Ah - by "never touched" I mean I've never installed them. I can spare a file or two - I'm up for a try!

Meanwhile. Ooo - I wonder what happens if I push my wet fingers into this electric wall socket...?

Cheers - C

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report back what it is that you find out bro.

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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."

Good luck and believe me, it'll be more than a mere file or two. You'll also be going for new straight and perpendicular wire cutters as well. Unfortunately, your stinging fingertips can't be replaced and simply will have to heal over time.

As to the socket, give it a go and remember, we all love pictures!

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I'm sure I read somewhere if you wear a pair of wellies you will be just fine!!!!

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speak slowly I'm a drummer too!!

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

Well, I just bought a neck with SS frets, so I'm not lovin these posts. How could frets change the tone? It's been said that my 69 pickups are thin and high, so I guess my strat build turned into a mandolin build.

dont worry about the post, just put it together and see for yourself and give a full report

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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."

Contrary to popular belief, hardware affects tone, especially on electric guitars and in many cases, more so than the woods. Naturally, frets are part of the hardware.

Between the 69s and the SS frets, I'm afraid that you will have a rather trebly guitar.

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martian,

would a pup change help this fella out any?

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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."

Definitely yes. He'd have to switch from the exact opposite he has now to at the very least, Texas Specials. But it should be noted that they would sound more like say, Fat 50s with the SS frets.

As I've said in the past, the balls of any pickup comes from its midrange. By necessity, this also implies that the pickup has to inherently have a bit of power to it to begin with which also implies that lower frequencies are reasonably ample as well. Taking it one step further, the more powerful the pickup is in general, the more the pickup will be giving a pre-determined sound, electronically overriding the hardware and the woods of the guitar. Remember, DiMarzio built his empire on this proven principle.

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off topic a bit, do you like dimarzio over seymour duncan and why?

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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."

I don't have an 'in-stone' preference nor am I beholding to any manufacturer. Whichever brand(s) best meets my requirements for whatever purpose, those are the ones I choose. This also includes mixing. Granted, there may very well be more than one which 100% fulfills my wants so it then becomes a question of price, accessibility and knowing their customer service is shall we say, "customer oriented".

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Martian, interesting deep insight, thank you.

'Gonna go look for an SS fret guitar to pick on and listen. They sure do not sound like fun to work with, installing-wise.

good info martian as always thank you.

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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."

You're quite welcome.

Installation wise, they are FAR from any fun. Some will get all 'macho' and tell you it's a piece of cake. Believe me when I tell you, it 'bites the big one', especially if one's aim is to make those frets look like they were born with the guitar and not installed afterward. Case in point: In spite of neck manufacturers and the like who have all those multi-thousands of dollars CNC machines, etc. to do all the work for them, you won't see a lot of even superior guitar service facilities going out of their way to promote SS fret installations or even G & Ps of same regardless of the increased price which segues me to another point:

There is no argument that of themselves SS frets are the most durable. However and as we all know, the grain of any wood, specifically here, a fingerboard and neck have a proclivity to do what they are going to do over time in terms of warping and shrinkage. Consequently, even if the frets are not worn down, per se, any fingerboard over time can wind up altered just enough to where the frets themselves become uneven in spite of exacting truss rod manipulation; and then there's the common sprout issues. Either way, we're talking a G & P here where SS frets can indeed become an expensive liability in terms of remedial action and/or even finding a seasoned pro who is willing to do it. In the long run, it would probably be quicker and cheaper for the owner to buy a replacement neck from Warmoth or some outfit like that with the SS frets already installed; and then the cycle can start all over again.

As always the aforementioned is merely IMO where YMMV.

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Any time!

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