Do You Really Think You NEED Stainless Steel Frets?

[@googaboogaloo]

Yes, because I don’t want to do the fretwork again lol. I have a Strat I made with stainless steel fretwire it’s my most played guitar and the frets are still great where my second most played guitar has grooves. I don’t care how the frets effect the sound. I really like the longevity of stainless.

[@archtopp1]

I like the way stainless feels. Its slicker than nickel silver and bending the strings is so much smoother with stainless. I wear frets down very quickly. People tell me that i'm pressing down too hard but i'm only pressing hard enough to make the string sound without buzzing. I have stainless in my old Taylor guitar and afetr years of playing it shows no wear what so ever...what could be wrong with that!

[@Robert-Smith]

There are a couple of reasons that hit me right away for stainless first they are so smooth for bending second they don't tarnish like the nickel silver so I am not constantly having to polish them. The fact that I probably won't ever have to re-fret again is also a plus.

[@dalgguitars]

I like the evo gold fret wire because it looks cool. And looking cool is what I'm all about!

[@stewsim]

I’ve been a big fan and user of EVO wire, my all time favorite!!! Sadly, it’s been discontinued, no longer manufactured. Existing stock is disappearing quickly…😪

[@dalgguitars]

Holy Moses, I had no idea, thanks for letting me know. @@stewsim

[@coupe-lee]

@@stewsimthey use it on some current production Ibanez guitars, actually. Check out the Q series.

[@deludedreality89]

I have stainless steel frets on my Jackson Custom Shop because I like the way it feels. The bends are silky smooth. Plus, it's almost a lifetime of not needing a refret!

[@johndeaux3703]

The only time I ever experienced fret wear/divots in my frets, was a short time when I was using SS strings. When I stopped using the SS strings, the fret wear/divots stopped too.

[@autodidacticprofessor869]

It's not just divots but the gradual flattening of the frets from vibrato, which naturally changes intonation over time and for those of us with really OCD hearing, it matters. I don't care how hard of a version of nickel/copper frets you use, the STEEL strings will win over time. But hey, it's a preference.

[@NeverGoBack2]

That makes no sense at all.

[@bflo5210]

I had stainless steel fret wire put on my warmoth neck for my telecaster and I have a Suhr classic T that comes with stainless steel fret wire.... it feels great, I personally don't think it affects the tone, if it does its not noticeable to me

[@stevewilson9778]

I bought an American Series Stratocaster brand new in 2014 which of course does have nickel frets on it. I've played that guitar for more hours than I can count, and it's got zero fret wear. High-end appointments like stainless steel frets, roasted maple necks, hardened steel German Floyd Rose bridges, carbon-fiber reinforced truss rods, etc. are really there to benefit the professionals who tour countries and continents and who perform and rehearse 24/7/365. These are all nice things to have, but for the average or even serious hobbyist, they are somewhat unnecessary on a practical level. It's great for guitar manufacturers, though. They're raking in tons of dough thanks to marketing these high-end features to consumers who are willing to pay for them.

[@handle433]

This is very true. In my case, I have one Stratocaster that will stay with me forever. It’s a ‘62 reissue, but it’s all sentimental value as well as great spec. I’ve worn down the frets a lot as it’s the one I really developed my playing style on, and I still love it’s sound. I have more expensive guitars of course, but they don’t have the same value as this one for me so I want the one refret it will get to last forever. Stainless here we come!

[@evowire]

Some of us are allergic to Ni. This is why I fret mine with EVO wire. The fact they last so long and are super smooth are added benefits.

[@stewsim]

I love EVO as well! Unfortunately, it’s been discontinued…😢

[@evowire]

@@stewsim You can still get an equivalent from StewMac, but they don't carry as many sizes as Jescar.

[@stewsim]

It’s gold colored, but it’s not the same alloy formulation at all. And S/M ‘s sizes are goofy,not the same as the industry standards that have been around for decades.

[@evowire]

@stewsim Unfortunately, it's not the same alloy, but C425 alloy is still much harder than traditional Ni. C425 is a CuSn3Zn9 formula. EVO is CuSn15Fe1Ti0.1. I dislike the limited sizes SM offers. I'd rather use SS. I have enough EVO for a few more guitars, but will have to switch to SS after that.

[@Sankeyite]

14:46 Sometimes you just want what you want because cool stuff is cool because it's cool! Nailed It!!

[@blueskky9996]

I put stainless jumbos on my martin 12 years ago. They have held up fantastically, However there are small divits on the 2nd and 3rd fret from D and A chords but no other signs of wear. The frets are taller as they are usually seen on bass gtrs. I use 13s so the string tension is enough to keep it from going sharp from being pressed into the fingerboard.

[@tomrivans9102]

I have a 70’s Strat that had worn nickel frets but I decided to take a leap into the dark and go for stainless steel frets. Im glad I made the change as for one its sounds fantastic with greater sustain and much better bending of the strings. Now of course if I had it refretted in Nickel it would sound the same? No, as I have a newer strat and there is a big difference.

[@nucleargrizzly1776]

You can run your nickel/steel frets through a bender, radiusing and straightening, over and over until it work hardens.

[@jcool0122]

I'm no metallurgical expert, but doesn't work hardening also make the metal brittle?

[@nucleargrizzly1776]

@@jcool0122 Probably. But I haven't had an issue in the decade or so I've been doing it. Work hardened frets do wear better. Not like stainless but better than unhardened.

[@trailb4u]

Regular fret wire is not nickel-steel. It is called nickel-silver. It doesn’t have any silver in it but it’s silver colored. “Its composition varies from 7 to 30 percent nickel, the alloy most widely used being 18 percent nickel silver (18 percent nickel, 62 percent copper, 20 percent zinc)”

[@nucleargrizzly1776]

@@trailb4u My have been thinking post 1889ish firearms. Now can you explain why the alloy will work harden?

[@trailb4u]

@@nucleargrizzly1776 deforming metal at lower temperatures changes the alignment of grain structure. The result of which decreases ductility and increases hardness and strength, also making it more springy. Harder fret stock is best achieved in the rolling/forming manufacturing process. It is easier to form fret wire if starting wire stock is soft and close to the final size desired than if starting with a wire that has been drawn/reduced in from a larger diameter without subsequently annealing(softening) it to make it more ductile. This is at least one of the reasons some fret wire stock is harder that other stock. Bending fret wire back and forth with a radius roller will increase hardness but to a more limited degree.

[@currituck]

I love stainless steel frets. So smooth and don't wear, at least not on me.

[@TomL-]

Very informative! Love your old custom made guitar too! I've never been a gigging musician, but I have spent TONS of time playing my guitars over the years. Can't say that I've ever worn out any frets.

[@autodidacticprofessor869]

Supposedly, Billy Gibbons' Pearly Gates still has her original frets. But he uses 7-38 strings and has a very light touch so it makes sense.

[@cecilmusick8629]

Love that your guitar has a Kahler, they're such an underated and well designed bridge!

[@currituck]

I agree. I love them. My current TT custom being built is getting a Kahler Pro on it.

[@peterschmidt9942]

I suppose the obvious answer is - it really depends. - How and what you play? If you're a light player or rhythm only player, you might not wear them too much (or only the first couple). If you're bending all over the shop, then you're gonna wear them out quicker. - What the original size of the installed frets were? Back in the day, a lot of guitars had very thin frets. A lot of guitarists wore them down quick (like fenders), so re-fretted with medium jumbo size which lasted a longer. - Some people have nickel allergies and fingers breakout when using nickel frets and strings, so stainless might be THE ONLY option for some players. But you're right Matt, I've never wore frets out on any guitars I've owned either. But then again, I have way too many guitars LOL. I also don't play as much as used to either nowadays. But I've bought plenty of guitars that needed re-frets from low or worn frets. And when I do, I also use cryo-wire now as there's bugger all difference in price from regular. And hey, if it's gonna last a bit longer, why not? Makes you wonder how often people level their fretboards unnecessarily though?

[@johncleghorn4656]

Loved the tests! For me personally....My nickel guitar strings last longer on SS Frets. The strings seem to "glide" across SS Frets. My finger tips do not turn blackish like they used to when I was using Nickel Frets... My SS Frets show no wear after years of gigging. For the record, I sweat a lot when I play. I have also replaced the blocks and screws on my Floyd Rose Tremolos with stainless steel parts, no more rusty gunked up Floyds. If you have sweat lines in your black shirts after a gig...and sweat all over your guitars... then Stainless Steel is for you. Also ... I noticed that the Paint Stick Test sounded different on the SS Frets.

[@bobyk87]

did 3 complete stainless refrets, 3 different electrics, I think I liked best the jumbo ones cause it's already a lotta work, why not. I had a lot of sanding and filing, lots of iterations, but I would say worth it. Got smooth bends 4 sure. Heard the Evo golds are a step between regular and stainless.

[@autodidacticprofessor869]

Need? No. Want? Yes. I ordered a neck for my Strat with SS frets and they kick serious ass. Any "brightness" it adds would disappear in a full band mix with drums/cymbals. There's also this thing called TONE KNOBS. When I get my Les Paul refretted, it's getting SS.

[@charleswallace5818]

Thank you for sharing this information with us. When I started playing in the mid 80's, the people who knew this stuff would not share it. There also was not an abundance of good information available. Stay safe and be blessed

[@Who-ry8of]

I don’t know if I need them, but I sure like them.

[@BrianGay57]

I recently bought my first guitar with SS frets. I’m looking forward to seeing how they perform. So far I have had no problems with the tone or feel of them. I’m terribly rough on frets. I’m heavy handed, terrible about chaining strings, cleaning the fretboard, etc. I can almost see my frets flatten out in real time! 🤣

[@FLdb-wj4wc]

I have a fender American performer that's about 10 months old and the frets are already worn out. I wipe down the strings after I play. My Indonesian PRS has no fret wear.

[@gcr28]

Yes, absolutely. I tear frets up. PRS frets are good, I think they use harder fret wire than other guitars, my PRS frets still look decent. Plus I like how smooth the stainless frets are. Tone wise the difference is pretty small, ss might be a tad brighter but it's not a night and day difference.

[@kennyayala6189]

Great video! Definitely worth noting your play style and even what kinds of strings you use before making the decision to switch the SS. If you're a heavy-handed player and/or play 11's or 12's in standard tuning, yeah you might wear out your frets faster than the aver-age bear but if not you're probably fine with either.

[@jackbootshamangaming4541]

I'm not that heavy handed a player, a bit heavy, but honestly not that much, and I'm wearing all my nickles down quite quick. Been 3 years and already see some very eaten frets on one of my guitars.

[@kennyayala6189]

​@@jackbootshamangaming4541There's a bunch of factors to consider in that regard. I have noticed for instance that on cheaper guitars the fretwire is of a lower quality -- won't stay polished well, after some vibrato it scratches up awfully, has dents in it after a much shorter period of time, etc. And even the SHAPE/SIZE of the wire can make a difference -- Jumbo wire has more material than medium wire, so it can take longer to wear down to the point of a replacement being needed (usually you can get away with a recrowning on Jumbo wire if there's enough material left). Another factor is if you play in certain "zones" more frequently than others -- on my first guitar, I wore down the 2nd and third frets of the G, B, and high E strings because I was playing A and D chords in most of the songs I was playing so it showed! Hope your guitar isn't to the point of a refret -- either way sounds like you're putting some good play time into it! :)

[@jackbootshamangaming4541]

@@kennyayala6189 I definitely was fretting too hard too, I picked up one of my 6 strings I don't play much anymore as I mainly do 7, it's got lower profile frets, I felt the fretboard under my fingers almost the whole time and noticed it was sharp. So I gave a lighter touch on the 7 and sounds good. Hope it makes those frets last longer

[@philfrite5324]

I really love your channel. I dabble, have made a few guitars and valve amps and love them, and want to make more and some of the things you show, like the dead head sander, have made me design and build one so I can dial in the consistency going forward. The whole cloth top thing was an interesting idea, but I love the no-bull approach you seem to have. So, thanks, and now I am trying to make a pin router! Love from the UK.

[@Turboy65]

How long does a set of frets last you? My oldest, most played guitar I've had for 35 years has only needed light fret dressing once. It's hard to make a good case for stainless frets based on wear life for most players.

[@jackbootshamangaming4541]

Less than 5 years for a lot of guys I know. Depends on how you play, what you play, etc...

[@fantomas9240]

Great video. For the record in France a nickel fret refretting is 250 euros, 450/480 euros with stainless steel

[@stewsim]

Traditional fretwire is not “Nickel Steel”, it’s “Nickel Silver”, even tho there’s no Silver in it.

[@no-n1w]

That guitar looks awesome! Would love to know more about it!

[@NeverGoBack2]

Of course! Considering the cost and risk of a re-fret why would you use soft nickel??? It doesn’t make any sense… it’s like having a car that’s rust proof versus a car that’s not!

[@Case_]

"I like the cryowires because they're cool." 😂

[@billybudd45]

I have a guitar with a neck I got off ebay that has ss frets, and I like them. Slick feeling. Jescar is good 👍

[@deano-uv6dr]

My next guitar purchase will absolutely have ss frets. Im sick of frets wearing down after a short time , and i cant be dealing with luthiers for refrets etc .

[@BoltRM]

Might as well if it's available.

[@nonickavailable5792]

silver nickel is very inferior imho, it is very easy to damage non steel fret. playing Blues destroys some frets and it will become unplayable after some wear. i m using fret oil to slowdown the wear and try to change the strings often. with old strings it is very easy to wear. this is the sad thing about guitars for me.

[@Eliphas_Elric]

You need SS frets if you happen to love the tone of EB Cobalt strings or SS strings. Or if you're like me and have a gorilla grip that eats up nickle-silver frets.

[@samlelowitch]

If you use flatwound strings, your frets will usually wear more slowly.

[@user-qr7ee2cp4y]

It you play your guitar a lot and have a heavy touch, get stainless... you'll never need another fret job. If your guitar doesn't get a lot of time or have a super light touch like Brian setzer, stick with normal frets. His tech said he played the same guitar all tour and never needed fret work because he has such a light touch.

[@coneyislandguitars]

I’m not a fan of SS frets. It’s hard to work with and I don’t care for the feel. It’s very slick. You can’t do that Hendrix thing where you are rubbing the string on the fret. It’s also pingy sounding. Matt you said “nickel steel” a few times. Of course you meant “nickel silver.” Which is really brass with added nickel.

[@kapellekonig6512]

I wonder, why noone ever talks about the difference in playability. Stainless steel frets just plai a lot smoother. I tried it myself. I've played several different guitars and it was always the smoothness, that really got me.

[@spokes28]

If I am going to invest my money into a guitar, I can’t see buying one without stainless steel frets.

[@williamrome2257]

I'm a 66year old boomer bender and love my evo gold. 🍽

[@shanewalton8888]

Matt, I have one question about stainless steel frets. I have three guitars with ebony fretboards. Is it better to get stainless steel with ebony fretboards because ebony is notoriously hard to re fret? Presently I have three ebony fretboards but only one guitar with stainless steel frets.

[@GalaxyStranger01]

Warmoth has a cool video on the differences between frets. Side-by-side I can hear the difference, but it's not enough of a difference for me to care. I think I could E.Q. the difference out.

[@rodh9184]

I see a boat load of neck through blanks on the bench behind you. Looking forward to Friday's reveal.

[@wizardin9365]

If you do bends a lot- get stainless steel. If you only do chords or classical/legato stuff, then stick to nickel silver.

[@wizardin9365]

Also if you dont like grinding your fingers on the fingerboard, get jumbo frets. Silky smooth bends? Stainless jumbos

[@yoheff988]

A good reason to use something " Because it's cool " LOL

[@mikeivey8471]

Great video , Matt !!!

[@Cymbaline713]

I need stainless steel frets. :) Now, to watch the video...

[@bugsbunny3488]

Hey Mat:Sure would be nice to be able to tell if my guitars have stainless frets or not.I noticed you didn`t mention how to tell the difference.Nice! Mabey i`ll just have to try a MAGNET but I don`t know if all fret wire is magnetic or not.Well I guess I`LL just have to figure it out.Would have been nice to hear it from YOU Oh well mabey next time!!!

[@MatthJenks]

Best fucking TL;DR into ever!

[@maxwellblakely7952]

I have a guitar with a compound radius fretboard and SS frets, not sure I need either….

[@stewsim]

Not fond of SS wire. Sure, it wears well. But it has a plinky, bright, percussive kinda sound to it…

[@markheefner8245]

I'm almost as old and what I was listening to was mostly even older

[@rhllnm]

Great channel. New subscriber.

[@TexasToastGuitars]

Thanks for subbing

[@cgavin1]

I look at the pros. Bukovac doesn't use them. Why? It might save him a fortune and every guitar would play the same way forever. Nope. You're right. If it sounds right nickel, stick to nickel.

[@YTPartyTonight]

No, I don't.

[@j-mo2453]

No titanium how lame. Lolol

[@j-mo2453]

I’ve heard the cryowire is better because of how the quench the plutonium. Lol

[@supernoobsmith5718]

Yes, because when a player gets VERY serious about putting in hard hours, nickelsht frets get worn down in as little as 6 months. Especially for hard playing blues and other styles where you really dig in. It's taken 15-20 years for them to be accepted because of lazy luthiers who bad mouth them instead of upping their skills. To even ask the question in the title is condescending and offensive.

[@TexasToastGuitars]

Did you actually get offended by a KZbin video title?

[@supernoobsmith5718]

@@TexasToastGuitars Did you really think about it enough to respond?

[@TexasToastGuitars]

@@supernoobsmith5718 Of course, I did. I respond to lots of comments and I read all of them. I think that you didn't watch this video, because there are many ways I agree with you.

[@supernoobsmith5718]

@@TexasToastGuitars No, I watched it. I'm commenting on the title. It just rubs me the wrong way because of what I've seen about luthiers, what they do, how they act, the lies about their craft, doing what they want instead of what they're told, thinking they know everything, seeing all the mistakes and lack of understanding many have. They like working on frets with the consistency of playdough because they'll just grind more and more to cover their many, many mistakes. Of course, not all, just 90% or more. The more I learn, the more I see how bad most of them are.

[@TexasToastGuitars]

@@supernoobsmith5718 Well, I'm a straight shooter and I put everything out there for all to see. I don't hide anything. I make ridiculous titles like these because people watch the videos when I do and don't watch when I don't I urge you to make your own videos with your experiences... In fact I end every video with that sentiment. If you have knowledge and wisdom and you don't share it you are doing the world a disservice

[@Fez4ever]

Stainless steel frets are a fad like brass nuts and aluminum necks.

[@Eliphas_Elric]

So what you're saying is I need a Aluminum neck with SS frets and a brass nut?

[@danparsons6566]

I hate SS frets!