Fret Wraps- A Guide By Zager Guitars

Have you ever wondered how some guitarists could achieve such a clean and precise sound even when playing at lightning-fast speeds? One secret weapon that they have might be the humble fret wrap!

Fret wraps are like a magic trick for your guitar or bass, helping to tame unwanted noise and overtones and giving you more control over your sound. They’re like a superhero’s cape, swooping in to save the day and make your playing sound amazing.

Whether you’re a pro or just starting, fret wraps can help take your playing to the next level. So next time you’re jamming with friends or recording in the studio, try them and see how they can transform your sound from good to great! 

But hold on, before we get into the basics of avoiding unwanted string noise, we need to discuss the difference between guitar string dampeners and fret wraps.

Guitar String Dampeners vs. Fret Wraps

Are you familiar with the concept of guitar dampeners? Some musicians call them fret wraps, while others call them string dampeners. Don’t get confused, though. These terms are all interchangeable and mean the same thing.

What Are Guitar String Dampeners?

Image source: MAB Music

A string dampener is a strap-like accessory placed over the instrument’s neck to minimize the unwanted noise from open strings during guitar playing. This is especially useful when playing notes higher up on the neck. Commonly made from inexpensive materials like velcro and cloth, guitar dampeners are easy to come by.

By effectively reducing excess noise, dampeners can provide a cleaner and more precise sound for your playing. So, if you want to improve your guitar sound, a string dampener might do the trick!

How To Use Guitar Dampeners?

Guitarists often use a string dampener that encircles the neck at the first or second fret, resembling a cuff or collar, to facilitate playing on higher frets. A velcro fret wrap can be easily removed while playing, allowing access to all frets. Players commonly move the string dampener muting accessory onto the headstock for quick access.

Best Guitar Fret Wraps

Common hair ties are a suitable substitute for a store-bought fret wrap for those seeking a DIY option without spending any money. Wrap it around the guitar neck to effectively dampen the noise. Using a scrunchy is also an option if it securely fits around the neck. While hair ties might not the most elegant solution, these alternatives are effective and cost-free for a fine tune.

Another frequently used choice for string dampening is the MAB string dampener, created by renowned musician Michael Angelo Batio. While considered one of the best-designed fret wraps available, they tend to be pricier than other options.

Fret Wrap In Different Sizes

Fret Wraps are available in different sizes, typically based on the size of the instrument’s neck, which can vary among manufacturers. Generally, for muting guitar strings, larger fret wraps are ideal for bigger necks, such as those on classical guitars and basses.

 To ensure proper fit, it is recommended to refer to the manufacturer’s website or try out different sizes in a local guitar shop. It is crucial to note that various sizes are available, and a single dampener size may not be suitable for all guitars.

How Do Fret Wraps Work?

Guitar string dampeners effectively eliminate unwanted noise generated by open strings, a common occurrence due to the design of guitars. The tight spacing of strings and the reliance on the picking hand to suppress extraneous noise may cause bleed-in noise. This phenomenon is known as sympathetic resonance, which almost all guitarists experience.

Image Source: Pexel

A simple test can be performed to determine whether unwanted noise is present. When playing a note on one string, faint ringing on another string is often heard. While some musicians may not mind this noise, others may prefer to eliminate it, and that’s where string dampeners are helpful.

Like with many other aspects, higher volumes exacerbate issues on the guitar. This is particularly true for unwanted string noise caused by sympathetic resonance, which can be especially problematic in genres like heavy metal. 

At high volumes, the strings vibrate uncontrollably, making it challenging to mute them mid-performance, such as in a tapping solo. Unlike other string instruments, such as the piano, with specialized pedals for damping notes, guitarists can utilize a solution: the fret wrap.

When To Use A Guitar Fret Wrap?

Determining whether a guitar fret wrap is mainly necessary depends on the type of music being played and whether the musician experiences issues with open string noise.

To determine whether a string dampener is needed, recording oneself playing can be helpful. If open string notes are audible where they shouldn’t be, or unwanted feedback occurs while playing an electric guitar, a guitar fret wrap may be worth considering.

When performing live, many guitarists use a dampener for important lead parts. Navigating a high-speed lead solo while playing with an amplifier set to a high volume can be pretty challenging. Still, a string dampener can help alleviate some of the stress and enable musicians to concentrate more on their music.

It’s essential to remember that using a guitar string dampener during a live performance may not always be convenient. While some guitarists choose to do so, it’s important to remember that attaching and removing the dampener requires time and focus, potentially serving as a distraction depending on the complexity of one’s parts and the amount of material being played.

Using a fret wrap is a popular choice among guitar players who record their music, as it can be frustrating to play a solo note, ideally multiple times. With a string dampener, the player can more easily achieve the desired results in one take, saving time and money.

Additionally, practicing with a string dampener can be incredibly helpful, especially when honing a specific technique. It lets the player focus on one skill without worrying about unwanted string noise. For instance, if practicing advanced techniques such as sweep picking or double stops, using a string dampener can help isolate the specific skill.

Once the technique is mastered, the dampener can be removed, and the player can focus on muting the other strings as needed. However, it is worth noting that using a string dampener during live performances can be difficult and potentially distracting, as it requires time and focuses on attaching and removing. Zager Guitar has a video on this as well.

About Zager

Zager Guitars is a family-owned third-generation guitar builder building guitars in Lincoln, Nebraska, since 1902. It has been rated in the top 5% of all guitar brands. It has been featured in Time Magazine, Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Rolling Stone, The New Yorker, ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, FOX, and many national and international news media.

Many players have tried our guitars over the last 50 years because of muscle and joint pain, MS, arthritis, nerve damage, fibromyalgia, carpel tunnel, shoulder and back pain, broken fingers, and missing fingers. Our string heights are lower, allowing you to come down on the strings from a more perpendicular angle, so you no longer have to reach over other strings muting them out.

One thing that’s very different about our electric and acoustic guitars is the spacing between the strings side to side is slightly wider, which creates more room for your fingers, so when you’re forming chords, you’re not accidentally leaning on strings that you don’t want, creating buzzes and rattles.

Our Easy-Play Design

There’s a reason Zager guitars rate in the top 5% of acoustic guitars today.

Custom Neck Design

The minute you hold a Zager guitar, you immediately feel Denny’s 60 years of research in designing a neck that feels good no matter what your hand size.  Players say it feels “natural,” like an extension of your body. 

 Its slim front to back lets you get your hand around it quickly.  It’s also wide enough (but not too wide) so that with Denny’s custom string spacing, you’re not leaning on adjacent strings creating buzzes and rattles.

Lower String Heights

Guitar builders can lower strings, but very few can do it without buzzing and poor sound quality.  Few players know that if string height is too low, it destroys sound quality.  If you look closely at Zager guitars, you’ll notice low string heights on frets 1-10, where players spend the majority of their time, but action rises over the sound hole for better tone and easier picking with the right hand.  

This also allows you to get into it and play aggressively without buzzing. Denny also incorporates a custom adjustment setting on his guitars so you can dial in string height specifically for your style of play.

Lower String Pressure 

When you barely have to press to form chords, it makes a world of difference in your playing, whether you’re a professional player or just starting.  New players with no muscle in their fingers suddenly form chords quickly, as 50% less pressure is needed to make chords ring true.  

 Advanced players no longer have to “muscle” chords and can play longer sets faster and more accurately. Denny achieves this using a lighter bracing system which flexes in the face as you press each string.  This also provides more bass and power as more facial movement produces a bigger sound.

Custom String Spacing

Have you ever tried to form a chord, and no matter how you adjusted your fingers, they were leaning on adjacent strings causing buzzes and rattles?  Denny solves this problem by using custom string spacing on his guitars.  

 When you look at a Zager guitar, you won’t even notice its spacing until you play it, but when you do, you’ll immediately notice chords that were hard or impossible are easy.  Just 1/32’s of an inch can distinguish between a chord that rings true and one that buzzes and rattles.

String Height Adjustment Setting

Denny designs his guitars with a string height adjustment setting that allows you to dial in your guitar to your particular style of play. In this way, if you’re a heavy-handed player, you can set the action higher to “get on it” for more power, and if you’re a lighter-handed touch player, you can dial the action low for more incredible speed and accuracy.

So what’s the point of telling you all this? Our ez-play design enables you not to go through the process of buying a fret wrap in the first place! We ensure our strings don’t dig into your skin or produce an un-even sound while playing.

FAQs

What Does a Fret Wrap Do?

This type of fabric is typically tiny but relatively dense, fixed to string electric and acoustic, by an elasticated plastic strap, and secured by Velcro. The cloth dampens the strings, removing many naturally irritating sounds when playing string instruments.

Where Do You Put Fret Wraps?

Guitarists usually apply strings damper to their necks at the first and second frets. The damper covers the neck like cuffs or collars. The player uses the higher fret efficiently.

Do You Need a Fret Wrap With a Locking Nut?

It doesn’t work. It silences strings that you don’t play. Typically, the string ringed with locking nuts as if the nut had not opened.