Official Luthiers Forum! :: View topic - Jescar NS fret wire FW43080-217

Jescar wire comes in different tang widths for the Martin servicing world. This wire is used for "compression fretting" Martins and we control the back bow of the neck that does not have a truss rod early 70's and before by using different tang thicknesses in different locations as we fret the neck.

The process for me is install four frets in various locations and then string to pitch and check out what the neck is doing. Do four more, check it out again and so on and so forth. It's a bit of an art to do and we have done it countless times.

So the harm in using wider tang wire when you don't need to is possible excessive back bow perhaps beyond what a double action rod can pull straight or should attempt to pull straight. It makes the instrument less serviceable in the future because all the slots are now too wide for conventional wire which is usually what most shops have.

I think there are something like 5 - 7 different tang widths for Jescar wire for Martin compression refretting and it sounds to me like this is what you have one of the wider ones for compression fretting. Within these 5 - 7 different wires the crown, the fret itself is the same with and height it is only the tang that gets bigger and smaller.

I would not use it if I were you Peter.

Author:	phavriluk [ Wed Jul 30, 2025 12:12 pm ]
Post subject:	Jescar NS fret wire FW43080-217
A couple of years ago I bought a coil of this fret wire from a luthier who no longer needed it, and I stored it away. For me, it's a lifetime supply. Today I took it down and read the label that bore the handwritten note 'wide tang', and I went Googling and this wire has both deeper and wider tangs than 'normal' fret wire of similar fret height and width (43080). So - - - any reason for me not to use this in new construction? Thanks!

Author:	Michaeldc [ Wed Jul 30, 2025 1:08 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Jescar NS fret wire FW43080-217
My go-to wire is the Jescar 43080. I have used it on everything from mandolins to long scale baritones. Only difference is that I’m a stainless guy. My fret slots are cut to .023” x .060” to accommodate this wire. Tschüß, M

Author:	phavriluk [ Wed Jul 30, 2025 2:02 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Jescar NS fret wire FW43080-217
Michaeldc wrote: My go-to wire is the Jescar 43080. I have used it on everything from mandolins to long scale baritones. Only difference is that I’m a stainless guy. My fret slots are cut to .023” x .060” to accommodate this wire. Tschüß, M Michael, thank you. I think the '43080' fret height/width dimensions are used on at least two fret stocks whose tang dimensions can vary, hence my question. My fret material is '43080', too, just one of the two variations in tang dimensions that I found. I appreciate your answer, I used it to drive me to add some detail to my question. Much obliged.

Author:	rbuddy [ Wed Jul 30, 2025 8:24 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Jescar NS fret wire FW43080-217
Can you take a set of veneer calipers and measure the thickness of the tang and also the width of the tang plus barbs - point to point? That should help with answers. I'm not sure what "wide tang" means and I tried to look at Jescar's site too.

Author:	phavriluk [ Thu Jul 31, 2025 12:04 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Jescar NS fret wire FW43080-217
rbuddy wrote: Can you take a set of veneer calipers and measure the thickness of the tang and also the width of the tang plus barbs - point to point? That should help with answers. I'm not sure what "wide tang" means and I tried to look at Jescar's site too. Tang itself: .0217" Tang across barbs: .038" 'regular' Jescar 43080: ,020"/.032"

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Author:	Hesh [ Thu Jul 31, 2025 5:45 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Jescar NS fret wire FW43080-217
Jescar wire comes in different tang widths for the Martin servicing world. This wire is used for "compression fretting" Martins and we control the back bow of the neck that does not have a truss rod early 70's and before by using different tang thicknesses in different locations as we fret the neck. The process for me is install four frets in various locations and then string to pitch and check out what the neck is doing. Do four more, check it out again and so on and so forth. It's a bit of an art to do and we have done it countless times. So the harm in using wider tang wire when you don't need to is possible excessive back bow perhaps beyond what a double action rod can pull straight or should attempt to pull straight. It makes the instrument less serviceable in the future because all the slots are now too wide for conventional wire which is usually what most shops have. I think there are something like 5 - 7 different tang widths for Jescar wire for Martin compression refretting and it sounds to me like this is what you have one of the wider ones for compression fretting. Within these 5 - 7 different wires the crown, the fret itself is the same width and height it is only the tang that gets bigger and smaller. I would not use it if I were you Peter.

Author:	phavriluk [ Thu Jul 31, 2025 7:56 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Jescar NS fret wire FW43080-217
Hesh wrote: Jescar wire comes in different tang widths for the Martin servicing world. This wire is used for "compression fretting" Martins and we control the back bow of the neck that does not have a truss rod early 70's and before by using different tang thicknesses in different locations as we fret the neck. The process for me is install four frets in various locations and then string to pitch and check out what the neck is doing. Do four more, check it out again and so on and so forth. It's a bit of an art to do and we have done it countless times. So the harm in using wider tang wire when you don't need to is possible excessive back bow perhaps beyond what a double action rod can pull straight or should attempt to pull straight. It makes the instrument less serviceable in the future because all the slots are now too wide for conventional wire which is usually what most shops have. I think there are something like 5 - 7 different tang widths for Jescar wire for Martin compression refretting and it sounds to me like this is what you have one of the wider ones for compression fretting. Within these 5 - 7 different wires the crown, the fret itself is the same with and height it is only the tang that gets bigger and smaller. I would not use it if I were you Peter. Hesh, much obliged. Sometimes the most expensive option is a bargain...

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