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Stainless steel frets?

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  • #1

    Stainless steel frets?

    Hey guys, I'm getting ready to order a Warmoth neck for my Strat project, and I'm wondering if anyone has played a guitar that had stainless steel frets, rather than the traditional 18% nickel frets? From what I've read, stainless steel has a smoother, slicker feel and lasts much longer than nickel fretwire. But I've also heard some people say that it alters the tone in a negative way. For those of you who have tried it, what do you think? Should I go stainless steel or nickel? Any help would be appreciated.

    Ryan
    Originally posted by JOLLY
    I'm the reason we had to sign waivers
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Re: Stainless steel frets?

    Some say that it makes your tone brighter, but I'm not so sure. I havnt heard any difference, but the playing was phenominal. I could bend forever on those frets, they're SMOOOOOOOTH. And, you probably wouldnt wear 'em out in this liftime.
    This is the very perfection of a man, to find out his own imperfections. - St. Augustine of Hippo

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    • #3
      Re: Stainless steel frets?

      I have 3 guitars with and 2 without SS frets. The 3 Warmoths are are not brighter than my 2 guitars with normal frets (80's Kramer Pacer and Gibson SG).
      This machine kills fascists

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      • #4
        Re: Stainless steel frets?

        I have stainless frets on my Driskill. They feel great and will last forever.

        As for tone, everything affects everything. They might make things a tad brighter but in the grand scheme of things, I dunno if it's more noticeable than bumping the treble knob on your amp.
        Originally posted by LesStrat
        make sure that you own the gear, not vice versa.
        My Music

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        • #5
          Re: Stainless steel frets?

          in theory, it should become brighter, but I really dont think that our ears are that well developed that we can tell the difference.
          This is the very perfection of a man, to find out his own imperfections. - St. Augustine of Hippo

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          • #6
            Re: Stainless steel frets?

            I love the SS frets on my friend's Parker. VERY smooth feel and they seem to last forever. I would go for it if I had the choice.
            Ain't nothin' but a G thang, baby.

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            • #7
              Re: Stainless steel frets?

              just out of curiosity.. which guitars come stock with SS frets, just so i could try them ?
              My clips

              Originally posted by Rid
              How do I block my hardtail?

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              • #8
                Re: Stainless steel frets?

                Any set neck Parker Fly (not shure about the Nite Fly's) come with SS frets and carbon fiber fingerboards.
                Ain't nothin' but a G thang, baby.

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                • #9
                  Re: Stainless steel frets?

                  hmm i'll have to try and find one!

                  they're like goldust over here though...
                  My clips

                  Originally posted by Rid
                  How do I block my hardtail?

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                  • #10
                    Re: Stainless steel frets?

                    I don't think Stainless Steel frets are a good idea on a Strat. Seems like it would add to the brightness of an already bright guitar. The difference between stainless steels strings and nickel is pretty drastic. I personally hate Stainless Steel strings on Strats, and I like my tone pretty darn bright.

                    I can imagine they'd be pretty tough on strings too.
                    "Time is an illusion. Lunchtime, doubly so." ~ Ford Prefect

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                    • #11
                      Re: Stainless steel frets?

                      Originally posted by KoreanGuitarMan
                      I can imagine they'd be pretty tough on strings too.
                      Some people claim they are but that hasn't been my experience. My strings have solid nickel (not nickel-plated) wraps but seem to last just fine on my Driskill. FWIW, back when I used stainless strings on my Aria with nickel silver frets, they weren't particularly hard on the frets, either.

                      IMHO, FWIW, YMMV, etc.
                      Last edited by aleclee; 07-26-2004, 10:48 PM.
                      Originally posted by LesStrat
                      make sure that you own the gear, not vice versa.
                      My Music

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                      • #12
                        Re: Stainless steel frets?

                        I have two old 70's Srats refretted with stainless steel. Yes, they will eat up your strings, but if you change them often, that's no big deal. The trade off for shorter string life is that you can go many, many, many years before having the frets recrowned. They can cause a maple neck guitar to be significantly brighter on a clean amp setting, but that can be adjusted with the amp's tone controls. I also have the Dunlop scallop and 6000/6100 style frets on the necks, so the big tone makes up for any extra brightness-- and the steel seems to make the guitar neck more responsive to a lighter touch.
                        Last edited by Boston Joe; 07-26-2004, 10:52 PM.

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                        • #13
                          Re: Stainless steel frets?

                          Refrets are more expensive, aren't they? I've heard stainless frets pretty much ruin tools.
                          "Time is an illusion. Lunchtime, doubly so." ~ Ford Prefect

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                          • #14
                            Re: Stainless steel frets?

                            I've read that the only reason Parker installs those is because you CANNOT re-fret their carbon fiber fretboards without destroying them.
                            Very Metal.

                            :firedevil :headbang: :firedevil

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                            • #15
                              Re: Stainless steel frets?

                              Heh I had some for a few moments on some old strat, hated everything about them!
                              Ding ding nothing but topend....shudders.

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