DIY stainless steel frets - a bridge too far?

axisus

as a DIY guitar building amateur with cheap tools, is it particularly difficult/impossible to fit stainless steel frets?

I just dug out an old guitar with SS frets, and they do have a lovely slinky feel to them

Sporky

Sporkbasster1 has stainless steel frets. I didn't find them any more difficult to deal with than normal ones. Everything takes longer. 

WezV

They will wear tools a hell of a lot quicker

mrshankly

As long as your tools are up to it, there's no problem

WezV

Yeah, but it's worth remembering that many standard fretting tools are not up to it.  Worth defining what is.

SS frets will destroy a standard set of fret cutters.  You might get one job out of them. 

I can say that's definitely true of the stew-mac and G&W cutters, as I have killed both.  The first through ignorance years ago, the second in error last year.

Same with any non-diamond files.  You might get by for one job.

axisus

I think I'll stick with regular frets, thanks for the comments all.

Danielsguitars

yeah me too unless someone is paying for a new set of tools

Roland

You could try one of the harder alloys, such as Jescar Gold, which lies somewhere between nickle silver and stainless steel.

hywelg

I had stainless frets on my custom warmoth neck and had to send it to Charlie Chandlers to sort on their Plek machine.

Corvus

I like EVO gold, everything of mine gets it. Fine with normal tools and very wear-resistant. For cutters I use Knipex ones which are big sturdy things bit need grinding to make them flush-cut.