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Frets: Stainless Steel or Regular?


The Rabbi

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I have a Carvin California Carved Top with Floyd Rose with tremelo being built (CT6C). My intent is that this is the last electric I will buy. I have heard various things about stainless steel (SS) frets, and it seems to me that they essentially play the same, but the SS lasts longer.

 

If I make the change to SS, it will cost me a $50 change fee, plus $40 for the SS option, for a total of $90. :eek:

 

Will the $90 for SS make a tangible difference down the road? Or will the regular frets be fine? When do frets need repair and how much does that run?

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Originally posted by The Rabbi:

I have a Carvin California Carved Top with Floyd Rose with tremelo being built (CT6C). My intent is that this is the last electric I will buy. I have heard various things about stainless steel (SS) frets, and it seems to me that they essentially play the same, but the SS lasts longer.

 

If I make the change to SS, it will cost me a $50 change fee, plus $40 for the SS option, for a total of $90. :eek:

 

Will the $90 for SS make a tangible difference down the road? Or will the regular frets be fine? When do frets need repair and how much does that run?

Shoot, there's no real answer. Your frets will wear out faster if you play more. Do you play hard? Do you like bends? Personally, I'd just not worry about it. Just play. Replace em when you have to.

bbach

 

Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder.

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I agree. If the guitar is already built go ahead and play. It will need a fret job someday but not for a long time I would guess, unless you're playing 6 or 8 hours a day. I ordered SS Jumbo frets on a Warmoth neck for my Strat. I had the old neck refretted just a year and a half before that with regular and they already had grooves in them. Must have been REALLY cheap fret wire. But if yours is already built I'd just go with it. By the way I want that guitar! :D
All my stuff is here: www.timothychipman.com
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I am the occasional 'recreational' guitarist. Looking at 4 hrs/month when I get busy with other things, although I'm on a binge right now.

 

I Love bends. I thought everybody loved bends...right?

 

I may just stick with the regular frets. I haven't had any problems with my 91 Charvel yet. And if I need to get them worked on in the distant future, I'll get them worked on in the distant future.

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There is one other issue with the SS frets... they will cause your strings to wear out much faster. The metal is much harder than the strings.

Good frets made of nickel/steel should last a number of years, 8-10 I would guess with your kind of playing or maybe more - unless you play a lot in one position. Then, you may need a partial re-fret before then. A full refret should run $150-200 I would guess with a partial being considerably less as usually on 3-5 frets need to be replaced.

Roy

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"once it stops bein' a mystery it stops bein' true"

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If it's a cost-benefit thing, you'll probably spend more on worn strings from the ss frets than you'll save on a later refret.

 

SS frets will impart a slightly brighter tone.

"You never can vouch for your own consciousness." - Norman Mailer
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  • 2 weeks later...

Dazed,

 

Sorry for the late reply...I haven't checked this in a while.

 

CT6C (Floyd Tremelo)

Deep Blue, quilt maple top and matching headstock

...I told them to paint everything else jet black (still will have natural binding)

black hardware

"Rabbi" engraved t-rod cover

M22SD @ bridge

black Carvin logo on headstock

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