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View Full Version : Fret Wear On A Blueridge BR40-T



TenorMan
Nov-05-2015, 6:30pm
Hey everyone! This is my first post. I bought a brand new Blueridge BR40-T two years ago, and it is already developing fret wear, especially under the D and A strings. I asked Mike Lull, who is currently working on my 34 Kalamazoo, about this, and he said that the fret wire they use in Asia has a lower nickel to silver ratio than the stuff used here in the States. I was wondering, has anyone else experienced this? I'm going to have to have it refretted by next year.:confused:

Grommet
Nov-06-2015, 1:49am
Welcome to the Cafe!
I wouldn't think that two years would be considered too soon to expect fret wear that requires attention. I have never had one of my guitars refretted, but grooved the frets pretty badly in one year on my first mandolin. The EVO gold frets worked well to fix that. I think the smaller the scale and the fewer the courses, the more you concentrate your efforts leading to quicker wear. This assumes playing alot of single note melody, double stops and up the neck stuff. I have heard that the term nickel silver is a misnomer, as it refers to a copper alloy usually 60% copper, 20 % nickel, and 20% zinc.

Scott

fox
Nov-06-2015, 3:53am
Crikey that sounds bad! I can't even see the smallest amount of wear on mine and it is 5 years old.
I guess you must play her an awfull lot? At leaste they can be replaced, I bet they are well glued in though!

TenorMan
Nov-06-2015, 11:08am
I play it at least a couple of hour long sessions a week. I'm retired, so I've got plenty of time to practice. I haven't been up the neck yet, but will be learning my scales by next year. No, most of my playing so far has been the major chords, most of which are concentrated on the first 4 frets. C is where the damage is really noticeable. Other than this issue, and a little nut A string breakeage problem, I love this guitar. Plays like a dream. Oh yeah, my darned end pin keeps falling out.

Grommet
Nov-06-2015, 4:21pm
Well..a couple of hour long sessions a week doesn't sound like it should produce too much wear, especially if mainly strumming chords. A photo of the grooved frets would help, as sometimes visible wear/light grooves are not really a problem at all functionally till much further down the road. If you aren't having intonation issues you might well get another year or even more before they need dressing. One would think that if the frets have never been dressed, that there would be adequate crown height to allow dressing/filing rather than a refret. When I began playing mandolin after years of guitar playing, I had a pretty stout grip on the neck and after awhile I learned to back off by trying to not support the any of the instrument weight with my left hand; striving to supply just enough resistance with the left thumb and palm to offset the minimum finger pressure needed to fret notes cleanly. I have by no means perfected this, but it did help with my playing and the fret wear. If you prefer to opt for a refret rather than a fret dressing, I highly recommend EVO Gold fret wire. Great wear resistance! For the endpin, I have gotten good results by wiping on thin layers of gel CA glue on the shaft of the pin and allowing it to dry before trial fitting. I do this till I get a good press fit. I have been wanting to try a BT-40T myself for as while now.

Scott

TenorMan
Nov-06-2015, 5:28pm
Thanks Scott. I'll ask Mike Lull about that EVO Gold fret wire next week when I pick up my Kalamazoo. As for my endpin, I'm just going to get a nice ebony job, one that fits, and stick 'er in there. In fact, I might just get the whole Martin ebony bridge pin set, which includes the endpin. As for the nut, a little filing on the A slot, and I haven't broken an A string since. And, as for you wanting a BR40-T, get one! Christmas is coming! I highly recommend one.
Brad

PiousDevil
Nov-07-2015, 9:42am
If anybody is on the fence about a BR-40T, I have a 70s Epiphone Dreadnought, Breedlove Stage Concert, an Alvarez Baritone, the Ibanez artwood tenor (AVT-1, I think), and a BR-40T. The blueridge is the only one I play every day, and by far has the sweetest sound and neck feel of all of them. Of all the things I have blown money on (and I blow a lot of money, usually the bank's), it is the only one that I haven't had a moment where I asked myself "did I really need this?"

TenorMan
Nov-07-2015, 10:09am
I feel the same way about mine. I've got a 1934 Kalamazoo KTG-11, and between the two, my BR40-T is much easier to play. My Kal has such a narrow neck, and tiny frets, that it's hard to get some chords. People must have been tinyer back in the Thirties! The Blueridge is like moving up to a Cadillac! Lots more room.

fox
Mar-10-2016, 12:06pm
Crikey that sounds bad! I can't even see the smallest amount of wear on mine and it is 5 years old.
I guess you must play her an awful lot? At least they can be replaced, I bet they are well glued in though!
Well I have also noticed some fret wear! I changed the strings today & I can see the first three frets are all grooved from all four strings.
I first thought the marks were just shiny from the string contact but I can feel the groves with my finger nail :disbelief:

Steve Ostrander
Mar-10-2016, 1:35pm
I played a Blueridge tenor at Elderly a couple weeks ago and I was impressed with the sound and playability. I'm seriously thinking about getting one, but I have a really nice Larrivee D-02 and I keep thinking that I should be just happy with it. Even though I don't play it that much, I'm hesitant to sell it to get a tenor. I guess I'll get the tenor, and if I don't play the Larrivee, then I'll sell it. There. I've made my decision. Thanks for talking this through with me:)

multidon
Mar-11-2016, 8:44am
Fret wire is usually nickel silver, which has no silver. It is usually 80 percent copper, 18 percent nickel, the rest trace elements. There are different formulae. Jescar uses 62 percent copper, 18 percent nickel, 18 percent zinc. Copper is quite soft, and less copper in the mix means better wear. But your plain steel strings are much harder than your frets and so the wear will be the worst there. With the wound strings, wear should not be nearly as bad as the windings are usually softer or at least no harder than the frets.

Fret wire is a compromise because instrument makers and repair luthiers have one agenda and players a quite different one. Luthiers want fret wire that is quick and easy to install, and player want them to last. The two agendas are at odds with each other. But everybody has to re-fret eventually.

If you want the ultimate insurability you re-fret with stainless steel. But some luthiers won't work with it because it ruins their tools, unless they have invested in diamond tools. EVO, a proprietary bronze formula, is much more durable that NS and easier for the luthier to work with than SS, so it's a great compromise choice. But you probably could get another couple of years out of what you have with a fret level and re-crown. You luthier files the tops of the frets until the wear is gone, then files the tops round again. This does raise the action a tiny bit but for most people not noticeable. You can do this once or even twice on most instruments before a re-fret is necessary.

If you decide to go with a regret maybe only a partial re-fret is necessary. Some get only the first 5-7 replaced, where the vast majority of the wear is concentrated.

fentonjames
Mar-11-2016, 10:28am
fret wear also depends on the player themselves. having a light touch, vs. being heavy handed makes a huge difference on the actual pressure being applied to the frets themselves.

Chip Stewart
Mar-13-2016, 4:57pm
My Yamaha APX-5A needed new frets after 2 years. I tend to play heavy handed and practice at least 30 minutes per day. I opted to refret with stainless steel frets even though some people warned me that the stainless would degrade the sound of the guitar. Instead of degrading the sound of the guitar the stainless steel frets significantly improved the sound of the guitar. The luthier that did the work noticed it right away. The guitar had a much fuller, deeper sound with the stainless steel frets. If you chose to refret, I would definitely recommend stainless steel frets.

TenorMan
Mar-24-2016, 6:44pm
Thanks everybody for your input. I think I might be just a bit heavy handed. It is only worn on the second fret...under my D and A strings. I should be okay for at least another year or two. And Chip, I will most likely go with the stainless steel frets when the time comes. I just hope I've got the money when that time comes, a refret job is rather spendy. It'd be cheaper to buy a new Blueridge! As for that useless endpin, I bought a dandy buffalo horn job with an abalone dot. A little custom sanding, and it's perfect! Looks real spiffy, and it goes well with my buffalo horn/abalone bridge pins!