Weird fret behavior during winter

That’s good news, but you should have it enclosed in something. From what you described, the loose fret is usually a symptom of a guitar being dried out. Fretboards shrink and expand when there are changes in relative humidity. If the guitar was in a case with humidifiers, then the board would be humidified at the same time. If you’re running any kind of heat in the wintertime, you need extra humidity to make up for it. My guess is it’s a bit of a thirsty guitar. Each guitar is different, some need more, some need less.

It certainly might just be looking WAY too far into this, and it’s just a poorly installed fret; but from what you described, my brain just goes right to humidity. 2 guitars a day come through our shop with similar complaints, and more often than not, it’s just dried enough for things to move around. Take it in to a local tech, they can take a look at it and address any issues with the playability.

I don’t mean to be preachy if I’m coming off that way. I’m really just trying to help.

/r/Luthier Thread Parent