Stainless steel strings damage nickel frets?

[max_overdrive]

I came across a youtube video in which a guy asserts that since stainless steel is harder than nickel, stainless steel strings will eventually damage nickel frets. Is this true?

 

I understand that some of us have dozens of guitars which they cycle so for them fret wear is going to be extremely slow, but I currently own only 1 bass guitar which I play frequently so I want to know if what this youtuber is saying is a fact. The last thing I want is to have to re-fret the neck.

 

Thanks in advance.

[Baloney Balderdash]

This is absolutely true.

 

To what extend however will depend entirely on how hard you fret, as well as your general playing style.

 

For instance using a lot of vibratos and bends will cause slightly more wear than otherwise.

 

But predominantly it will be a matter of how hard you fret.

 

Normally it will take years though before it will be necessary to have the frets redressed, and only after several redresses a complete re-fret of the neck will be required.

 

Flatwound and nickel-plated roundwound strings will cause considerably less wear than roundwound stainless steel strings, and if you fret lightly using those type of strings a re-fret by far most likely will never be needed in your lifetime.  

 

I fret rather lightly and on a bass that I played a lot since I got it from new 12 years ago, probably something like close to 1 hour of playtime a day on an average, only ever using nickel-plated roundwounds, there is pretty much 0 detectable fret wear.

 

Edited December 2, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash

[MrDinsdale]

7 minutes ago, Baloney Balderdash said:

Normally it will take years though before it will be necessary to have the frets redressed, and only after several redresses a complete re-fret of the neck will be required.

This is the key bit for me.

 

I don’t believe that SS strings on nickel frets will “literally wreck your frets so fast it’s not even funny”. I think it’ll take a long time either way.

[Skybone]

2 hours ago, MrDinsdale said:

This is the key bit for me.

 

I don’t believe that SS strings on nickel frets will “literally wreck your frets so fast it’s not even funny”. I think it’ll take a long time either way.

+1.

 

Been using Stainless strings for a long time, and I have yet to have any of my basses re-fretted because of wear. 

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

I use stainless steel flats (D'addario Chromes) on my JMJ Mustangs and they don't seem to have worn the frets on any of them at all.

[itu]

Of course there's wear, just like with fretless basses. The question is whether you bought the bass for playing or do you just want to keep it in mint condition?

 

One day the pots start to crack. Nitro finish will look yellowish, maybe even crackled. Belt will make a scratch. Headstock hits the drummer.

 

Use your instrument. It loves to be played.

[MichaelDean]

Even if, 10/20/30 years down the line, you do need a refret, that's fine. They're expendable parts designed to wear down and need eventual replacement. 

[Lozz196]

My fave Precision, which I bought new and have had for about 8 years has some fret wear, I’ve only used steel rounds on it and in my old band I played hard. It’s still ok though, doesn’t affect playability, maybe it’s because I’ve had it so long but it’s the bass I find easiest to play and enjoy playing the most.

[Little Dragon]

I have been trying the new Dunlop Dual Dynamic strings, they have a stainless wrap with a nickel wrap on top. They have most of the brightness of stainless with nickel outer. Not been on long enough to have an opinion on longevity but I really like the tension and sound.

[BigRedX]

Strings and frets will wear. That's why they can be replaced.

 

To give you an idea of how much effort  it takes to wear a fret to the point where it affects the playability consider the following example from my guitar playing days:

 

Back at the beginning of 2000 I got a brand new guitar to use with my band. At that time we had a song in the set where I sustained a note for 20 seconds by hammering on using my right hand and then bowing the string against the fret. On average I played this song at least once a day (either at a gig, rehearsal or home practice) every day for almost 3 years, which works out as roughly 6 hours of continuous bowing of the string against the fret. By the time the band split and I stopped playing the song there was a noticeable groove in the fret at this point only. The rest of the frets which were just subjected to normally playing wear of a couple of hours a day for 3 years were fine. This is the only time I have had any noticeable fret wear and it took concentrated effort to achieve.

 

You'll be fine, and if/when your frets do get too worn, take you bass to a decent luthier for a refret or get a new bass.

Edited December 4, 2023 by BigRedX

[shoulderpet]

On 02/12/2023 at 09:21, max_overdrive said:

I came across a youtube video in which a guy asserts that since stainless steel is harder than nickel, stainless steel strings will eventually damage nickel frets. Is this true?

 

I understand that some of us have dozens of guitars which they cycle so for them fret wear is going to be extremely slow, but I currently own only 1 bass guitar which I play frequently so I want to know if what this youtuber is saying is a fact. The last thing I want is to have to re-fret the neck.

 

Thanks in advance.

A refret will not be needed for years unless you have frets made of cheese, honestly I wouldn't worry about it too much, if the bass is cheap then just replace it if it eventually needs a refret, if it is something pricier then a few hundred quid for a refret in many years time is a small price to pay comparatively speaking. 

 

I am using stainless Rotos on my new build and if the frets eventually get worn down I will just buy a new neck 

Edited December 9, 2023 by shoulderpet