frets wear into your style whereby maybe even if the crown was lost over time, you would still get the best action off that particualr guitar that noone else could if they tied playing the same guitar

probably still way to nebulous a question- best I can do..

I know even less now than I did before...

Let me say this...frets are as much of a personal thing about your guitars as set up, stings gauge, pickup height...all of it.

Some guys get their guitars refretted a lot because they love the feel of new frets that are close to the size they were when new others almost never get guitars refretted...

Steve Morse for example has had his number 1 Musicman refretted close to a dozen times...and that guitar is only 25 years old...Mike Campbell has never had his Broadcaster fully refretted, he did have the first 5 frets replaced a year or so ago because they guitar simply wouldn't play anymore below the 6th fret...it's over 60 years old.

[JOLLY]

You don't even play enough guitar to ever even worry about such a topic.

[formula73]

What he said.

[MetalManiac]

You don't even play enough guitar to ever even worry about such a topic.

But I do play enough guitars!

[aleclee]

Could the frets wear into your playing physics whereby maybe even if the crown was lost over time, you would still get the best action off that particualr guitar that noone else could if they tried playing the same guitar

No. Here's why:

That might work if fret buzz wore down frets but it doesn't. It just sounds like crap. Frets wear where you fret the string, not where strings buzz. Consequently, as you continue to play, the places you generally fret the string wear down more. Since they're even lower relative to the frets where the buzz occurs, the buzzing probably gets even worse.

Physics is a *****.

[Jessie's ghost]

Crowning gives the top of the fret a round, or arch-shaped, cross-section. Fret wear will flatten down that roundness over time. A flat fret top is not what you want for good intonation, and the inconsistency from fret to fret is a recipe for buzzing.

[MetalManiac]

Great info everyone!
So, can a guitar be perodically "Crowned ( & polished)" without the added hassle of levelling?

[ItsaBass]

I usually notice the crowns starting to flatten out in spots within a month or two of playing a brand new guitar an average of 20 or 30 minutes a day. That doesn't mean the frets won't work fine, however. The only time I recrown is after I have the frets leveled. Otherwise you get nicely crowned frets that aren't level. As for leveling, I usually just do it to the higher frets, which I don't play that often. I don't care about dents, but the higher frets sticking up more than the lower ones can make setting up the guitar the way I like it near impossible.

[MetalManiac]

I usually notice the crowns starting to flatten out in spots within a month or two of playing a brand new guitar an average of 20 or 30 minutes a day. That doesn't mean the frets won't work fine, however. The only time I recrown is after I have the frets leveled. Otherwise you get nicely crowned frets that aren't level. As for leveling, I usually just do it to the higher frets, which I don't play that often. I don't care about dents, but the higher frets sticking up more than the lower ones can make setting up the guitar the way I like it near impossible.

brilliant! Thanks so much!

[JOLLY]

I can already see an upcoming thread titled "I think I screwed up my frets".

[MetalManiac]

I can already see an upcoming thread titled "I think I screwed up my frets".

Brilliant!

[MetalManiac]

No. Here's why:

That might work if fret buzz wore down frets but it doesn't. It just sounds like crap. Frets wear where you fret the string, not where strings buzz. Consequently, as you continue to play, the places you generally fret the string wear down more. Since they're even lower relative to the frets where the buzz occurs, the buzzing probably gets even worse.

Physics is a *****.

Brilliant!!

[MetalManiac]

I

Steve Morse for example has had his number 1 Musicman refretted close to a dozen times...and that guitar is only 25 years old...Mike Campbell has never had his Broadcaster fully refretted, he did have the first 5 frets replaced a year or so ago because they guitar simply wouldn't play anymore below the 6th fret...it's over 60 years old.

This is brilliant!
Of course, Mr. Micheal Campbell has acsses to the best guitar techs in the world.I'm sure thats not a stretch.
So then, did Mike have periodic levels and crownings before his refret, and did he sort of "wear his guitar in" before it became unplayable?
Morse OTOH likes new frets to get the action he needs off of the board.

[Mr 9finger]

I usually notice the crowns starting to flatten out in spots within a month or two of playing a brand new guitar an average of 20 or 30 minutes a day. That doesn't mean the frets won't work fine, however. The only time I recrown is after I have the frets leveled. Otherwise you get nicely crowned frets that aren't level. As for leveling, I usually just do it to the higher frets, which I don't play that often. I don't care about dents, but the higher frets sticking up more than the lower ones can make setting up the guitar the way I like it near impossible.

I like to have my guitars fret's "sloped" from the about the 9 or 10 fret down. It's a pain in the butt and time consuming, but if it's done right, it makes the guitar play effortlessly in the higher registers.

[MetalManiac]

I like to have my guitars fret's "sloped" from the about the 9 or 10 fret down. It's a pain in the butt and time consuming, but if it's done right, it makes the guitar play effortlessly in the higher registers.

Gotta hand it to you...Brilliant!
What is "sloping"?

[the guy who invented fire]