Electric Guitars Speaking of Fret Wires...
- Thread starter MikeS
- Start date
OG_Blues
Guitar Geezer
Maybe, maybe not - and that is my definitive answer! 
Are those flat frets flat all the way across from high E to low E? If so, then that fret was never properly crowned.
Is that a problem? Only if it gets to the point where you start getting fret buzz on the next higher fret.
If it is flat only under the portion where you are bending the higher strings, it could well be a result of the bending, but usually that is kind of obvious and shows up as being "dished" out right under the string. Again, no buzzing or fretting out when bending - it's not yet at the point of "need". But can it be improved? Absolutely yes.
The best investment you can make is a Stew Mac Fret Rocker so you can really check to accurately identify high and low spots that might need attention.
In my experience, even some high $ brand new guitars can benefit from some additional fret work.
Really getting them level and then properly crowned can make a big difference in how a guitar plays, even if it is not at the point of "need", which I would define as when playability is seriously affected.
Are those flat frets flat all the way across from high E to low E? If so, then that fret was never properly crowned.
Is that a problem? Only if it gets to the point where you start getting fret buzz on the next higher fret.
If it is flat only under the portion where you are bending the higher strings, it could well be a result of the bending, but usually that is kind of obvious and shows up as being "dished" out right under the string. Again, no buzzing or fretting out when bending - it's not yet at the point of "need". But can it be improved? Absolutely yes.
The best investment you can make is a Stew Mac Fret Rocker so you can really check to accurately identify high and low spots that might need attention.
In my experience, even some high $ brand new guitars can benefit from some additional fret work.
Really getting them level and then properly crowned can make a big difference in how a guitar plays, even if it is not at the point of "need", which I would define as when playability is seriously affected.
JPsuff
Blackstar Artist
The simple answer is that if you're not losing any intonation and you're not fretting out your strings above the fret in question then there's probably nothing to worry about yet.
But if your notes sound a bit off on those frets or if you're losing sustain because the fret is so worn that it's causing the string to contact the frets above it (fretting out) then it may be time to either replace the frets in question or perhaps have all of your frets leveled and crowned.
