Do stainless frets "sound" different?

[van hellion]

Tom Andersons use SS and they don't sound like crap.

+1000 i have never had problems getting good tone out of my andersons

A Wood

 

[Greazygeo]

I owned a Suhr guitar which was the brightest guitar i have ever owned and it just so happened to have stainless steel frets. Coincidence?


Most Anderson i have played didn't have SS frets. It is an option for them though but i don't see many Anderson with SS frets.

They switched over to them at some point. My newest Cobre has SS in it....but the Hollow T and Hollow Cobra (both form the 90's) have reg frets.

I do have the SS wire to refret the Hollow Cobra, it needs refretted badly.

 

[Greazygeo]

Nice slippery feel to bends!
A "touch" brighter to me but not brash at least in my opinion!!

But have you refretted one of your personal guitars with SS to compare? Picking up a brand new guitar that happens to have SS frets on them, how can somone say its the frets that make it brighter?

 

[ratkent]

Over the years I've refretted 6 guitars with SS frets and I was very familiar with how each sounded before. None of them became too brassy, schreechy, bright or tinny. I've also saved a fortune on strings because my strings last much longer. The only thing I don't like about stainless frets is that they are not currently on half of my guitars.

 

[Gitfiddler]

Here is a post from David McNaught regarding stainless steel frets. This is from the Club Mcnaught message board


Dave
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Re: Stainless Steel frets?
« Reply #11 on: March 11, 2006, 09:01:40 AM »

Here is what I've found w/ stainless steel frets and the companies that do or do not offer them,...the companies that don't offer them or find them to be too much trouble will say negative things about them. The companies that do use them don't have anything bad to say. Let's face it,...from a marketing point of view, if you as a company don't offer it, for whatever reason, it must be because it is bad. As far as my opinion of them,.... the first guitar I put them in sounded a little brighter than normal. Of course I expected to hear that so naturally my ears heard what I wanted to hear. To decide if it was my ears or the stainless steel frets, I recorded with that particular guitar. Then I waited until I did another guitar with the same specs ( wood and pickups ) and recorded the same thing on another track. Microphones aren't biased and haven't heard all the negative stuff about stainless steel frets. When I listened back to the two tracks there was not a noticable difference. The brightness that I "thought" I heard was not noticable when I listened back to the seperate tracks.

 

[Shawn Lutz]

I also don't notice any tone difference really. They will last pretty much forever and always have that nice fresh fret douched polished feel. slippery bends

I ordered a bunch of Musikraft necks a few years ago, the last one I ordered I went stainless...wish I would have ordered the previous 7 or 8 with stainless steel frets live and lear I suppose

 

[Valtiel]

They can make a *slight* difference, but mostly when playing unplugged. I think it depends on the guitar, if Suhr and Anderson use them then they cant be horrible.

Personally I think stainless steel frets are nothing more than a sales gimmick. Stainless steel frets make your guitar sound less than natural. The stainless is extremely hard and makes the guitar sound brassy, too screechy, bright and too tiny. In many cases this will result in serious listening fatigue.

Parker guitars use stainless steel frets and are the only company I know that actually glues their frets onto the fingerboard - they don't use a "fret tang." Many people object to that Parker sound as being way too bright. In fact, Parker actually upgraded their pickups to compensate for the stainless steel frets. They used to use Dimarzio's and now they finally offer a model with Seymour Duncan pickups – the best electric guitar pickups available on the open market.

Stainless steel frets are way too hard and so is the resulting sound it produces. Absolutely, stainless steel frets last longer, but who wants a guitar with extra long lasting frets if the frets make the instrument sound like crap - unless you desire extra long lasting crap? The stainless steel frets also wear out strings faster than conventional nickel silver frets and the bottom line is their resultant sound is incredibly brittle.

David

Im calling HUGE BS on this one. You are either a bitter tech who hates working with the material (I dont blame you if you are) or you have no idea what you are talking about.

 

[Gitfiddler]

They can make a *slight* difference, but mostly when playing unplugged. I think it depends on the guitar, if Suhr and Anderson use them then they cant be horrible.

Personally I think stainless steel frets are nothing more than a sales gimmick. Stainless steel frets make your guitar sound less than natural. The stainless is extremely hard and makes the guitar sound brassy, too screechy, bright and too tiny. In many cases this will result in serious listening fatigue.

Parker guitars use stainless steel frets and are the only company I know that actually glues their frets onto the fingerboard - they don't use a "fret tang." Many people object to that Parker sound as being way too bright. In fact, Parker actually upgraded their pickups to compensate for the stainless steel frets. They used to use Dimarzio's and now they finally offer a model with Seymour Duncan pickups – the best electric guitar pickups available on the open market.

Stainless steel frets are way too hard and so is the resulting sound it produces. Absolutely, stainless steel frets last longer, but who wants a guitar with extra long lasting frets if the frets make the instrument sound like crap - unless you desire extra long lasting crap? The stainless steel frets also wear out strings faster than conventional nickel silver frets and the bottom line is their resultant sound is incredibly brittle.

David

Im calling HUGE BS on this one. You are either a bitter tech who hates working with the material (I dont blame you if you are) or you have no idea what you are talking about.

it's a cut and paste of an ed roman article http://www.edroman.com/techarticles/stainlessfrets.htm

 

[Valtiel]

They can make a *slight* difference, but mostly when playing unplugged. I think it depends on the guitar, if Suhr and Anderson use them then they cant be horrible.

Personally I think stainless steel frets are nothing more than a sales gimmick. Stainless steel frets make your guitar sound less than natural. The stainless is extremely hard and makes the guitar sound brassy, too screechy, bright and too tiny. In many cases this will result in serious listening fatigue.

Parker guitars use stainless steel frets and are the only company I know that actually glues their frets onto the fingerboard - they don't use a "fret tang." Many people object to that Parker sound as being way too bright. In fact, Parker actually upgraded their pickups to compensate for the stainless steel frets. They used to use Dimarzio's and now they finally offer a model with Seymour Duncan pickups – the best electric guitar pickups available on the open market.

Stainless steel frets are way too hard and so is the resulting sound it produces. Absolutely, stainless steel frets last longer, but who wants a guitar with extra long lasting frets if the frets make the instrument sound like crap - unless you desire extra long lasting crap? The stainless steel frets also wear out strings faster than conventional nickel silver frets and the bottom line is their resultant sound is incredibly brittle.

David

Im calling HUGE BS on this one. You are either a bitter tech who hates working with the material (I dont blame you if you are) or you have no idea what you are talking about.

it's a cut and paste of an ed roman article http://www.edroman.com/techarticles/stainlessfrets.htm

Im glad, that means that my BS meter if fully functional.

But that begs the question, why would anyone want to quote Ed Roman AND take credit for it??!?

 

[Cornfordcrunch]

I can't imagine too many guys have compared ss to nickle wire in the same guitar.....

You should try to expand your imagination, then.

Hmmm. No need to say it that way. You feel one way, that's fine. With Anderson and Suhr and other reputable builders using SS; along with clips I've heard of these SS fret equiped guitars I don't think they sound bright to me

I've played some SS fret equiped guitars (don't own any yet) and thought they sounded ok

btw EVH says they don't alter tone at all...

And if there is anything we've learned from history, it's that EVH is an honest, forthright, straight forward individual...

CLASSIC!

 

[King Crimson]

I just don't think he would have them on his own sig model if they were that sh;ty.

The operative adjective here is "crappy."

 

[King Crimson]

But that begs the question, why would anyone want to quote Ed Roman AND take credit for it??!?

At least you are attempting to listen, however poorly it may be. That was not a direct quote. Try to read a bit more clearly, I have my own interpretation and my right to say what I and many other good guitar builders state is the obvious. Have you ever built a guitar, any guitar that took more than white glue and a dot sheet to put together?

Many other well known players will agree and state the obviuos, as I have.

Carry on, grasshopper...

Edit: And by the way, I really could care less what you may think of Roman, he's got more knowledge about the design, production and physics of building a great electric guitar in his little Leprecon head than you'll ever understand.

 

[AmpliFIRE]

They can make a *slight* difference, but mostly when playing unplugged. I think it depends on the guitar, if Suhr and Anderson use them then they cant be horrible.

Personally I think stainless steel frets are nothing more than a sales gimmick. Stainless steel frets make your guitar sound less than natural. The stainless is extremely hard and makes the guitar sound brassy, too screechy, bright and too tiny. In many cases this will result in serious listening fatigue.

Parker guitars use stainless steel frets and are the only company I know that actually glues their frets onto the fingerboard - they don't use a "fret tang." Many people object to that Parker sound as being way too bright. In fact, Parker actually upgraded their pickups to compensate for the stainless steel frets. They used to use Dimarzio's and now they finally offer a model with Seymour Duncan pickups – the best electric guitar pickups available on the open market.

Stainless steel frets are way too hard and so is the resulting sound it produces. Absolutely, stainless steel frets last longer, but who wants a guitar with extra long lasting frets if the frets make the instrument sound like crap - unless you desire extra long lasting crap? The stainless steel frets also wear out strings faster than conventional nickel silver frets and the bottom line is their resultant sound is incredibly brittle.

David

Im calling HUGE BS on this one. You are either a bitter tech who hates working with the material (I dont blame you if you are) or you have no idea what you are talking about.

it's a cut and paste of an ed roman article http://www.edroman.com/techarticles/stainlessfrets.htm

Great catch!!! I love to see Queen Crimson trying to cover this up with his tail between his legs.

 

[King Crimson]

Great catch!!! I love to see Queen Crimson trying to cover this up with his tail between his legs.

How so? Caught what, the fact that you and your other half are wagon pullers with no clue other than what a public forum packed with bad information from (for the most part) hacks willing to take the placebo in leu of reality as truth.

Hey AmpliFIRE, sorry man, but you're a typical moron (Queen Crimson?) and you are turning what could have been a potentially good thread into your imature way, predictive.

 

[AmpliFIRE]

Great catch!!! I love to see Queen Crimson trying to cover this up with his tail between his legs.

How so? Caught what, the fact that you and your other half are wagon pullers with no clue other than what a public forum packed with bad information from (for the most part) hacks willing to take the placebo in leu of reality as truth.

Hey AmpliFIRE, sorry man, but you're a typical moron (Queen Crimson?) and you are turning what could have been a potentially good thread into your imature way, predictive.

Nice job trying to spin your incompetence, but you've failed once again. You've acted like a whiny bitch since you came to this forum, and now we are supposed to take you serious??? Nigga' please

 

[Valtiel]

But that begs the question, why would anyone want to quote Ed Roman AND take credit for it??!?

At least you are attempting to listen, however poorly it may be. That was not a direct quote. Try to read a bit more clearly, I have my own interpretation and my right to say what I and many other good guitar builders state is the obvious. Have you ever built a guitar, any guitar that took more than white glue and a dot sheet to put together?

Many other well known players will agree and state the obviuos, as I have.

Carry on, grasshopper...

Edit: And by the way, I really could care less what you may think of Roman, he's got more knowledge about the design, production and physics of building a great electric guitar in his little Leprecon head than you'll ever understand.

Thats a little presumptuous of you dont ya think? I used to work for a luthier so I have a good bit of experience when it comes to guitar building and repair. I havent really built any guitars myself, but I have built a few basses, in fact heres an email from a very nice guy who bought one that I made:

Hi Morgan, Good news on the cover - Thanks!
To say that I am enjoying the bass would be an under-statement. Everything
about it is awesome. I haven't played any of my other basses at a gig
since I got it. It has incredible definition - every note comes through.

So I may not have all the expertise as your favorite overweight, bitter Las Vegas guitar shop owner, but I think its safe to say im a bit beyond glue and paper.

 

[thegame]

How so? Caught what, the fact that you and your other half are wagon pullers with no clue other than what a public forum packed with bad information from (for the most part) hacks willing to take the placebo in leu of reality as truth.

If you feel that way about this forum, why don't you get the hell out ?

 

[Anonymous]

How so? Caught what, the fact that you and your other half are wagon pullers with no clue other than what a public forum packed with bad information from (for the most part) hacks willing to take the placebo in leu of reality as truth.

Rather slippery of you. For a minute I was gonna come in here and try to pick you up out of the mud, but fuck it. Slagging the forum was a silly thing to do. You really think anyone here is going to sympathize with a post like that? You're fighting a losing battle here bud. Take it from someone who is used to pushing the bad end of an argument. I do it for a living and win all the time. This is a fight you can't hope to win. Go post about Diezel's and sweep picking and shit and leave this fail-o-matic thread behind b4 you taint your rep here forever.

EDIT-In no way is this a reflection on you Gene for starting the thread. We seem to have gotten off topic. The question is honest enough but the responses are more indicative of the HCAF than what I've come to expect of this place. In response to the question I say this is another one of those "power tubes don't matter" scenarios. I don't have any personal experience but I can't imagine it would make more difference than say switching pre-tubes.

 

[stephen sawall]

I must say I have only played a few and they seemed bright. But lots of guitars are bright. George's post makes me think seeing I am about to re-fret my 69 Strat.

Do not forget guys we all have are off days.....?

 

[Audioholic]

I am gonna need a re-fret job on my PRS very soon. I went through the current Frets pretty fast, only a few year

I guess playing everyday perhaps took its toll. If this is the case, the need to refret somewhat often, I am definetally gonna get SS frets. If I do it very soon, I will record a before and after. If I don't post anything, then it means I couldn't find the coin to do it right away.