Alternative to fret wire?

I'm think this has been a common topic before, but I'm curious if there are any new ideas.

I'm looking for a good alternative to factory fret wire. I've seen various ideas, but none of them seem to work well. Brads and straightened wire are difficult to attach, toothpicks wear out too easy, and bone . . . well, where in the world do you get that?

Every time I've tried gluing something directly to the fret board, the frets finished slightly higher of lower than each other. Ideally then, I'm looking for something that doesn't have to be glued directly to the board. This of course is principle of fret wire, that being, a crown that covers a grove flat on the board.

I've experimented with a couple of ideas. I tried metal push pins, which are really not too different from fret wire. Perhaps that idea worked better in theory though. I also tried shooting staples into the board, and using them as frets, but my staple gun didn't want to shoot them in at the same height.

So, what ideas do y'all have for a decent alternative to fret wire?

I've tried toothpicks, brass craft wire, copper electrical wire (15 amp), and stainless wire brads. My favorite is the copper wire. It's a little beefy for a standard fret (easy to fret a note sharp), but you learn to deal with it. I straighten lengths of salvaged wire by clamping one end and pulling *really* hard with lineman's pliers. I use a hand-miter saw to cut shallow grooves that the wire lays in. Incidentally, the best glue I've discovered for this is a cyanoacrylate (super glue) put out by Gorilla Glue that's rated "impact resistant"--it's been reformulated to give it some rubbery "give", so frets are less likely to pop off. I've used it on instruments I've played from mountaintops to deserts, and never lost a fret.

Replies

Stew January 23, 2020 at 2:15am

Clothes hangers. The dry cleaner types. The thinner gauge one for frets and the thicker gauge for zero fret. Install with a couple of spots of the gel superglue.
Jeremy Moorer January 22, 2020 at 12:36pm

I'm going to try Clothes hangers.
BT Cohosh February 15, 2012 at 1:16pm

I've tried toothpicks, brass craft wire, copper electrical wire (15 amp), and stainless wire brads. My favorite is the copper wire. It's a little beefy for a standard fret (easy to fret a note sharp), but you learn to deal with it. I straighten lengths of salvaged wire by clamping one end and pulling *really* hard with lineman's pliers. I use a hand-miter saw to cut shallow grooves that the wire lays in. Incidentally, the best glue I've discovered for this is a cyanoacrylate (super glue) put out by Gorilla Glue that's rated "impact resistant"--it's been reformulated to give it some rubbery "give", so frets are less likely to pop off. I've used it on instruments I've played from mountaintops to deserts, and never lost a fret.
William McCauley February 14, 2012 at 11:00am

On my last two builds I have used 1/8" brass rod from Lowe's. I cut the slots to half the thickness of the rod on my table saw (the blade has an 1/8" kerf) and put the rod in with Titebond med gel superglue. Use a long wood plank, sand paper and a long straight edge to level. The nice thing with using the tablesaw is the depth of the cut is constant.

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- Caleb > William McCauley February 14, 2012 at 11:19am
  
  They look good. I like the eyebolts as guides too.
robert jones February 14, 2012 at 7:56am

I get bone for nuts and saddles from the local pet store, dog section.

Haven't thought about making bone frets though, might have to give that a try.
Wade February 13, 2012 at 11:32pm

for me next best thing to real frets are wooden/skewer type frets that I harden with either wood hardener or soak ends with super glue. Metal just seems to pop off and wrapped frets don't have enough contact with a flat fretboard for me. so far fretwire is easiest and cost effective if you include some of your time invested into a project.

Wade
Peter Greed February 13, 2012 at 11:25pm

I have used half a stainless split pins cut on the diagonal to form a point then bent into a staple shape and knocked in to undersize holes drilled just in from the edge of the finder board. Not pretty but not much of what I do is.

Cheers

Peter
Bluesheart February 13, 2012 at 6:42pm

ps I like the paperclip idea too!
Bluesheart February 13, 2012 at 6:41pm

I used 1/16" brass rod for my first fretted neck, a lot of work and you have to glue them into slots on the neck. They have held ok . A couple have popped off during extreme temperture changes but glued them back on. All in all, just more trouble than it is worth. I love to "make" al the parts, but when you can get fret wire for what CG Gitty sells it for, it is kind of a no brainer. If you really want to keep it cheap and "real" try wooden toothpicks, but you still have to either glue or varnish them down and I dont think they will have as much sustain or volume as steel ones.

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