EVO Gold fret wire

[Tavy]

So if I am reading this correctly you guys are now saying that this EVO last way longer than the Stainless Steel frets? I find that hard (no pun) to believe. If EVO is easier to work with then SS it seems logic the SS would be harder and therefore last longer.
Are there different makers of the SS frets?

The thing is: is it actually hardness that prolongs fret life anyway? Unless you're playing lots of bent notes you don't subject the frets to much mechanical wear anyway... it's more like they get "squashed" under string pressure. So what you want is something that's resistant to deformation and/or is springy enough to bounce back. My understanding of the EVO gold wire is that since it's made from this "shape-memory-alloy" stuff, it's very resistant to being permanently bent/swashed out of shape even though it may not be so resistant to mechanical abrasion as SS.

[terzinator]

The thing is: is it actually hardness that prolongs fret life anyway? Unless you're playing lots of bent notes you don't subject the frets to much mechanical wear anyway... it's more like they get "squashed" under string pressure. So what you want is something that's resistant to deformation and/or is springy enough to bounce back. My understanding of the EVO gold wire is that since it's made from this "shape-memory-alloy" stuff, it's very resistant to being permanently bent/swashed out of shape even though it may not be so resistant to mechanical abrasion as SS.

I never thought of it this way. Shape-memory-alloy. Hmmm... Seems like there'd be a market for this in the auto industry!

[f5loar]

If you want really long lasting frets find an old 20's Gibson tenor neck and remove those frets to put into your mandolin. The old saying they don't make them like they use to applies to those old nickel alloy frets from the 20's. Well it's certainly confusing. Some say the EVO is the only way to go after finding out SS wears out fast, while others say you can't beat the wear on SS. One thing is for certain, the crap they make the regular nickel these days out of is not worth putting in anything anymore. Reminds me of the radial tires when they first came out claiming 40,000 miles vs. 10,000 miles on the old bias belted. The people loosing the most is the tire manufacturer and the tire dealer because they are selling less and putting on less. Maybe the luthiers are not complaining they have less fret jobs since the EVO/SS is so hard to put in.

[dmac]

After going through regular (nickel?) frets on my Gibson A in 5 years, I decided to get it refretted with EVO gold frets (the work was done by Jim DeCava, and he did a magnificent job!). They look great, are easy to play on, and sound impeccable.

Come back in five years and I'll tell you how they wore.

[Scott R]

Hey, dmac, it's been five years. How did they wear?

[yankees1]

I only use EVO frets on all my mandolins. First mandolin has six years on EVO frets and I play every day. Very little wear can be seen.

[dmac]

Good question. Thanks for the reminder.

They're wearing fantastically! I can highly recommend them. I'm not a heavy player but there are no dents in them, just a little polished area under the first five or so frets; maybe a slight concavity on the second fret of the 'A' string.

Best thing I ever did to my mandolin. Next time I change strings, I'll take some pictures.

[j. condino]

....One thing is for certain, the crap they make the regular nickel these days out of is not worth putting in anything anymore....

!!!

[AlanN]

No denying the lastability of EVO, just fantastic for us old-timers who have gone through *many* fret jobs over the years, before this stuff came around. Otoh, I know of players who have reservations about it, mostly those with vintage instruments. One guy had his F-5 re-done with EVO, then had them ripped out and replaced with period-correct wire; claimed the sound suffered.

[CES]

I love the EVO wire on my Kelley. They’re taller than standard frets, which I like, but not wide like jumbo guitar frets. I feel like I play more cleanly with them. When I need a refret I’ll go back to them unless I’m feeling adventurous and want to try SS...I think on this mando the gold looks better though...

[Bernie Daniel]

I have EVO wire on my best mandolin, mandola and mandocello and would not even think of using anything else. I used guitar gauged EVO for the first time in 2013 on a mandocello and now, 7 years later, there is nothing more then the faintest mark on the first position frets of the A course. If you run your fingernail across that area you can't feel a dent. That's how well it wears. Unless you are a pro who makes a living with your instrument I see the wire outliving the owners in most cases?

[j. condino]

It is not just the wear resistance that I like about evo wire. It has a much smoother "voice" than the stainless steel. Stainless makes every note sound like Albert Collins playing a telecaster on the bridge pickup using a quarter for pick. Stainless has a tendency to be a bit too icy sounding, but if you bend notes on a guitar, it is glassy smooth. One odd quality of the stainless is that if you have a heavy handed percussive slap funk like style, the slapping strings against it will wear the frets very fast. It case hardens and lasts great for bending, but I know of one player who trashed a set of medium stainless frets in three months of excessive slap guitar playing. The taller and narrow mandolin size is fantastic for mandolins. I used it on a new build 3/4 size Les Paul and the results were exceptional.

[bbcee]

That's really interesting you're saying that about the voice, @grandcanyonminstrel - I had my F4 refretted with EVO & a Brekke bridge added by a Cafe member here (feel free to identify yourself, if you'd like!) and what went to him as a low-volume, kind of "meh" sounding instrument came back much brighter and much louder. Since two important things were done in the work it's hard to know how much to attribute to either, but with a change to flatwounds and a duller pick, it's a pleasure to play this guy. The fretwire is great.

[Drew Streip]

I had a similar experience refretting an old Pac-Rim cheapie. The under-finger feel was harder and more “definite”, the tone was brighter, and I’m now overly attached to an instrument with almost zero monetary value

[Tavy]

That's really interesting you're saying that about the voice, @grandcanyonminstrel - I had my F4 refretted with EVO & a Brekke bridge added by a Cafe member here (feel free to identify yourself, if you'd like!) and what went to him as a low-volume, kind of "meh" sounding instrument came back much brighter and much louder.

I think that was me

I've never had an instrument change in sound so much.... doesn't normally happen like that, either with a new bridge, or with a change to EVO gold, I suspect there was a bunch of small things wrong with the instrument that all added up in the same direction.

[frshwtrbob]

Friends,
I'm a proud owner of a '20 F2 in dire need of a re-fret and I'm leaning towards the Jescar 37053EVO over the Jescar 39040SS.
Can anyone with hands on experience with this particular size wire comment on the plus or the minus ?
Bob
p.s. Although the 4080 size is VERY popular, many players have opinions that 4080 EVO is a tad too wide for the comfort & the look past the 14th fret ....hence my attraction to the 53 width vs the 80.