Discussion: Toothpick Frets?

My supervisor has asked me to build him a CBG, which I'm only too happy to do.  Thing is, my first two I used metal frets which were a royal PIA, so I was thinking of making his with toothpicks.  My questions are: how well will they really hold up, is there any noticeable difference in the tone, and which are the best to use?  Are the grocery store toothpicks hard enough?  What about bamboo skewers?  I've tried search but I'm just more confused.  Help!

A note from Shane Speal:  Thank you, Habanera Hal for this topic!  I've turned this into a featured discussion, so please post your tips, successes and failure with toothpicks and other wooden frets.  I've also added the photo above which shows a 70+ year old instrument with toothpick frets still intact.  (That instrument and others are detailed at CigarBoxGuitars.com.)      

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Permalink Reply by Mark Miller on November 17, 2022 at 10:53am

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