NSSFD

[Huggy Love]

Don't know if this acronym has been coined yet (if not I'll take credit for it) but it stands for "NEW STAINLESS STEEL FRET DAY" and that's what this party's all about. Took the plunge, just got it back today, still getting reacquainted with her and her new slippery frets.

The feel is great, bends are smooth as silk, tone is slightly different but barely noticeable, looking forward to minuscule fret wear and minimal maintenance costs. Getting back to the tone difference, it is slightly brighter but nothing a tone knob turn won't compensate for, what I did notice was a difference in attack. I'm kind of a ham-fisted player, combined with my using a thick heavy pick, I tend to spank the strings like a rock or blues player would even when playing jazz. The stainless steel frets gets a little "zingy" (for lack of a better word) if you pluck hard, slightly more noticeable than nickel frets, but then maybe that might train me to pick softer and be less of a bull in a china shop on my jazz runs.

All in all, I'm pleased so far...... ....... and did I mention bends are smooth as silk? Really are.

 

[bodia]

Great to hear you're happy with them!

 

[Alnus Rubra]

It will be interesting to see if string wear is more prevalent?

 

[garrett]

Yesss!

I notice the "zing" on my stainless fretted guitar, but only unplugged.

Keep in mind that new frets = an entirely fresh setup, so some of the attack and tone difference can be attributed to that. You may have lower action than you did previously.

They wear the heck out of the pure nickel strings I've been using lately, but regular nickel/steel were fine for me.

 

[Huggy Love]

I have to bump this thread to give you all my final evaluation on SS frets......

*** I WILL NEVER GO BACK TO NICKEL EVER AGAIN.***

If someone told me to my face that SS frets sound inferior to nickel, I'd laugh so hard boogers would come flying out my nose. I just got back my HBSC from a Plek job cause it doesn't need a refret, and although it's a perfect job, if I have anything to do that requires bending, I'm using the SS frets. Bending on nickel frets now is like scraping strings against the sidewalk compared to SS, the tone is still darker than my HBSC, and I'm still using the same strings that were on it when it came back from the fret job in April. From my research, extra string wear and overly brightness in tone are myths and completely incorrect.

SS for the win!!