Please help me assess fretwear of a guitar before I buy it

[Blille]

Howdy folks.

I’m considering buying a 20 yr old guitar and I asked for pics of the fretboard to assess fretwear.

Unfortunately they are not great since they didn’t get the strings out of the way. Wondering if you fine people can tell apart fretwear from string reflection.

Let me know what you think.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Mr. B]

They don't look worn out to me. They look like they would benefit from a recrown and polish though.

 

[Securb]

Looks like plenty of meat on them.

 

[Blille]

Thanks folks!

 

[GuitarStv]

Warning signs for me are large divots (which will require at least a levelling) or very low frets (which need to be replaced). You'll usually see the most fret damage in frets 1-5 (cowboy chords/capo territory) and under the G and B strings most of the way up the neck (bending is hard on frets)

Those have wear, but don't look too bad to me. They definitely need to be crowned though.

 

[GuitarDoc]

The fret wear looks minimal. But it looks like at some point in the past, the frets were leveled but not crowned. I'd at most do a re-crowning of the frets, but it will probably play just fine the way it is for a few more years before really needing any work.

 

[Securb]

You'll usually see the most fret damage in frets 1-5 (cowboy chords/capo territory) and under the G and B strings most of the way up the neck (bending is hard on frets).

It really depends on the guitar player. Most of the wear on my Iceman is frets 10 - 15. Still, 40 years and going I am still playing the same frets with no buzz or dead spots.

 

[GuitarStv]

It really depends on the guitar player. Most of the wear on my Iceman is frets 10 - 15. Still, 40 years and going I am still playing the same frets with no buzz or dead spots.

Yep, for sure it definitely depends on how a guitar is played.

 

[NegativeEase]

re-crown and polish, lower the nut respectively by sanding the bottom of the nut slightly and you are good!

 

[JMP/HBE]

Plenty of fret left but flat spots everywhere.
Needs a fret-level & setup from a competent tech.
That costs between $100 to $200 depending who does it.

 

[Securb]

I'd at most do a re-crowning of the frets, but it will probably play just fine the way it is for a few more years before really needing any work.

Exactly. I do not see why people are suggesting fretwork based on a picture. Even the best tech would need a fret leveling tool to correctly assess the frets. The frets look like they have plenty of meat left. If there are no issues (dead spots, buzzing), play the guitar in good health. I have guitars with frets that are much more beat up than those that play beautifully.

 

[ICTGoober]

From the pix, I say to you - thumbs up! Have fun with it.

 

[JMP/HBE]

They don't look worn out to me. They look like they would benefit from a recrown and polish though.

If the frets aren't [level] a crown & polish is pointless and a waste of time & money.
Flat spots are a sign of un-even fret wear.

 

[GuitarDoc]

If the frets aren't [level] a crown & polish is pointless and a waste of time & money.

In and of itself, that statement is true.

Flat spots are a sign of un-even fret wear.

That CAN be true, but I'm seeing some frets with the entire top which is flat. That would indicate that a fret level was done at some point without recrowning and polishing, but it definitely is not from wear (that would only cause a flat spot under a particular string). I DO see some "flat spots" under some strings, but they are very minimal and would not indicate the need to do any fretwork at this point.

Best advice at this point would be to play the guitar and see how it sounds and plays. If there is no fret buzz anywhere just keep playing. But pictures can't show us how it sounds or plays.