SS frets!

Anyone can certainly re-fret a guitar but guitar lutherie is a dying artform and there is always the chance you find someone who isn't so great at it and ruins your guitar. I have a new LP standard that I'm going to refret to jumbo stainless (only because Gibby med jumbo is way too small for my liking) and I'm not feeling so hot about doing it. That's even considering that this particular shop is owned by a Gibby dealer and would certainly replace my guitar in the worst case scenario. I just like this particular LP a lot. For PRS, the tech center won't even entertain the idea of refretting in stainless wire. If PRS is always going to have this firm stance that they won't put SS wire on production instruments, then I hope they change their policy on having it done in the tech center.
Fair enough, and very well stated. I think that, had the OP stated his case like this, the reaction (at least so far as it involves PRS themselves) would have been different. Fret material, string gauges, tube amp/modeler and similar threads are land mines for the most part, and otherwise stable adults can get to a 4th grade level in a hurry, especially when the opening post starts in an inflammatory manner. Beyond any doubt, it is my least favorite part of any guitar forum.
 
Last edited:
Options are simple: refret with stainless on a PRS, buy a guitar that comes with stainless frets. No one seems upset when they decide to change pickups to a $500-600 set they prefer, so what’s the difference? Make it how you want it, and you’re all good.

The Walsh guitar is a Limited Edition, a signature model for which the Signature guy wanted stainless. It costs what it does because it is what it is. If I want Joe’s blessing, signature, and frets, there it is. Like the Silver Sky… it doesn’t come with my choices, it comes with John’s choices.

Make yourself happy. You can only control your choices.

It would be nice to have the stainless option on a core PRS because although we can change anything after the fact, It’s difficult to get the quality fret job the PRS factory is capable of.

I live in a big city and i do not know of any local shop i would trust to refret my PRS. Regardless of fret type.
 
It would be nice to have the stainless option on a core PRS because although we can change anything after the fact, It’s difficult to get the quality fret job the PRS factory is capable of.

I live in a big city and i do not know of any local shop i would trust to refret my PRS. Regardless of fret type.
Access locally can be tough, and we musicians know that many people at the shops aren’t much more trained than we are! A scary proposition.

One option is to send it off. I had my T5 refretted at Taylor, and they went over the guitar and replaced some faulty parts and nut at no additional cost as part of the refret. Takes a while, but it’s quality work. One place that does have factory-trained techs is Sweetwater. They do refrets, including stainless steel and gold EVO at a $100 upcharge from standard wire. Their refret includes a setup before the guitar is returned.

When no reliable option is close by, you have to reach out farther. Of course it adds shipping cost, but can give some peace of mind!
 
It would be nice to have the stainless option on a core PRS because although we can change anything after the fact, It’s difficult to get the quality fret job the PRS factory is capable of.

I live in a big city and i do not know of any local shop i would trust to refret my PRS. Regardless of fret type.

Double the SKUs, essentially?
 
In one of woody Allen’s movies Maybe radio days The narrator says “ my parents could argue about anything”
Then the wife comes out of the kitchen in apron and says to husband “ you mean to tell me you think the pacific is a better ocean than the Atlantic?”
 
It took me decades to pull the trigger on stainless frets. My first electric, a 79 LP Deluxe, was fitted with regular Dunlop 6100s after heavy suggestion from my guru at the time and it transformed that guitar. This was in 1983, but he never once suggested stainless. Don’t think it was a thing yet. That was the last time I’ve had to have a guitar regretted (bear in mind that I wore those stock frets to the fingerboard, originally, so, I apparently have a grip).

Fast forward a few decades and thanks to Warmoth, for my Catalpa Tele Cab build, I went with a gorgeous roasted maple neck/board Tele in 59 carve with stainless 6100s. That guitar is an effortlessly playing instrument. Would I do the same with my DGT or CU24? Not a chance, but for this one guitar, it’s sublime. Like most parts selection decisions, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. I’ve been quite fortunate.

cabronita.jpg
 
My guitar student brought in a Suhr I played one note and asked if it had stainless frets. He said it did and asked how I knew. I told him I can hear the difference in the sound which sounded crazy at the time until I explained what I heard.
My Suhr woke me up to Stainless frets. Yes a real difference, even my Mentor could tell immediately. But then again he’s a guitar Wizard:cool:
 
I get it that for many SS could be much better. I do like the idea of frets that do not wear out, though I am a light player and have numerous PRS to share the load.

There are many things I wished PRS did that would be better for me and my taste that aren't going to happen. We all can't get everything we want.
 
It took me decades to pull the trigger on stainless frets. My first electric, a 79 LP Deluxe, was fitted with regular Dunlop 6100s after heavy suggestion from my guru at the time and it transformed that guitar. This was in 1983, but he never once suggested stainless. Don’t think it was a thing yet. That was the last time I’ve had to have a guitar regretted (bear in mind that I wore those stock frets to the fingerboard, originally, so, I apparently have a grip).

Fast forward a few decades and thanks to Warmoth, for my Catalpa Tele Cab build, I went with a gorgeous roasted maple neck/board Tele in 59 carve with stainless 6100s. That guitar is an effortlessly playing instrument. Would I do the same with my DGT or CU24? Not a chance, but for this one guitar, it’s sublime. Like most parts selection decisions, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. I’ve been quite fortunate.

cabronita.jpg

That's an interesting build with those pickups and so on. More info?
 
That's an interesting build with those pickups and so on. More info?
Thanks for noticing. It’s a fairly plain build but with attention in some key places. My brother built the body out of catalpa. Neither of us had seen guitars built from that wood before so I was compelled. It’s light and very resonant. There’s no grain filler so it feels wonderful, despite no comfort or belly cuts. The pickups are custom TV Jones Classics, unpotted. Glorious pickups. They can chime, they can roar, they can feedback with control or the lack there of. The rest is basic stuff…Babicz bridge, Gotoh tuners and that wonderful neck. It is possibly my favorite guitar of all time.
 
Fair enough, and very well stated. I think that, had the OP stated his case like this, the reaction (at least so far as it involves PRS themselves) would have been different. Fret material, string gauges, tube amp/modeler and similar threads are land mines for the most part, and otherwise stable adults can get to a 4th grade level in a hurry, especially when the opening post starts in an inflammatory manner. Beyond any doubt, it is my least favorite part of any guitar forum.

It seems particularly bad on this site though. The first thread I looked at today is a good example. OP starts the thread, second post is somebody calling them a troll. Pretty standard behaviour, and entirely predictable.
 
It seems particularly bad on this site though. The first thread I looked at today is a good example. OP starts the thread, second post is somebody calling them a troll. Pretty standard behaviour, and entirely predictable.
It’s a PRS forum… proclaiming PRS guitars flawed because they aren’t made how you want them made on a PRS forum is going to cause that. Opening line:

“Typical PRS self righteous making excuses garbage.”

Not out of line to call that trolling, later proven by the fact he never posted again in the thread as far as I can see.

He’s got his opinions, but he came in swinging on a manufacturer’s forum and some swung back. That’ll happen on any brand-specific forum.
 
when someone says that all business is going in one direction then we have to go in that direction or we are not following the dance !?

Paul has to install ss frets, at the price he sells his guitars that would be normal, right? I would just say Paul didn't make us buy these guitars, he's where he needed to be, thank you Paul!;)

Why so much discord !? If you want to change some things, do it! ****, don't denigrate the manufacturer,
not to mention people like Les, who share their musical opinions, this is a forum for PRS enthusiasts! what did you expect people to say?
for info, yes I have guitars with ss and yes there is a difference! do i want ss on my PRS no! the answer is very simple, because !! just an opinion!:D
 
Is there a real difference? Likely.
Is it also a ton of marketing? I think so.

Just saw an interview with Leland Sklar about his Frankenstein bass which he’s used on 2400+ albums and heavily toured for decades. Famously, he uses small mandolin frets and says he digs in pretty hard - and that he’s had it refretted only twice since the ‘70s.

If Lee gets that much mileage out of regular nickel frets, I think much of the durability issue for 99% of the rest of us is a good marketing story.
 
Is there a real difference? Likely.
Is it also a ton of marketing? I think so.

If Lee gets that much mileage out of regular nickel frets, I think much of the durability issue for 99% of the rest of us is a good marketing story.

Not even remotely true. Some guys can amazingly blow through frets in a couple of years. Others it may be 10. Some never. Heavily depends on the player and it's folly to point to one guy, a bass player no less, and say "look...he only needed 2 refrets". You are also ignoring the fact that there is an ergonomic aspect to SS frets in addition to the durability. In regards to bass players vs guitar players, guitar players do 2 things a heck of a lot more than bass players that contribute to wear. Those being bends and vibrato. Then there is the consideration of bass vs guitar strings and how each will wear a fret, guitar strings being worse in that regard.
 
2) Name the exact guitar you played with SS frets to form such strong opinions.

Tom Anderson Droptop.

It's just an ordinary opinion. I could hear the zing and didn't care for it. For comparison purposes, I had a pre-SS-fret Anderson Droptop back in the '90s for I'd guess 5-6 years. Also had an Anderson Hollow T with regular frets for about the same length of time. I'm pretty familiar with Anderson's models.

I probably played it for a half hour. Is there a rule re: how long I need to play a guitar to form an opinion as to whether I like its frets?

And to muddy the waters further, in general I like Tom Anderson's guitars, and think they're pretty close to PRS (or Suhr, another good brand that I think uses SS) level instruments in terms of quality.

We like what we like. Nothing wrong with that. No need for you to cross examine me or post a list of interrogatories. I know that game well, since I litigated cases for 15 years before getting into the music biz.
 
Last edited:
Tom Anderson Droptop.

No need for you to cross examine me or post a list of interrogatories. I know that game well, since I litigated cases for 15 years before getting into the music biz.

We know, Les. Smartest man in the room. Got it. You don't have to keep repeating it.

Oh, and half an hour isn't really time to even get warmed up, nevermind make a concrete judgement about an instrument. I hate to ask this. But, did you even bother to EQ the amp to the guitar, which is like rule #1 of using amplifiers....well...aside from turning it on and plugging the cable into it?
 
Back
Top