Question Stainless Steel Frets?

[brokenvail]

So, I was wondering if any one knows why EB doesn't use Stainless Steel frets? I was talking to some dude and he said that I should not get an EB but should get either one of thos prands that start with an A or an S. He said that EB was the best of the "mass produced guitars" but that the little extras like variouse neck shape choice (which we will not touch here because that horse is so dead there are flys all over it) and stainless steel frets were just a few of the reasons to go with the other companies.

Please no company bashing or calling the guy an idiot. I just want to hear thoughts and opinions/ pros and cons about stainless steel frets and if any one knows why Eb doesn't use them please feel free to let me (us) know.

 

[Bass Control]

I've heard that the stainless steel frets are more expensive and harder to work with when installing them on the fingerboard.

And as for MM being "mass produced," puh-lease. I think MM guitars and basses are the best out there, and the fact that they aren't mass produced is a reason why i decided to start playing instruments made by this company.

 

[Sticky1973]

I have absolutely no idea what my Music Man frets are made of. They feel great, look good and help produce a tip top sound. By all accounts they'll outlast my playing too!

Maybe i'm not fussy enough; maybe I need random stuff, and I just don't know it yet

 

[k.gormley]

i was going to have a guitar neck made for a strat . I almost got stainles frets on it. I did some research and found this out. ss frets are harder . With that you get longer life and a harsher tone a bit more treb . the first parker flys had ss frets and I remember they were cool easy to play but sounded cold and harsh.....to me. In the end I bought my morse y2d and scratched the neck idea.

 

[jamminjim]

so.. I guess titanium frets are out of the question then.....

 

[GoKart_MoZart]

...He said that EB was the best...

Yeah man, gotta agree with that.

...of the "mass produced guitars"...

What the...?

 

[hbucker]

Music Man guitars aren't mass produced? I thought they were. How are we defining "mass produced"?

Why is it a slap in the face if your favorite brand isn't crowned the best of the best of anything that's ever been made? That's something I just don't get about these forums.

If you love your axe, isn't that enough?

 

[koogie2k]

I would not say "Mass Produced" only because they don't make "extra" guitars and basses to sit and collect dust. They are made upon order. They just stick to a specific process for each type of instrument. Meaning, they are as close to handmade or custom as they can be without being called custom or handmade. They have a gazillion options out there and it is working well for them.

Stainless Steel? Doesn't matter to me....

 

[CarbonTim27]

Thanks to Ed Roman for this wonderful article on Stainless steel frets (some really good reading here).

Tech Articles - Stainless Steel Frets - Ed Roman Guitars

 

[TNT]

You'll never wear out stainless steel frets!!!

So, when you finally arrive at the conclusion it's NOT what you want (and you will), then you're going to have to get a re-fret!!

 

[Tim O'Sullivan]

I hear they are more expensive to fit as they destroy workshop tools very quickly.

I have never tried them myself, but a lot of people say they are very trebley sounding.

 

[TNT]

It's nice you like stainless frets.

But as mentioned, they can prove "havoc" on tools. From the stand point of guitar manufactures, nickel, by far, exceeds the demand for stainless on frets. Why is that?

The consensus (and you can read them on the net) is that the only superior quality SS frets may have over nickel is longevity.

Sound quality, and all other related concerns, seems to be of a lesser degree in the eyes of many players, makers, and techs.

Even re-fretting is a problem, if they do ultimately wear out, with some tech's not wanting to perform this because of the high degree of fretboard damage when pulling out the worn SS frets.

FEEL: SS, is way to hard - nickel is nice n soft. The importance of this, and a good example of this quality, is when you strike and hold a note, and continually raise and lower that note on the fret you will start getting "fret resonance" (most players know what I mean), it's actually the soft fret wearing out, you can't do that on stainless.

 

[MN246]

One thing is for sure, if someone is wearing out their tools while working with stainless steel, then they have some pretty crappy tools. I work with various grades of stainless steel in the machine shop all the time, and I can tell you without any reservations that high carbon tool steel is much harder than stainless.

I asked BP about stainless frets quite awhile back, and he told me that MusicMan doesn't offer stainless frets because of the increased string wear. If, like me, you play with a very light touch, you won't notice much difference. However, if you have a sledgehammer type of attack, you'll wear your strings out quick.

 

[TNT]

Hey,

How about "high carbon" frets - why just SS??!!!

 

[phatduckk]

IMO its all about what guitar is comfortable to you. if you like the neck, sound & shape/balance of a guitar then its the one for you.

talking about fret material is nit-picking IMO. sounds like a minor reason to find a complaint

 

[douglasspears]

I just think it's unfair the way some posts in this thread seem to dismiss the suggestion simply because EBMM doesn't offer it at this time. I'd be interested to see the responses from the same people if EBMM offered stainless frets only and a request for nickel frets was made. I'd also be interested to learn if the folks against stainless steel frets have actually had any long-term experience with them.

truth. A lot of people are being pretty defensive about nickel frets it seems!?!

 

[brokenvail]

I have tried to stay away and just read the answers but I thought I'd chime in. First off I do wonder why EBMM didn't do maybe a BFR with SS frets. I wil not ponder why it's not offered standard. We have heard BP constantly talk about how they offer a gazillion options and adding one more option makes so many new configuration. I don't want to make BP or any of our wonderful EBMM people made. I wouldn't be intersted on the other hand to know if there was a reason why they don't use it (this is under the assumption that the to many options already available is bit the reason)

With that said I had a Parker which for what it was was a nice guitar. Yes it was bright but I do not think it is due to the SS frets, I think it is do to the lack of wood. That guitar never got muddy and always had a clarity to it. Truth is I miss the Piezo on that guitar and that was what brought me to EBMM: a killer guitar with the piezo and wood!

I would love to play another guitar with SS frets and more wood to possibly see if there is something to these SS frets

once again pls don't pash brands or the guy who gave me his to cents, it will get us now where. Thanks for the replies.

 

[TNT]

As a manufacturer you would first have to ask yourself, "what is the demand for SS frets"??

Go into any guitar center store in the nation - 99.9% of all guitars have nickel frets. Customers don't consider SS frets.

I think that is the biggest reason for companies not offering SS frets.

Actually, are there any other valid choices other than nickel or SS????

 

[phatduckk]

It's not so much a complaint as it is a suggestion or request. I agree with you that fret material isn't a make-or-break factor when selecting a guitar and I've said so above.

I just think it's unfair the way some posts in this thread seem to dismiss the suggestion simply because EBMM doesn't offer it at this time. I'd be interested to see the responses from the same people if EBMM offered stainless frets only and a request for nickel frets was made. I'd also be interested to learn if the folks against stainless steel frets have actually had any long-term experience with them.

sounds like we're on the same page.

i figure you can also get stainless when you refret.

 

[TNT]

64,

Good point!!!

However, with everyone of those new innovations came a large degree of monetary risk. And, how many have went the wayside - way more than succeeded??

With that said, yes, I'm glad we have innovation in music, but I also realize how patient and cautious, those who bankroll these ventures, need to be.