This is the official PRS forum so I guess it's kind of understandable/expected but...ahh I won't go on about it again. I guess that's why God gave us several forums. If we find one to be a defensive angry one-sided love-fest, we are free to scoot off to a more neutral/unbiased one.
And no need to quote that and get MAD because I insinuated that some posts in this thread seem angry or heated. Whatever.
This isn't the first time this subject has risen regarding the newer PRS wire.
I have a metallurgical background. I was a machinist for a couple of decades and when I went to school metallurgy was part of the curriculum. As soon as I completed the apprenticeship, metallurgy was removed from the course studies and replaced by CNC machining. Silly if you ask me.
Anyway, I know the Vickers scale exists but I have never seen it referred to in the real world before this. We always just used and were given Rockwell and Brinell hardness data.
Stainless steels (other than the exotic "super-stainlesses") are generally SOFT metals. Their benefits include resistance to corrosion/oxidization and that it work hardens. You'd think that a hard stainless alloy would be great for fretwire and would almost never wear since the more you "wear" it, the harder it becomes.
Hey, if PRS has NOT changed the wire alloy and if the hardness has remained the same in the last 25+ years....uhhhh...STRINGS? Obviously, if the strings are harder than the wire...but with stainless wire, unless strings are carbide coated..or ceramic coated..or anodized...they shouldn't be able to TOUCH work hardened stainless.
If you've ever turned an HSS drill too fast or didn't grind enough relief when you sharpened it, you've seen a HSS drill turn red and molten trying to cut the work hardened stainless.
Hey, if dude has several guitars, puts about the same time into them using the same strings and one guitar's frets are wearing way faster than his other guitars....it isnt HIS FAULT. We shouldn't aim flamethrowers at the poor guy.
Do any of you have several brands of electrics including a PRS, and play them a LOT...you know..do gigs where you play hard for 3 or 4 hours per night for months on end? How are you finding your new PRS wire to be faring compared to your other guitars...and older PRSs?
I put lots of hard hours on my electric guitars but they're all PRSs these days. I no longer have comparison guitars but I feel that my PRSs' (even my old ones) fretwires seem to wear faster than I expected them to. Maybe I'm just a lot stronger than I was in my prime?
Hey like Shawn said...inconsistencies in "batches" of metals can be common. Not only from lot to lot but even within that lot. For some applications, materials are very vigorously tested (aircraft components for example) but for things like fretwire...well no one is gonna die of a section of wire is a little more brittle or "soft" than it should be.
Look, I guess all I'm saying is that I believe Ascension and his photos. Maybe he is using tungsten carbide strings on his PRS only?...but he CLEARLY is experiencing some serious wear on his PRS that is NOT happening on his other guitars. I doubt he has an axe to grind (pun intended) with PRS and is just trolling or making this-up and photoshopping his pics. IIRC, he was just stating his observations and asking of anyone else was sharing his (bad) experience. We don't have to get mad or take it personally. Hey, if he switches to Carvin...that shouldn't hurt OUR feelers. It IS though the OFFICIAL PRS forum and, not saying it's a bad or unexpected thing to be a little less open to criticism "against" the brand. It's all good I guess.
But in the spirit of transparency and not wanting to mislead future PRS family members...ahhh..now I'M seeming troll-ish. Sorry. NOT my intent.
All I'm trying to say is that instead of getting all defensive and aggressive towards the guy, maybe we should be more open-minded and rather than go LA LA LA I'M NOT LISTENING LA LA LA...you're an idiot TROLL LA LA LA LA (not what anyone said, I know), maybe we should all take a good look at oursel....I mean at our fretwire and see if we notice an unusual amount of wear.
If NONE of us are, well either dude is using diamond plated hacksawbades for strings, he's a liar...or maybe there are a few feet of softer wire on a batch or two or more?
I think my PRS fretwires are all doing relatively well.
If you're playing your PRS enough to wear the frets down...well that's a GOOD sign. If your other guitars were as good and awesome to play maybe THEIR wires would be worn too?
Nice save right?
From what I've been reading on the subject in the last month or two...there MIGHT be something TO this.