You’ve no doubt heard of the benefits of stainless steel fretwire, and maybe you’ve wondered: Are Stainless frets better? Are they a real improvement to Nickel Silver, or a solution looking for a problem? Stainless Steel frets are an option for refret jobs, but they are also increasingly being offered by guitar manufacturers on new guitars. Let’s talk about Stainless frets and why you might want them, as well as an alternative fret alloy that is gaining in popularity.
Types of Frets
Stainless steel fret wire has been around since the early 1990s, but has recently gained more mainstream popularity. Stainless steel frets are touted as an upgrade to the classic Nickel Silver, the material that traditional guitar frets are made from. Here are the three most popular fret alloys:
Nickel Silver (NS)
Also called “German” Silver, NS is the traditional fret wire alloy, and is made of mostly copper, with approximately 18% Nickel. Although it has a silvery color, it contains no actual silver.
Stainless Steel (SS)
Stainless Steel frets were introduced in the 90s, but it has taken a while for them to become mainstream. Stainless Steel frets are much harder than NS frets, and as a result wear much slower. Many people using SS frets won’t need to worry about a refret.
EVO “Gold” Frets (EVO)
These are the distinctive gold-colored frets that you’ve probably seen on a few high end guitars and wondered about. EVO is an alloy made by Jescar, a top fret wire manufacturer, for people who have sensitivity to nickel (it contains no nickel). In terms of hardness, EVO sits between NS and SS, offering a traditional feel with increased durability.
Stainless Steel Frets vs. Nickel Silver
There are three reasons that guitarists choose Stainless frets over traditional Silver Nickel frets:
- Durability: Because they are a harder metal, Stainless frets wear much slower than standard Nickel Silver frets. In fact, people who don’t play their guitar much probably won’t ever require a refret if they are using SS frets.
- Appearance: SS frets are not prone to oxidation and corrosion, so they essentially maintain their shiny and smooth appearance indefinitely.
- Slick Feel: Some players report that SS frets have a “slippery” feel when bending notes. People who do a lot of note bending can benefit from this characteristic of SS frets.
EVO Gold Frets vs. Stainless Steel
EVO frets are made with small amounts of titanium and iron, and are harder and more durable than Nickel Silver frets. However, they are still not as durable as Stainless frets. EVO are a good choice for players who can benefit from increased durability (i.e., all of us) and want a fret that plays like the Nickel Silver frets they are used to.
Are there any Cons to Stainless Steel Frets?
There are very few drawbacks to Stainless frets, but we feel we should mention them.
- Maintenance Costs – Because SS frets are hard on luthier tools, most guitar techs upcharge for service on stainless steel fret guitars. By most estimations, it’s a 20-30% upcharge, but this should be weighed against the fact that you’ll need far less fret maintenance with SS frets.
- Slippery Feel – Many players report a “slippery” feel when bending notes on stainless steel frets. This can be a good or bad thing depending on your playing style. Since stainless frets show very little wear and oxidation, this feeling is persistent and will not “wear in” like nickel frets.
- Brighter Tone – Some players think SS ferrets sound brighter than NS frets, but this is debatable. On an electric guitar this can be remedied quite easily by twisting a knob on your guitar or amp, so I’d encourage you not to be concerned about this. Many players say they cannot hear a difference in brightness compared to traditional NS frets.
Are Stainless Frets Right For You?
The #1 question you should consider when deciding if SS frets are right for you:
How much do you play the guitar?
If you are looking for a new Strat style guitar and you own 10 other guitars that you play regularly, be honest about how much play time it’s going to get. If you play a guitar for only a few hours each month, you probably won’t benefit too much from SS frets.
Guitars with Stainless Steel Frets
Guitar makers large and small are increasingly offering Stainless Steel frets as an OEM feature or upgrade option. Fender rolled out Stainless Steel with their Ultra Luxe line, and in 2021 ESP Guitars Announced Stainless Steel Frets for all LTD Deluxe 1000 Series guitars. And Eart bucks the trend of only higher priced models offering stainless with their budget friendly models.
Here are some guitars that come with Stainless frets:
Fender
- Fender Ultra Luxe Stratocaster
- Fender Ultra Luxe Telecaster
Suhr Guitars
- Suhr Modern Plus
- Suhr Classic S
- Suhr Classic T
ESP Guitars
- ESP LTD EC-1000T CTM
- ESP H-1001
- ESP PHOENIX-1000
Schecter Guitars
- Schecter C-1 FR-S SLS Elite
- Schecter E-1 FR S Special-Edition
- Schecter Keith Merrow KM-7 MK-III Artist
Eart Guitars
- EART NK-C1 Classic
- Eart D-10
- Eart E-1
Jackson Guitars
- So-Cal 2PT
Conclusion: Are Stainless Steel Frets Worth It?
We say yes! When you consider the maintenance-free nature of stainless steel, the increased costs are marginal over time. It’s not a question of are stainless steel frets better, but whether you can benefit from their increased durability.
As we mentioned above, if you have a guitar that you don’t play a lot, the benefits of stainless are going to be minimal, but the peace of mind you get from Stainless frets can be worth it for that alone. Many people also ask if stainless steel frets wear out, and the answer is yes, eventually. But you’ll need to do a lot of playing to get to that point.
We also feel that Jescar EVO frets are worth strong consideration as well, especially if you aren’t sure you’ll like the “slippery” bending feel of SS frets. With EVO you get all of the benefits of NS frets with increased durability (and a cool gold tint). Happy Playing!