Hi everyone,

I am not an expert with the guitar, I just taught myself what I know for some years. I hope someone can help me with this:

1) I think I played my acoustic for maybe 10 years now, but not super regularly. Now the frets have developed deep dents really fast. I played only a few times since I discovered (heard the ringing) them and to me they seem much more obvious now, so I stopped playing altogether. Can someone think of a reason why that developed so fast? Or is it natural in the sense that once there is a dent it always gets deeper super fast? I'm not sure but it's possible that I changed the strings before that.

2) Also if I let someone repair the frets, they will grind them so they will lose height, right? Will that stop the process of the dents getting deeper? Because if not and there is another reason for that I would have to find that first.

3) I now got my first electric guitar (good thing because this way it's easier for me to pause the acoustic guitar) and I discovered that how hard I press on the strings between the frets has an impact on the string frequency (pressing harder makes the tone higher, like bending). I never noticed that with the acoustic guitar - is that something special to electric guitars. Maybe it's just that the frets are higher... So is it normal having to adjust the finger-pressure when changing to electric guitar?

4) I notice on the tuning-monitor when I tune the open strings perfectly that the tones on the higher frets are slightly too high. Is there an issue with the nut that I should take care off? I mean is the nut too high? Do I have to grind it in so the strings sit in it a little deeper?

Sry if I named something wrong, I'm not used to speaking about guitars in english.

Thanks a lot for any help

 

1 and 2. You may have been playing with heavier-than-usual string gauge or cheap-ish, very abrasive strings. Anyways, feet wear is a thing to be expected. Frets can get sanded and nothing happens to string action or playing, but if your frets are too worn, refretting is the way to go. A qualified luthier (not a DIY job) will give your guitar a new life.

3. Yes, pressing the strings harder changes the tuning. It's physics. Depending on your playing style, that's a good or a bad thing. You just develop the technique to avoid or exploit the fact. If the frets in a guitar are too high, then this change in tone becomes noticeable and a luthier is to be consulted. Most of the time, the ear won't pick up those changes unless no other sounds are playing and attention is paid.

4. If a string is (slightly) out of tune when comparing open strings to 12th fret octave, the nut has nothing to do. It is the string saddles in the bridge that need adjusting. It's a simple process and part of the regular guitar-tune up routine. You can learn from YouTube or visit your luthier.

Good luck.

 

Last edited: Mar 3, 2018

if the dents are all over the fretboard, and you say you dont play often, it may be a case of new strings with lighter gauge.
lighter strings apply less pull on the neck which in turn bends backwards slightly as a result, lowering the strings towards the fretboard.
if they are on a few frets only, you either prefer certain keys, like most of us, and/or apply too much pressure when playing.
i once took a half-accoustic epiphone to a guitar shop because only 1 note/fret was slightly ringing against the next higher fret. they were asking over 100 € at the time, probably like twice that nowadays. i decided to get the finest sandpaper and took off the least amount from the adjacent fret, then some even less from the next higher fret, and the guitar has been fine since, price like 3 €.

 

Thanks to both of you. @panaman I think I might try that. I imagine complete refretting might be pretty expensive and I'm short on money right now and at least for a few months.

 

If your frets are dented the most likely scenario us that the instrument has cheap fret wire installed on it or was banged on by a slide. I have a 45 year old guitar with the original frets that has no dents from playing it. On the other hand, frets do become worn down after a time, and depending on the quality and/or sentimental value of it, there is the possibility of having it re-fretted. Stainless steel fret wire lasts the longest as it is the hardest and is very, very smooth. A nickel/copper combination is the most common. The better wire has more nickel than copper.

You need to set up the guitar (intonate it and adjust the string height) or take it to a luthier to do it for you if the guitar is not true to scale as you work your way up the fretboard.

And yes, electric guitars have a tendency to sharpen a note if you press hard down on a string easier than on an acoustic because generality the strings are of a finer, lighter gauge. You need to keep that in mind.

What brand of guitars do you have?

 

User mercurysoto had a good answer but I would like to add that notes on "lower" frets (like first, second etc. frets) are more or less out of tune on every guitar, no matter how good they are set up. Yes, you can remedy it a little by filing the nut if it is way too high (they often are). Even better fix would be a "compensated" (like Earvana) nut. In fact to actually get your intonation right (and then the player messes it up with inconsistent playing technique) you would need frets shaped like this:



Many guitarists aren't even aware that their guitars are quite badly out of tune especially on lower frets because it's kinda part of the guitar sound we have all grown up with. It has always bothered me while actually playing (like you just feel a little dirty when playing simple intervals on lower frets and you wanna make a "I know I'm out of tune" -face constantly) but when I listen to a recording of my playing afterwards I don't really hear it anymore and it doesn't bother me when I listen other people play.

And then there's the great Peavey / Antares autotune guitar.

 

At first I thought you were a native English speaker... not bad m8....

to your question... compression re-fret is what the guitar needs... no other way to go...
If you are planning to keep your guitar, and I will assume you do... it's time to pay the piper, or the luthier in this case.
In the US, a compression re-fret from a pro will go for around $250, so that's a big 2nd for what @mercurysoto said..

I know too well, I had a pawn shop Alvarez acoustic score for $200,
and then found the re-fret would cost more than the guitar !
I wanted to hear that thing play as it should, so what did I do ? pay !

 

A neck reset is even more expensive. Keep your acoustic guitars humidified, sisters and brothers. If your guitar dries out, that is if the humidity level stays below about 45%, the arch in the top sinks taking the bridge with it. The neck will tend to bow forward which will necessitate a truss rod adjustment and the fingerboard will shrink in width, causing the sharp ends of the frets to extend beyond the edge of the neck.This is preventable with just a cheap Planet Waves cheapo sponge holder thingy. Love your guitars and your guitars will "love you long time".

 

If you leave your guitar in a spare room during December in low humidity and low temp , like I did, you might even get what I got

I went on vacation for 2 weeks and when I came back... neck block failure... RIP my love

 

@Riot7 that is really interesting, i would have never thought that.

@Herr Durr @superliquidsunshine Can you tell me how to keep my guitars humidified? Rubbing the fretboard with a wet towel? Or even the whole guitar? Is regularly oiling the fretboard enough? The air in my room is quite dry and now I'm a bit worried :D

Btw almost all of the dents are on the b and high e string, there's just one dent on the g string at the first fret, where I always play the a-minor chord - so that doesn't worry me. But the two highest strings seem to be kind of a problem.

Are there big differences in the "non-spiraled" strings between brands?
Mine are "Martin phosphor bronze extra light .010 - .047" which the guy in the store recommended to me. My guitar is an "Ibanez Artwood AW-100" for around 400 bucks, just in case anyone has experience with this one.

 

There is another culprit in regards to accelerated fret wear: capos. Using a capo will dick up your frets big time....especially on less expensive guitars that might skimp a little on fret wire quality. Look at where you might commonly use the capo the most, say at the 3rd or 5th fret. Is the wear excessive there and not at the higher frets? Capo.

Also, a cheap way to keep your guitar humidified, providing you keep it in a case, which you should....always, is to buy a plastic soap dish, the kind with both top and bottom, meant for carrying soap in an overnight bag. Drill several holes, approx. 1/4" in the flat side, cut a sponge to fit, soak sponge with water just enough not to drip and carry in the case. Of course the better way would be to buy a real humidifying system.

 

good point to keep in mind @orgcha

@SwingSwing if you don't have a dedicated guitar room..(as most of us don't ),
or live somewhere that has natural humidity most of the year...(you don't want too much either )
there are pricey little humidity control boxes you can get to put in your guitar case..

or you could do like me and put a piece of drenched then wrenched sponge in a little plastic container with holes punched in it
in your case.. works as good as anything you would pay 30 € for... if the guitar is your super sweetie aged to perfection acoustic
you might spring for a little humidity gauge, but that's about as far as you would need to go

not crazy about the sponsor of this.. but the article is a pretty good , simple exposition

https://www.sweetwater.com/insync/the-ideal-humidity-for-guitar/

 

Honestly the best thing you can do it just to take it to a luthier, and if it is possible have the frets ground and dressed.

10 years is a long time, especially for nickel frets. Even if you don't play it that much there is oxidation and that oxidized layer is more fragile than the healthier metal beneath it. Also, a well setup and built guitar doesn't require that much finger pressure, push down only as hard as you need to. On an electric with light gauge strings, the pressure is even less. Have the works done and if your luthier is any good, and the guitar is still in good shape you might notice a whole different world. The biggest contributor these days to the difference in price between a mid level and an amazing guitar is the time that is spent on set-up and details.

I had to have an old Charvel re-fretted and I went with EVO Gold wire it's harder than nickel, not as hard as stainless steel, but since luthiers don't like working with SS (or maybe just the one I use) the price difference is substantial. The gold color of the frets was bothering me for a while but now am used to it...

I did the damage myself in my younger dumber days when I thought heavy gauge strings were cleaner sounding, they aren't they just tolerate more force before sounding shit. Play lighter, touch lighter, and not only will you go longer between maintenance downtime you joints and your instrument will be in better shape as they age. If you need more volume - that's what amplifiers are for.

 

Funny, I rented this Artwood 100, the cutaway version, last summer, a kinda beat up older one from a nice fellow in a mom and pop music store while visiting family in New York. It was an ok instrument. I always need a guitar around if for nothing else than to keep my fingers limber and calluses in condition. The frets were worn on it and I guess that they save a couple of shekels there. If you are keeping your guitar and not wanting to replace it then I guess you could spend the money on redressing them. Find a local luthier and you will be golden. When you get it back it will play almost like a new instrument, bending strings and just moving around the fretboard will be smoooooth.

 

Thank you guys so much for your advice! I think I will continue playing my acoustic for the next few months until I have the money to take it to a luthier - looking forward to it

@mozee @all can someone give me any general tips or point me to some kind of tutorial concerning left-hand-techniques that reduce pressure on the strings? I don't think I have any trouble with single-note-playing but when playing chords, especially barre-chords I have to apply a certain pressure unless I want the strings to ring... I also think I don't have the perfect fingers for those chords as my hands are big but the joints of the fingers are bigger than the phalanges (thanks LEO :D ) and so the pressure is not equally distributed over the strings

 

Ah yes and I never used a capo, just recently bought one and now I consider never to use it :D

Until now I stored my guitar in a bag but maybe after taking it to the luthier I will also buy a case and find a way to humidify it. Maybe a big box where I can hang all my guitars and humidify them would be nice, I think that should not be too hard to build

 

I had my 1980 strat re fretted with stainless steel.. I like them a lot .Fret wear is normal. From what I heard if you use a capo it will cause it to wear out faster. All and all most likely if your frets worn out fast I would agree they might not be the best fret wire material.

 

On my SS fret Parker Nitefly the strings, instead of frets, get ' dented ' from vibrato and bending.
Well worth the extra cost for ' almost ' never needing a refret.