Stainless Steel Frets

[Firewalker]

Curious as to your guys opinions on stainless steel frets?

I've had my JP6 Pearl Redburst for about a year and a half now and after playing it consistently I can honestly say I wouldn't get another guitar without SS frets on them. They bend really smooth and I don't find they add much (if any) high end to the sound. The frets also still look brand new after all the playing on them.


Was there anything in particular that stands out as to why Petrucci started to prefer SS frets?

 

[Fastfingers83]

I feel the same way,they are much smoother and they dont seem to eat up the strings like some people say they do.

 

[guitvai1]

I agree, I have a Silo Spec PDN and 3 other guitars with SS frets and I love them. You can do those big wide Lukather bends and vibrato with ease. I did notice though that with EBMM Slinkys they add a bit of high end scratchness that I don't like. This was solved by switching to Gibson Les Paul strings or DR blues strings.

 

[Tim O'Sullivan]

I think the next guitar I get re-fretted I will get Stainless, just to see what the fuss is all about!

 

[Razzle]

Not only are they smooooothe, but you don't have to worry about freat wear. Love 'em!

 

[killerburst]

They never oxidize or corrode and once the playing surface is level, crowned and polished, it stays that way. For a long, long time. I'll personally never own a nickel-fretted guitar again.

 

[bwow]

Man, wish my JP had SS frets!

 

[tbonesullivan]

I am also curious as to why JP went with them after using N/S for so long. I'm pretty sure if he had asked for them, he would have gotten them.

I had a guitar with SS frets, and I just couldn't bond with it. The feel of the frets was part of it. I also am not sure if you get as nice of a mechanical bond with the fret when using metals that are closer in hardness. I also guess I like the resistance that you get from N/S frets.

Some love them, some don't. Only way to find out if you like them is to try them out. As for a change in sound, there is one, the question is whether it can be picked up by guitar pickups, which are limited in frequency response.

 

[JAMz]

I hate to have a mint guitar showing fret wear. SS solved this issue for me. Some people hate them I personally love them. One of the selling points on my brand new JPX.

 

[Tollywood]

I have the SS frets on one of my Axii, and I really like them.

 

[Pablo]

I am yet to witness anyone being able to distinguish between nickel/silver and stainless steel in properly recorded blind tests - I thought I could, but failed miserably, when put on the spot.
There simply is no downside to stainless steel frets for me as a player and I will never purchase another instrument without stainless steel frets.

Cheers

Eske

 

[gtrman66]

I seem to burn through the regular nickel/silver frets on every guitar I buy within 6 months or less so I recently had one of my luke 2 guitars refretted with jumbo stainless frets by Philtone guitars out of Baltimore. I love the luke model's neck width, profile and radius but wanted taller and more durable frets so stainless looked like the best option. So far they're working great with a very slight increase in brightness (easily compensated by lowering the presence on the amp). My other luke was refretted earlier this year with medium jumbo evo gold frets with similar results. Definitely not going back to standard frets if I can help it.

 

[aleclee]

In addition to my Driskill and Parker guitars, I have an Axis and ASS refretted with stainless. Count me among those whose not going back.

 

[dwells]

Since i got SS frets on my new custom Ebmm i will never go back, Stainless Steel frets for life..

 

[Nazgul666]

I had never liked them. I liked the resistance on the regular frets. Its like lifting weights. You know how with free weights you can lock out the weight, but with a bowflex or band resistance its smoother but it feels weird at the end? That's the way I always felt about stainless.

That being said I just bought a new JP6 and I'm getting used to them. Plus they look great and don't wear out. I'm sure after another month or so and I won't want to go back

 

[WildWestGuitars]

Since i got SS frets on my new custom Ebmm i will never go back, Stainless Steel frets for life..

Definitely, SS frets maintain brightness and clarity with my strings. Plus, they don't wear down like the other types!

 

[Luke Duke]

I think they feel pretty good, but the guitars I've tried with SS seemed to have a high end thing I don't care for at all. I have noticed that a lot of guys who use them have "hi-gain" amps so I wonder if they work well together? I have a modded 2204, but it's not what I'd call "hi-gain" and I have a tweed pro-esque head that I hit hard with boosts, though I haven't tried that one with SS yet.

 

[Tis BOOLsheet]

My first exposure to SS frets was my JP12-7. I will probably never buy another guitar without them. Unfortunately, that limits my universe of guitars quite a bit. But it's worth it. They don't wear, and they're far smoother which facilities vibrato.

There is simply no downside unless you are a luthier. Many luthiers won't work with them because they're tough on tools.

In my opinion, they are just far superior in every way.

 

[Stratty316]

It really doesn't make that big of a deal to me. I've played guitars with them and with out and there really isn't that much difference for me. I've had my Axis since 1996 and the frets are still doing great and it's the guitar I judge all other guitars against for tone and playability. Tone wise, I don't think you can tell... There are so many other factors going on that the frets are such a minor influence. Playability wise, a nice EBMM (or other brand known for playability) shouldn't really feel that much different solely based on the fret material. Do you think the JPXIIABCDEFG would play horrible with nickel frets instead of SS?

 

[Kenji20022]

It really doesn't make that big of a deal to me. I've played guitars with them and with out and there really isn't that much difference for me. I've had my Axis since 1996 and the frets are still doing great and it's the guitar I judge all other guitars against for tone and playability. Tone wise, I don't think you can tell... There are so many other factors going on that the frets are such a minor influence. Playability wise, a nice EBMM (or other brand known for playability) shouldn't really feel that much different solely based on the fret material. Do you think the JPXIIABCDEFG would play horrible with nickel frets instead of SS?

It's not about one guitar playing better with or without them, the benefits of Stainless Steel completely outweigh what Nickel brings to the table when you have a choice. I won't NOT buy a guitar if it doesn't have SS Frets, but why someone would pick Nickel over SS given the choice beats me.

Stainless Steel frets wear at such a slow rate, that you don't need to pay a tech to level your frets all the time to get rid of fret buzz that simply raising the action won't fix. If you've played 90's Era Parker guitars that have been toured and played for almost two and a half decades, you'll probably find one with dings all over the body or play wear depending on how well the owner took care of it. But the frets look, feel, and act as if they're still brand new, that alone should be a testament to how well the material holds up over decades.

Considering my tech charges $80 for a fret leveling, and that I need one at least once a year for my Nickel Fretted Guitars. If the guitar has Stainless Steel frets, I save 240 over 3 years on my fretwork per guitar. My tech charges 225 for a Nickel Refret also, and 250 for Stainless Steel, so it pays for itself over 3 years of not needing any leveling.

That being said, I plan on getting an Axis and a Silhouette eventually even if they don't have SS Frets but they'll end up with them over time