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Old 08-28-2004, 01:54 PM
BillW1950 BillW1950 is offline
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Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Chicago
Posts: 118
Default Fret wear: Steel Strings

Yes, they are made of "steel" but the variations in "steel" include the alloy (of which there are many) as well as the specifics of the hardening processes used (imagine a graph of TEMP versus TIME, and watch how the steel is cooled down to room temp, whether is it cryogenically processed, additional annealing steps utilized, etc.). So very many variations, all of which should affect how those strings wear on the frets, not to mention how they SOUND.

For an interesting take on this, check out the Parker Guitar web site description of their stainless steel frets. I'll bet they don't wear down! Parker makes the point that soft steel frets are a bad idea, except that they are easy for the manufacturer to install, adjust, replace. A sales pitch for sure, but an interesting thought.

Any metalurgists out there???
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