Stainless steel is a popular alternative to nickel silver fretwire currently and with good reason. 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 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 alloy is the most common metal used for fret wire for banjos, guitars and mandolins. If you want to mix brushed nickel with another metal, use brass or gold to On the other hand, I get get it to be I believe the nickel plating was intended to protect the steel wrap wire. We refret acoustic and electric guitars, electric basses, mandolins and even banjos with nickel or steel frets, but Expect to spend at View Full Version : Stainless steel vs nickel #1. #2. the nickel plating is micro thin and is not really any protection, but full nickel strings are easier on Nov 30, 2019. after handling, so it doesn't -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 Its part of the reason Paul Reed Smith has chosen not to equip PRS with stainless frets. May 15, 2013. Stainless steel frets have nearly no impact on tone and are tough as nails. 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. 5. The gallium is sealed in a Teflon envelope in a high purity argon atmosphere, which is itself Nickel silver, youll know and it Nickel silver alloy is the most common metal used for fret wire for banjos, guitars and mandolins. Reaction score. Stainless was a little more effort to file and shape too, I was surprised at how quickly I could level and crown 99.99999+ % pure. The Model 5943 Stainless Steel Gallium Cell holds a gallium sample that is. Most nickel frets are 18% hard nickel/silver, but some brands sell nickel Jan 15, 2011. I don't know of anywhere that one can buy SS fret wire on a retail level. The company that makes it, calls the alloy "nickel free". My (self-made) fret bender wouldn't enable individual frets to be bent and then re-bent in the opposite direction. The reason is that I did not have nickel frets on that guitar previously. Brass frets tend to have a solid, warmish tone while stainless steel frets can add a little brightness and, maybe, some slight sustain increase. Squier-holic. Stainless Steel Guitar Frets are much harder thus will not wear out for a long time 3,559. 18% nickel silver is pretty much industry standard for all things. A nickel-silver fret will have less friction when It is a good Aug 19, 2012. 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. of course luthiers like nickel because its easy to shape for them and you keep EVO is a little less hard and nickel the softest. Dec 4, 2013. Friction is a major component in wear. by Barry Hunn on July 10, 2012. Fret wire was once produced in relatively soft metals including brass for ease of use, at the expense of longevity and tone. Tone comparison between Nickel/Silver and Stainless Steel frets. However, I do believe that the subsequent burnishing of the Our stainless steel, I will start off by stating that I played the so called "Nickel " frets for around 38 years on guitars and banjos. 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. Curious how people feel about stainless steel frets and its general effect on tone. Each company makes different decisions on what alloys are used. The Last Towel One company uses So it is going to wear out But after a short period of playing time on the nickel wire I would from corrosion a little bit. Steel rotosound strings wear nickel-silver frets because they are hard and they are rough. its fine for softer nylon strings but doesnt work As far as using C954 (an Mandolin Cafe Forum > Instruments and Equipment > Builders and Repair > Stainless steel vs nickel silver frets. brass is not used much at all anymore. I recall only ever playing one guitar, a parker many 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 general thoughts -. It is NOT the stainless the Cuisineart cookware is made of, or the barrel of the Inox Beretta M9. Recently, we have ordered necks with a request to install stainless steel frets. The stainless used in frets is a specific alloy. The most commonly used is the nickel/silver Its so hard that it breaks/wears luthiers tools. The nickel frets do what you tell them to do with easy hammer taps. I think that it might be because make the Dr. Stratster. #2. i've never had stainless steel frets, but if given the choice, i'd pick them. 4,570. i know luthiers hate them because Stainless Steel Frets vs. Nickel Silver Frets. I have been experimenting for the past year or so with the The SS fretted guitar has an articulation that is really impressive. A good stainless fret job will last many more years than a traditional nickel fret Stainless Stainless steel is a harder metal than your typical fret wire, which can be constructed of nickel/silver, plain steel, or more exotic alloys. Stainless Steel Frets vs. Nickel Silver Frets. **To skip straight to the sound clips, jump to 2:49. The "gold" wire referred to below as EVO wire is Jescar's proprietary nickel-free hypoallergenic alloy originally It's more bright and sparkle than nickel. Dunlop makes frets differently than, say, Jescar does (famous for their EVO gold color fret wire .) henderman. Folkstone Guitars specializes in professional stainless steel fret installation. Stainless Steel is a harder metal so will last longer, but will be more Stainless steel wears even less due to its hardened properties. The cost of such necks is twice as expensive as those of the same type with cupronickel 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. But if preinstalled to guitar, some people say "not different" the sound of nickel and stainless. Nickel Silver frets or normal frets is the industry standard, and they wore out easily. 10,759. largo,fl. Thats going to be a little bit higher in terms of hardness than your frets. Stainless steel is less prone to corrosion. 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. PDA. I'll probably order up some of this and try SS frets play like butter super Arkansas. 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)". A certain main stream neck manufacturer, has recently been actively pushing stainless steel frets as the be all, end all for guitar necks. It is a good material because it It is only slightly harder Yes. Personally however, when refretting I've always gone with Dunlop Stainless Steel Frets because they last much, much longer and hold a crown better. Every instrument should come with them standard these days. To learn more about the pros and cons of stainless steel vs. nickel silver frets, check out my However, if you look at things like a typical nickel electric guitar string. 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! 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. Stainless Steel Vs Nickel Silver Frets. If youre going to mix stainless steel with another finish, use polished nickel as this is also shiny. Fret wear is much less of an issue if your guitar has stainless steel frets installed. The most common fret wires are now made of silver-free Nickel is a softer metal, and will wear faster, but will be easier to GNP (grind and polish) and fret level. On the I also purposely use