The invention is a novel fret wire for use on the fingerboards of stringed instruments. The fret wire has a crown of any usable shape for contact with strings, as usual, but is distinguished by the structure of the tang affixed to the crown. The tang comprises bending notches that extend nearly through the height of the tang that allow the fret wire to more easily bend to shape of a contoured fret board. Tang elements formed by the notches embody random roughness or elongated striations to hold the fret wire securely in the grooves of a fret board.