fretwire for vintage bowlbacks

[CervenySatek]

Hello all - I'm wondering if anyone knows where I can find fretwire that is used on old bowlbacks. Generally, it's about a millimeter wide with no crown that I can see. Any ideas?

[Eugene]

Absolutely nowhere of which I am aware. Unless something has changed, you'll need to buy the finest bar-fret wire you can find and grind it to thickness. Alternately, you can refret with fine modern tang-and-crown fret wire.

[Michael Lewis]

Bar frets are just wire that has been rolled flat. Of course you have to select the proper size and have access to a roller so you can squeeze them down to the usable thickness. Most jewelers can roll wire for a fee. Rio Grande Jewelery $upply has wire and roller$. I think there is information in their catalog regarding the proportion wire spreads out as it gets flatter

[Jim Garber]

If you just need a few pieces, I have some mando-carcasses that I could pull a bunch of the old frets out for you. If you want pristine new frets then it sounds like what Michael recommends might work.

Jim

[CervenySatek]

Hmmm - I notice that Siminoff has .040" (1.016 mm) width crowned wire. Does anyone have an opinion of how that crown would affect the sound of old bowlbacks (probably Italian)?

Thanks Jim, but I'm just planning generally right now, so I'll probably be looking for a lot of fretting.