Crystal frets, what ? Where ?

[bob123]

crystal frets... Quartz is EXTREMELY hard and durable, and youd most likely never need another fret job again... However, wood warps (even a little) over time, and youd have to remove all the frets to level the board again. Not to mention if you dropped your guitar or something on the fret, it would be extremely brittle, and couple possibly straight up shatter the frets.

Thanks, but not thanks. In the words of vai "its some kind intellectual meandering thats ultimately pointless" .

 

[Alberto7]

I have a guitar with stainless steel frets among a collection of guitars with nickel frets, and the main difference i notice is that they are really shiney.

The other HUGE difference being that they play themselves

Agreed on crystal's brittleness. Whack it by accident once, and goodbye frets.

 

[vansinn]

Just a notice: Many of you are talking about crystal, but those aren't crystal, as in a crystal vase or grail (holy or not), but quartz.
AFAIK, quartz isn't brittle to the same degree as crystal (glass). Though likely a Bit more brittle than stainless steel

I too think the $1500 is an unjustifiable rip-off.
My old dan Armstrong was refretted with hard alloy German fretwire sometime early 80's, and sustains like crazy. Still doesn't need a refret.
I believe that fret-wise, sustain comes down to fretwire having enough density/mass and being installed with an absolutely perfect tight fit in the groove and against the board so it doesn't start vibrating with the string and thus stealing energy off it.

Oh, and WRT slide sustain, just get yer the Jet Slide version with glass over brass..
Or cut up Grandma's crystal vase and superglue a piece of that on yer heavy brass slide

 

[Asrial]

The idea of it is just ridiculous... But Max' idea on ceramic frets on the other hand ain't half bad, and allows for further customization of hardware coloring.
Now, green guitar + green fretboard + green frets...

 

[bonethug]

There is def something unique about the sound

 

[bonethug]

But then again if you can afford 1500+ for frets your gonna have some sick mods

 

[MF_Kitten]

There is def something unique about the sound

that sounded pretty ordinary to my ears, actually

 

[bob123]

Just a notice: Many of you are talking about crystal, but those aren't crystal, as in a crystal vase or grail (holy or not), but quartz.
AFAIK, quartz isn't brittle to the same degree as crystal (glass). Though likely a Bit more brittle than stainless steel

Nope, all quartz is the same thing. A quartz vase or glass is simply thinner and easier to break. Its not going to break like china, but it COULD break, none-the-less.

As a universal rule, the harder and stronger the material is, the more brittle it is (even metals, stainless frets will "break" before a nickel fret would if you bend them the same).

 

[Jet9]

Soon: crystal saddles.

Joking aside, I'd totally try that out. Could be awesome like that old stoner said, or could just be the longest-lasting frets in the world. Either way, not worth the ridiculous price tag. But if they were for a good price, I'd be all over that shit with NEON COLORED FRETS.


EDIT: Just realized this, how does a brittle crystal conform to the radius of a neck?

 

[bob123]

Soon: crystal saddles.

Joking aside, I'd totally try that out. Could be awesome like that old stoner said, or could just be the longest-lasting frets in the world. Either way, not worth the ridiculous price tag. But if they were for a good price, I'd be all over that shit with NEON COLORED FRETS.


EDIT: Just realized this, how does a brittle crystal conform to the radius of a neck?

It wouldn't "Conform" to the neck, they would simply grind it to the shape it needed to be. That alone is probably a good chunk of the cost. The fretboard would have to be EXACT radius, and the frets would have to fit right in, perfectly.

Crystal Saddles actually makes infinitely more sense to me then frets. I'd be far more willing to try that out actually!

 

[ZXIIIT]

Or a crystal Earvana style nut