Stainless Steel Frets vs Nickel Frets

[vultures]

they’re brighter but I have picks that make the tone brighter than the frets.

Now that I think about it, yeah.. I do get more difference in brightness by switching picks. These are my main picks. Mostly using the Big West Creation picks from Osaka. Stainless Steel is bright as hell, Brass is much more mellow. The stone picks and Gravity picks are close in brightness. My stone ones aren't polished on the edges, so it makes a pick scrape sound sometimes that's annoying. I'm thinking of swapping permanently to Gravity because the strings take a beating with these metal ones.

 

[Exo-metal]

SS, greatest innovation to the electric since its inception. 2nd would be carbon fiber neck reinforced strips.

 

[Uzi Nein Millimetah]

Now that I think about it, yeah.. I do get more difference in brightness by switching picks. These are my main picks. Mostly using the Big West Creation picks from Osaka. Stainless Steel is bright as hell, Brass is much more mellow. The stone picks and Gravity picks are close in brightness. My stone ones aren't polished on the edges, so it makes a pick scrape sound sometimes that's annoying. I'm thinking of swapping permanently to Gravity because the strings take a beating with these metal ones.

View attachment 457937

Picks are absolutely essential to toan and attack. For me, Tortex TIII + SS Frets + NYXL strings = Triumvirate.

 

[S̷͖͑m̵͎͂á̵̺s̸͚̈́h̴̬̑]

Now that I think about it, yeah.. I do get more difference in brightness by switching picks. These are my main picks. Mostly using the Big West Creation picks from Osaka. Stainless Steel is bright as hell, Brass is much more mellow. The stone picks and Gravity picks are close in brightness. My stone ones aren't polished on the edges, so it makes a pick scrape sound sometimes that's annoying. I'm thinking of swapping permanently to Gravity because the strings take a beating with these metal ones.

View attachment 457937

My biggest problem with the stone and metal is the chirp. I don't know if it is because i cant my hand a bit, but it is annoying. Sounds like tonny lommi.

 

[glpg80]

I’m a jumbo nickel guy. That brightness can come off as brittle after a while to me. I have jumbo SS Jescar frets installed on all of my norlins so that they’d never have to be refretted again, but I still prefer the sound of jumbo nickel. It’s just warmer and sounds better to me. Yes there’s a feel aspect that’s amazing for SS, but maintained nickel frets can feel great too.

I’m due for a refret on my charvel and I’ll be going super jumbo nickel.

 

[vultures]

My biggest problem with the stone and metal is the chirp. I don't know if it is because i cant my hand a bit, but it is annoying. Sounds like tonny lommi.

YES. The edges have to be REALLY polished to reduce the chirp. My stone picks chirp to no end because the edges are flat and rough. If you flat pick it helps, but I'm too lazy to consciously keep my pick flat all the time. I'm nervous to buy more stone picks because if the edges don't meet up and if they're rough it'll chirp more.

 

[Uzi Nein Millimetah]

I’m a jumbo nickel guy. That brightness can come off as brittle after a while to me. I have jumbo SS Jescar frets installed on all of my norlins so that they’d never have to be refretted again, but I still prefer the sound of jumbo nickel. It’s just warmer and sounds better to me. Yes there’s a feel aspect that’s amazing for SS, but maintained nickel frets can feel great too.

I’m due for a refret on my charvel and I’ll be going super jumbo nickel.

I have two Soloists of the same era/materials, one with SS 6100s and one with new nickel 6100s, and prefer SS hands down. The difference is feel is huge. The difference is sound is more subtle, although still very obvious to my ears. I've seen a few knobs on the internets claim there is "NO" difference in sound, but they have defective hearing and/or are full of it.

 

[mentoneman]

I’m a jumbo nickel guy. That brightness can come off as brittle after a while to me. I have jumbo SS Jescar frets installed on all of my norlins so that they’d never have to be refretted again, but I still prefer the sound of jumbo nickel. It’s just warmer and sounds better to me. Yes there’s a feel aspect that’s amazing for SS, but maintained nickel frets can feel great too.

I’m due for a refret on my charvel and I’ll be going super jumbo nickel.

i recently played 2 new guitars my friend bought with SS and i was tripping on how much they added a metallic brightness to the attack of the tone acoustically.

if i had my druthers i’d prefer a hybrid ala Kiesel

 

[67mike]

BRIGHT!!!!!!!!!!

So, nope for me, SS can suck a donkey dick.

 

[VonBonfire]

My biggest problem with the stone and metal is the chirp. I don't know if it is because i cant my hand a bit, but it is annoying. Sounds like tonny lommi.

The chirp of nickel silver fingerpicks into humbuckers sounds damn good playing a boogie through a cranked amp. That is pretty much ideal, to be able to hear the bite of that pick. I was ridiculed at another forum for suggesting that dropping whatever pick you are using onto a hard surface and listening to the resulting sound is indicative of the character it will impart into your string attack but my experiences tell me there is quite a bit of truth to it.

 

[Geo]

BRIGHT!!!!!!!!!!

SS can suck a donkey dick.

You have expertise in that area?

 

[S̷͖͑m̵͎͂á̵̺s̸͚̈́h̴̬̑]

The chirp of nickel silver fingerpicks into humbuckers sounds damn good playing a boogie through a cranked amp. That is pretty much ideal, to be able to hear the bite of that pick. I was ridiculed at another forum for suggesting that dropping whatever pick you are using onto a hard surface and listening to the resulting sound is indicative of the character it will impart into your string attack but my experiences tell me there is quite a bit of truth to it.

I will make you a recording of the chirp. It is really just something that you notice when you clean up the amp a bit, but I don't mind it a little...it just gets ridiculous for what I am doing when it is happening on every note

 

[S̷͖͑m̵͎͂á̵̺s̸͚̈́h̴̬̑]

The chirp of nickel silver fingerpicks into humbuckers sounds damn good playing a boogie through a cranked amp. That is pretty much ideal, to be able to hear the bite of that pick. I was ridiculed at another forum for suggesting that dropping whatever pick you are using onto a hard surface and listening to the resulting sound is indicative of the character it will impart into your string attack but my experiences tell me there is quite a bit of truth to it.

Alright, here is the clip. I close micd the cab on this one, because @DanTravis62 always bitches about me using a phone mic

 

[Greazygeo]

i recently played 2 new guitars my friend bought with SS and i was tripping on how much they added a metallic brightness to the attack of the tone acoustically.

if i had my druthers i’d prefer a hybrid ala Kiesel

You played those guitars when they were nickel frets to compare?

 

[Greazygeo]

BRIGHT!!!!!!!!!!

So, nope for me, SS can suck a donkey dick.

How did you come to this conclusion?

 

[boltzthrower]

I can tell ya stainless frets do indeed wear out, I’m not sure if some of y’all meant they literally don’t wear. 15 years in and my main axe needs a fret level, and tbh I should have done a few years ago.

 

[WizardAmpIphoneClip]

Odd thing is that SS seems to come on mid level even lower level guitars nowadays. Jackson USA for example don't even have them. My cheapest LTD has SS frets

 

[Uzi Nein Millimetah]

Odd thing is that SS seems to come on mid level even lower level guitars nowadays. Jackson USA for example don't even have them. My cheapest LTD has SS frets

The trend is growing. Now Jackson American series and ESP E-IIs come with SS frets. With a street price of ~$2800, I consider these more than just mid level, but regardless, they are pro grade stage instruments and leave the player ZERO excuse if he fails. Guys like Andy LaRocque have played E-II Horizons and his LTD sig model is awesome (and has SS frets).

I guess companies like Jackson/PRS are reluctant to put SS on their standard top tier models because the buyer$ of those are probably more likely to want traditional construction.

 

[SonVolt]

Stainless. Nickle frets are retarded.

 

[70 Mach 1]

Only have one in my ESP 1000.
I definitely feel a better difference not necessarily hear it