Jacques_nasi
Hey there guys,
I'm thinking of doing something different with my plain old Epiphone LP Special II. in order for this I need to remove the frets to do some work on the fretboard, so my question is can I replace the old fret wire if I take them out carefully when I'm done? ??? ???
slyd
Hmmmm, . . . not recommended (by me, IMHO). If they're out, why go backwards and put in the old ones? New frets will seat better, have a nice new crown, and will not need to be dressed for a long while. Plus, depending on the fret size you choose, you will have improved sustain or tone.
Also, common practice nowadays is to super glue the frets after installation - this is just a trickle of glue down the edges of each fret, which then "wicks in" into the fret slot, which, besides adding fixture strength, fills the voids between the fret tang and the fret slot (which has been proven to create a fuller sound and tone). This practice is endorsed by StewMac.
As I said IMHO :-[
AlanRatcliffe
Never reuse frets. The process of removing them bends them and you never get them back in at any semblance of even, which means a hell of a lot more work to level them properly. If you're going to take the frets out and do all the hard work of putting them back, you might as well put new frets in. The fretwire itself isn't very expensive, so save yourself the aggravation.
