While we're on the subject of frets around here I thought I'd throw out this question. What do you think of stainless steel frets, specifically on a Fender? Have you ever had a guitar with them? How did they sound and how long did it take for them to wear? I'm interested in knowing since I'm debating whether or not to get them on the neck I'm going to order for the forum strat project. I'd really love to not have to worry about leveling them every six months or facing a refret in a few years.

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I have no experience with them; however I do plan on upgrading to SS frets at some point in the future. I figure that any difference I notice in the tone will be easily adjusted out with the amps tone controls. I think the fact that they're said (by many, many musicians) to last substantially longer than regular frets is good enough reason to switch over.
I am curious to see what anyone that has used them has to say also...

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i'm guessing they'd kinda sound like alimunuim guitars.

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riley

I used Stainless steel nails as fets on a cigar box build......does that count??

They worked great for that but did play havoc with my tools and I have heard that some techs don't like using them for that reason. They stayed shiny a lot longer too..........

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speak slowly I'm a drummer too!!

And I proudly lack a stick or a kazoo up my arse...........

stainless steel is a hard metal, yes putting them in will play havoc on ur tools, but they should last a lot longer, one problem i can think of is that they will give a bit more fret buzz but with a good set up i dont think this would be a problem...

ive ive re-fretted a couple of guitars... and even normal jumbos put a lot of wear and tear on tools to fit them... but tools are cheap...

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blues - its a religion...

TGS

ive done a lot of research on this over the last yr or so, here and there. your gonna get a lot of different opinions on this, as did i. the tone change claim is one i often ran into.
some said yes that it was a huge change, some said yes but very subtle.
bending is a dream and the feel is improved big time. i only found 1 guy that said he would never do it again and he is the editor for premier guitar mag i believe it was.
the only way your really gonna know is to just do it.
one thing your gonna have to ask yourself, if the tone does go much brighter as some claim, do you have it to where you can make a few knob adjustments to get back closer to where your tone was before hand? can you live with it if you dont?
seeing as how the report is that the tone gets brighter with SS frets, what happens when its mixed with the already brightness of single coil pickups? will it have that glass tone after that? just do it. you can always go back to nickle if you dont like it.

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63supro
"The good thing is in a club situation, most of the patrons are trashed and really can't tell the difference."

Well, now you've found two.

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You dig?

tell us what you found with it martian.
were you able to "EQ" the brightness out of your new tone or what?
was there any added bonus to the SS frets at all?

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63supro
"The good thing is in a club situation, most of the patrons are trashed and really can't tell the difference."

Random thoughts (in no particular order) concerning SS fretwire:

It is extremely rigid and surely a lot tougher to work with which includes all of it: Shaping, cutting, grinding and polishing - Tool wrecker for sure. I must however, disagree with another poster's statement about, "tools being cheap"; at least concerning the ones I prefer, any way.

My fingers were stinging when the job was completed.

I think they sound tinny regardless of whether the guitar is played acoustically or electrically. No, the offending frequency or frequencies cannot be dialed out without removing desirable frequencies with it/them.

Granted, bending strings is easier which means they're grinding down the strings easier too. If this is questioned, consider what SS strings do to 'conventional' frets.

Needless to say, SS strings and frets shall make any guitar or bass sound like a banjo.

Just like Elixir strings, one shall pay approximately three times more vs. their 'conventional' counterpart for three times the longevity so where's the savings?

To me, it's a gimmick where just like so many others, if they were viable, they would have been the standard in all guitars and basses decades ago.

IF I ever agreed to install them again (notice the big, "IF"), the customer would have to buy me all new tools first as replacements for all the ones I'd be about to destroy and then would have to pay me three times the price of a 'conventional' job.

Nah, I have no absolutely no use for them.

Naturally, all the above is merely IMO where YMMV.

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You dig?

your opinion counts martian, thank you for the reply.

i'll get with you later on some questions more indepth.

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63supro
"The good thing is in a club situation, most of the patrons are trashed and really can't tell the difference."

Interesting insight Martan...Got me thinking now. If I'm able to easily do my own fret leveling this week, sounds like it may be worth it to learn it and just forget about the SS frets. If they really make that much of a difference in the sound, I'll have to pass. And...I'm pretty rough on strings as it is, and having my frets wearing them down even quicker would see me to changing strings every week. Sounds like they're not worth the hassle.

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A wise choice, believe me!

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You dig?

I will indeed. The only reason I was considering them was for the durability factor, but I believe it's just time to learn to do my frets. I can the do rest on my guitars, so no time like the present to learn this last; important skill.

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Ha. Very interesting. Noted - and bookmarked: thank you.

I've never touched stainless steel frets yet, but I'm mighty curious. A certain gentleman wants a neck made with some later in the year and not withstanding what I've read on this thread I'm still itching to try them out, if only to learn the lay of the land.

I'll no doubt report my findings when the time comes...

Cheers - C

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go try a tom anderson or john suhur guitar, they use SS almost always.

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63supro
"The good thing is in a club situation, most of the patrons are trashed and really can't tell the difference."