I was wondering at what point does a fret replacement become necessary? I am noticing wear in the frets of my Kramer DMZ 6000, I am not having any issues right now. The fret board is ebonol and I wondering if this material creates any more of a challenge for an experienced tech to replace the frets? I am not the original owner and I use flatwound string by choice so I am hoping they will be easier on the frets. I was recently told my neck is slightly bowed to the point that my action will need to remain a little higher than I like to avoid some buzzing. I installed Thomastik flatwounds and because of their loose tension and gauge it actually brought the action down a little.

Thanks.

Marty

Here are some basic thoughts on fret wear:

1. If you can see ruts (even small ones) your frets need to be dressed.
2. If the frets are less than .025" tall and have ruts they need to be replaced.

Fret dressing is a level-crown-polish. It is what is done to newly installed frets right after they are put in the fretboard. Most production instruments will benefit from a fret dressing. Your tech will spend anywhere from forty five minutes to two hours to do an accurate job. In the factory they will spend less than five minutes most of the time. Surprisingly, this quick dressing is enough to end up with an instrument that plays pretty decently. However, when low action is desired, it usually requires a fret dress.

Newly installed frets are typically .035" to .050" tall. Small ruts are typically .005" to .010" deep. If you dress the frets when the ruts are small the frets can be dressed several times before a re-fret is necessary. If your frets are on the low side and the ruts are deep your luthier will probably be able to dress them only once. All of this assumes that the original, factory installed frets received a reasonably accurate leveling when the frets were installed.

As far as working with Ebanol goes, it should not be an issue in any way for an experienced tech.

Thank you for the information, very helpful and detailed.

Marty