Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Michael Gajeski on June 15, 2010 at 4:00pm

if you could find some silver fretwire, you could probably use one of those chemicals that will give it a patina. that should turn it black. or you could try to find some black fishing line or some other type of black cord.

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Permalink Reply by The Phrygian Kid on June 15, 2010 at 5:18pm

buffalo horn or ebony.. id go with horn.. need a linisher or belt sander..

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Permalink Reply by BenBob on June 15, 2010 at 6:24pm

If there was, I'm sure B.C. Rich would be using it. Any kind of bluing or plating would wear off the crowns pretty quickly. The closest you could probably come is a very dense plastic, but I doubt it would sound like metal frets.

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Permalink Reply by The Phrygian Kid on June 15, 2010 at 8:45pm

I honestly doubt there is any plastic up to the task anywhere..
maybe nasa..
cf material of some sort.. maybe..
still reckon horn or antler is ur best bet.. and no, it wont sound like nickel... it'll sound better..
i got a bone fret build on the cards, i really want black and white frets too...

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Permalink Reply by Larry McInnes on June 15, 2010 at 11:39pm

So Jef, that NASA thing got me thinking (uh oh). Carbon fiber would be pretty darn strong.

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Permalink Reply by Hey, TURN IT DOWN! on June 16, 2010 at 12:24am

Be cautious if you pursue using Carbon Fiber. Please take the proper precautions....cut it under running water, and wear a quality mask. The dust from CF is nasty stuff. I use it allot in my aircraft, and my wife says I look like a hazmat guy when I get prepped to cut it...

Larry McInnes said:

So Jef, that NASA thing got me thinking (uh oh). Carbon fiber would be pretty darn strong.

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Permalink Reply by Dave Breault on June 16, 2010 at 12:40am

I know it would be harder than hell to cut, but what about spring steel?

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Permalink Reply by NoxTerran on June 16, 2010 at 1:39am

why not ask Gitty? he's the resident fretwire supplier on here, maybe he knows or can get some. just a thought

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Permalink Reply by BenBob on June 16, 2010 at 6:15am

Delrin is up to it. It's the same material "Tortex" picks are made of:

http://www.dreamguitars.com/preowned/boaz/boaz_clarita_negra_1999/b...

Jef Long said:

I honestly doubt there is any plastic up to the task anywhere..
maybe nasa..
cf material of some sort.. maybe..
still reckon horn or antler is ur best bet.. and no, it wont sound like nickel... it'll sound better..
i got a bone fret build on the cards, i really want black and white frets too...

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Permalink Reply by Michael Gajeski on June 16, 2010 at 6:21am

maybe there is some way to powder coat normal fretwire, i bet that would hold up.

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Permalink Reply by Wild Rover on June 16, 2010 at 9:14am

You might try black annealed wire. It comes in a lot of different gauges. I got some 18# at my local lumber yard.

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Permalink Reply by Tracy Kennedy on June 17, 2010 at 1:27pm

Although Powder Coat is chip resistant it would eventually wear. Typically PC aplication is about 3mil thick. Another problem is generally we cut our fret wire long and file the bevel, flatten the tops for level and recrown. How are you going to do all that with a PC finish without exposing the nickel?

Michael Gajeski said:

maybe there is some way to powder coat normal fretwire, i bet that would hold up.

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