Stainless frets six months later

[sgosnell]

I agree with Thump on the Elixirs. I tried them, and didn't like them. My Benedetto arrived with them installed, and they went to the trashcan very quickly. But everyone has different tastes, and they apparently sell fairly well, so what do I know.

I do know that solid brass strings won't work with a magnetic pickup. Neither will solid tin strings. They don't interact magnets, nevermind that they wouldn't have anywhere close to the tensile strength required to tune to pitch.

[Max405]

ha!! joe D and my fellows here...no disrespect ever meant to you guys, whose opinions & talents i value so highly...just want to back up whatever "facts?" i have stated previously!!!...

always want to get it right...even if i'm wrong!..(sounds like an al green song!)hah

cheers

you can do no wrong here Neatomic. The gentle gentleman.
thanks buddy. JD

[DRS]

We built a lot of guitars with stainless frets and more with nickel silver. We used the same size frets on almost all of them: 6100's. I was never able to hear the "ping" that a lot of people talk about. I wonder if it's because they were used to frets that were so much smaller both from original size, wear and levelling? Jumbo frets put a lot of metal very near the string surface and I'm assuming that the cause of the "ping" is the string vibrating slightly against the top of the frets, especially if you play hard. It's just a guess, but I suspect you'd get the same ping with new nickel silver frets that were the same size.

The same may well be true about the string wear. You make a lot more contact with a jumbo fret than you do with old word and levelled nickel silvers.

Of course. An open string should have zero contact with the fret so the material of the fret is of no consequence. Sounds like a new nut is in order.

[Robertkoa]

We built a lot of guitars with stainless frets and more with nickel silver. We used the same size frets on almost all of them: 6100's. I was never able to hear the "ping" that a lot of people talk about. I wonder if it's because they were used to frets that were so much smaller both from original size, wear and levelling? Jumbo frets put a lot of metal very near the string surface and I'm assuming that the cause of the "ping" is the string vibrating slightly against the top of the frets, especially if you play hard. It's just a guess, but I suspect you'd get the same ping with new nickel silver frets that were the same size.

The same may well be true about the string wear. You make a lot more contact with a jumbo fret than you do with old word and levelled nickel silvers.

Most of the Bass Luthiers talk about it- I think they call it 'fret slap ' but that is much more metal hitting the fret.

Also Bob Taylor mentioned he heard a difference on their Acoustics with Stainless - more of a Tone thing
- maybe their Bolt Joint neck ?
Says he actually refretted some New Instruments where they had used Stainless because he did not like the Tones...or Artifacts ...he wasn't specific.

Thinking Ebony boards might make it audible and
Any Given Sunday Rule - may be inaudible to everyone on some Guitars....

Also when you used Stainless..possibly on Rosewood Boards it's less audible or inaudible-

And/or - maybe if the frets are glued in with no voids - maybe the Tone is better and no ping.

You can hear it in the Video I posted with the Guy on Acoustic.

Seems like the Hi End Custom Acoustic Builders use more EVO than Stainless.

Many or most say they don't hear it through the Amp.

ALSO - to the OP - some say Stainless won't prematurely wear strings IF it's super polished...

Maybe a very light buff by hand with ultrafine paper like microfine 2000 or even higher ?

Also - People who turn down their Tone Control significantly..I doubt if anyone would hear something at that high a frequency ( overtone kinda...not the ping )

[vinnyv1k]

I don't care what is said about all E & B strings being the same. There is something better about the Elixirs. They sound great, play great, and never get sticky. I tried the D'Addario E & B's and they just were not happening.
The Elixirs last as long as the rest of the TI set too. I talked Joe and Alan into the $2.00 plunge. They are believers now too.
I have never tried the tin coated TI's though. I do have a inside score. I get TI swings for $15.00 a set + $2.00 for the 2 Elixirs so $17.00 doesn't hurt me and it the perfect strings for me. Brass plating gets a sticky feel to them or at least to me plus there is something about the amplified sound that I don't like. I must have ears like a dog.

[Stringswinger]

@Robertkoa The frets on my 175 are highly polished. I have a powerful right hand and did find premature wear on the G string. That was with the pure nickel TI flats. I am now using D'Addario nickel alloy rounds to see how they hold up. Also, these new frets were glued in as this guitar had been refretted before and glue was used and my luthier told me that the new frets would need to be glued as well. Because I also changed PUPs, I cannot say for sure if the sound is brighter or different. My luthier, a classical guitar builder by trade, told me that he has done many stainless refrets and that he does think that stainless changes the sound somewhat.

I think the guitar sounds great and plays great. The frets look freshly polished all the time and I know that I will never need to do another refret on this guitar. But I hear the ping. It is minor and does not come through the amp, but it is there and that will keep me from ever doing another stainless refret. Others may have different results and I would say that for many, stainless is a fine option on an electric guitar. But due to the ping, I would strongly advise against doing stainless on an acoustic guitar. Even if you do not hear it, someone else might.

@Vinny I will have to try the elixir plains on this 175 when I go back to TI flats. Neatomic seems to think that they are just tin plated plains, but you are describing them as being something different. I bet that they have some kind of coating (gore tex?) I have actually found that the brass plated plains in the TI set last longer in my hands that the Tin plated plains of other sets do. But my ears hear a louder ping with the stainless frets with the brass plated strings. I looks like I will spend a little extra money on strings on this 175. But it will never need a fret mill or a refret. Like all things in life, you pay one way or another.

[Robertkoa]

I am very happy with Jescar EVO wire on my guitars.

Are you able to get good Volume on Finger Vibrato Sustained Tones just like Nickel with the EVO..?

I played one Guitar with it and it responded with a hair more friction than Stainless..better for ' bowed vibrato 'and legato type stuff- but only 1 ( ! ) Guitar so hope that was typical...