GAS Alert!!!!

[Kostas]

There are only two downsides to SS frets.

1. additional cost
2. additional string breakage

Other than that, they are a great upgrade.

I have not broken a string since 2007 when I had my first Warmoth. All my W's have SS frets. I even missed the binding on my LP so I can have SS frets. They just rule :headbang:

 

[Death by Uberschall]

There are only two downsides to SS frets.

1. additional cost
2. additional string breakage

Other than that, they are a great upgrade.

I have not broken a string since 2007 when I had my first Warmoth. All my W's have SS frets. I even missed the binding on my LP so I can have SS frets. They just rule :headbang:

I haven't had a string break yet either. It's just known that the strings wear faster on SS frets.

 

[Cagey]

There are some people who believe the myth that they change the sound of the guitar. I don't know where that ever came from, because they don't, but the myth continues. I've passed up a couple very nice necks at very attractive prices in the Showcase simply because they were already fretted. Once you play stainless, you don't want anything else.

 

[Cagey]

I think if anyone is leaving strings on for so long that fret wear alone is breaking them, they need to get a better job or change priorities or something so they can replace strings more than once in a blue moon.

 

[dNA]

Once you play stainless, you don't want anything else.

:dontknow:  I had a Carvin with SS frets for a few years and it was an awesome guitar, but I don't miss having stainless steel frets. Is it just cuz they don't wear out? I haven't had any fretwork done on my Artcore since I got it like 8 or 9 years ago and it doesn't seem to have any intonation problems or dead spots yet.

 

[lafromla1]

When I looked at the specs of this one, it had regular frets, not stainless ones, so I was wondering why you wouldnt put stainless on and charge $20 more?  Also, anyone know why its twin is like $90 more?

 

[CrackedPepper]

When I looked at the specs of this one, it had regular frets, not stainless ones, so I was wondering why you wouldnt put stainless on and charge $20 more?  Also, anyone know why its twin is like $90 more?

Do you mean this for $695?

 

[simple]

There are only two downsides to SS frets.

1. additional cost
2. additional string breakage

Other than that, they are a great upgrade.

A comment on #2 there: I have stainless on all my Warmoth's except one that I have the gold wire on, and that's just about as hard. I play 4 hour shows out live 3 nights a week plus rehearsals and I have never broke a string at a fret location. I've broke strings at the bridge saddle but never in an area where a frets been touching it.

To me, it seems logical that the smoother the surface of the fret, the less friction you would generate to cut through a string.

 

[AprioriMark]

There are only two downsides to SS frets.

1. additional cost
2. additional string breakage

Other than that, they are a great upgrade.

A comment on #2 there: I have stainless on all my Warmoth's except one that I have the gold wire on, and that's just about as hard. I play 4 hour shows out live 3 nights a week plus rehearsals and I have never broke a string at a fret location. I've broke strings at the bridge saddle but never in an area where a frets been touching it.

To me, it seems logical that the smoother the surface of the fret, the less friction you would generate to cut through a string.

Where are you playing?  I'm guessing casinos.  I'm curious if I've seen you play a lot.

-Mark

 

[simple]

When I looked at the specs of this one, it had regular frets, not stainless ones, so I was wondering why you wouldnt put stainless on and charge $20 more?  Also, anyone know why its twin is like $90 more?

Do you mean this for $695?

I can answer that. Because most people that put out the money for a show neck like that one, are typically older cats and/or traditionalists. No one worries about Nickel/Silver frets so it's a wider customer acceptance spec.

 

[simple]

There are only two downsides to SS frets.

1. additional cost
2. additional string breakage

Other than that, they are a great upgrade.

A comment on #2 there: I have stainless on all my Warmoth's except one that I have the gold wire on, and that's just about as hard. I play 4 hour shows out live 3 nights a week plus rehearsals and I have never broke a string at a fret location. I've broke strings at the bridge saddle but never in an area where a frets been touching it.

To me, it seems logical that the smoother the surface of the fret, the less friction you would generate to cut through a string.

Where are you playing?  I'm guessing casinos.  I'm curious if I've seen you play a lot.

-Mark

Southend bars mostly but I do have one band booked at Red Wind now.

 

[Cagey]

To me, it seems logical that the smoother the surface of the fret, the less friction you would generate to cut through a string.

The people who think SS frets will break strings earlier don't have any experience with them; they're relying on something they learned in metal shop in high school which says that when two dissimilar metals bear against each other, the softer of the two will wear faster. When you have SS frets, they're harder than nickel plated steel strings, so the strings should wear faster and so break sooner. But, you also have to take friction into consideration, which is much, much lower on the SS parts, so there's less abrasion and the strings won't wear as fast. The other part they're overlooking is that unless you have some really raunchy frets, the strings will break at the fulcrum points where they get work hardened (such as the tuning peg, nut, and bridge saddle) much sooner than they ever will at any fret, no matter what it's made of. If you had nickel-silver frets as smooth as SS frets and no fulcrum points to get work hardened, the SS fret might break a string before the nickel-steel would, but it would take years for it to happen. The strings become useless long before that for other reasons.

 

[AutoBat]

I've only broke a string (B) since getting my W neck (with SS frets) and it was at the bridge.. after playing extensively on it for five months.

 

[Rouse]

There are only two downsides to SS frets.

1. additional cost
2. additional string breakage

Other than that, they are a great upgrade.

The cost is worth it in the long run, it means less fret work. And I've never broken a string because of my frets and I abuse my strings  :laughing7:

 

[dNA]

i don't think in all the years i've played guitar i've ever broken a string anywhere other than the bridge or the tuner. maybe the nut once. but certainly never in the middle of the neck. I feel like a string would have to be insanely old or have production defects to break in the middle

 

[mullyman]

I think if anyone is leaving strings on for so long that fret wear alone is breaking them, they need to get a better job or change priorities or something so they can replace strings more than once in a blue moon.

This post deserves a spot in the Hall of Fame.

I've been playing guitar for the better part of 25 years now. In all that time I honestly can not recall EVER breaking a string while I was playing. I've broken them stretching them after changing strings though. I'm sure in all these years I've had to have broken one while playing at least once, but I don't remember it.

I don't go with strings for a long time though. If I'm not in a band situation I probably change strings once a month or month and a half. If I'm practicing with a band each week I'll change them every other week. If we  have shows I won't do more than 2 shows in a row with the same strings. I like that new feel and sound they have.

As for SS frets, I have them on both of my Warmoth's and I love them. I agree with whoever said they don't change the sound. At least I don't notice anything like that. I just love the idea that they hardly wear down at all. Not that I play long enough or hard enough to wear down fret wire. hehe!!
MULLY

 

[Cagey]

That's about how I deal with strings, too. I mean, it's not like they cost $100 a set, fer crissakes! And as you say, the feel and sound of new strings is a wonderful thing.

As for the SS frets changing sound, I haven't heard any difference, either. But, to be fair, I've never put SS frets on a fiddle that had nickel-steel frets on it before so I've never been able to compare apples to apples. Still, I don't think there's a difference. I also don't seem to wear frets, but that could be because I've never had a guitar long enough for it to show up. Historically, it's been the rare instrument I've kept more than a few years. Grass is always greener, and all that. Plus, I've never been much of a collector so I don't usually add guitars, I replace them. That's changing lately - over the last couple years I've drifted up to 4 of them, with plans for more. In fact, I may be picking up a solid mahogany Warmoth Strat body today that some guy is sacrificing.

The one thing I have noticed with the SS frets is they seem to even the dynamics out if you hammer/pull/slide a lot. It's almost like a mechanical answer to a compressor/expander. Notes that you hammer on, pull off, or slide up/down to are typically somewhat diminished compared to picked notes, but on the SS frets that's less apparent. The dynamic range levels out. But, that could be my imagination.

If nothing else, they're dramatically smoother and easier to play, so for that reason alone it's worth a $20 or $30 bump.

 

[jay4321]

I don't break strings all that often but have done it during playing countless times. I change them pretty regularly and like the "new string" sound after about an hour of wearing them in.

Also, I wonder how much it relates to how aggressively you play, string gauges chosen, etc.

 

[Cagey]

I can see a very aggressive player maybe breaking a string more often on SS frets simply because they make them easier to bend. With nothing stopping you (like mean ol' Mr. Discipline <grin>) it would be easy to push a string past its tensile strength.

 

[Death by Uberschall]

Guess I should have said:

There are only two downsides to SS frets.

1. additional cost
2. PEOPLE'S FEAR OF additional string breakage

Other than that, they are a great upgrade.

:doh:

I personally have not broken a string on a SS fret yet either. And I'm a player that for the most part waits for either corrosion to begin or when 1 string breaks (usually at the bridge for me) then I change them all. 99% of the time I'm changing them due to breakage because I can have a very wide vibrato at times. :icon_thumright: