dvuksanovich Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 Hey all, My main (and at the moment... only) axe has jumbo stainless steel frets. This is my first guitar with stainless steel. My last few sets of strings have been D'Addario EXPs, which are coated nickel-plated steel. I was hoping that the coating/nickel plating on the strings would make them easier on my frets, but I have been noticing some wear lately. I have two questions for the guitar-repair experts out there: 1. What is typical for wear on stainless steel frets? I was kind of hoping (naively I'm sure) that the stainless steel would be eternal and would never wear down, but that's obviously a pipe dream. 2. Does the coating/nickel plating on the EXPs make a difference or am I still being extra-hard on my frets because the core is steel? Thanks in advance,Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 Stainless Steel (SS) frets are, AFAIK, a relatively new development, and haven't previously seen an awful lot of use; so there's going to be relatively little history to refer to regarding them. I haven't owned a guitar with SS frets- yet- but I would most likely opt for 'em if and when I have new or replacement frets put on a fretboard... Being as, if they are SS, they are very definitely harder and more resistive to wear than more typical/traditional nickel-silver frets, I'd hazard a guess that you're fretting rather hard, and/or playing a lot in the same positions. Although- -are you talking about wear under the wound strings, or the plain strings? Or both? Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dvuksanovich Posted December 3, 2011 Author Share Posted December 3, 2011 Thanks for weighing in, Caev. I'm out of town for the weekend (left right after creating the thread). I'll take a closer look when I get back and see if I can see any patterns in the wear. I do bend a lot and I have a fairly wide vibrato, but I don't fret particularly hard. I've had the guitar for about two years now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zephyr Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 what guitar is it exactly? SS "shouldn't" wear, but I guess there can be exceptions. Never argue with an idiot. They'll bring you down to their level and beat you with experience. http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=810593 http://www.myspace.com/dandelavega Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dvuksanovich Posted December 3, 2011 Author Share Posted December 3, 2011 It's a Carvin DC400. I added the jumbo stainless steel frets as an additional option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkman Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 This sounds rather unusual. I have a Carvin CS-6 with stainless steel frets (seen in the picture to the left), and after three years, my frets look brand new. And for the record, I absolutely swear by and recommend stainless steel frets. I'm eager to hear what others have to say about the fretwear problem. I rock; therefore, I am. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larryz Posted December 4, 2011 Share Posted December 4, 2011 I have no guitars with SS frets but I have tried SS strings (made by Blue Steel)...the strings did seem to cause fret wear so I no longer use them...I would think the SS frets would stand up to just about any softer string material like those with the nickle winding... Take care, Larryz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dvuksanovich Posted December 4, 2011 Author Share Posted December 4, 2011 I expected them to last much longer too before showing wear. That's kind of why I'm wondering if the EXP strings are to blame. For those of you with SS frets and no wear... what kind of strings are you using? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picker Posted December 4, 2011 Share Posted December 4, 2011 Stainless strings against stainless frets would cause fret wear quicker than nickel strings. If the material pushing against an object is as hard as the object, it will cause wear sooner than later. Always remember that you are unique. Just like everyone else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted December 4, 2011 Share Posted December 4, 2011 EDIT: (I was mistakenly under the assumption that this was an ACOUSTIC guitar, hence my erroneous comments here regarding bronze and phosphor-bronze strings, etc.... D'oh!) I'm assuming that you've got bronze or phosphor-bronze strings on the wound-strings, coating/treatment not-withstanding, and plain-steel trebles for the 1st and 2nd strings, if not the 3rd; am I right? Also, the coatings are certainly softer than fret material of virtually any kind (metal frets, anyway- which are in the overwhelming majority). I have to wonder if you got a guitar that actually has standard nickel-silver frets on it by accident... Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dvuksanovich Posted December 4, 2011 Author Share Posted December 4, 2011 Is there any easy way to tell what a fret is made out of? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted December 4, 2011 Share Posted December 4, 2011 (I was mistakenly under the assumption that this was an ACOUSTIC guitar, hence my erroneous comments in my previous post regarding bronze and phosphor-bronze strings, etc.... D'oh!) Is there any easy way to tell what a fret is made out of? Hmn, I'm not really sure! I'd hazard a guess that there isn't an EASY or a CHEAP way to tell. Run this by "Ellwood" (Sp?), y'know, Lee- if anyone here would even have a good guess where to begin on that, I would think he would... What's the warranty on that guitar? Warranty or no, you might want to call Carvin and explain- politely- that the frets seem to be wearing awfully quickly and easily for stainless-steel jumbos, which you'd paid extra for... Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeftyBlues Posted December 4, 2011 Share Posted December 4, 2011 Magnet ain't no dang help, I just tried it on my various fiddles and neither regular frets nor SS have any tug. Some types of stainless have some magnetic pull but not the Carvin frets. The SS frets should not wear much if at all, maybe if you're spanking the plank serious hard many hours per day...I dunno bro. I'm sooo glad I got stainless on my Carvin CS, love 'em to death. I'd call Carvin, their customer support rocks. I was born at night but I wasn't born last night... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dvuksanovich Posted December 4, 2011 Author Share Posted December 4, 2011 I'll call them. They're always nice but everything always comes down to "put it in the mail and we'll take a look." It's my only guitar right now which makes it kind of hard to live without. I'll keep you guys posted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkman Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 Carvin electric guitars come with Elixir strings. I've been using Ernie Ball coated regular Slinky's on mine, and I've been very happy with everything except my inability to play like Jimmy Page. I rock; therefore, I am. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dvuksanovich Posted December 5, 2011 Author Share Posted December 5, 2011 FYI - called Carvin today and spoke with their guitar tech for a few minutes. He said that since it's my only guitar and I've played it a couple of hours a day for two years then some minimal wear (which is what I have right now - the frets are not perfectly rounded like they were when I got the guitar, but the width of the flat area is still pretty small) is to be expected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeftyBlues Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 That makes sense if you've played it several hours per day for two years, if you had regular frets you'd have lots more wear is my guess. Buy another Carvin and they'll last even longer. I was born at night but I wasn't born last night... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dvuksanovich Posted December 5, 2011 Author Share Posted December 5, 2011 I plan on it. I just haven't gotten around to it yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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