About Stainless Steel Frets

[Donk70]

I'm reading alot of good things about SS frets. Could The members of the forum tell me what are the benifets of SS vs. the traditional frets?

[sonsop]

They wear better and play like they were just dressed - and stay that way for a LONG time.

[joe1962]

Originally posted by sonsop
They wear better and play like they were just dressed - and stay that way for a LONG time.

I agree. they feel very smooth to bend on. I've got a 2002 Hollow Drop Top that has been played a bunch and the frets still look new. I've got a Grosh guitar with Dunlop 6105 frets that are a little over a year old and they are already showing wear in a couple of spots. I liked the SS frets on my Drop Top so much that I just had TA put SS frets on my 97 Cobra, which had a good bit of fret wear. I really like the SS frets a lot.

[Scott Peterson]

Ed Roman slams on SS frets; I am curious about this. ER says that the tone is overly bright - true or hooey? He also claims that strings wear faster, true or hooey? (I am guessing, ummm, HOOEY!)

FWIW, I am ***NO*** Ed Roman fan nor follower. Just happened on his SS fret rant about a month ago and remembered it. No need to put Ed R in his place with me; I know what he is about and why. And yes, I have met him in person.

[dpeterson]

i'd say hooey.. i cant tell the difference in tone. I know that it's hell on your tools, as steel is harder than nickel, so this might be a detraction for some luthiers.

Tom wouldnt do anything to his guitars if he had not thought it out 100 times before.

I have stainless on my new HDT and they are awesome.. no drag at all while bending.. have had them on my parker fly deluxe and played it to death for years, and they still look brand new.

I dont know why ed slams them... he does after all like the buzz feiten tuning which suprised me, i expected him to say he thought it was rubbish as well.

Dave

[andersonguy]

The term often used with ss frets is like string bending on glass.

It will change your playing, bends have never been like this before. I could go on and on about them. I cant see a negative to using them.

Somtimes companies/people have to try to take a shot at others to try to compensate for their shortcomings. Its petty and reflects back on themselves.

A whole lot of hooey, pathetic.:p

AG

[joe1962]

Originally posted by Scott Peterson
Ed Roman slams on SS frets; I am curious about this. ER says that the tone is overly bright - true or hooey? He also claims that strings wear faster, true or hooey? (I am guessing, ummm, HOOEY!)

Well I can tell you from first hand experience. My Cobra S had nickel frets and I just got it back last week from a refret with SS. Granted the guitar was gone for 3 weeks between me hearing it with nickel then with SS, but I remember how it sounded and how I set the amp for it before. I honestly don't see much if any difference in tone, and if anything the highs maybe sound a little sweeter, definitely not brighter or thinner. This could have something to do with the nice crown on the new frets compared to the flattened crown of the old ones. So, at least on my guitar, changing to SS frets didn't make the guitar brighter at all.

[tom]

i had stainless frets on my personal cobra that got giged with nearly every weekend for a year befor we ever installed them on a guitar we sold. i have never broken a string, and i have to say the top end is sweeter. i have nothing to say about ed r.

[JoeB63]

I have 3 TA's with SS frets. I can't hear anything "negative" in the tones of these guitars. No weird high-end or anything like that. And strings don't wear out any faster on SS frets.

As to the "bending smooth as glass" comments. Yes, the SS frets are nice and shiny and stay that way, but I find that well done standard frets can be just as shiny and smooth -- at least when the guitar is new. The fretwork on my 2 Bakers is as good as my TA's and the frets are very smooth (and shiny).

However, if I contrast that with the frets on my 12 year old strat or my 4 year old Relic Strat -- completely different story. Beside the wear, they are dull and "unsmooth." I don't expect that to happen to my TAs.