Question: I have a steel string acoustic guitar and I keep wearing grooves in the first few frets of the G and E strings. I have had the fingerboard frets reworked once and have only had the guitar for about four years. Are the frets too soft? About how many times can you rework the frets before they or the guitar needs to be replaced?

Answer: My Martin D18 is 28 years old with countless hours of playing. I notice wear on my frets but the guitar still plays exactly the way I like so I've never had it re-fretted or re-worked. The hardness of the metal used in the frets has alot to do with it. The frets can be re-worked only as many times as the fret material will allow. When the frets get too low, they will eventually need replaced. Some professional electric players have their guitars re-fretted once a year because the fret wear affects bending the strings and the sustain on the note while bending. If the repair person is good, you should be able to have it re-fretted with no problem. It's not a simple job to do but if he's experienced, no damage to the guitar should occur. Make sure he uses good quality fret wire so the frets will last a long time.

Gman ( o )==#