Frets article
Frets Explained: Features, Types and Tips
Those thin metal strips on the neck do more work than almost anything else on a guitar. Here's what frets are, the types you'll meet, and how to spot when yours need attention.
Ask most guitarists what makes their favourite instrument feel so right in the hand, and they will talk about the neck, the pickups, maybe the weight of the body. Hardly anyone mentions the frets first — and yet those thin metal strips are doing more work than almost anything else on the neck. This guide walks through what frets are, the types you will come across, and how to tell when yours need some love.
What a Fret Actually Is
A fret is a raised strip, almost always metal, set into the fingerboard at precise intervals. Press a string down just behind one and you shorten the part of the string that is free to vibrate, which raises the pitch by a set amount. Line up sixty-odd of these strips correctly and you have a fully mapped-out fingerboard where every position rings true.
The spacing is not guesswork. Each semitone divides the remaining string length by the twelfth root of two, which is why the first fret sits at roughly 5.6% of the scale length down from the nut, and every fret after that gets a little closer to its neighbour. Get that maths even slightly wrong during a build and you end up with an instrument that sounds fine open but drifts out of tune as you climb the neck.
Why Size Changes How a Guitar Feels
Not all frets are cut the same, and the differences are not just cosmetic.
Width
The width is how much metal sits under your fingertip, side to side. A wider fret gives a bit more surface to grip, which some players find helpful for bends and vibrato.
Height and crown
Height is how far the fret rises off the fingerboard, and the crown is the rounded top your string actually touches. Taller frets let you push the string further before it meets the wood, which suits heavy vibrato and aggressive bending. Lower frets feel more connected to the fingerboard and can suit a lighter touch, since there is less room to accidentally bend a note sharp under firm pressure.
The Main Types of Fret Wire
Manufacturers describe fret wire with a handful of familiar names, though it is worth knowing these labels are not strictly standardised — a "medium-jumbo" from one supplier is not guaranteed to match another's.
| Profile | General feel | Typically found on |
|---|---|---|
| Vintage | Narrow and low | Vintage-style electrics, traditional feel |
| Narrow-tall | Slim but noticeably high | Precise fretting, modern electrics |
| Medium-jumbo | A comfortable middle ground | General-purpose electric and bass work |
| Jumbo | Wide and often tall | Rock, blues and confident bending |
As a real-world example, Fender's own 6105 wire is described as modern narrow-tall, at roughly 0.090 inches wide by 0.055 inches high, while its 6100 jumbo wire measures closer to 0.110 by 0.055 inches. The exact figures matter more than the label on the box.
What Frets Are Made From
Nickel-silver
This is the traditional choice on the vast majority of guitars and basses — a copper-based alloy with nickel and zinc rather than actual silver. It is easy for a technician to level and polish, familiar underhand, and generally the cheapest to replace.
Stainless steel
Considerably harder-wearing, stainless wire resists the grooving that heavy players eventually cause, and many find it feels slicker for fast runs. The trade-off is that it is tougher on tools, so a stainless-steel refret usually costs a bit more in labour.
EVO gold
A harder, gold-coloured alloy pitched as a middle ground: more durable than nickel-silver, generally easier to work with than stainless. It is not plated brass, whatever the colour suggests, though exact formulations vary between suppliers, so it is worth asking a builder what specific wire they use.
A Short History of the Fret
Long before metal wire became standard, some string instruments used tied gut frets that a player could actually slide up or down the neck. Metal won out over time because it holds its shape and gives a consistent surface, note after note, regardless of humidity or handling. You will still find fretted instruments well beyond the guitar family — mandolins, banjos, ukuleles and basses all rely on the same basic idea, even where the sizes and spacing differ from a six-string electric.
Signs Yours Are Asking for Attention
Frets do not last forever, and a few symptoms are worth knowing:
- Buzzing that appears on specific notes rather than everywhere
- Notes choking out when you try to bend them
- Visible grooves under the strings, especially around the first few positions
- Intonation that shifts oddly depending on where you fret a note
- A sharp or uncomfortable edge at the end of the fingerboard
Not every one of these points straight at worn frets — a tired truss rod, a low nut slot or the wrong string gauge can mimic several of the same symptoms. That is exactly why a proper diagnosis, ideally from a technician with a fret rocker in hand, is worth more than guessing.
The Bottom Line
Frets are one of those details that only get noticed when something feels off, yet they shape almost every note you play. If you are choosing your first set or weighing up a refret, our complete buyer's guide covers the specs worth checking, and the best frets for the money breaks down what you actually get at each price tier. New to all this? Our beginner's guide to frets starts from scratch, and if you would rather learn from other people's slip-ups first, see our rundown of common fret mistakes to avoid.
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