Service manual

Sinclair Community College | ETD 110 Guitar Service Manual
16
Fret Repair and Replacement cont:
Fret wires are commonly made out of
nickel and stainless steel, although
they can be made out of several kinds
of materials. Stainless steel is much
denser than nickel which helps
prevent wear. On the other hand
stainless steel is much harder to
install than nickel due to its density.
Nickel is often recommended for the
average player.
After your frets have been removed
from the guitar you need to measure the size of the crown. Using a
pair of calipers, you can measure the height and width of the crown.
If the fret was
glued into the slot then will need to
clean out the glue that is left in the
slot. This will help you get accurate
measurements when measuring the
fret slot.
After the fret
slot is completely clean, you can take
a feeler gauge and insert it into the slot. Frets will range from .023”
to .050” in width.
After you have the measurements of the fret
slots, you will then be able to choose the correct fret wire. When
selecting a wire, the only thing that needs to be a certain size is the
tang. The tang must be .002” smaller then the width of the fret slot.
This will let it lay snug in the slot. The bead of crown can either be
the same size as the previous wire or different.