New Stainless Frets?

[jonfields45]

My duo lost its two regular gigs and after XMAS we are generally slow. My 2+ year old RainSong beater's frets look bad. I can hear the worn fret zizz of the B string if I investigate, however the guitar sounds and plays fine in normal usage. And if I was really a perfectionist for tone, the saddle and nut are probably worn slightly flat top too for the unwound strings.

I bought Sintoms SS270096 (2.7x0.96mm) fretwire for a stainless refret last year (I assume stainless frets of RainSong Dunlop 6140 dimensions are not a stock item at Brothers in Wind Gap, PA).



What do you think? I could live without it for a while this winter and get the stainless frets installed. If it is just a matter of dressing to get the look right and briefly make the B-string sound a bit better, I'll just keep playing (I've got two other guitars which see so little service their frets are perfect).

[mirwa]

Not sure what your question is, is your question can this be fret levelled out or is your question should I get stainless frets fitted.

Steve

[redir]

I'm a bit confused too but those frets look like they are done. If you just dress those you will be down to nothing. You could conceivably install the SS frets just where you need them but it would be better to just get the whole thing done.

[John Arnold]

IMHO, those frets are beyond the dressing/recrowning stage. I would do a partial refret.

[jonfields45]

I know the frets look terrible. I took a StewMac caliper to which I glued a bit of a .012 guitar string to the plunger (to better measure fret divots) and the fret between strings is 36 mils and the worst B-string divot is 30 mils.

I'm going to get the guitar refretted after our last scheduled gig in November. I don't have a good history of holding onto my main player guitars before selling them to get the next new thing. Aside from fret work on a Martin and a Gibson that I did not need done when I was in highschool 45 years ago, this is my first fret work on any guitar.

My duo partner is constantly complaining of "zizzing" which I isolated to flat tops on his frets and leading edges of his nuts/saddles. My beater certainly zizzes if I listen for it (and stretch the string off the divot to hear the clear tone). But the guitar does not buzz or intonate badly and "ziz" does not bother me (my perfectionism is not expressed in this way...).

I was curious if my desire for things to look right (stainless refret) should override don't fix things that don't sound broken in actual usage.

[Howard Klepper]

Why stainless? And why assume you have to supply the frets?

Brothers has a good reputation. I suggest you let them advise you.

[DenverSteve]

Originally Posted by jonfields45

... I was curious if my desire for things to look right (stainless refret) should override don't fix things that don't sound broken in actual usage.

Looks have nothing to do with the need for even/level frets. You are getting buzzing and the frets need to be replaced. If you can wait until....whenever...then wait but why put off what can be done sooner rather than later? You obviously have guitars to play for the week that your re-fret will take.

[jonfields45]

Originally Posted by Howard Klepper

Why stainless? And why assume you have to supply the frets?

Brothers has a good reputation. I suggest you let them advise you.

I've spoke to them in the past about stainless. They are not advocates but are willing to use it. RainSong uses a somewhat unusually wide, medium height fret, Dunlop 6140 or equivalent. The guitar's frets started to divot badly at 18 months and I researched the nearest equivalent size in stainless which was Sintoms RSS270096. It was only maybe $25 for enough wire to do two guitars and I bought it on a whim. I'll bring it with me but they may want to use their own stock.

[rick-slo]

Sintoms SS270096 (2.7x0.96mm) has a really low crown height. Sure you want that?

[redir]

As an aside to this thread I recently purchased some of the cryogenic ( or what ever they call it ) frozen fret wire to give a try. Probably a gimmick but it can't be any different then normal wire. The jury is out, I'll let you know in a few years.

Otherwise I'm a big fan of Evo. But if looks are important then you cannot do a partial with that and some people just don't like the gold-ish color.

Anyone using the cryo fretwire?

[M Hayden]

I’ve never heard of the cryo wire. What’s the cooling supposed to do? Does it make it harder?

I want to test refretting with EVO. I’ve used the big stewmac wire for a long time bc it can be dressed a couple of times, but EVO doesn’t seem to wear nearly as fast.

[mirwa]

Originally Posted by redir

Anyone using the cryo fretwire?

Its just a gimmic.

Cryo freezing does have a place in the heat treatment of metals including stainless steel, i have cryo freezed some knife blades i have made in the past and it is a noticeable difference to those i have not treated.

The issue is its a last step option after annealing/quenching tempering not a first step process after extrusion of some stainless wire.

Steve

[jonfields45]

Originally Posted by rick-slo

Sintoms SS270096 (2.7x0.96mm) has a really low crown height. Sure you want that?

The factory RainSong Dunlop (?) 6140 is 2.7x1mm and the RSS270096 I bought was the closest to that dimension I could find (ringing stainless steel -- maybe "ringing" is a Belarusian attempt at marketing?).

This is the spec RainSong will send you if you ask them about their fret dimensions:

[redir]

Originally Posted by mirwa

Its just a gimmic.

Cryo freezing does have a place in the heat treatment of metals including stainless steel, i have cryo freezed some knife blades i have made in the past and it is a noticeable difference to those i have not treated.

The issue is its a last step option after annealing/quenching tempering not a first step process after extrusion of some stainless wire.

Steve

Yeah, kinda what I was thinking too. In the end though it's just standard wire which I'm fine with anyway.