Fret wear — When does it affect your playing?

Strings gradually wear down the frets, leaving flat spots or small grooves. Once the wear goes far enough, you can get buzzing, notes choking on bends and trouble keeping a comfortable action.

A fret replacement isn't always needed. If there's enough height left, the frets can be levelled to even them out and crowned to restore the shape of their tops, then polished. If there isn't enough material left, a refret is the next option.

Before any work, the neck relief and the overall setup are checked. Similar symptoms can have different causes. If the instrument keeps buzzing in the same spots, an early check helps pick the right fix.