Fret wire question for John Jr. or Matthew

[Mikeymac]

When did Larrivee change to a larger size (thickness) of fret wire?

I have a 2013 C-10 which has a thinner fret wire than my more recent (2016) L-05 - it is noticeably larger than the fret wire on my older Larrivees and Martin and Gibson acoustics as well.

Just curious, as it doesn't both me in terms of playability - just wondering when and why (does it hold up better/last longer)?

[J M Larrivée]

When did Larrivee change to a larger size (thickness) of fret wire?

I have a 2013 C-10 which has a thinner fret wire than my more recent (2015 or 2016) L-05 - it is noticeably larger than the fret wire on my older Larrivees and Martin and Gibson acoustics as well.

Just curious, as it doesn't both me in terms of playability - just wondering when and why (does it hold up better/last longer)?

I am not sure about your dates. I initiated the change from the old thin Dunlop wire back around 2005 to larger Dai Hung frets that were better quality. The thin stuff wore out fast and we were starting to see a lot of refret work coming back.  Also we were getting feedback on player preference as the market was changing towards larger frets at the time.  Matthew can chime in if he has anything to add. He may have experimented with some wire that I am not aware of. At least I can't remember anyways.

[Mikeymac]

I am not sure about your dates. I initiated the change from the old thin Dunlop wire back around 2005 to larger Dai Hung frets that were better quality. The thin stuff wore out fast and we were starting to see a lot of refret work coming back.  Also we were getting feedback on player preference as the market was changing towards larger frets at the time.  Matthew can chime in if he has anything to add. He may have experimented with some wire that I am not aware of. At least I can't remember anyways.

Thanks for the quick reply, John.

I just did a visual inspection of the two (most recent) guitars (the 2013 C-10 and the 2016 L-05); I didn't actually use calipers or anything, so I'll double check (I'll also take a closer look at my 2010 D-03).  But I do know my older '92 OM-05 definitely has thinner frets on it, although even after all these years, I've never had any fretwork (leveling, etc.) done to it.

It seems like I remember some other conversation about acoustics with thicker frets on them, so I don't think Larrivee is the only builder doing this...

[B0WIE]

FWIW, I prefer medium over the larger types. Always sounds better intonated and in tune to me. I think it's simply because having some finger contact with the board makes for more stable fingering. For me at least. I've seen some say less string to fret contact space helps too, though I think that has more to do with the quality of the crown.
I understand why some, especially builders, would prefer the longer lasting, thicker types though. I know some prefer them for speed.