Anthony Posted March 2, 2012 Report Share Posted March 2, 2012 The SS frets on my Stinnett feel like butter. I don't know how easy they were for Mr. Will to cut and install, but I am sure glad I paid for em. My fingers thank him. I'll probably use SS after my first build. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted March 2, 2012 Report Share Posted March 2, 2012 (edited) You'd think having cf/k lining the lungs would be good if you ever got shot at lol. Looking nice. It depends on the angle. From one direction you could probably stand a car on your ribcage. The entire reason a Parker plays as slick and as "fast" as arx said is because of the SS frets...glued down has nothing to do with it,plain old SS frets are just as slick if it is good SS....I get mine from Allied Lutherie. As someone who works exclusively with SS frets on every single build I have made since my first two,I can tell you all of the hokum about it being so difficult to work is just that....Hokum...it IS somewhat tougher on your tools,but if you know what you are doing and you make your fretboard perfect before you fret,and then actually fret it right,there will be little to no need for leveling and recrowning the frets. And once you are done,you may never have to refret the guitar...and if you ever do it won't be for a looooong time.Also,the Hokum about SS "chewing through strings" that i have heard time and time again is just idle talk that pays no attention to reality or the laws of physics...SS is denser and smoother once polished than nickel frets,so the strings actually last longer. Since I presently have 6 guitars(4 I built,one Ibanez I replaced the neck on with a Warmoth in SS, and one I refretted from KXK) with SS frets and 4 guitars with nickel(two Gibsons,an Edwards,and a PRS,all set up properly),and since after the refret the KXK plays better because of the SS,i think I am entitled to an informed refute of all the trash I hear talked about SS frets. All that being said,I don't mean to imply that nickel is inferior...it's been proven for years to be part of countless masterpiece guitars...but never,ever believe anyone who says SS is not worth the small bit of extra wear on your tools. IMO the board material has little to do with it either I am not trying to sound belligerent,I just love my SS Couldn't agree more. I use Evo more than anything else, but the noticeable improvement in how long a fret polish lasts is certainly worth it along with the shine. Edited March 2, 2012 by Prostheta Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted March 2, 2012 Report Share Posted March 2, 2012 I know parker glues the special shaped stainless steel frets on fretboard, just haven't figured out where to get these kind of frets and what glue to use. Don't glue the frets onto the top of the board like that, that's the only thing I've never understood that Parker does, I feel bad for anyone who has to refret that in the future and there is a huge window of error gluing them like that let alone to work with stainless steel frets to begin with isn't that fun anyways IMO. You can use any frets if you want to glue just clip the tang off and grid the bottom of the crown flat. Owning 2 very early Parker Fly Deluxe guitars I can tell you they are not meant for refrets. The reason Parker glues the frets to the fretboard is that the carbonfiber fretboard is a structural component of the neck. If you saw .026 slots in it you ruin the whole point of it. Also Parker used a machine to place all the frets. Remember early Parkers (before evil Washburn took over) were designed to be built with basswood necks and poplar bodies... let me tell you about heartbreak and trussrod repair on a vintage Parker sometime. JUntunen is right ... I would not bother gluing the frets since you do not have the appropriate machinery or adhesive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diffidentia Posted March 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 2, 2012 I'll be going for SS frets on my coming build, but since this time I had to choose between binding and SS frets. Now, more progress... A look at the curves. I just had to do a mock up at this point. Then for a last minute fix to make room for the piezo saddle cables, since my initial plan to drill through the tremolo baseplate didn't work out. Off to the finisher it goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diffidentia Posted March 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 2, 2012 As you can see from the previous photos I still have some way to go to get the woodworking part perfect. Luckily I was set on an opaque finish from the beginning, so it wasn't a huge problem. I would like to get things "perfect" next time around, though. I'll also search out a better type of putty, because the one I used was pure crap. A couple more shots. This time showing the cavity cover taking form. Again, carbon kevlar. I'm starting to get a love/hate relationship with it. It's demanding to work with and to sand, but it's just so damn cool Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juntunen Guitars Posted March 2, 2012 Report Share Posted March 2, 2012 Wes I wasn't trying to say SS frets were crap I was saying I didn't undersand why Parker glued frets on which RAD explained, I know virtually nothing about Parker Fly guitars except they are really light usually. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted March 2, 2012 Report Share Posted March 2, 2012 Wes I wasn't trying to say SS frets were crap I was only partially speaking to your post and mostly speaking to random posts of the last few years.I just want to get the truth out.I believe SS is the future for frets on high end guitars and I just think there is a lot of scuffing of feet and air kicking being done by the older boutique builder crowd on other sites and it leads to half truths being spread...All I want is for people to try it for themselves instead of accepting what they are told. But I do think fretting skills should be learned on nickel...and board prep should be carefully and accurately done. Nothing is more rewarding than knowing your fret job is going to last for years without needing to be touched Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muzz Posted March 3, 2012 Report Share Posted March 3, 2012 I haven't tried stainless steel, but it sounds logical to me, if the fretboard is on flat in the first place then there should be no or little fret leveling needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted March 3, 2012 Report Share Posted March 3, 2012 I couldn't agree more. This is why in as much as Wes is a Stainless Steel Evangelist, I advocate spending as much time as is practical on perfecting the fingerboard before even considering installing frets. Inconsistency transfers itself through very nicely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arx Posted March 5, 2012 Report Share Posted March 5, 2012 Owning 2 very early Parker Fly Deluxe guitars I can tell you they are not meant for refrets. The reason Parker glues the frets to the fretboard is that the carbonfiber fretboard is a structural component of the neck. If you saw .026 slots in it you ruin the whole point of it. Also Parker used a machine to place all the frets. Remember early Parkers (before evil Washburn took over) were designed to be built with basswood necks and poplar bodies... let me tell you about heartbreak and trussrod repair on a vintage Parker sometime. JUntunen is right ... I would not bother gluing the frets since you do not have the appropriate machinery or adhesive. RestorationAD, thats correct the fretboard is not slotted in order to preserve the integral structural strength of the so called "exoskeleton" Actually Parker didn't use any sophisticated machinery for gluing frets. They just used a kind of mold or template made of silicon rubber where there were slots for fret positions. They put the frets into the mold/template slots, applied glue on the frets, placed fretboard over the template and fixed the whole thing with rubber bands. It looked pretty smart and easy way to glue the frets accurately. I try to find the video of the process. As for removing tangs of ready made SS frets in order to produce the gluable frets, I am not so sure it can be easy and accurate. You cannot actually cut the tangs with cutting pliers - you need to grind the base of the frets really carefully and with tight tolerances. I think it will make more sense to use ordinary stainless wire and remove the excess by machining/grinding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arx Posted March 5, 2012 Report Share Posted March 5, 2012 Couldn't find that particular video of the factory tour any more where they showed the method of gluing frets. Anyhow there's some shots of the current technology. Seems they have improved the jigs a bit. link1 link2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted March 5, 2012 Report Share Posted March 5, 2012 Couldn't find that particular video of the factory tour any more where they showed the method of gluing frets. Anyhow there's some shots of the current technology. Seems they have improved the jigs a bit. link1 link2 Thanks for the photos and the info. Those are pretty cool jigs. I remembered doing all the research when I bought mine but that was back in 94 and the mind slips. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juntunen Guitars Posted March 6, 2012 Report Share Posted March 6, 2012 Wes I wasn't trying to say SS frets were crap I was only partially speaking to your post and mostly speaking to random posts of the last few years.I just want to get the truth out.I believe SS is the future for frets on high end guitars and I just think there is a lot of scuffing of feet and air kicking being done by the older boutique builder crowd on other sites and it leads to half truths being spread...All I want is for people to try it for themselves instead of accepting what they are told. But I do think fretting skills should be learned on nickel...and board prep should be carefully and accurately done. Nothing is more rewarding than knowing your fret job is going to last for years without needing to be touched I plan on using SS at some point soon for a full guitar, not just messing with scraps on small mock ups, but for what I am doing now I don't want to deal with it really. I'm still trying to perfect my fretting technique and fingerboard prep, one thing I have learned is that stewmac radius blocks are not perfectly accurate, I use them as a starting point then switch to their leveling bar and finish the board from there until I can't fit a .002" feeler guage inder it anywhere except on acoustics where I start a fallaway at the 9th fret and slowly taper it to the end where there should be .006"-.008" fallaway at the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diffidentia Posted March 6, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2012 Lots of great info about SS frets here. I was convinced the moment my former band mate and guitarist extraordinaire, who also happens to be a tele "fanatic", told me how h absolutely loved his new SS frets and wanted to refret his old teles too. So much for vintage correct I've also got a few shots of the finishing: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
demonx Posted March 6, 2012 Report Share Posted March 6, 2012 Looks great! I actually like the white better than the Kevlar, but the Kevlar is pretty cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob123 Posted March 6, 2012 Report Share Posted March 6, 2012 Holy crap that looks AWESOME dude. Glad it came out as good as it did Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diffidentia Posted March 7, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2012 Holy crap that looks AWESOME dude. Glad it came out as good as it did Thanks! I'm quite satisfied with the results. I think the white and the carbon kevlar makes for great contrast. All white would have been eye scorching Now I'm off to finish sand the whole thing. 800 grit first and then up to 12000. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted March 7, 2012 Report Share Posted March 7, 2012 It looks a hellofalot better than I thought it was going to. Nice job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arx Posted March 7, 2012 Report Share Posted March 7, 2012 Carbon/Kevlar weaving really has an edge over plain carbon on the looks department. I wonder how the result would have been if the paint to Kevlar transition has been white sunburst Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juntunen Guitars Posted March 7, 2012 Report Share Posted March 7, 2012 Looks amazing, I was not to sure on the carbon originally but you blended it in with the paint just right I think.Almost looks like the whole guitar is covered it and it's trying to get out from under the paint lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdshirtman Posted March 7, 2012 Report Share Posted March 7, 2012 This is super cool. Mind if I ask why you covered up so much of the volute and the back of the headstock with white? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diffidentia Posted March 7, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2012 It looks a hellofalot better than I thought it was going to. Nice job. Thanks Now I wonder how you thought it was going to look Carbon/Kevlar weaving really has an edge over plain carbon on the looks department. I wonder how the result would have been if the paint to Kevlar transition has been white sunburst The c/k sure looks good, but I'm pretty certain that "plain" carbon would have been a treat as well. Sunburst was my first though when it became apparent that I wasn't capable of pulling of a completely clean edge on the c/k. After letting my mind wander even more, which is my main hobby, I was convinced that I could get an even better result with the lines that you see. Looks amazing, I was not to sure on the carbon originally but you blended it in with the paint just right I think.Almost looks like the whole guitar is covered it and it's trying to get out from under the paint lol Oh yeah, if anyone asks I'll say the whole thing is covered with c/k This is super cool. Mind if I ask why you covered up so much of the volute and the back of the headstock with white? Thanks! I basically had no other choice around the volute. Even though I tried to get the c/k to conform to all of the curves it just wouldn't stay completely "flat" over the volute. Therefore there's a bit of putty there. I also had to to a late night emergency surgery to the c/k to make room for the Hipshot extender, so that's why most of the back of the headstock is white as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3DogNate Posted March 8, 2012 Report Share Posted March 8, 2012 Ooh... I'd knock the clear back down flat and pinstripe where the white and carbon fibre meet and then proceed with more clear.... That'd look wicked... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdshirtman Posted March 8, 2012 Report Share Posted March 8, 2012 Ooh... I'd knock the clear back down flat and pinstripe where the white and carbon fibre meet and then proceed with more clear.... That'd look wicked... Great observation. I have to agree. That would look stunning. With a white top and a neutral back like that you could use almost any color and pull it off too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattia Posted March 8, 2012 Report Share Posted March 8, 2012 Very cool. I've been toying with the idea of a parker-inspired, super lightweight carbon cloth skinned guitar ever since I got a sample pack of carbon and carbon-kevlar cloth 8 years ago. Nice to see it's feasible. May have to move it up the list of 'things I want to build' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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