fret wire

what size fret wire is everyone using?

0.080" .

stewmac shows both #0155 and #0147 at .080".
edit. hmm... stewmac vs. lmi

chuck in ny said:

stewmac shows both #0155 and #0147 at .080".
edit. hmm... stewmac vs. lmi

Click to expand...

Here's the size chart from LMI:

http://www.lmii.com/fretwire-descriptions-size-chart

I've been using the FW37053.

Here is the the one I've used for years ..I just call it fine fretwire That reminds me to order some more.

Timbuck said:

Here is the the one I've used for years ..I just call it fine fretwire That reminds me to order some more.

Click to expand...

thank you ken. i hadn't originally considered fine frets but the idea is growing on me. there's a certain elegance to the scheme.

I had an unpleasant surprise the other day. I ran out of my fretwire and went looking for more. I have bits an pieces all over place and all ordered from SMD in small lots. When I looked closely at the stuff it was all over the place dimension-wise even though it was from the same order number. Barbs were obviously different. Depth of tangs were all over the place and crowns were different. This is not a trivial matter since consistency here is very important. Obviously. My theory is that there are a number of extruding machines kicking out this stuff and each is unique. Take home lesson: Order as big a lot as you can and look closely. It doesn't really matter what the specs are. What matters is that they are consistent and lot to lot variation is shockingly different. This is not a trivial matter. I despise fret leveling and the time it takes and yet it is vitally important to how an uke feels and plays.