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Posted

Just bought a second hand Squier Classic Vibe 50s Precision Bass absolutely mint nick looks brand new…..blonde see through finish looks stunning, brass saddle bridge etc, really pleased with it my only personal gripe is it’s strung with flats which I personally don’t like, but being doing some research on YouTube etc and because the frets are small more like a guitar apparently this is how they were built in the day, so it’s recommended that flats are better to prevent damage from round wounds which is a bit of a bummer, any suggestions anyone I personally would like to string it with rounds but don’t want the frets ruining, I don’t gig these days (never say never mind) it’s just a little bit of a hobby for me these days. Or should I persevere with the flats and hopefully get to like them. Cheers and happy new year to everyone.

Posted

I'm sure someone will be along soon to correct me if I'm wrong, but IIRC the  Squier Classic Vibe 50s Precision Bass uses 18% nickel-silver fret wire. It's actually a copper alloy with nickel added for hardness, so unless you're happy with your bass sounding like a dull thud, it will be a long while before you have to worry about rounds causing enough fretwear to worry.

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Posted (edited)

Ignore YT, stick whatever you want on it. I had a '63 P bass and used rounds all the time with that, no bother. Any damage will take years.

Edited by ezbass
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Posted

YouTube, and the internet as a whole, has content to create and it does that partly by creating problems that don't exist or amplifying ones that may happen over a prolonged period of time. All frets will wear, none will wear so quickly that you will notice it within the probable length of your ownership of the bass. If they do, then you will have had more than enough use to justify a refret anyway. That said, some rounds are smoother than others (some rounds' mothers are smoother than other rounds' mothers 🤣) so you can choose one of the less abrasive ones. 

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Posted

It will take thousands of hours to wear down the frets. Even then they can be recrowned.

 

The greater damage to frets isn’t caused by playwear, it’s the strings being pushed against the frets with high pressure when effectively leaves a dent in the fret. The rest then need to be shaved to ensure an even action. 

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Posted (edited)

Thanks for the comments everyone, aye I’ll be putting some rounds on it as soon as possible, I must admit the frets are small but it’s something I have never taken notice of until pointed out by the fella I bought it from and watching a YouTube video but like most of you have pointed out it’ll take years to wear the frets out. Thanks again everyone 

Edited by Robbo
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Posted (edited)
1 hour ago, Robbo said:

I must admit the frets are small but it’s something I have never taken notice of until pointed out by the fella I bought it from

 

I wouldn't worry about that, unless you intend to go full Steve Harris. You can run a lower action with finer frets and they are more comfortable to play on. Lee Sklar has his basses fretted with mandolin wire. If it's good enough for him...

Edited by Dan Dare
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