Finally got around to my own Strandberg.

[Henry]

Stainless is quite stiff and springy so I suggest the same radius as the fingerboard or only slightly over bent . More is good with nickel frets though.

I think not all SS frets are created equal. Is there a way to quantify the quality, i.e. resilience against string wear? For example, I'm not impressed with the SS frets on my LTD but very happy with my Schecter Exotic. Both are MIK.

 

[OrganicZed]

@Henry You are correct that not all stainless steel is the same or of the same quality. The only way to know the quality would be to find out exactly which fret wire is used or to test a sample of the steel (which would require destruction of a fret).

 

[Andy Eagle]

I think not all SS frets are created equal. Is there a way to quantify the quality, i.e. resilience against string wear? For example, I'm not impressed with the SS frets on my LTD but very happy with my Schecter Exotic. Both are MIK.

Very true , My personal favourite is Jescar but nothing is anywhere near as hard as the old tangless Parker wire.

 

[Andy Eagle]

cool! so assuming you have a good levelled fretboard (wood and slots) you reduce the work on the frets

Yes do the prep right and take almost nothing off the fret tops.

 

[scottp]

The reason I put this up is if you find a guitar you like it doesn't have to be perfect and you can fix a lot of thing without spending too much time(money). It just needs the fundamentals in place .
View attachment 118549

The pickup depths look like they are set on quite an angle.
Treble close, bass away.

 

[scottp]

@Henry You are correct that not all stainless steel is the same or of the same quality. The only way to know the quality would be to find out exactly which fret wire is used or to test a sample of the steel (which would require destruction of a fret).

Yes as an example, Warmoth sells 3 different types of fret wire.

https://warmoth.com/hardware/supplies/fretwire

 

[scottp]

Very true , My personal favourite is Jescar but nothing is anywhere near as hard as the old tangless Parker wire.

@Andy Eagle why is the Jescar your favorite SS?

 

[Andy Eagle]

The pickup depths look like they are set on quite an angle.
Treble close, bass away.

Optical illusion ,they are very similar on both sides.

 

[Andy Eagle]

@Andy Eagle why is the Jescar your favorite SS?

Very consistent quality and hard. Also they do a very good range of sizes.

 

[Andy Eagle]

Yes as an example, Warmoth sells 3 different types of fret wire.

https://warmoth.com/hardware/supplies/fretwire

Evo gold, I don't see the point as it is not as hard as stainless. Some people seem to think you can hear the difference and Evo sounds more like nickel. But the difference is practically indiscernible if everything else is identical.

 

[mwd]

Evo gold, I don't see the point...

Metal allergies were touted as one reason years ago when I ordered a Rosewood neck with Evo Gold frets.

 

[Andy Eagle]

Metal allergies were touted as one reason years ago when I ordered a Rosewood neck with Evo Gold frets.

Just go stainless, no allergy issues and harder.

 

[Rex]

Evo is for when you want gold frets. It’s tougher than nickel silver, but not as tough as stainless steel. The material was originally used for eyeglass frames, which must be durable and dimensionally stable.

 

[Andy Eagle]

Evo is for when you want gold frets. It’s tougher than nickel silver, but not as tough as stainless steel. The material was originally used for eyeglass frames, which must be durable and dimensionally stable.

Yes Gold is the only point of it.