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Why do frets wear out?

Because every time you fret a note, you're pressing a string down against a piece of metal and then sliding, bending, and vibrating against it. Do that thousands of times a week, every week, for years, and the metal loses. It's not a defect. It's just friction and steel strings doing what friction and steel strings do to softer metal.

What wear actually looks like

Divots and flat spots directly under wherever you fret the most — usually clustered in the first few frets and any spot you hammer constantly, like a favorite chord shape or a scale you've drilled a thousand times over. Eventually those worn spots become low points relative to the rest of the fret, which is exactly the kind of unevenness that causes buzzing at specific spots instead of everywhere on the neck.

Why some guitars wear faster than others

Fret material matters a lot. Softer nickel-silver frets wear faster than harder stainless steel, which is exactly why stainless has caught on for its longevity — even though it's a pain to work with during a fret job. String gauge, how aggressively you play, and sheer hours logged all pile on too. A guitar played daily for years will show wear a weekend hobbyist's guitar simply won't, regardless of fret material.

What actually fixes it

Once wear crosses from cosmetic into buzzing or intonation trouble, you're choosing between a fret level or a full refret. Which one you actually need comes down to how much metal is left, not how bad it looks — see Refrets • How do I know if my guitar needs a refret? for how to tell the difference.

If your favorite chord shapes buzz specifically, and the rest of the neck stays quiet, fret wear right in your usual playing zone is a very reasonable place to start looking.

Not sure how much life your frets have left? Book Now for a free evaluation.