Black frets

[MarkMyWordsXx]

im planning on ordering a bass from warmoth and i was wondering if it was possible to get black fretts. i dont thinkt hey offer them but has anyone seen a bass with them?

i fuiger if i get some black frett wire somehow i can either send it to them to do or install it myself

but has anyone seen this?

 

[PasdaBeer]

no.

 

[MarkMyWordsXx]

..thanks...

 

[superbassman2000]

i thought of the same thing about a month ago and i asked it in Luthiers corner, but as it turns out, at this current point in time it is not possible to make lasting black frets...the only solution right now is to paint the frets, but it'd come off anytime you play for a while

 

[MarkMyWordsXx]

well maby id do that because if end up coating the neck so it might protect it? i dunno neat thought if it could get done. i love the look of black frett markers in maple necks so

 

[PasdaBeer]

paint will not hold up...at all.

you could go fretless with black lines, then a decent coating would keep the board from gouging to bad with roundwounds.

 

[Trevorus]

black lines on a fretless with epoxy coat. That would be nice. There are no useable metals for frets that could be black. Almost any coating would come off with normal play. The only other thing I could think of would be ceramic frets, but the tooling for that would be very very expensive, and it would probably do best in an inorganic neck (due to expansion and contraction of wood).

 

[PasdaBeer]

i wonder how well blued steel would work....its pretty damn hard

*knocks on his 96 vertec*

 

[ghostintheruins]

I used to use a Sharpie pen.

 

[Kelly Lee]

I used to use a Sharpie pen.

Ding! We have a winner!

That is about the only way to really do it. Atleast you could do touch ups easily.

 

[Bassline_Delux]

Black Anodised Aluminium might work. If its hard enough.

Invalid Link Removed

 

[ghostintheruins]

Heh...

 

[62bass]

Black Anodised Aluminium might work. If its hard enough.

Invalid Link Removed

First, you have to convince one of the fret making manufacturers to actually produce something like this and convince them that it will sell in sufficient quantities.

I don't think you'll get much support.

 

[Bassline_Delux]

Hey, I was just suggesting how it could be done.

 

[ghostintheruins]

I appreciate the information, Bassline.

 

[BurningSkies]

I don't thing aluminum is hard enough. I think you'd probably mash your frets pretty quickly.

 

[ghostintheruins]

Some drumsets have black hardware. What do they use for that?

 

[Pneuma]

The problem is that you need a metal that is black (and hard) all the way through. Coatings will wear off, pretty much no matter how hard they are. Aluminum ano is very, very hard: it's just not very thick. You'd wear it off the main frets in a matter of hours (maybe less). Then, you'd have nothing but regular aluminum underneat, and your stainless steel strings would through it in a hurry. Even nickle strings would go through it really fast.

So, unless you know of a hard metal that is black, you're out of luck. I'd say some sort of ceramic probably would be the best way.

As for black hardware, you can get black nickle or chrome plating, or powder coating if you didn't want it shiny.

P.

 

[ghostintheruins]

Somebody needs to invent black fret material.

 

[tZer]

Here is a pretty detailed discussion about black frets... I want 'em too... but it seems it is not in the cards at this time...

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=248441&highlight=black+frets