You wouldn’t think of a guitar’s frets as something that would be worth paying attention to, but these precision strips of metal are what make it possible to play guitar so precisely and so easily. They are also the part of a guitar that takes the most wear and tear.
If you’ve been playing for a while, you’ve likely experienced the pain of playing on a guitar with badly worn frets. You can try to compensate for this by pressing harder on the strings, but that’s not ideal. You’re better off buying a guitar with well-cared-for frets. In this guide, we’ll walk you through what to look for when shopping for a new guitar as well as how to care for your guitar’s frets.
Read on for our best electric guitar frets.
Our Editor’s Best Electric Guitar Frets Reviews
- 24 medium jumbo pre-cut frets for guitar fingerboards
- Pre-radiused to 7" for guitar fingerboards with 9.5” radius
- Measurements: .046" tall, .103” wide, 2 7/16” long
- Material: nickel-silver
- Made in Japan
- Perform and record clean lines without unwanted string noise.
- Easy to use, no tools or special installation required.
- Works for guitars, basses, and other stringed instruments.
- Fit for electric guitar and electric bass.
- Premium guitar fret wire with bright and beautiful appearance.
- Each set comes with 24pcs fret wires, easy to install and use.
- Guitar replacement parts for guitar enthusiasts and professionals.
- Made of brass material, high strength and toughness, anti- and .
- Six feet of beautiful, durable, top-quality 18% nickel-silver fret wire
- Great for acoustic & electric guitars, banjos, cigar box guitars & more
- Six feet is enough for any guitar, comes in 8-inch pre-radiused lengths for ease of install
- Great for new building or repair work
- Crown Width: .090" (2.29mm); Crown Height: .055" (1.40mm); Tang Depth" .062" (1.47mm). Recommended Slot Width: .023"
- Cuts overtones, open string vibrations, and noise
- For live performance and studio recording
- Small fits 4-string basses, 6-string electric and acoustic guitars, and ukuleles
- Ernie Ball collaboration with Gruv Gear, creator of the world’s best-selling string muters.
- LEARN TO PLAY GUITAR WITH OUR NOTE GUIDE: Fantastic Finger Guides is one of the guitar learning tools that take the mystery out of learning the notes on the guitar and are a practical visual aid to improve your ear for music by helping you learn the notes with ease
- GREAT FOR BEGINNER AND INTERMEDIATE LEVELS: Beginners and intermediate students who use our beginner violin finger guide learn the language of music from the first day and gradually build knowledge of the notes with every lesson. Great for the Kids or Adult beginners to learn to play or just fiddle. Also, an excellent tool for classroom teachers or private studio teachers
- EASY-TO-USE GUITAR STICKERS: Each note decal has self-adhesive on the back end so that the notes won’t slip around while you are playing your instrument - and once you learn your notes, each sticker comes off without leaving a sticky mess
- IMPROVES FINGERBOARD NAVIGATION: Our patented Three-color and Three-shape design are simple to understand (Triangles for open strings, Squares for natural notes, and Blue Ovals for sharp and flat notes); Includes a sharp/flat direction indicator and fret numbers to help you better navigate the fingerboard. Great way to learn your notes and guitar chords at the same time.
- NOTE THE DIFFERENCE: Weston’s Fantastic Finger Guides were created over several years by a string teacher who wanted a practical yet fun way for his own music students to learn their notes. Fits Standard Acoustic/Electric Guitars with neck size of 1.70 to 1.72 inches
- Six feet of beautiful, durable 18% nickel-silver fret wire
- Great for acoustic & electric guitars, banjos, dulcimers, cigar box guitars & more
- Six feet is enough for any standard guitar, comes in 8-inch pre-radiused lengths for ease of install
- Great for new building or repair work. Jescar is high-quality German-made fret wire
- Crown Width: .080" (2.03mm); Crown Height: .043" (1.09mm); Tang Depth" .050" (1.25mm). Recommended Slot Width: .023"
- EASY TO INSTALL: Easy to install and remove.
- PREMIUM MATERIAL: This item is made of quality copper, high strength and durable.
- FINE MACHINING: Fine machining ensures sleek surface and edge of the fret crown, won't harm the fretboard and strings.
- GREAT ACCESSORY: 48 pcs for sale, enough for replacing all fret wires on your guitar. Useful accessory for guitar lovers.
- Customer Service: YINPINER always adheres to the principle of customer first service, if you have any questions, you can contact us.
- High strength and durable stainless steel fret wires, 22 frets, the most popular size for fender or gibson electric guitar, acoustic guitar or bass guitar.
- Hardness: 250HV, Beautiful chrome color, Bright tone, Delicate and smooth surface, Great for new guitar building or guitar repair work!
- Pre-cutted in 22 pieces quantities, comes in pre-radiused these lengths for easy of install, Radius is 12".
- Fit in a minimum 2.7mm deep slot, 6mm cutting, these range in size from 43.8mm (shortest) to 57.8mm (longest).
- Size Specs: A: Crown Width: 2.7mm(0.106 inch); B: Crown Height: 1.4mm (0.055 inch); C: Fret Height: 3.2mm(0.126 inch); D: Tang Height: 1.8mm(0.071 inch); E: Tang Width: 0.6mm(0.024 inch); F: Stud Width: 0.95mm(0.037 inch); G: Stud Space: 2.5mm(0.098 inch);
- 24 narrow/tall pre-cut frets for guitar fingerboards
- Pre-radiused to 8" for guitar fingerboards with 9.5” radius
- Measurements: .054" tall, .094” wide, 2 7/16” long
- Material: nickel-silver
- Made in Japan
Best Electric Guitar Frets Buying Guide
Before choosing the best electric guitar frets you should consider following options:
1. Neck: Neck woods typically fall into three categories: maple, mahogany and rosewood. Maple necks are often seen on electric guitars. This wood is relatively hard and has a bright, sharp tone.
If you’re looking for a more mellow, warmer tone, you may want to consider a mahogany neck. This wood is typically sought after for acoustic guitars, but it’s also used on electric guitars.
Most of the electric guitars on the market today use a neck with a combination of maple and mahogany.
Rosewood is a softer wood and is typically sought after for its warm tone. The exception is ebony, which is a very dense, brittle wood that produces a very bright tone.
2. Fingerboard: Most fingerboards on electric guitars are made of rosewood or ebony.
Though ebony is a softer wood that produces a brighter tone, rosewood is typically more affordable.
3. Frets: Frets are typically made of nickel-silver or stainless steel. The main differences between the two is that stainless steel produces a brighter tone while nickel-silver produces a warmer tone.
If you’re looking to produce a brighter tone, you may want to consider stainless steel frets. If you’re looking for a warmer tone, you may want to consider nickel-silver frets.
4. Number of frets: The number of frets on an electric guitar typically ranges from 22 to 24.
Typically, guitars with smaller necks will have 22 frets, while guitars with larger necks will have 24 frets.
5. Radius: The radius of the fingerboard typically ranges from 7.5 to 12 inches. A smaller radius produces a brighter tone, and a larger radius produces a warmer tone.
More likely than not, your electric guitar will probably have a radius somewhere in the middle.
6. String spacing: String spacing on electric guitars typically falls into two categories: equal and offset.
Offset string spacing produces a brighter tone, while equal string spacing produces a warmer tone.
7. Pickups: Pickups come in all different shapes and sizes. Typically, they fall into two categories: single coil or humbucker.
Single coil pickups typically produce a brighter tone while humbuckers typically produce a warmer tone.
8. Pickup selector switch: Your pickup switch is essentially the on/off switch for your pickups. Typically, a pickup switch will have three positions: neck, bridge and off.
If you have single coil pickups, you’ll typically have a tone knob to control the tone of the neck pickup. If you have humbucker pickups, you may not have a tone knob.
9. Bridge: Your bridge is essentially the backbone of your electric guitar. It’s what supports all of your strings and produces the tone.
There are typically three types of bridges on electric guitars: fixed, tremolo and floating.
Fixed bridges are typically used on solidbody electric guitars. A fixed bridge typically produces a brighter tone.
If you’re looking to produce a warmer tone, you may want to consider a tremolo or floating bridge.
10. Pickup selector switch: Your pickup switch is essentially the on/off switch for your pickups. Typically, a pickup switch will have three positions: neck, bridge and off.
If you have single coil pickups, you’ll typically have a tone knob to control the tone of
What else you should know about electric guitar frets
1. What’s the best electric guitar fret material?
There is no definitive answer to this question as different players have different preferences. Some common materials used for electric guitar frets include stainless steel, nickel, and brass.
2. How do I know if my electric guitar frets are too high?
You can tell if your electric guitar frets are too high if they are causing the strings to buzz when you play. You can also check the height of the frets by measuring them with a ruler. The frets should be level with each other and should not be higher than the surrounding metal.
3. How do I know if my electric guitar frets are too low?
If your electric guitar frets are too low, you will likely notice that they are harder to press down and that your strings buzz when you play. You may also find that your guitar is harder to tune and that it stays in tune less well. If you notice any of these issues, it is likely that your frets are too low and you should have them adjusted.
4. How do I clean my electric guitar frets?
There are a few different ways that you can clean your electric guitar frets. One way is to use a soft cloth and some guitar polish. Another way is to use a toothbrush and some soapy water.
5. How do I protect my electric guitar frets?
There are a few things you can do to protect your electric guitar frets:
1. Use a fretboard conditioner. This will help to keep the frets from drying out and becoming brittle.
2. Use a fretboard protector. This will help to keep the frets from being scratched or damaged.
3. Use a guitar case. This will help to keep the guitar from being damaged in transit.
Conclusion
On the market, there are numerous best electric guitar frets. Hopefully, the list of the top ten best electric guitar frets will save you time researching and deciding on the best one for you.