Stainless steel frets
- Thread starter Huggy Love
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ruger9
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The brightness added by SS frets is less than a new set of strings. And actually, after day 1 you don't even notice that. I am not a fan of brightness, I must be sensitive to treble frequencies because I tend to run my treble, presence, (and on my pedals, "tone") controls on the low side... and the SS fret tonal change not only doesn't bother me one bit, it's welcome.
I'm with Huggy on this one: never again nickel. SS is a "better mousetrap", all-'round.
Mozzi
https://imgur.com/user/BAMozzy/posts
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What guitar did you have SS frets on? Was it a Core model?
I find CE's in general to be brighter with standard frets. That may have something to do with Maple Neck, the bridge and Bolt-on construction. SS may have a small impact and on 'core' models, the fact that these aren't as bright naturally, may have a smaller impact because the construction in general is warmer and fuller. It may have more impact on CE which are bright naturally.
I do know that some people haven't liked SS on their 'classic' guitars like a Les Paul and Teles. I know Pete Thorn for example won't put them on certain guitars yet his Signature has SS frets.
It would be interesting to know what strings PRS use. I know they are specially made by D'Addario but wonder if they are all Nickel. That may well reduce PRS fret wear because the strings are 'softer' than the Nickel alloy PRS use in their frets. According to PRS, the Nickel they use for frets are not the 'hardest' possible but the next one down but still much harder than 'standard' Nickel frets. In theory, if you aren't using SS strings, then the Fret wear on a PRS should be kept to a minimum because the frets wear the strings and not the strings wearing the frets.
Stainless Steel frets are not exempt from wear either BUT can last indefinitely if the Strings you use are softer. I have seen pictures of a String wear on a SS fretted guitar. It was on the wound strings where the windings have almost worn through to the core and the fret looks just as 'perfect'. Its a clear indication of the difference between having a hard material fret and a softer material string. If you use SS strings though, then these can (and do) cause wear on SS frets.
It seems that the most 'popular' strings are SS with possibly Nickel wound on the thicker 3 strings. To me, that says that fret wear should be a concern for the majority of players because their preferred strings are made of a 'harder' material than their frets. If they use Capo's, press hard and do a lot of bends/vibrato, they will wear their Nickel frets out unless they opt for a different set of strings. Doing that though will change the tone slightly and should reduce the life span of strings, but then so should SS Frets with Nickel strings - just faster than 'hard' Nickel frets would.
There are of course lots of factors that determine 'fret wear'. I am sure we have all see 'vintage' instruments with little fret wear - ok so they are now lower but still not that low that its almost a fretless guitar - that has been played and played and played - with Nickel frets because that's the way guitars were always made. However, some seem to burn through frets in a few years and I think a lot of that has to do with SS strings - strings made of harder material to get them to last longer and longer. I think that has a LOT to do with Guitarists wanting SS frets more and more. Not that I am against SS frets, not at all. I personally haven't tried them myself but the more 'research' I have done around Fret wear in recent years, the more I understand why SS is becoming more and more widespread, more in demand. When you look at the String construction of the most popular Strings, all SS with maybe Nickel wrapped around the bottom 3, you can see why Fret wear is more 'common' now and why its predominantly the bottom half of the frets because those Nickel frets are softer than the 3 SS non-wound strings.
This is why I am curious to know how the PRS strings are constructed. All I know is that they are a 'bespoke' design for PRS - that they are not NYXL's with a PRS name on the packet for example. I wonder if they are a softer material than the PRS fretwire...
I find CE's in general to be brighter with standard frets. That may have something to do with Maple Neck, the bridge and Bolt-on construction. SS may have a small impact and on 'core' models, the fact that these aren't as bright naturally, may have a smaller impact because the construction in general is warmer and fuller. It may have more impact on CE which are bright naturally.
I do know that some people haven't liked SS on their 'classic' guitars like a Les Paul and Teles. I know Pete Thorn for example won't put them on certain guitars yet his Signature has SS frets.
It would be interesting to know what strings PRS use. I know they are specially made by D'Addario but wonder if they are all Nickel. That may well reduce PRS fret wear because the strings are 'softer' than the Nickel alloy PRS use in their frets. According to PRS, the Nickel they use for frets are not the 'hardest' possible but the next one down but still much harder than 'standard' Nickel frets. In theory, if you aren't using SS strings, then the Fret wear on a PRS should be kept to a minimum because the frets wear the strings and not the strings wearing the frets.
Stainless Steel frets are not exempt from wear either BUT can last indefinitely if the Strings you use are softer. I have seen pictures of a String wear on a SS fretted guitar. It was on the wound strings where the windings have almost worn through to the core and the fret looks just as 'perfect'. Its a clear indication of the difference between having a hard material fret and a softer material string. If you use SS strings though, then these can (and do) cause wear on SS frets.
It seems that the most 'popular' strings are SS with possibly Nickel wound on the thicker 3 strings. To me, that says that fret wear should be a concern for the majority of players because their preferred strings are made of a 'harder' material than their frets. If they use Capo's, press hard and do a lot of bends/vibrato, they will wear their Nickel frets out unless they opt for a different set of strings. Doing that though will change the tone slightly and should reduce the life span of strings, but then so should SS Frets with Nickel strings - just faster than 'hard' Nickel frets would.
There are of course lots of factors that determine 'fret wear'. I am sure we have all see 'vintage' instruments with little fret wear - ok so they are now lower but still not that low that its almost a fretless guitar - that has been played and played and played - with Nickel frets because that's the way guitars were always made. However, some seem to burn through frets in a few years and I think a lot of that has to do with SS strings - strings made of harder material to get them to last longer and longer. I think that has a LOT to do with Guitarists wanting SS frets more and more. Not that I am against SS frets, not at all. I personally haven't tried them myself but the more 'research' I have done around Fret wear in recent years, the more I understand why SS is becoming more and more widespread, more in demand. When you look at the String construction of the most popular Strings, all SS with maybe Nickel wrapped around the bottom 3, you can see why Fret wear is more 'common' now and why its predominantly the bottom half of the frets because those Nickel frets are softer than the 3 SS non-wound strings.
This is why I am curious to know how the PRS strings are constructed. All I know is that they are a 'bespoke' design for PRS - that they are not NYXL's with a PRS name on the packet for example. I wonder if they are a softer material than the PRS fretwire...
Casi1
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I put stainless steel Jescar fretwire on one of my fenders... it was an old neck (that I love) that I didn’t want to have to re-fret at any point in the future so installing SS frets made sense to me. The fretwire is definitely hard and it does brighten up the tone, but I got it primarily for the longevity so those other things weren’t super important to me. I hear the extra brightness on some notes but it’s definitely not significant. If changing nothing but the frets, then the tone difference shouldn’t be huge but if putting SS frets on a roasted maple neck or an already bright guitar, well, that change in tone might be more ‘in your face’.
I wouldn’t put them on any guitars that I might sell though...
I wouldn’t put them on any guitars that I might sell though...
merciful-evans
Portsmouth uk
I have completed full fret leveling, crowning & polishing on 2 guitars now, and its hard work. The prospect of doing this with SS puts me off! If the neck was 100% stable I would try it, but no wooden neck is. Maybe I could try it with my composite build?
You know, I ordered my last Warmoth neck in roasted maple and 6100 stainless (and 59 carve...YES1) for my Catalpa Cabronita and it is simply stunning. Yes, it’s articulate and has unpotted TV Jones Classics, but, to me, it isn’t over the top bright. It totally surprised me. But talk about a comfortable guitar and able to show multiple personalities...
Casi1
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Interesting! Perhaps the thick rounded 59 carve offsets some of the brightness? And the unpotted pups help. I probably wouldn’t try that with a thinner neck or with pups like 85/15... I’d be scared, lol. My fender neck with the SS frets is really thick so I think that helps a lot with the new frets.
I ordered my recent Musikraft neck with regular nickel silver frets because I want to see how bright the roasting makes it. Every roasted neck I’ve played has felt awesome but has sounded brighter compared to non roasted. I was really worried about that when I ordered the latest neck.
I can’t recommend the Warmoth roasted maple neck/fingerboard w/ big frets highly enough. Even if you don’t go stainless, the 6100s are a game-changer and on that carve, it’s second only to the DGT. It’s bigger than the Vela, but only by a hair. This guitar is fantastic!
Casi1
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I can’t recommend the Warmoth roasted maple neck/fingerboard w/ big frets highly enough. Even if you don’t go stainless, the 6100s are a game-changer and on that carve, it’s second only to the DGT. It’s bigger than the Vela, but only by a hair. This guitar is fantastic!
I haven’t tried anything from Warmoth yet, you like them better than Musikraft? The biggest frets I’ve ever played were on the DC3. I wonder what size they were. I ordered 6105 for the Musikraft neck.
I’ve never had anything from Musicraft.
If you’ve ever played a DGT you’d know what 6100s are about...or darned close. They’re also on one of my Les Pauls and it’s one of my “things” now. Love ‘em.
frankencat
Guitarded
I have refretted a couple of PRS's for customers with SS frets. They feel and look great. I will do one for myself eventually and I have them on all of my other personal guitars.
docteurseb
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I generally use SS frets on all my Warmoth or Musikraft necks. I also added this option onto a PS build I spec'd last summer.
I do the fretwork myself and don't find the crowing/leveling to be the most painful part of SS frets, but polishing SS frets is.
If you really want that ultra smooth bending feel from SS frets, you better sand/polish them extensively and gradually moving from medium to find sand grit. Any shortcut taken and they won't feel all that smooth, you can tell because you'll hear some friction/grinding noise when bending strings and it won't go away quickly.
With nickel frets you can just keep bending and that'll smooth out (grind) the fret quickly, that doesn't work this way with SS frets.
I do the fretwork myself and don't find the crowing/leveling to be the most painful part of SS frets, but polishing SS frets is.
If you really want that ultra smooth bending feel from SS frets, you better sand/polish them extensively and gradually moving from medium to find sand grit. Any shortcut taken and they won't feel all that smooth, you can tell because you'll hear some friction/grinding noise when bending strings and it won't go away quickly.
With nickel frets you can just keep bending and that'll smooth out (grind) the fret quickly, that doesn't work this way with SS frets.
Parralax view
New Member
I've only had one guitar that I've had refretted. A 95 strat that had frets that were flat in many favorite positions, and led to going off a bit on notes. My guy Chris Davis here in Honolulu suggested the 6100's, or as he put it, "Gibson Frets". I found it odd until I played them. They are tall, wide and play effortlessly. He also made a deal with me on Hemispherical fret ends, if you don't like them, you don't pay for them. I paid gladly, the thing glides so smoothly with no sharps that it's hard to describe how well it plays for a Fender.
Screamingdaisy
(O)))m
As a bass player, I find frets definitely have a sound. I think it stands out more on bass because the strings bounce off the frets, which makes it really sensitive to high frequency content.
Interestingly, I generally prefer the sound of cheaper, softer frets. I think it’s one of the reasons Fender Road Worn guitars tend to be highly praised. IME, those guitars typically sound warmer sound that emphasizes the midrange than some of the “better” guitars that have a more extended top end.
I do have a bass with stainless frets on it and I agree with whoever said that once you play stainless for a bit you stop thinking about it. In the end something either sounds good or it doesn’t, and if you’re digging what you hear there’s no point in looking for reasons to dislike your gear.
Interestingly, I generally prefer the sound of cheaper, softer frets. I think it’s one of the reasons Fender Road Worn guitars tend to be highly praised. IME, those guitars typically sound warmer sound that emphasizes the midrange than some of the “better” guitars that have a more extended top end.
I do have a bass with stainless frets on it and I agree with whoever said that once you play stainless for a bit you stop thinking about it. In the end something either sounds good or it doesn’t, and if you’re digging what you hear there’s no point in looking for reasons to dislike your gear.
I've got SS frets on a Fender Strat, Grosh Retro Classic, Aristides 060, & PRS 408. The feel is fantastic. I did the re-fret myself on the Strat. I also re-fretted a Les Paul Custom with EVO Gold. EVO wire is definitely easier to work, but SS isn't extremely difficult. You just need patience (and about $1,500 worth of tools) to do your own frets.
PsillyBoyBlues
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I was schooled in metallurgy for my welding courses in college and just heat alone can change the crystal structure within the metals and 100% make them sound, feel and react differently, so a process as industrially heavy as turning carbon steel, chromium and nickel into stainless steel would definitely matter, how much will it matter that’s tough to say, I’ve been thinking of titanium frets lately, ever played them ?
316ms
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Sounds like you know your metals, i have not tried titanium, only SS frets. I love em , I love prs guitars period, sone guitars are just a tad brighter than others, especially maple necks and boards. PRS are generally mahogany bodies which i think are warmer, even with a maple neck. I pit the ss frets in a rosewood neck core McCarty and could not be happier, wasnt so much for the tone, i didnt want to change that really, prs frets wear really fast for me. The older ones anyways. I giged the guitar regularly so that definitely makes for a shorter life. Now its silkier playing and bends are more effortlessly executed, strings wear out a little quicker. Thats like a golf T, cheapest part of the game" let me know if you put the titanium on, id like to hear your results. Regards
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