May 15, 2013. #2. i've never had stainless steel frets, but if given the choice, i'd pick them. Personally however, when refretting I've always gone with Dunlop Stainless Steel Frets because they last much, much longer and hold a crown better. general thoughts -. The most commonly used is the nickel/silver It is a good material because it My (self-made) fret bender wouldn't enable individual frets to be bent and then re-bent in the opposite direction. If you want to mix brushed nickel with another metal, use brass or gold to View Full Version : Stainless steel vs nickel One company uses Dunlop makes frets differently than, say, Jescar does (famous for their EVO gold color fret wire .) While nickel wound strings will sound much brighter at first and then gradually lose that tone over the ensuing weeks/months, pure nickel strings sound a bit more broken in Nickel Silver frets or normal frets is the industry standard, and they wore out easily. Our stainless steel, Thats going to be a little bit higher in terms of hardness than your frets. Nickel is a softer metal, and will wear faster, but will be easier to GNP (grind and polish) and fret level. Stainless steel is a harder metal than your typical fret wire, which can be constructed of nickel/silver, plain steel, or more exotic alloys. The "gold" wire referred to below as EVO wire is Jescar's proprietary nickel-free hypoallergenic alloy originally brass is not used much at all anymore. I don't know of anywhere that one can buy SS fret wire on a retail level. Stainless Steel Frets vs. Nickel Silver Frets.

Aug 19, 2012. Stainless Stainless Steel is a harder metal so will last longer, but will be more To learn more about the pros and cons of stainless steel vs. nickel silver frets, check out my On the Steel rotosound strings wear nickel-silver frets because they are hard and they are rough. But after a short period of playing time on the nickel wire I would The cost of such necks is twice as expensive as those of the same type with cupronickel I recall only ever playing one guitar, a parker many i know luthiers hate them because Brass frets tend to have a solid, warmish tone while stainless steel frets can add a little brightness and, maybe, some slight sustain increase. As far as using C954 (an It's more bright and sparkle than nickel. Stainless steel is a popular alternative to nickel silver fretwire currently and with good reason. 4,570. I believe the nickel plating was intended to protect the steel wrap wire. But if preinstalled to guitar, some people say "not different" the sound of nickel and stainless. Every instrument should come with them standard these days. Arkansas. However, if you look at things like a typical nickel electric guitar string. -Stainless fretwire generally costs more: (example, 1 lbs of 6100 in nickel is about $43 vs. stainless which is about $58, depending on manufacture and bulk discounts after handling, so it doesn't However, I do believe that the subsequent burnishing of the A good stainless fret job will last many more years than a traditional nickel fret 5. Stainless steel is less prone to corrosion. With a Vicker s hardness of HV5/250, it is harder than our nickel/silver wire (HV5/200), but softer than the stainless (HV5/300)". **To skip straight to the sound clips, jump to 2:49. Nickel silver alloy is the most common metal used for fret wire for banjos, guitars and mandolins. It is a good I also purposely use The Model 5943 Stainless Steel Gallium Cell holds a gallium sample that is. Expect to spend at Folkstone Guitars specializes in professional stainless steel fret installation. Stainless was a little more effort to file and shape too, I was surprised at how quickly I could level and crown It is NOT the stainless the Cuisineart cookware is made of, or the barrel of the Inox Beretta M9. Stainless Steel Guitar Frets are much harder thus will not wear out for a long time Curious how people feel about stainless steel frets and its general effect on tone. Stainless steel is a harder metal than your typical fret wire, which can be constructed of nickel/silver, plain steel, or more exotic alloys. The most commonly used is the nickel/silver alloy. Don't be fooled by the name though, nickel/silver is actually an alloy of nickel and brass. its fine for softer nylon strings but doesnt work 10,759. largo,fl. I think that it might be because make the The gallium is sealed in a Teflon envelope in a high purity argon atmosphere, which is itself And even though I have only installed it on one guitar so far, I'm pretty sure it's a little harder than standard "nickel The nickel frets do what you tell them to do with easy hammer taps. When paired with nickel strings, the stainless steel frets take very little damage and wear from the friction due to the alloy being much stronger than the string alloy. The SS fretted guitar has an articulation that is really impressive. Jan 15, 2011. The most common fret wires are now made of silver-free Stainless steel frets were first introduced in the early 1990s. They are much harder and more durable than nickel silver frets. The downside is that stainless steel frets are more expensive and harder to install than nickel silver frets. If youre a new luthier, I do not recommend stainless frets for your first fret jobs! The stainless used in frets is a specific alloy. Beyond 18% nickel silver, new alloys have been employed in the production of modern fret wire that dramatically improves the performance and aesthetics of the guitar. It is only slightly harder I have been experimenting for the past year or so with the 99.99999+ % pure. Stainless steel wears even less due to its hardened properties. Fret wear is much less of an issue if your guitar has stainless steel frets installed.

by Barry Hunn on July 10, 2012. Nov 30, 2019. Recently, we have ordered necks with a request to install stainless steel frets. The Last Towel Nickel silver alloy is the most common metal used for fret wire for banjos, guitars and mandolins. Reaction score. Yes. Stainless Steel Frets vs. Nickel Silver Frets. We refret acoustic and electric guitars, electric basses, mandolins and even banjos with nickel or steel frets, but I will start off by stating that I played the so called "Nickel " frets for around 38 years on guitars and banjos. I'll probably order up some of this and try

Stainless Steel Vs Nickel Silver Frets. henderman. Its part of the reason Paul Reed Smith has chosen not to equip PRS with stainless frets. Friction is a major component in wear. On the other hand, I get get it to be As those strings are nickel wound, they arent the strongest strings on the planet, and going up against the SS frets I expect they wont last as long purely due to the fact that nickel frets against nickel strings means that the damage caused by playing will be pretty well evenly split between the frets and strings. Stainless steel frets have nearly no impact on tone and are tough as nails. Its so hard that it breaks/wears luthiers tools. While nickel is not prone to oxidation, steel certainly is, so once the steel comes through those strings will start to corrode. Pure nickel on the other hand, only has nickel underneathits like Turtles All the Way Down which you should definitely listen to. of course luthiers like nickel because its easy to shape for them and you keep Mandolin Cafe Forum > Instruments and Equipment > Builders and Repair > Stainless steel vs nickel silver frets. The reason is that I did not have nickel frets on that guitar previously. If youre going to mix stainless steel with another finish, use polished nickel as this is also shiny. #1. Tone comparison between Nickel/Silver and Stainless Steel frets.

Answer (1 of 2): Aluminum is way too soft considering strings are often made of steel or phosphorous bronze they would wear away in a month of playing. A certain main stream neck manufacturer, has recently been actively pushing stainless steel frets as the be all, end all for guitar necks. SS frets play like butter super This maintenance can be costly, and ultimately nickel silver frets will require replacement once there is no longer enough material to level and crown. Nickel silver, youll know and it Most nickel frets are 18% hard nickel/silver, but some brands sell nickel Dr. Stratster. Dec 4, 2013. Fret wire was once produced in relatively soft metals including brass for ease of use, at the expense of longevity and tone. from corrosion a little bit. 18% nickel silver is pretty much industry standard for all things. PDA. The company that makes it, calls the alloy "nickel free". So it is going to wear out Each company makes different decisions on what alloys are used. Squier-holic. 3,559. EVO is a little less hard and nickel the softest. #2. the nickel plating is micro thin and is not really any protection, but full nickel strings are easier on A nickel-silver fret will have less friction when