Modern Frets!

In 30 years of playing I've never had a problem with fret wear. I guess I have a light touch or something. My '76 Thunderbird, that I bought new and have played extensively for 29 years still has good frets. I've never used anything but roundwound strings on it.

 

And to think Warwicks use bell brass. softer than nickel brass.

I think that yes, they should be made of more durable materials. You CAN get them on Parker instruments, and iirc, on Warmoths.

 

I've had no fret wear issues either.

 

Isn't that one of the advantages of using nickel wound strings? I've always heard that if you match the hardness of the string to the hardness of the fret, it won't be a problem. On my 1980 MM SR4 I always used stainless wound strings and ended up with some fret wear. On my new SR4 I've used nothing but nickel wound and have noticed no fret wear at all. Of course, I've only had it less than a year.

 

Three different types of stainless steel fret wire are available on Warmoth's web site (SS6105, SS6230, SS6115). I've thought about it for my next instruments for the very reasons discussed here. The only questions would be cost and any affect on tone.
I use DR High Beams and haven't noticed any fret wear yet on my Roscoe but since SS frets are out there, I may give them a shot on my next fretted bass.

 

My biggest bass related gripe EVER is the fact that most basses use nickel frets.

I am severly allergic to nickel.

Nickel frets suck.

 

Play fretless.

 

I do. Dont have a choice!

 

Although I've never had any problems with fretwear (even on nickel/silver mandolin frets ), I would be interested in trying an instrument with SS fretwire. I have heard that it is harder to work with though.

 

Those slight scratches aren't anything to be concerned about. In 30 years of playing roundwounds, my basses have only needed two fret dressings... no refrets.

Believe it or not, flatwounds cause fretwear too. They just do it more smoothly, so it's harder to notice.

 

I recently switched to D'Addario Half-Rounds. I like the feel and the sound. Although I haven't had a problem with excessive wear, they might be a solution to your fret wear problems without having to go through a refret in stainless. They're not quite as rich in harmonics as round wounds, but close enough for me.

I use GHS Brite flats on my hollow body guitars (similar to D'Addario halfrounds) and GHS makes Brite Flats for Bass as well.

 

I believe so.

My lakland frets have been chewed by stainless. I would just prefer larger frets so there is more material to level across time.

But, changing to harder materials could led to other problems.
Instead of your strings chewing up the frets, the frets could chew your strings, shortening their life.

I have seen a sterling that had very solid frets with high crowns , were the strings dont last at all.

 

I personally like very low action which requires a very specific setup. I unfortunately wear frets very quickly. I'm very interested in stainless steel frets. They are out there but are fairly rare from my understanding. They are indeed more difficult to work with and they do affect the tone of the instrument. I would imagine that the harder material would translate into more top end. That's just a guess though. I have been told that it changes the tone but I've not heard specifics.

 

+1

 

The Parker Fly Basses are the only basses I'm aware of with Stainless Steel frets. Those basses have such a different sound to begin with that I couldn't isolate the impact of the hard fretwire on sound. Interesting on your fretwear issues. I too like a low setup, and my frets do get a little scuffed up, but it never impacts playability. I do get the frets dressed on my primary bass every few years, but more for aesthetics than anything else.

 

No disrespect intended, I'm just having a hard time understanding this. Why would you have your frets dressed merely to make it look good? Each time you do this you bring them closer to the end of their life.

Like I said, no disrespect intended. Maybe I'm missing something. Thanks.

 

My Carvin has Stainless Steel frets.
I kinda don't like how they look so shiny, and they do have a somewhat unique (not overly noticeable) top end, which I do enjoy.

 

Sorry that you have a nickel allergy. I understand that it can cause a lot of problems for people who have it. I've seen some nasty pictures.



Here's a bit of metallurgy info that could be useful:

Standard frets are "nickel silver," which is actually a white brass. It contains 12% nickel.

Stainless steels can contain anywhere from 0% to 39% nickel, depending on which alloy is used. So, there is no guarantee that using SS frets - or strings - will help with a nickel allergy. I guess you'd have to get more metal info, or just try them out.

Warmoth offers SS frets, and also at least one of the "TB local" luthiers has used them. They are more difficult to work with because they are stiffer and tougher. Warmoth applies a $20 upcharge, of which I would guess part is for material, and part for labor.

Titanium frets might be very resistant to wear, but they would also very resistant to existing in the first place! That is to say, to begin with, titanium is very expensive material. Beyond that, is too tough to be extruded into a fret bar shape, so frets would have to be machined from bar stock. Even more expensive. And titanium is extremely hard to machine. More expensive still! Then, it would be very difficult for a luthier to radius frets, and to dress them, which might require special files and polishing.

Keep in mind also that beyond your frets getting grooved by your strings, the strings also get grooved on the backside by the frets. These notches probably contribute to the deterioration of tone. Titanium frets would likely barely wear at all, putting all of the wear to the strings.