Fret wire

[TRBboy]

Hey folks, 

So, next on the shopping list for my build is fret wire. Don't really know what I should be getting, so just wondered what anyone recommends? 

I was reading that Dingwall use Banjo frets, is this a good idea or not? 

Grateful for any advice, I've no idea what I'm doing! 😂

Edited August 24, 2020 by TRBboy

[Geek99]

I tried fretting once, long before youtube and I made a pigs ear of it. If I was doing it again I’d get one of those fret presses with cauls to do it evenly. 
 

i think the banjo wire comes from lee sklar’s Dingwall, he advocates the lightest touch possible IIRC

[TRBboy]

9 minutes ago, Geek99 said:

I tried fretting once, long before youtube and I made a pigs ear of it. If I was doing it again I’d get one of those fret presses with cauls to do it evenly. 
 

i think the banjo wire comes from lee sklar’s Dingwall, he advocates the lightest touch possible IIRC

Thanks for that. Fortunately I'm going to be building in conjunction with a local luthier so that I can learn to do things properly, and use all the proper equipment! 😂

Any suggestions on what wire in particular I should be looking at? 

[Geek99]

I wouldn’t go jumbo modern, why not vintage spec ? You don’t say what style of bass it’s going into 

[TRBboy]

3 minutes ago, Geek99 said:

I wouldn’t go jumbo modern, why not vintage spec ? You don’t say what style of bass it’s going into 

Ah yes, good point! It is going to be a mixture of vintage and modern really, I generally want the ergonomics and refinements of modern design, but with the tone and response of a vintage bass, with vintage inspired styling. Vague I know, but the best I can do! 😊

[itu]

Thin fretwire requires more attention from the fretting hand. If you are at Mr. Sklar's level, go for it. Otherwise some wider model is usually far easier.

[TRBboy]

2 hours ago, itu said:

Thin fretwire requires more attention from the fretting hand. If you are at Mr. Sklar's level, go for it. Otherwise some wider model is usually far easier.

Thanks @itu I'm still feeling a bit out of my depth with it, but getting the feeling that medium or medium /jumbo kinda size might be best. But then there's the material too! What to go for? Stainless in assuming would be most hard wearing, but is there a downside? 

[HazBeen]

The thinner and lower the fret, the better your technique needs to be. 

Medium/Jumbo is a solid middle of the road option. A fretpress is easier, but you can certainly hammer frets in as well especially if you have a relatively flat fretboard it is quite easy as long as you think twice/take care.

I would advise against Stainless Steel/Titanium and such. Reason being it is harder on your tools (you may even need harder = more expensive tools), detanging/rounding/finishing a stainless fret is significantly more work too.

So for that reason alone I would advise to go for normal Nickel Silver alloy, not more than 25% alloy.

You can buy fretwire in lots of price brackets. Sintoms is a make I see more and more of that is not very expensive, but gets good reviews.

[TRBboy]

33 minutes ago, HazBeen said:

The thinner and lower the fret, the better your technique needs to be. 

Medium/Jumbo is a solid middle of the road option. A fretpress is easier, but you can certainly hammer frets in as well especially if you have a relatively flat fretboard it is quite easy as long as you think twice/take care.

I would advise against Stainless Steel/Titanium and such. Reason being it is harder on your tools (you may even need harder = more expensive tools), detanging/rounding/finishing a stainless fret is significantly more work too.

So for that reason alone I would advise to go for normal Nickel Silver alloy, not more than 25% alloy.

You can buy fretwire in lots of price brackets. Sintoms is a make I see more and more of that is not very expensive, but gets good reviews.

Thanks very much again for the info! I'm building this bass in conjunction with a local luthier, so he has all the proper tools (including a fret press I would imagine). I have just managed to find out what size fret wire my sandberg has, so that's a good start point too. It looks to be in the medium /jumbo bracket. 

[TRBboy]

Something like this @HazBeen?

https://tonetechluthiersupplies.co.uk/guitar-fret-wire/sintoms-fretwire/sintoms-elite-fret-2-5mm-crown-width-25-nickel.html

[HazBeen]

1 hour ago, TRBboy said:

Something like this @HazBeen?

https://tonetechluthiersupplies.co.uk/guitar-fret-wire/sintoms-fretwire/sintoms-elite-fret-2-5mm-crown-width-25-nickel.html

For instance

[HazBeen]

25% is relatively hard still, so you will get years of use before a refret is needed.

[TRBboy]

3 hours ago, HazBeen said:

25% is relatively hard still, so you will get years of use before a refret is needed.

Superb, thanks very much 😊