@@stevecassidyguitar probably the best bet is to try them first I think jet do one I think there's a couple of shops in Glasgow stock them . Was even considering headless steinberg for lightness and ergonomics that's a project for next year lol when am fit again .
@@dvoryadkinpavel Ah I'm so sorry mate - I don't have a diagram, I had my local tech do the work the first time round, then James at Agrajg the 2nd time. I'm anightmare when it comes to any kind of wiring 😂🙈 There's loads of useful facebook groups for wiring mods with diagrams though, you might even find a better solution than I went with 😃👍
I can hear some high mid gnarliness from Stainless. I try not to play overhard and have action quite high as any extra aggression makes notes go sharp (and the fret slap that bassists go for is not pleasing on a guitar).
Congratulations mate. Agrajag are incredible in the quality of the work they do, and James REALLY cares about customer satisfaction. I'm absolutely addicted to his refret jobs now... Three guitars and counting! Can't praise them highly enough - in a sane world, James should be regarded up there with John Suhr and Ben Crowe. Let's keep him our little secret though, eh? Oops! 😂
Ha! Totally mate! Thank ya so much once again for putting me on to them. I'll definitely be a repeat customer (maybe not 3+ in a year though 😂👌). You're spot on though - excellence is not easy to come by these days. Cheers again! Mon the Agrajag! 💪😎
I did the same upgrade on my Jet JS 400: Jescar FS51100-S. I learned to do it myself, thanks to reading and videos, and it's really rewarding when I see the result. I also love this neck, I play more my Jet JS400 (N°1) than my Squier CV (N°2) than my standard Fender Mex (N°3). It may sound strange, but that's just the way it is!
Very happy for you that things turned out so well! Gotta tell you that you and John Robson have become my go-to TH-cam guitar guys... I've been playing since 1964... I'm still addicted and I'm still learning ... I enjoy your videos and always look forward to the next one... Keep 'em coming and God bless you, man!
Hi Steve, it's a treat to see a craftsman plying his trade and doing such fantastic work. I've never tried SS frets and probably won't, but never say never. If your Jet guitar is now your dream guitar then that's got to be a good thing, to own a guitar that is unique to you and love it is something that us mere mortals very rarely experience.
Cheers mate! 😃👍 James at Agrajag did an incredible job with this 😎👌 I think secretly, we never want to find the one, because the chase is so much more fun 😜 and to be totally honest... this is my (almost) perfect "gigging" guitar... for now 😜😂🙈
Hi Steve, you're right, we secretly don't want to find the perfect guitar, at least not too soon. I've waited 50 years to finally have a Gibson that I could say was mine. Now I have it, there's nowhere left for me to go but the reality is I'll never have that kind of money to spend on a guitar again so it's the perfect time to finally get it. If I were you I'd do the same and go for a Valiant or whatever your dream guitar is in 20 something years time.
@@Reeldin58 Good on ya mate! I hope you're loving the Gibbo 😃👍 I couldn't get a Valiant in 20 years though. Once they become as known as Suhr etc... I'll never be able to afford one. Might have to try and grab one while the prices are still realistic 😂
Thank ya mate! Far from a brand snob these days. My old No.1 was a 2004 Fender USA standard strat. I still have iot and have barely touched it in 2 years now 😬
Glad you are so happy with the new frets. I've never played a guitar with stainless frets, but I'm going to order another neck from Warmoth, and this time, I'm going to pay the extra $35 for stainless steel frets.
Cheers mate! I wish Warmoth wasn't so expensive for us in the UK (shipping taxes etc...) $35 for SS frets is a total "STEeL"! 😀👌 I'd definitely tak that option too 👌
Thank ya kindly mate! 😀🙏 I think this one is the closest i'll ever get to a sig model 😂👍 and I'm more than happy with it - The Agrajag gents did an incredible job 😎👌
Cheers mate! 😀🙏 I picked up a used Harley Benton with SS frets last year for about £150. That's a good point of entry if you ever get curious. But Maybe it's better (and less costly) "to have never loved at all" 😂👍
I lust after this guitar more than I lust after a Masterbuilt strat. Those are the province of dentists and spoilt kids. These are genuine value for money, and great platforms for upgrades. Nice one.
As usual another interesting and engaging video, great job matey! Glad it all worked out well and good to know that the work was done to such a high standard.
Thank ya mate! 😃👍 I couldn't be happier with it and the quality of work from Agrajag is top notch. It's great to know If I ever need anything serious done, that i'd normally be worried about... I know where to go now 😁👍
Great video Steve. What size stainless steel frets did you have put on? I'm really thinking hard about getting the yellow JS-400 and doing some of the upgrades you have done.🎸🤘🏻
Thank ya kindly mate! 😃🙏 It was Jescar 57110-S (Soz I failed to mention this in the vid). They're labelled as Jumbo, but they're more like medium jumbo to me, and pretty much exactly the same profile as was already on there 👍
Hey Steve from Annapolis Md USA. Love the channel and your humor..Sweet playing man. Stainless Steel frets are awesome.. I have them on my Firefly Les Paul. What day & time in the USA is your live broadcast..?? I've been thinking hard about a Jet JS400. Your videos have definitely helped. I'm with you on 9.5 C shape..Looking forward on chiming in on the live show..Bill Carter
Hullo mate! 👋😀 Thank you for your kind words sir 🙏 I'd love to try a firefly - they're not easy to get a hold of in the UK. I've heard that "B's music" in the US stock Jet Guitars. I don't know about any other US stores - Have you seen any others? As for the Livestream this was tricky to answer than I expected 😂 out clocks just changed on Sunday and I think yours are about to change in a few days. So the livestreams are every Thurs @ 7:30pm UK which is Thursday 3:30pm EDT. I think from next week that will be different for again - either 2:30 or 4:30. Soz... I suck at time 🥴😂👍 Would be great to see ya at the stream if you can make it tho. All the best mate 🙏
I got so tired of guitars over the years getting fret wear and it's nice that with Stainless fret guitars that I mostly have now.. that worry is nearly gone or gone completely. Stainless steel is just an absolute must. It's the necks and QC if they're less than good.
Yeah mate - That pretty much nails it 👍 Most of the SS fret guitars I've had previously didn't have any QC issues, but the first EART I got had loads of uneven frets and the 2nd Soloking had a few high spots too (iirc). Wouldn't fancy the extra expense of having a tech sort that kind of stuff
Two things. I'm sure it's fine, but frets on a neck with no binding can be heated with a soldering iron and tapped out from the side so the wood holding them in won't be compressed. Second, the bright tone of SS frets can be somewhat countered with an Aluminum pickguard shield (or two). Because of the mutual canceling, it doesn't affect the tone of HB pickups.
Interesting! I have heard that anodised pickguards can reduce high end. If there's any added high's from these SS frets (I've not noticed) I'll be keeping them 😁👍
@@stevecassidyguitar Yeah, Aluminum is paramagnetic. It causes eddy currents in the coil that reduce the upper mids. At the thickness of a pickguard, it also reduces everything above ~1kHz by 2dB.
If I was refretting one of my guitars, I'd probably consider doing it with stainless steel ones, but I don't think I'd do so until it actually needed a re-fret because by that point there'd be nothing to lose in doing it since it would need new frets anyway so in that circumstance, you might as well go with a harder-wearing option.
Yeah mate, totally agree - I'd wait until it's needing a refret or even a fret level for me, I'd probably go the SS route going forward now - but only if it's a keeper 😜👍 I was just to curious to try it this time so I jumped the gun, the original frets were still in good nick 🙈
Fantastic Steve delighted you have found your perfect combination, and that's why it don't matter the price of your guitar as long as the neck is perfect the rest can be changed up as a matter of interest sorry if I missed it but what size fret did you get
Thank ya mate! 😀🙏 I'd definitely only do this to a keeper - and I'll definitely do this again 😁 You're right - My bad, I failed to mention in the vid. It was Jescar 57110-S (I didn't want to go any bigger than medium Jumbo)
@stevecassidyguitar yeah they looked substantial enough all the same but with the 9.5 radius medium are tall enough, loving the content Steve and always appreciated your response
Steve, do you know or can you ask your Luther, was the graphtec nut a straight swap or was there any work involved in fitting ie.. sanding etc? Cheers.
We might be able to do better than that - I believe James from AGRAJAG is going to be on John Robsons Livestream soon and will be taking questions 😃👍 He didn't mention having any problems, but you can see in the vid he still filed the nut slots at least. I thing the slots the Graphtech nuts come with are just guides and probably too shallow, so filing would still be recommended (I think)
Very interesting. Read that roasted maple is harder to work with as it's more brittle than regular maple. If so I guess that's testimony to the skilled worksmanship of Agrajag. Beautiful guitar beautifully modded and played sir (thanks for the guitar lessons at the end 😁)
Cheers mate! 😀👍 Great point, I never thought about the added complications of roasted maple - Now I'm even more impressed 😀👍 Guitar lessons? 🤔 You lost me there but - happy to unintentionally help 😂👍
I want to get stainless steel frets on my No1 (1986 Fender Jap Strat 57 Re-issue) but need to decide whether to have the maple fret board refinished at the same time because of marks through the lacquer (real wear, not reliced!)......or just get the re-fret. Either way, I'm going to ask Agrajag to do it. Great video.
Cheers mate! You won't regret it 😎👍 I wouldn't know what to do about the refinishig either. That's a touch call. If it currently still feels good, but just looks worn and matches the wear on the body, I'd probably just leave it as/is. But If it doesn't feel great and you'd prefer to have it more "restored" then go for it 🤷♂️
Great stuff mate! I do love the whole modding concept, even though I rarely do any of the work myself. It's like the thrifty mans custom shop or sig series 😁👍
@thelolguy007 I pretty much had that one under the Fazley name a while back. Had a loan off my mate: th-cam.com/video/0WdZxk1wPCU/w-d-xo.htmlsi=F-BCLhGaTMqDI1RN
@ there’s definitely similarities for sure mate but she’s a different beast. The Jet is Mahogany body, comes with Alnico pickups, has that much cooler Jet headstock (imo) and has that very cool little switch to split the humbucker. Very cool appointments imo. But I do see the similarities too of course. The Fazley might be closer to the Jet Js450?
I'm a stainless steel fret guy, my Warmoth Jazz bass has SS6230 frets, and the neck of the one I'm doing just now has stainless as well. I did love the Jescar Evo frets, but they stopped making those.
They have made your No.1 guitar into a great one and at last you have a neck profile that you can play for hours. My own experience of stainless steel frets were on my Harley Benton Fusion 2 and Eart E-3S which i have sold. The Eart had the better fretwork with the ball ends but for me it soundded thin and bright with an edge to the sound. it may have been the pickups but i never got round to changing them The HB Fusion 2 is still my number one guitar, but i did upgrade the pickups to irongear alnico pig iron pickups these made a huge difference to the sound adding a warmth that was missing, the frets had been leveled and polished by the original owner and with it's wide slim neck i can play it for hours. Would i have any of my now few guitars upgraded, i doubt it, you can buy decent guitars with stainless frets for not much more than the cost of a refret, i admire the work that these guys have done, but now that i am now only a bedroom player, fret wear is not an issue.
Fun video, Steve! Agrajag does greatwork . For me, an at home player-granted I play about 2 to 3 hours daily- I don't really need stainless steel. I think for a gigging musician, it's such a plus that to not change them wouldn't make sense.
Does that mean next step is send one out for a refret and radius? ;) Great job done there sir :) Still not a stainless fan meself (having to sort out issues on a couple of geetars with em has put me right off) but if these guys were doin the job id no doubt be swayed t'other way :) Awesome as always sir, youve made a proper giant killer outa thatun 😈
Cheers mate! 🤓👍 I got them from either Ali Express or Temu (I don't have a link soz - but there's multiple sellers of the same thing). In almost all of my vids - these glasses are just fake constume glasses and I pop the lenses out - long story: th-cam.com/video/LKLu7dve2gc/w-d-xo.html But I recently got back from China and had my new real prescription lenses put in these frames 🤓👍
There’s nothing like a gig to test out gear. If there’s a time it’s going to go wrong it’ll be in front of a room full of folk. 😂 Glad the new frets have worked out so well, they sound like a brilliant company.
Cheers mate! 😃👍 I forgot to mention it's Jescar 57110-S, and yeah it's all about the smoother bends, but it's the longevity that makes it worth the cost for me 👍
@@stevecassidyguitar Dead right mate! It's what suits you that'll make ya play more! I totally get buying a guitar and doing it up.. if you like it enough.. half the battle mate. Hope your channel blows up pal... only a few l sub to.. like you Dunodian fellas, we can sniff a fake from 2mile off.. You dress sorta weird Steve, you ain't no fake mate.👍🏼
@@stevecassidyguitar I wdnt go that far mate!! You're sorta stuck with me now! Ha! Great channel you made Steve (in a sea of shite ones) wish you all the best mate.👍🏼
Having bought a Revstar I just feel in love with the stainless steel frets,no more grittiness and no signs of wear and it gets played to death its just smooth all the way.Will probably change a few other guitars over now Ive seen Agrajags work.
Totally mate! If you're considering it and it's logistically and geographically possible for you, then I'd highly recommend the Boys at Agrajag for the job 😎👌
I think it is always a question of is guitar + mods better than buying one at that price? Also is there an option to replace the neck with one that already has the stainless steele on them for less? Perhaps as an upgrade from Jet? Though I love to hear about your experience and learning what mods are really worth it and which ones can be skipped. As far as the question.. I honestly could not tell the difference or see the need. Kinda like asking a guy who rides his e-bike to work if he needs a carbon frame? Elixir Nanoweb Super-Light 9-42s?
That's a BIG YES on the Elixir Nanoweb 9-42's for me 😃👍 It's a very fair and valid question mate 👍 Including the Guitar itself, the total cost is up to £625 now 😬 It would be great if Jet offered Stainless Steel frets or it would be equally great if Harley Benton offered C shaped 9.5" radius necks. I can't get any production Guitar with this set of specs, anywhere at any price, even just the neck specs are unique (as far as I have searched). I don't know why, but for some reason, you can't get roasted maple, C shaped, 9.5" radius necks, with 22 Stainless Steel frets and a contoured heel carve. So (for me) £625 is totally worth it. It's still less than Fender Player money, and again (for me) it completely smokes every other guitar out there at this price and above. But it's still not absolutely perfect yet... I'd love the truss Rod spoke wheel adjustment at the heel, (not feasible) and I really want to switch to a set of "staggered" locking tuners at some point (easy fix) 😂🙈
@@stevecassidyguitar Regarding the 'I can't get any production Guitar with this set of specs' yes and double yes! 100% agree and would be awesome if there was.
Hi Steve. That looks like a fantastic neck but I'll stick with nickel😀 Its easy to diy repair them. For mods, I've been thinking of removing the tone knobs on my Strat and having 2 volume knobs instead. One for the neck and one for the bridge/middle so a quick way to switch between clean/overdrive tones.
Cheers mate! 😀🙏 That sounds like a very interesting mod 👍 I think it would take me ages to get used to that though 😂 I really want to have my single tone knob wired to the bridge only without affecting the neck and middle. Can't think of any reason I'd ever want to reduce the tone on the neck or middle pickups 🤷♂️
Maybe try stainless steel frets one day for me l will stick to nickel, good that everything worked out. That element of risk concerns me like you mentioned it doesn’t work on certain neck radius!🤔
Were the factory frets rough and cut at an inward angle? A Luthier did a video and went into detail on the instrument and showed the frets and they looked really bad it made me hesitate on pulling the trigger on a purchase. Were these Jumbo frets?
There was nothing wrong with the stock frets on the JS400. I didn't inspect them too closely but the fret ends always felt smooth to the touch and no high spots on this one either. I just changed to Stainless Steel out of pure curiosity. Definitely an expensive experiment 😂 It was definitely worth it to me, but it's in no way necessary - nothing at all wrong with the stock nickel frets. Stock frets are classed as medium jumbo and these stainless steels are classed as Jumbo - but I don't really notice the difference in size, and I'm not a big fan of massive frets. Hope that helps 👍
Cheers mate! 😀🙏 This humbucker is a "GFS Dream 180" Not very expensive at all. Even cheaper if you're in the USA Here's all the previous mods I had done: th-cam.com/video/ihd-k_8NLX0/w-d-xo.html
@@vince4471 Buy a JS 400 and replace the pickups with a Fender (or other) set that makes you happy! JS 400 + 150€ (pickup set) will be the same price as the 480 with noname pickups!
@@vince4471 With the 480 - I actually had some stability issues with the trem but, I really loved the stock pickups on the 480. Very vintage voiced 😎👌 But personalluy I'd still go JS400 and upgrade it a bit, because I'm not a fan of rosewood.
Cheers mate! 😃👍 Totally! I think secretly, we never want to find the one, because the chase is much more fun 😜 and to be totally honest this is my (almost) perfect "gigging" guitar... for now 😜😂🙈
I have 2 jet guitars - and only play them at home. How are they coping with temp changes and other challenges of gigging? Does the neck bend? Do you have any experience with that?
I wouldn't say they're any better or worse than any other necks for reacting to temperature changes etc. I've had loads of guitars with roasted maple necks, Fender, Squier, Charvel, Harley Benton, Jet, Eart, Fazley, Soloking... the've all reacted to temp changes in the same way as regular necks imo. In my experience, roated maple does claim to be more stable, but personally, I'm not sure that it is - I just love the look and feel of it 😂👍
The feel of ss frets is pretty cool and heavier gauge strings are easier on the fingers. But its very slick feeling compared to nickel frets. I think I still prefer nickel but I do have 3 guitars with ss frets. 2 of them are Harley Bentons - amazing that you can buy a guitar for £166 with stainless steel frets. the other HB is a tele fusion thing for not much more. both play well. The other guitar was a refretted fender but that turned out bad and the luthier is now serving time for unrelated crimes.
Yeesh! That would be a total bummer to get a bad refret job, especially with SS frets and especially on a good guitar! I reckon that's enough of a crime for the guy to be in the clink now 😜
Does your guitar sound have significantly more top end now? I'm thinking this might suit a guitar with humbuckers more than single coils.....but due to a lack of brick and mortar guitar shops in Wales I have yet to try or hear in person stainless steel frets.
I've heard that SS frets have more top end. If it does, I've not noticed, but I didn't do any A/B recordings before and after and the guitar was away for a few weeks, so my memory of the original tone would be unreliable. Easiest point of entry to try out SS frets, would be to check out a Harley Benton. Last year I picked up a used CST24 (PRS Hollowbody copy) with SS frets for £160! 🤯
That's it mate - There was nothing wrong with the original frets at all. I was just inspired by John Robson's vid and thought I'd experiment with it too. Was genuinely curious if the fret size/material/radius was a factor. This was an expensive but very worthwhile experiment for me - Over the moon with the results!😀👍
@@stevecassidyguitar Thanks Steve. I was mainly curious if you had worn them out. In general the nickel used on import guitars is not of the highest quality. For example, I can already see some significant wear on my Strat after a couple of years. Of course getting more guitars and spreading the load has helped 🙂
@@RobbieF Ha! Yeah same here mate - I play too many different guitars for them to wear fast. My old USA Strat (My ex No.1) has a fiar bit of fret wear, but I used to play that one exclusively all the time.
i always want steel frets on my guitars, but i find the cost of installing them quite high especially in today's guitar market, but if you have a favourite guitar then all costs make sense
It's certainly not cheap, and I wouldn't do it to any guitar. It was a bit of a risky experiment but it all worked out way better than expected - thankfully 😅👍
Never played a guitar with stainless steel frets, what's the feel like compared to normal frets ?. I know SS frets are hard wearing and will last a long time so I'd like to try a guitar with them 😄
If your curious, the best entry point is a Harley Benton (not just any HB - check the specs 👍). I picked up a used Harley Benton CST 24 with SS frets last year for around £150! 🤯 For me the SS frets is about the feel first, I find it a joy to bend on, much smoother. But it's the peace of mind that it will last almost forever that akes it worth it (imo)
Did you notice any of the notes bending a bit when you first started playing it? I have wondered this as me an my brother have a few instruments like a couple older acoustics that have those tiny thin fret wires that you have to pretty much fret right on.
Do you mean like the frets being too tall and rasing the pitch with too much pressure? Or do you mean notes binding? In both cases, no though. I got the exact same size fretwire as was already on there, basically just upgraded the material to Stainless steel - Hope that helps 😬👍
Now for my Fat Cat (Samick Malibu) with a Filtertron/Little 59/Quarter Pounder load out... Yeah! I bought the guitar (the black one in my pic) for under $80 but all the parts (GFS brass block, GFS Soft Springs, Bournes mini pots, Switchcraft jack, trebel bleed and Greasebucket tone mod) I am in it for around $600ish all said. It would definitely benefit from a bone nut but I might just get it refretted with stainless steel and a bone nut for shitz and giggles. We shall see. I dig your guitar Steve, totally you! I would keep the Jet as is and maybe focus attention on one of the other guitars with Mods to make it another "Main Player" that way you have some breadth in terms of tones instead of remaking the same guitar.🤔
Ha! Cheers mate! 😀🙏 $80 is a great deal for starters! 🤯👌 I'd highly recommend it - Go for it! 😁👍 I think this one has cost me £625 all in now. and i'd definitely do it all again 😂👍
@@stevecassidyguitar Yeah, so the funny thing about the Malibu, it was hanging up in a record store of all places. Right next to it was a very worn Squier Strat for $240 and I am looking at that and then at the Malibu that has more care by the designer Greg Bennett put into it and it had REAL Grover tuners and the choice was so obvious even though the model didn't have the same kind of value associated with it. So I bought it, I ended up buying the right guitar case for it which actually cost me more ($115 to the $80 (it did come with a generic gig bag)). My buddy looked at it and said "John Mayer Silver Sky," so that got me thinking about modding it out to my specs. I flipped the pickup layout from my main Telecaster (the blonde one in my pic) so that the Filtertron was in the bridge and the Quarter Pounder was in the neck (standing in for a P-90ish sound). The Little 59 was actually the neck pickup from that Telecaster so I just threw it in the middle and it worked out great! I even got a cool switch (bigger than a mini toggle but smaller than a typical three way Gibson switch) for the split. Some of the finer things took years, I bought this guitar back in early 2020, I had the pickup and electrics overhauled the next year. I had to get Bournes mini pots because the cavity was too tight for CTS pots and it wasn't worth doing wood work. The Filtertron was actually screwed down to some wood risers at the bottom of the cavity. The pickup ring was bought a year later from GFS, the issue there was the ring was fine, the bar to use the ring was for their metric sized GFS Tron and my pickup was a real Filtertron in Standard sizing. I finally tracked down the right part (Philadelphia Music Supply for the WIN) this year to get the Filtertron on the pickguard (that Filtertron bar is very specific and not many people make parts for them, and no, TV Jones did not have a ready solution for me because I did check there). The knobs have their own story. At first I used Telecaster style knobs but they looked off even though they work fine. I got some bigger black stove type of knobs that were just too big on a smaller pickguard. It was trying witch hat knobs where the look finally came in. Also I had to swap Dunlop strap locks from the bigger Dual button to the sleeker traditional buttons to make the guitar look proportional and deliberate rather than just a wild experiment (even though it was). So these finer points take years to figure out, they don't just happen overnight. For the size, the Malibu is squatter than a Strat and it's a bit more compact. It kinda feels like a small Offset in practical terms more than a Strat. Because I upgraded the Trem block with brass and I put better pickups and electrics in the guitar it weighs more than you think it would. It definitely has sustain (I wanted a meatier and aggressive sounding guitar, not a typical Strat). It can growl and it can pur, so it really is an "all in one" guitar for me that most Strat players boast about. But yeah, after all that attention to detail, why not get better frets and a better nut on there?
@@gringogreen4719 Wow mate! That's a story! Sounds like it's took years to curate it into what it is today😎👌 I also tried out oven knobs on a Guitar - I like them, but it has to be on the right guitar, bigger body is better imo. Cool on an offset perhaps. But yeah man - Why not go nuts and go for the refret 😁👌
@@stevecassidyguitar I have them on my full sized Big Muff pedal, my two IYV Thinline Tele guitars and a few others. They look good but they are not practical for using if you want to do volume swells or tone swells, Tele knobs are the best for those. Yeah, the finer points of guitar takes time, trial and error, to get the final look right. That said, having a guitar with a story like yours or mine is priceless! The average punter would be like "why bother?" or "why not just get a US Fender?" but that misses the point. The journey IS AS IMPORTANT as the destination! Also there are some promising features that fail to deliver but you only know that because you had to do it. I did not know about the double stacked pot, I might get one of those in the future for a project I might do (a US Fender Strat body with a US Fender Telecaster neck) and do a proper HSS load out on it. Ideas amigo, you give me ideas...🤔
I LOVE stainless steel frets on an Electric guitar. You most likely will NEVER need to replace those frets ever, again.👍 Play the guitar until your fingers bleed.😁
Thanks for the recommendation mate! The PG has actually been on my Radar for a while, I'm always on the look out to pick one up used, reviews sound like the kind of tones I like 😃👍
Woohoo!! 🥳🥳🥳Glad it worked out! I guess the mods you made would have been reversible if you hated them . . . but I get it, nobody wants to tank more money AND put their beloved guitar through yet another surgery again AND have to play their #1 in a way that feels wrong, lol. 😂😂😂
Ha! Thanks Marsha 😀🙏 Got to admit - it was a massive relief 😅 The first impressions were great but the (2nd) gig test with the elixirs totally sealed the deal 😅👌
I have a #1 bass but not a #1 guitar 😱 I have a lot of guitars and playing is spread across all of them. So fret wear is shared across them all. The other thing strings also last ages too. If I did have a #1 guitar that got a lot of gigging use, then I would consider getting stainless steel frets. Or even a plek job!!!!
Cycling guitars is a great option for longevity and just spicing things up 😎👍 I've been curious about PLEK - might have to try that for a future vid - cheers for the idea 😃 But I would say, If you have Agrajag work on your guitar, then a PLEK wouldn't be necessary 😜👍
The profile is the same as in shape and radius, but the 480 comes with rosewood fretboard only. The 400 is mainly roasted maple boards but i think one or 2 colours or limited editions might have rosewood too 👍
Huh. Could've sworn Warmoth says no finish required on roasty maple. Maybe that's the CA way or, "required" the operative word, or some other guitar magic I'm not aware of. No matter, glad you luv your FrankenStrat as much as The Man luv'd his....
Cheers mate! 😃🙏 Yeah I've heard that roasted maple can be left unfinished too. I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure it's a very thin layer of satin urethane on thier necks. But If there's none maybe that's why there was no need for any refinishing 😂
Bean thinking about stainless frets for a while you here all kinds of tails they don't bend aswell effect your tone more high end but they last forever 😂 .nice one looks great mate .
Thank you mate! 😀🙏 If you're considering it and it's logistically and geographically possible for you - I'd highly recommend the AGRAJAG gents to do the job 👌 I never noticed any tonal differences, but I didn't A/B it before and after. But the Longevity and smoother bends has me completely sold 😀👍
@@stevecassidyguitar certainly an option .or do you just buy a guitar with them .problem if your a fender fan boy big bucks custom shop job. the guitars I can afford are Mexican beer can fret jobs shame because the sound great lol. Table top football reference class mate🤣
@@davroshalfbeard8368 A Used (or new) is probably the cheapest point of entry for SS frets, That's how I discovered I loved them, but turns out I don't really like any of the HB neck profiles, so this was the only option for me unfortunately/fortunately 😁👍
I like SS frets. I've work out frets on 2 guitars over the years. It's nice to know it's not likely something I have to worry about with my SS fret guitars. I have 4 "stage" guitars and they all have SS frets. My main guitar is a Schecter Sun Valley Super Shredder Exotic Ziricote HT with SS frets. That has my favorite neck. But I rarely gig guitars that cost over a grand. Why risk it? So I have 2 Eart guitars with SS frets and 2 Harley Bentons with SS frets I gig. HBs hare hardtails and the Eart trems are decked as I'm not a trem user. I have a 10yr old Chapman that I also love and when these frets finally wear out I'm getting SS put on it. My rehearal guitar is a Soloking with SS frets. I don't gig it because you can't see the side dots on stage. There's always lights in the practice space so it works there. I'd bought it to be my gigging guitar but after I got it I realzied black side dots on roasted maple are really hard to see in low light. Orherwise it's good to go. So long story long, yeah I'd do it.
Thanks for sharing mate 😃👍 Totally agree, poorly viseable side dots are a massive bug bear of mine. My experience with luminlays is't an ideal solution for me either. The next thing I'm going to try is... Stickers. But wait! Not just any stickers! 😂 I'm gonna cut up some of the "Fretlook" fretboard inlay decals. They're superhard wearing. I also got in touch with Fretlook and they're considering making side dot stickers also with glow in the dark options
@@stevecassidyguitar I tried glow in the dark paint. The kind of paint people put on gun sites. The problem is you get bumps everywhere there's a dot and it wasn't comfortable to me. So I took them off and just use that particular guitar in a well lit enviornment. My LTD also has black side dots on a roasted neck but they're easy to see. I guess the neck isn't as dark. The Soloking is the only one I have issue with.
@@MikeS4628 Ha! I bought one of those wee tubs of gun sight paint after seeing Fluff's vid on it. But never got round to trying it. That was a couple of years ago, it's probably all dried up now 🙈
That's a good shout I've been thinking about that recently. Yoshi (My GF) has an old GoPro she was gonna loan me, but we forgot to bring it back from China - That would have been ideal. I'll look into it more though - Cheers 😀👍
I think if I had to get frets sorted out I might be tempted to get a full re-fret instead. But! I'd like to ask luty eh luthor eh the expert for recommendations based on experience and have a gab aboot that
If I didn't have a JS400 myself, I think I'd be wondering why anyone would invest this much in a refret. I love mine as it is, and don't feel the need to make any other upgrades - tuners and humbucker done. Anyway, hope you're happy with it.
In hindsight - you're probably right, Humbucker and tuners is all it really "needs" upgraded. I defiinitely took it too far 😂🙈 The SS refret was mainly out of curiosity, there was nothing wrong with the original frets. Had zero wear But still zero regrets.
@@stevecassidyguitar Enjoy the tinkering while you're up for it. At my age, I'm almost tinkered out (I think I may have invented a new phrasal verb there!)
@@TheStratpicker 😂👌 If it can't be done with a screwdriver, then it goes to the tech. 😂🙈 So I don't do much of the tinkering myself. That would tinker me out too 😂👍
Nice! 😀👍 The frets are "Jescar 57110-S" these are the closest to the medium Jumbo's that were already on there. I'm not a fan of bih chunky frets, these are as big as I'm comfortable with. Harley Benton's are advertised as Medium Jumbo too, but they always feel bigger to me. Good luck witht he projects mate 😀👍
For me it's anything with a flat radius fretboard, and for the neck usually anything too flat like a "D" profile, or even anythig that's too rounded. The radius is more to do with chording, (I play mainly funk stuff in my band setting) and for the neck shape, it's not so much tiring as it get's uncomfortable and kind of rubs against my joints in the wrong ways. I completely accept that I have issues here 😂👍
Yes! 😂🙈 Almost twice as much! I think I paid £140 or £175 for the guitar and the frets and refret (labour included) was £300 🙈. Plus I already pumped a loadof other upgrades into it. I think the Full cost is £625. and I'd still do it all again 😁👍
@@stevecassidyguitar Each to their own and wish you well with the guitar (+ I don't doubt the quality of the work done by the luthier) but for the money, you could have bought an 80's Fender Japanese strat or a modern second hand Vintera strat, for an example. Both far superior guitars (in my experience) and re-sellable. I know you'll say you would never sell the Jet and blah blah but we all end up selling them in the end. 😜
@@vincentdoyle6987 Cheers mate! You're right, I will say I'll never sell it 😜👍 But the thing is, there isn't a guitar I know of past or present with this neck spec and heel joint. My no.1 for many years was my 2004 USA Fender standard strat. I've barely touched it for 2 years now. I'd say Fenders are only superior in resale. I was the biggest Fender fan boy ever, basically since 2004 when I got my strat, had loads since then too (still have several). But (ime) Fender is currently in one of thier worst era's of production (post covid). They've got cool models etc, but the QC is some of the worst it's been for decades. Very good shout on the 80's MIJ stuff 👍 but it's still nowhere near the neck spec I've got here.
300 quid for all that work is a bargain. My local tech charges 80 quid just for a shaped bone nut. All that work would probably cost me 500+ in my area.
Totally agree! I just watched John Robsons Agrajag refret vid again this morning, he shows a lot more of the work being done on his and has sped it up. Unbelievable amount of graft and attention to detail for £300!
I've never tried the Vega trem - heard great things tho. Would be keen to give it a go 😀👍 I changed the trem on this to a Gotoh 510 - that's my favourite trem, got it on a few guitars 😁👌
@@stevecassidyguitar If you really want to pimp your Jet, then I think it's worth it. It will even make your guitar lighter because of how small the trem block is. And that won't sacrifice tuning stability. If anything, because of how each saddle is locked into place, it might improve tuning stability further.
That's definitely a factor for me too. I don't like super Jumbo's. These are Jescar 57110-S . Advertised as Jumbo, but feels more like medium jumbo to me. Saying that I've recently, really fallen for a Squier affinity Starcaster that has Narrow Tall frets 😀👍
I freaking hate working on frets, I hate taping, I hate leveling, ugg, never attempted a full refret. I have one HB with stainless steel frets, if I'm practicing the same riff or lick over and over again for some time I usually reach for that,
Even with the discount you must have spent £300 quid on a £200 guitar. For a lot less than that I picked up a used Chapman Ml1 Pro Thru Neck, complete with SS frets, Hipshot Hardware, and Seymour Duncan pickups. Best neck ever and sounds incredible. Plus it's still worth the 400 I paid, whereas this guitar is still worth £200. That said... A budget Chinese guitar impressing you so much that it's yo is r forever guitar?! You've made me want to buy a Jet. But the Yorkshire man in me is still shocked and appalled 😆
Ha! 😂👌 But soz mate... you're dead wrong! I've actually spent £625 all in on this guitar! 😂🙈 Here's all the previous mods with a price breakdown: th-cam.com/video/ihd-k_8NLX0/w-d-xo.html The guitar even now is worth nothing to anyone, but to me, it's well worth every penny I've put into it. It's a keeper and I'd do it all again. My previous No.1 was my 2004 Fender USA standard strat, I've not touched that in almost 2 years now. Country of origin doesn't come into it for me - never has. I also don't even see this guitar as having any monetary value, I don't think of it as a £200/£600/£??? or anything guitar, It's just the guitar that I gig every weekend, plays and sounds great, but most importantly, feels better than anything else I've ever played. Tried out a Chapman recently too - Great guitars, but the one I had (ML1 Hybrid) was a bit of a weighty beast, I couldn't see the side dots, it wouldn't stay in tune and the selector switch was in a daft position: th-cam.com/video/BsmoD3GmOUE/w-d-xo.html I did like the stock Chapman pickups though. It's not a bad guitar - just not to my taste. My modded Jet is EXACTLY to my taste 🤓👍 Worth checking out If you like Fender strats 👍
My head exploded reading this. Spending £650 on a £200 guitar to be left with a £200 guitar seems like madness. I'm speaking as someone who buys and sells as per of guitars though and generally comes out ahead. Not as someone trying to make/mod their dream/forever guitar. That's the other part I don't get though. I've got a Strat Plus from the 90s I've owned 25 years. I'm about to get that refretted. It's my forever guitar. I can't imagine feeling that about a £200 cheapo, however good. You're right about the Chapman Hybrid. I had one to and just sold it. A right beast and mine wouldn't stay in tune either. They basically put their own version of a Floyd on it, but no locking nut?!
@@chriscolabella880 You're completely correct - From a buying/selling point of view, I know what I've did is ludicrous. 😂👍 But this is purely for performance. If a guitar is your forever guitar, I can't see how the name on the headstock would come into it at all. The Fender strat plus guitars are admittedly incredible, and I'm not surprised it's your forever guitar 😎👌 But what makes it your forever guitar? Is it the sound, playability, finish, woods, quality, neck feel, tonal options, etc... Or is it, the brand or what it's "worth" / Value is? 🤷♂ Different strokes for different folks innit? No judgement here mate - You do you 😃👍 Do/play whatever makes ya happy 😃🙏
@@stevecassidyguitar I think we agree completely then. We just have a different perspective on what gives a guitar it's value. I did exactlly the same as you with a Lake Placid Blue SX strat: upgraded pups, bridge, nut, active electronics, custom switching (it already had a great neck). My thinking was exactly the same as yours: I play in 2 bands and we play some dives. I don't want to take a 1-2k guitar in there when this one sounds and plays as good as anything and it's not the end of the world if some scrote nicks it while I'm in the gents. But... the name on the headstock does matter to me... and lots of people. Why do people buy a Rolex not a Sekonda, why do they buy a Mercedes not a Vauxhall? For many people a guitar is both a status symbol and a musical instrument. And for a lot of people (not me) the former is much more important than the latter. If that makes me a brand snob in the eyes of some then, yes, I'm a brand snob. Though I do have a £115 Fazley hung on my wall next to 3 American Strats so I really do appreciate an ace budget guitar too. I think the problems arise when people try to convince themselves they are getting more for their money with a Fender than just the name. Objectively, the average Mexican Fender isn't as good as the average Vintage V6 costing half the price or less. But you are not paying for an objectively better instrument, you are paying for the advertising, the headstock, the logo, the heritage etc. These are very much part of the product, albeit a part which do not affect tone or feel. I drive a crappy old Fiat and wear a F91w, and this does not bother me... I just can't apply the same thinking to my guitars somehow. Regardless. You've won a new sub mate. Currently binging your vids :)
@@chriscolabella880 Ha Cheers mate! 😂👍 For what it's worth I buy Lidl baked beans and not Heinz - but that's probably the just the tight-fisted scotsman in me 😜
I do want to get a stainless steel refret on one of my guitars. but it has gotten to the point that you can get quality guitars now that come with stainless steel frets that is cheaper than a refret. I got a Levinson Scepter Ventana and an Artist AT53 both have some very tidy SS frets.
Ah The Levinson Sceptre! Forgot about them - They look very appealing, 9.5" radius with Stainless steel frets - They might be the only company doing that as far as I know. Will have to check them out - thanks for the reminder 😎👍
@@stevecassidyguitar yes but there is nothing like having an old favourite guitar refretted with ss. i do want to try it! but yeah I have the levison i got it for AUD$449 as b stock and blown away no issues with it its great! i wont even do any mods. pickups are great! i think Levinson blades were quite popular expensive guitars back in the day. Sceptre is his import brand. They do a tele and strat type.
I can totally see that mate. I wish Jet would do SS frets too. and I wish Harley Benton would do 9.5" radius fretboards on C shaped necks 😂🙈 It's gonna be hard for any company to compete with Harley Benton in terms of specs and still turn a profit. Harley Benton have carved out that unique position in the market where they have zero distribution cost and have been smart enough to pass on almost all the savings on to the customer - genius way to build a brand imo. We're seeing many other brands offering to buy direct now, even Fender in the past couple of years. Looks like we should enjoy what's left of the brick & mortor stores while we can. Soz - weird tangent there 😂
@@sixsledges5474 I've had 3 Earts too 😂🙈 I had the corsairs but they're compound fretboard radius and compound neck profile. Soloking is also close (had 2 of them too 🙈) 9.5" radius, SS frets but a D profile neck unfortunately again. It seems there isn't a Guitar you can buy with a 9.5" radius, C shape, 22 SS frets, roasted maple neck and fretboard. I've been hunting for those specs for a long time - that's the main reason I went ahead with this project 😀 You could go some sort of custom shop route - but I can't afford that
I tried the jet js400 in a music store a while ago did not like the frets at all, too low. (they were finished nicely though) I did a refret on my old takamine gx-200t with some dunlop 6100 jumbo frets came out very nice. I wish the jets would have jumbo frets like those 6100 :(
I think the Jet's come with "medium Jumbo" frets, but a lot of manufacturers have different ideas as to what that is i think., To me Harley Benton SS "Medium Jumbo" frets they have on the Fusions etc, feel more like Jumbo to me. I had this refretted with Jescar 57110-S frets, classed as Jumbo but feel the same as the original Jet Medium Jumo (to me)
![SAFEPLANET - ดาวเคราะห์ [ THE PLANET ]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/4X1XL3I_k3c/mqdefault.jpg)
Would you do it? 🫳⌨⬇
@@stevecassidyguitar probably the best bet is to try them first I think jet do one I think there's a couple of shops in Glasgow stock them . Was even considering headless steinberg for lightness and ergonomics that's a project for next year lol when am fit again .
can you share wiring diagram? new HSS set ordered for my JS-400 already 😊
@@davroshalfbeard8368 Nice one mate! I've been getting headless curious myself recently too😁👍
@@dvoryadkinpavel Ah I'm so sorry mate - I don't have a diagram, I had my local tech do the work the first time round, then James at Agrajg the 2nd time. I'm anightmare when it comes to any kind of wiring 😂🙈
There's loads of useful facebook groups for wiring mods with diagrams though, you might even find a better solution than I went with 😃👍
I can hear some high mid gnarliness from Stainless. I try not to play overhard and have action quite high as any extra aggression makes notes go sharp (and the fret slap that bassists go for is not pleasing on a guitar).
Congratulations mate. Agrajag are incredible in the quality of the work they do, and James REALLY cares about customer satisfaction. I'm absolutely addicted to his refret jobs now... Three guitars and counting! Can't praise them highly enough - in a sane world, James should be regarded up there with John Suhr and Ben Crowe. Let's keep him our little secret though, eh? Oops! 😂
Ha! Totally mate! Thank ya so much once again for putting me on to them. I'll definitely be a repeat customer (maybe not 3+ in a year though 😂👌). You're spot on though - excellence is not easy to come by these days.
Cheers again!
Mon the Agrajag! 💪😎
I did the same upgrade on my Jet JS 400: Jescar FS51100-S. I learned to do it myself, thanks to reading and videos, and it's really rewarding when I see the result.
I also love this neck, I play more my Jet JS400 (N°1) than my Squier CV (N°2) than my standard Fender Mex (N°3). It may sound strange, but that's just the way it is!
Nice one mate! Well done on doing it yourslef. You're a braver man than I 💪😎
It was Jescar 57110's We went with on this one
my favorite part about your channel is your are an actual gigging musician. I appreciate the content bud.
Thank ya kindly mate! 😃🙏 I need to do a better job of filming better quality live clips though - still working on it 👍
Very happy for you that things turned out so well! Gotta tell you that you and John Robson have become my go-to TH-cam guitar guys... I've been playing since 1964... I'm still addicted and I'm still learning ... I enjoy your videos and always look forward to the next
one... Keep 'em coming and God bless you, man!
Aww mate! Thank you so much for this comment - you've made my day! 😃🙏
I hope to still be learning and addicted as I go too 😂👍
Hi Steve, it's a treat to see a craftsman plying his trade and doing such fantastic work. I've never tried SS frets and probably won't, but never say never. If your Jet guitar is now your dream guitar then that's got to be a good thing, to own a guitar that is unique to you and love it is something that us mere mortals very rarely experience.
Cheers mate! 😃👍
James at Agrajag did an incredible job with this 😎👌
I think secretly, we never want to find the one, because the chase is so much more fun 😜
and to be totally honest... this is my (almost) perfect "gigging" guitar... for now 😜😂🙈
Hi Steve, you're right, we secretly don't want to find the perfect guitar, at least not too soon. I've waited 50 years to finally have a Gibson that I could say was mine. Now I have it, there's nowhere left for me to go but the reality is I'll never have that kind of money to spend on a guitar again so it's the perfect time to finally get it. If I were you I'd do the same and go for a Valiant or whatever your dream guitar is in 20 something years time.
@@Reeldin58 Good on ya mate! I hope you're loving the Gibbo 😃👍
I couldn't get a Valiant in 20 years though. Once they become as known as Suhr etc... I'll never be able to afford one.
Might have to try and grab one while the prices are still realistic 😂
It's great when you find the "one". I also love that you are not a brand snob. Loved the clips of the work.
Thank ya mate! Far from a brand snob these days. My old No.1 was a 2004 Fender USA standard strat. I still have iot and have barely touched it in 2 years now 😬
Thank you for the review Steve! I'm really happy you like the job 😁👍
Thank you so much mate! Absolutely loving it - incredible work sir! 😎👌
5:42 Steve Cassidy: Guinness World Record holder for fastest guitar tuner 🎸👍
😂 Had a lot of training 😂👍
a HUGE UPGRADE that is
Totally! and I'd definitely do it all again 😂👍
Glad you are so happy with the new frets. I've never played a guitar with stainless frets, but I'm going to order another neck from Warmoth, and this time, I'm going to pay the extra $35 for stainless steel frets.
Cheers mate! I wish Warmoth wasn't so expensive for us in the UK (shipping taxes etc...) $35 for SS frets is a total "STEeL"! 😀👌 I'd definitely tak that option too 👌
Another great video Steve, I’m telling you that Jet signature is coming I can feel it!! Anyway keep up the great work my friend 😊
Thank ya kindly mate! 😀🙏
I think this one is the closest i'll ever get to a sig model 😂👍 and I'm more than happy with it - The Agrajag gents did an incredible job 😎👌
Glad you have your dream guitar, i have never played Stainless steel frets. never had them so dont miss them. cheers for the vid Steve.
Cheers mate! 😀🙏
I picked up a used Harley Benton with SS frets last year for about £150. That's a good point of entry if you ever get curious. But Maybe it's better (and less costly) "to have never loved at all" 😂👍
I lust after this guitar more than I lust after a Masterbuilt strat. Those are the province of dentists and spoilt kids. These are genuine value for money, and great platforms for upgrades. Nice one.
Ha! Cheers mate! 😂🙏👍
I did some math... It's cost me £625 all in.
I have zero regrets, and would do it all again 😁👍
As usual another interesting and engaging video, great job matey! Glad it all worked out well and good to know that the work was done to such a high standard.
Thank ya mate! 😃👍
I couldn't be happier with it and the quality of work from Agrajag is top notch. It's great to know If I ever need anything serious done, that i'd normally be worried about... I know where to go now 😁👍
Great video Steve. What size stainless steel frets did you have put on? I'm really thinking hard about getting the yellow JS-400 and doing some of the upgrades you have done.🎸🤘🏻
Thank ya kindly mate! 😃🙏
It was Jescar 57110-S (Soz I failed to mention this in the vid).
They're labelled as Jumbo, but they're more like medium jumbo to me, and pretty much exactly the same profile as was already on there 👍
Hey Steve from Annapolis Md USA. Love the channel and your humor..Sweet playing man. Stainless Steel frets are awesome.. I have them on my Firefly Les Paul. What day & time in the USA is your live broadcast..?? I've been thinking hard about a Jet JS400. Your videos have definitely helped. I'm with you on 9.5 C shape..Looking forward on chiming in on the live show..Bill Carter
Hullo mate! 👋😀
Thank you for your kind words sir 🙏
I'd love to try a firefly - they're not easy to get a hold of in the UK.
I've heard that "B's music" in the US stock Jet Guitars. I don't know about any other US stores - Have you seen any others?
As for the Livestream this was tricky to answer than I expected 😂 out clocks just changed on Sunday and I think yours are about to change in a few days.
So the livestreams are every Thurs @ 7:30pm UK which is Thursday 3:30pm EDT. I think from next week that will be different for again - either 2:30 or 4:30. Soz... I suck at time 🥴😂👍
Would be great to see ya at the stream if you can make it tho. All the best mate 🙏
I got so tired of guitars over the years getting fret wear and it's nice that with Stainless fret guitars that I mostly have now.. that worry is nearly gone or gone completely. Stainless steel is just an absolute must. It's the necks and QC if they're less than good.
Yeah mate - That pretty much nails it 👍
Most of the SS fret guitars I've had previously didn't have any QC issues, but the first EART I got had loads of uneven frets and the 2nd Soloking had a few high spots too (iirc). Wouldn't fancy the extra expense of having a tech sort that kind of stuff
Hey Steve, did you change the original bridge/tremolo? (ah too early, just watched the gotoh part :P) anyway, good content man!
Cheers mate! 😀🙏 I had almost everything changed! 😂🙈
here's the original mod vid:
th-cam.com/video/ihd-k_8NLX0/w-d-xo.html
I'm so happy for you man!!!
You've completed your dream guitar, so inspiring and exciting, CONGRATS!!!🔥🤩💥
Thanky you so much mate! I couldn't be happier with it 😀🙏
Two things. I'm sure it's fine, but frets on a neck with no binding can be heated with a soldering iron and tapped out from the side so the wood holding them in won't be compressed. Second, the bright tone of SS frets can be somewhat countered with an Aluminum pickguard shield (or two). Because of the mutual canceling, it doesn't affect the tone of HB pickups.
Interesting! I have heard that anodised pickguards can reduce high end. If there's any added high's from these SS frets (I've not noticed) I'll be keeping them 😁👍
@@stevecassidyguitar Yeah, Aluminum is paramagnetic. It causes eddy currents in the coil that reduce the upper mids. At the thickness of a pickguard, it also reduces everything above ~1kHz by 2dB.
If I was refretting one of my guitars, I'd probably consider doing it with stainless steel ones, but I don't think I'd do so until it actually needed a re-fret because by that point there'd be nothing to lose in doing it since it would need new frets anyway so in that circumstance, you might as well go with a harder-wearing option.
Yeah mate, totally agree - I'd wait until it's needing a refret or even a fret level for me, I'd probably go the SS route going forward now - but only if it's a keeper 😜👍
I was just to curious to try it this time so I jumped the gun, the original frets were still in good nick 🙈
Fantastic Steve delighted you have found your perfect combination, and that's why it don't matter the price of your guitar as long as the neck is perfect the rest can be changed up as a matter of interest sorry if I missed it but what size fret did you get
Thank ya mate! 😀🙏 I'd definitely only do this to a keeper - and I'll definitely do this again 😁
You're right - My bad, I failed to mention in the vid. It was Jescar 57110-S (I didn't want to go any bigger than medium Jumbo)
@stevecassidyguitar yeah they looked substantial enough all the same but with the 9.5 radius medium are tall enough, loving the content Steve and always appreciated your response
Such an honor to have Rick give you that excellent plug😂
He's always been a big supporter of this channel 😜👍
Steve, do you know or can you ask your Luther, was the graphtec nut a straight swap or was there any work involved in fitting ie.. sanding etc?
Cheers.
We might be able to do better than that - I believe James from AGRAJAG is going to be on John Robsons Livestream soon and will be taking questions 😃👍
He didn't mention having any problems, but you can see in the vid he still filed the nut slots at least. I thing the slots the Graphtech nuts come with are just guides and probably too shallow, so filing would still be recommended (I think)
Very interesting. Read that roasted maple is harder to work with as it's more brittle than regular maple. If so I guess that's testimony to the skilled worksmanship of Agrajag. Beautiful guitar beautifully modded and played sir (thanks for the guitar lessons at the end 😁)
Cheers mate! 😀👍
Great point, I never thought about the added complications of roasted maple - Now I'm even more impressed 😀👍
Guitar lessons? 🤔 You lost me there but - happy to unintentionally help 😂👍
@@stevecassidyguitar The gigging shots of your left hand positions 🎸👍
@@outermarker5801 Ah I see! 😂👍
I want to get stainless steel frets on my No1 (1986 Fender Jap Strat 57 Re-issue) but need to decide whether to have the maple fret board refinished at the same time because of marks through the lacquer (real wear, not reliced!)......or just get the re-fret. Either way, I'm going to ask Agrajag to do it. Great video.
Cheers mate! You won't regret it 😎👍
I wouldn't know what to do about the refinishig either. That's a touch call.
If it currently still feels good, but just looks worn and matches the wear on the body, I'd probably just leave it as/is.
But If it doesn't feel great and you'd prefer to have it more "restored" then go for it 🤷♂️
Awesome video have a great weekend Steve also congratulations
Thank ya kindly as always mate 😃🙏
All three of my main guitars have been fully upgraded similar to your #1. Only thing left is the trem on my Strat and the frets :-)
Great stuff mate! I do love the whole modding concept, even though I rarely do any of the work myself. It's like the thrifty mans custom shop or sig series 😁👍
Weclome 🙌 Mate have you seen Jet just added two new finishes to my beloved JS600 range? And with maple necks 🤤
Holy Shiz!!! Just seen that purple one!
I need it 😐
Cheers!!!! 😀
@@stevecassidyguitar I’m still drooling over the Green one 🤤
@thelolguy007 I pretty much had that one under the Fazley name a while back. Had a loan off my mate:
th-cam.com/video/0WdZxk1wPCU/w-d-xo.htmlsi=F-BCLhGaTMqDI1RN
@ there’s definitely similarities for sure mate but she’s a different beast. The Jet is Mahogany body, comes with Alnico pickups, has that much cooler Jet headstock (imo) and has that very cool little switch to split the humbucker. Very cool appointments imo. But I do see the similarities too of course. The Fazley might be closer to the Jet Js450?
@@thelolguy007 yeah you're spot on mate - exactly the same as the 450 👍👍
But looks to be the colour.
I'm gassing hard for that purple one 😂🙈
Great vid Steve. Glad you have your guitar as you like it. It can only be a positive thing.
Cheers mate! Totally loving it. I know it won't be for everyone - but I'm happy as a pig in ... asda?
...🤔
...🤷♂️
😜👍
I'm a stainless steel fret guy, my Warmoth Jazz bass has SS6230 frets, and the neck of the one I'm doing just now has stainless as well.
I did love the Jescar Evo frets, but they stopped making those.
He Kens!! 😎👌
Hope you're braw mate 😀👍
I forgot to mention in the vid - this was Jescar 57110-S 🤓👍
They have made your No.1 guitar into a great one and at last you have a neck profile that you can play for hours.
My own experience of stainless steel frets were on my Harley Benton Fusion 2 and Eart E-3S which i have sold.
The Eart had the better fretwork with the ball ends but for me it soundded thin and bright with an edge to the sound.
it may have been the pickups but i never got round to changing them
The HB Fusion 2 is still my number one guitar, but i did upgrade the pickups to irongear alnico pig iron pickups
these made a huge difference to the sound adding a warmth that was missing, the frets had been leveled and polished
by the original owner and with it's wide slim neck i can play it for hours.
Would i have any of my now few guitars upgraded, i doubt it, you can buy decent guitars with stainless frets for not much more
than the cost of a refret, i admire the work that these guys have done, but now that i am now only a bedroom player, fret wear
is not an issue.
Thank ya Barbara 😀🙏
Great points all round totally agree. I picked up a used Harley Benton CST24 HB last year for about £150 with SS Frets! Bonkers! 🤯
Fun video, Steve! Agrajag does greatwork . For me, an at home player-granted I play about 2 to 3 hours daily- I don't really need stainless steel. I think for a gigging musician, it's such a plus that to not change them wouldn't make sense.
Thank ya mate! 😀🙏
It sounds like you probably play more than I do 😀👍
I wonder what the canadian cost is - I'd guess similar?
I'm just happy more people might learn about Agrajag because of this video. And also about Agrajag guitars!!!
I hope so too! They deserve every success! Excellence should be rewarded. So glad John Robson put me on to them 😎👌
@@stevecassidyguitar I love their logo. It's just missing quite a few more teeth!
Nice job on those fret ends. Wow!
Totally - They did an incredible job! 😃👌
Does that mean next step is send one out for a refret and radius? ;)
Great job done there sir :)
Still not a stainless fan meself (having to sort out issues on a couple of geetars with em has put me right off) but if these guys were doin the job id no doubt be swayed t'other way :)
Awesome as always sir, youve made a proper giant killer outa thatun 😈
Cheers mate! 😀🙏
Refret and radius could be a very interesting experiment. 🤔
That could be a project for next year! - Cheers 😎👍
Man...where do you get your glasses from??? Amazing! You seem soooo happy with your guitar update!
Cheers mate! 🤓👍 I got them from either Ali Express or Temu (I don't have a link soz - but there's multiple sellers of the same thing). In almost all of my vids - these glasses are just fake constume glasses and I pop the lenses out - long story:
th-cam.com/video/LKLu7dve2gc/w-d-xo.html
But I recently got back from China and had my new real prescription lenses put in these frames 🤓👍
@@stevecassidyguitar I just wanted to say that you Sir are an incredible musician! Bravo!
There’s nothing like a gig to test out gear. If there’s a time it’s going to go wrong it’ll be in front of a room full of folk. 😂 Glad the new frets have worked out so well, they sound like a brilliant company.
HaHa! There's a man who knows! 😂👍
Cheers mate 😀🙏
Nice work Steve!!
The Jescars are great for bends, glad you've got good luthiers in ur area... helps no end!
Cheers mate! 😃👍
I forgot to mention it's Jescar 57110-S, and yeah it's all about the smoother bends, but it's the longevity that makes it worth the cost for me 👍
@@stevecassidyguitar Dead right mate! It's what suits you that'll make ya play more!
I totally get buying a guitar and doing it up.. if you like it enough.. half the battle mate.
Hope your channel blows up pal... only a few l sub to.. like you Dunodian fellas, we can sniff a fake from 2mile off..
You dress sorta weird Steve, you ain't no fake mate.👍🏼
@@baabaabaa-El Ha! 😂 Thank ya so much mate 😃🙏
@@stevecassidyguitar
I wdnt go that far mate!!
You're sorta stuck with me now! Ha!
Great channel you made Steve (in a sea of shite ones) wish you all the best mate.👍🏼
@@baabaabaa-El 😂 Glad to have ya watching and chatting mate 😃🙏
Having bought a Revstar I just feel in love with the stainless steel frets,no more grittiness and no signs of wear and it gets played to death its just smooth all the way.Will probably change a few other guitars over now Ive seen Agrajags work.
Totally mate! If you're considering it and it's logistically and geographically possible for you, then I'd highly recommend the Boys at Agrajag for the job 😎👌
Excellent video Steve! I'm not jealous at all.
Cheers mate! 😂🙏
and soz for any potential GAS kindling 😬
@@stevecassidyguitar GAS is just a by-product of guitar worshiping
@@gedellis701 That's deep bro! 😎👌
@@stevecassidyguitar Ha ha. That's what a bottle of wine does for your common sense.
Excellent stuff !!! It’s like a new guitar day with those new frets and wiring
Cheers mate! It is! It was even more satisfying as It had been away for a while and I was missing it 😂👍
Happy you’re happy Steve. How much has that cost altogether for that guitar now?
Uuuhmmm....
Too Much 🙈
😂
Cheers mate!
Actually... Quick Math.... £625 😀👍
Awesome !!
Cheers mate! 😃👍
Great video Steve, I’m going to be speaking to James about a custom build which will 100% have stainless steel frets and possibly a partial scallop
Only a partial scallop? That doesn't sound like you! 😂😜
Very cool though mate - Would be cool to see the final product 😀👍
I think it is always a question of is guitar + mods better than buying one at that price?
Also is there an option to replace the neck with one that already has the stainless steele on them for less? Perhaps as an upgrade from Jet?
Though I love to hear about your experience and learning what mods are really worth it and which ones can be skipped.
As far as the question.. I honestly could not tell the difference or see the need. Kinda like asking a guy who rides his e-bike to work if he needs a carbon frame?
Elixir Nanoweb Super-Light 9-42s?
That's a BIG YES on the Elixir Nanoweb 9-42's for me 😃👍
It's a very fair and valid question mate 👍
Including the Guitar itself, the total cost is up to £625 now 😬
It would be great if Jet offered Stainless Steel frets or it would be equally great if Harley Benton offered C shaped 9.5" radius necks.
I can't get any production Guitar with this set of specs, anywhere at any price, even just the neck specs are unique (as far as I have searched). I don't know why, but for some reason, you can't get roasted maple, C shaped, 9.5" radius necks, with 22 Stainless Steel frets and a contoured heel carve.
So (for me) £625 is totally worth it. It's still less than Fender Player money, and again (for me) it completely smokes every other guitar out there at this price and above.
But it's still not absolutely perfect yet... I'd love the truss Rod spoke wheel adjustment at the heel, (not feasible) and I really want to switch to a set of "staggered" locking tuners at some point (easy fix) 😂🙈
@@stevecassidyguitar Regarding the 'I can't get any production Guitar with this set of specs' yes and double yes! 100% agree and would be awesome if there was.
Hi Steve. That looks like a fantastic neck but I'll stick with nickel😀 Its easy to diy repair them.
For mods, I've been thinking of removing the tone knobs on my Strat and having 2 volume knobs instead. One for the neck and one for the bridge/middle so a quick way to switch between clean/overdrive tones.
Cheers mate! 😀🙏
That sounds like a very interesting mod 👍
I think it would take me ages to get used to that though 😂
I really want to have my single tone knob wired to the bridge only without affecting the neck and middle. Can't think of any reason I'd ever want to reduce the tone on the neck or middle pickups 🤷♂️
Maybe try stainless steel frets one day for me l will stick to nickel, good that everything worked out. That element of risk concerns me like you mentioned it doesn’t work on certain neck radius!🤔
Cheers mate! 😀🙏
I'm sure it does work on different neck radius - just none that I like - I'm such a moan 😂🙈
Were the factory frets rough and cut at an inward angle? A Luthier did a video and went into detail on the instrument and showed the frets and they looked really bad it made me hesitate on pulling the trigger on a purchase. Were these Jumbo frets?
There was nothing wrong with the stock frets on the JS400. I didn't inspect them too closely but the fret ends always felt smooth to the touch and no high spots on this one either. I just changed to Stainless Steel out of pure curiosity. Definitely an expensive experiment 😂 It was definitely worth it to me, but it's in no way necessary - nothing at all wrong with the stock nickel frets.
Stock frets are classed as medium jumbo and these stainless steels are classed as Jumbo - but I don't really notice the difference in size, and I'm not a big fan of massive frets. Hope that helps 👍
Hi,thank you for all these videos, it helps me a lot in my choice. What is your humbucker?
Cheers mate! 😀🙏
This humbucker is a "GFS Dream 180" Not very expensive at all. Even cheaper if you're in the USA
Here's all the previous mods I had done:
th-cam.com/video/ihd-k_8NLX0/w-d-xo.html
@@stevecassidyguitar Thank you for your fast answer. I very near to buy jet 400, but i hesitate with this new 480. What you would advice me?
@@vince4471 Buy a JS 400 and replace the pickups with a Fender (or other) set that makes you happy! JS 400 + 150€ (pickup set) will be the same price as the 480 with noname pickups!
@@jaunianise4172 Thank you for your advice. But tremolo, and tuners are good?
@@vince4471 With the 480 - I actually had some stability issues with the trem but, I really loved the stock pickups on the 480. Very vintage voiced 😎👌
But personalluy I'd still go JS400 and upgrade it a bit, because I'm not a fan of rosewood.
Sweet! I'd love to have a "#1" to consider this for, but I'm still experimenting with models and setups and mods -- fun process in itself!
Cheers mate! 😃👍
Totally! I think secretly, we never want to find the one, because the chase is much more fun 😜
and to be totally honest this is my (almost) perfect "gigging" guitar... for now 😜😂🙈
I have 2 jet guitars - and only play them at home. How are they coping with temp changes and other challenges of gigging? Does the neck bend? Do you have any experience with that?
I wouldn't say they're any better or worse than any other necks for reacting to temperature changes etc.
I've had loads of guitars with roasted maple necks, Fender, Squier, Charvel, Harley Benton, Jet, Eart, Fazley, Soloking... the've all reacted to temp changes in the same way as regular necks imo.
In my experience, roated maple does claim to be more stable, but personally, I'm not sure that it is - I just love the look and feel of it 😂👍
@@stevecassidyguitar I do love the feel of the neck. thks for your answer
The feel of ss frets is pretty cool and heavier gauge strings are easier on the fingers. But its very slick feeling compared to nickel frets. I think I still prefer nickel but I do have 3 guitars with ss frets. 2 of them are Harley Bentons - amazing that you can buy a guitar for £166 with stainless steel frets. the other HB is a tele fusion thing for not much more. both play well. The other guitar was a refretted fender but that turned out bad and the luthier is now serving time for unrelated crimes.
Yeesh! That would be a total bummer to get a bad refret job, especially with SS frets and especially on a good guitar! I reckon that's enough of a crime for the guy to be in the clink now 😜
Does your guitar sound have significantly more top end now? I'm thinking this might suit a guitar with humbuckers more than single coils.....but due to a lack of brick and mortar guitar shops in Wales I have yet to try or hear in person stainless steel frets.
I've heard that SS frets have more top end. If it does, I've not noticed, but I didn't do any A/B recordings before and after and the guitar was away for a few weeks, so my memory of the original tone would be unreliable.
Easiest point of entry to try out SS frets, would be to check out a Harley Benton. Last year I picked up a used CST24 (PRS Hollowbody copy) with SS frets for £160! 🤯
@@stevecassidyguitar Will keep my eye out for some deals :)
Your number one? Yeah, I’d be anxious, too.
T'was risky 😬 But, So glad it worked out 😅🤞
Did the original frets on your JS400 need to be replaced? Or did you simply wish to change to stainless?
That's it mate - There was nothing wrong with the original frets at all. I was just inspired by John Robson's vid and thought I'd experiment with it too. Was genuinely curious if the fret size/material/radius was a factor.
This was an expensive but very worthwhile experiment for me - Over the moon with the results!😀👍
Jet necks are awesome from new.
@@stevecassidyguitar Thanks Steve. I was mainly curious if you had worn them out. In general the nickel used on import guitars is not of the highest quality. For example, I can already see some significant wear on my Strat after a couple of years. Of course getting more guitars and spreading the load has helped 🙂
@@RobbieF Ha! Yeah same here mate - I play too many different guitars for them to wear fast.
My old USA Strat (My ex No.1) has a fiar bit of fret wear, but I used to play that one exclusively all the time.
It looks the bollocks. Congratulations 🎉
Cheers mate! 😂👍 T'is! 🐶⚾🥎
i always want steel frets on my guitars, but i find the cost of installing them quite high especially in today's guitar market, but if you have a favourite guitar then all costs make sense
It's certainly not cheap, and I wouldn't do it to any guitar. It was a bit of a risky experiment but it all worked out way better than expected - thankfully 😅👍
Never played a guitar with stainless steel frets, what's the feel like compared to normal frets ?. I know SS frets are hard wearing and will last a long time so I'd like to try a guitar with them 😄
If your curious, the best entry point is a Harley Benton (not just any HB - check the specs 👍). I picked up a used Harley Benton CST 24 with SS frets last year for around £150! 🤯
For me the SS frets is about the feel first, I find it a joy to bend on, much smoother. But it's the peace of mind that it will last almost forever that akes it worth it (imo)
Did you notice any of the notes bending a bit when you first started playing it? I have wondered this as me an my brother have a few instruments like a couple older acoustics that have those tiny thin fret wires that you have to pretty much fret right on.
Do you mean like the frets being too tall and rasing the pitch with too much pressure? Or do you mean notes binding?
In both cases, no though. I got the exact same size fretwire as was already on there, basically just upgraded the material to Stainless steel - Hope that helps 😬👍
Now for my Fat Cat (Samick Malibu) with a Filtertron/Little 59/Quarter Pounder load out... Yeah!
I bought the guitar (the black one in my pic) for under $80 but all the parts (GFS brass block, GFS Soft Springs, Bournes mini pots, Switchcraft jack, trebel bleed and Greasebucket tone mod) I am in it for around $600ish all said. It would definitely benefit from a bone nut but I might just get it refretted with stainless steel and a bone nut for shitz and giggles. We shall see.
I dig your guitar Steve, totally you! I would keep the Jet as is and maybe focus attention on one of the other guitars with Mods to make it another "Main Player" that way you have some breadth in terms of tones instead of remaking the same guitar.🤔
Ha! Cheers mate! 😀🙏
$80 is a great deal for starters! 🤯👌
I'd highly recommend it - Go for it! 😁👍
I think this one has cost me £625 all in now.
and i'd definitely do it all again 😂👍
@@stevecassidyguitar
Yeah, so the funny thing about the Malibu, it was hanging up in a record store of all places. Right next to it was a very worn Squier Strat for $240 and I am looking at that and then at the Malibu that has more care by the designer Greg Bennett put into it and it had REAL Grover tuners and the choice was so obvious even though the model didn't have the same kind of value associated with it. So I bought it, I ended up buying the right guitar case for it which actually cost me more ($115 to the $80 (it did come with a generic gig bag)). My buddy looked at it and said "John Mayer Silver Sky," so that got me thinking about modding it out to my specs.
I flipped the pickup layout from my main Telecaster (the blonde one in my pic) so that the Filtertron was in the bridge and the Quarter Pounder was in the neck (standing in for a P-90ish sound). The Little 59 was actually the neck pickup from that Telecaster so I just threw it in the middle and it worked out great! I even got a cool switch (bigger than a mini toggle but smaller than a typical three way Gibson switch) for the split.
Some of the finer things took years, I bought this guitar back in early 2020, I had the pickup and electrics overhauled the next year. I had to get Bournes mini pots because the cavity was too tight for CTS pots and it wasn't worth doing wood work. The Filtertron was actually screwed down to some wood risers at the bottom of the cavity. The pickup ring was bought a year later from GFS, the issue there was the ring was fine, the bar to use the ring was for their metric sized GFS Tron and my pickup was a real Filtertron in Standard sizing. I finally tracked down the right part (Philadelphia Music Supply for the WIN) this year to get the Filtertron on the pickguard (that Filtertron bar is very specific and not many people make parts for them, and no, TV Jones did not have a ready solution for me because I did check there).
The knobs have their own story. At first I used Telecaster style knobs but they looked off even though they work fine. I got some bigger black stove type of knobs that were just too big on a smaller pickguard. It was trying witch hat knobs where the look finally came in. Also I had to swap Dunlop strap locks from the bigger Dual button to the sleeker traditional buttons to make the guitar look proportional and deliberate rather than just a wild experiment (even though it was). So these finer points take years to figure out, they don't just happen overnight.
For the size, the Malibu is squatter than a Strat and it's a bit more compact. It kinda feels like a small Offset in practical terms more than a Strat. Because I upgraded the Trem block with brass and I put better pickups and electrics in the guitar it weighs more than you think it would. It definitely has sustain (I wanted a meatier and aggressive sounding guitar, not a typical Strat). It can growl and it can pur, so it really is an "all in one" guitar for me that most Strat players boast about.
But yeah, after all that attention to detail, why not get better frets and a better nut on there?
@@gringogreen4719 Wow mate! That's a story! Sounds like it's took years to curate it into what it is today😎👌
I also tried out oven knobs on a Guitar - I like them, but it has to be on the right guitar, bigger body is better imo. Cool on an offset perhaps.
But yeah man - Why not go nuts and go for the refret 😁👌
@@stevecassidyguitar
I have them on my full sized Big Muff pedal, my two IYV Thinline Tele guitars and a few others. They look good but they are not practical for using if you want to do volume swells or tone swells, Tele knobs are the best for those.
Yeah, the finer points of guitar takes time, trial and error, to get the final look right. That said, having a guitar with a story like yours or mine is priceless!
The average punter would be like "why bother?" or "why not just get a US Fender?" but that misses the point. The journey IS AS IMPORTANT as the destination! Also there are some promising features that fail to deliver but you only know that because you had to do it.
I did not know about the double stacked pot, I might get one of those in the future for a project I might do (a US Fender Strat body with a US Fender Telecaster neck) and do a proper HSS load out on it. Ideas amigo, you give me ideas...🤔
@@gringogreen4719 Ha! Nice one - Have fun mate!
I didn't know about those pots either - that was James' idea 😎👌
The shirt looks great, fits the lights in the background.
I wish I knew a tech as good as that here in Sweden. Get a real setup on my guitars.
Aww cheers mate! 😀🙏
I'm sure you will have someone great over there too. Even somewhere a bit further afield might offer the postal option too? 😀
17:39 That’s money well spent, imho - your #1 and it’ll pay you back 🎸👍
Cheers mate! 😀🙏
In the 6 piece band I, should have it paid off in a couple of years 😜
@@stevecassidyguitar 😂 and pay you back in playing pleasure, as well as pounds! 🙂👍
I LOVE stainless steel frets on an Electric guitar. You most likely will NEVER need to replace those frets ever, again.👍 Play the guitar until your fingers bleed.😁
Same here mate! I love them for the smoother bends feeling, but it's definitely the longevity that makes it worth it 😎👍
Love SS frets. I have them on my Kiesel guitar and they’re so smooth! 👍👍
Nice one mate 😎👌
I love em too - especially now I've found the size and profile that works for me. I can see me getting this done on more guitars 😁👍
@@stevecassidyguitar Nice!!! 👍
Put a seymour Duncan pearly gates in the bridge position. It's a n excellent pickup for that style of guitar..
Thanks for the recommendation mate! The PG has actually been on my Radar for a while, I'm always on the look out to pick one up used, reviews sound like the kind of tones I like 😃👍
Woohoo!! 🥳🥳🥳Glad it worked out! I guess the mods you made would have been reversible if you hated them . . . but I get it, nobody wants to tank more money AND put their beloved guitar through yet another surgery again AND have to play their #1 in a way that feels wrong, lol. 😂😂😂
Ha! Thanks Marsha 😀🙏
Got to admit - it was a massive relief 😅 The first impressions were great but the (2nd) gig test with the elixirs totally sealed the deal 😅👌
I have a #1 bass but not a #1 guitar 😱
I have a lot of guitars and playing is spread across all of them. So fret wear is shared across them all. The other thing strings also last ages too.
If I did have a #1 guitar that got a lot of gigging use, then I would consider getting stainless steel frets. Or even a plek job!!!!
Cycling guitars is a great option for longevity and just spicing things up 😎👍
I've been curious about PLEK - might have to try that for a future vid - cheers for the idea 😃
But I would say, If you have Agrajag work on your guitar, then a PLEK wouldn't be necessary 😜👍
Is the neck the same on the JS400 vs JS480.
The profile is the same as in shape and radius, but the 480 comes with rosewood fretboard only. The 400 is mainly roasted maple boards but i think one or 2 colours or limited editions might have rosewood too 👍
Had the same experience sold my HB and got a Jackson dk2X
Nice one mate 😃👍
Huh. Could've sworn Warmoth says no finish required on roasty maple. Maybe that's the CA way or, "required" the operative word, or some other guitar magic I'm not aware of. No matter, glad you luv your FrankenStrat as much as
The Man
luv'd his....
Cheers mate! 😃🙏
Yeah I've heard that roasted maple can be left unfinished too. I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure it's a very thin layer of satin urethane on thier necks. But If there's none maybe that's why there was no need for any refinishing 😂
Bean thinking about stainless frets for a while you here all kinds of tails they don't bend aswell effect your tone more high end but they last forever 😂 .nice one looks great mate .
Thank you mate! 😀🙏
If you're considering it and it's logistically and geographically possible for you - I'd highly recommend the AGRAJAG gents to do the job 👌
I never noticed any tonal differences, but I didn't A/B it before and after. But the Longevity and smoother bends has me completely sold 😀👍
@@stevecassidyguitar certainly an option .or do you just buy a guitar with them .problem if your a fender fan boy big bucks custom shop job. the guitars I can afford are Mexican beer can fret jobs shame because the sound great lol. Table top football reference class mate🤣
@@davroshalfbeard8368 A Used (or new) is probably the cheapest point of entry for SS frets, That's how I discovered I loved them, but turns out I don't really like any of the HB neck profiles, so this was the only option for me unfortunately/fortunately 😁👍
Could this be a new signature guitar? The JET SC400?
Ha! that's pretty much it done mate 😂👍
1 of a kind.
Truss rod adjustment spoke wheel at the neck heel would be perfection though 😁👌
👍🏻👍🏻
Thank ya mate! 😀🙏
I like SS frets. I've work out frets on 2 guitars over the years. It's nice to know it's not likely something I have to worry about with my SS fret guitars. I have 4 "stage" guitars and they all have SS frets. My main guitar is a Schecter Sun Valley Super Shredder Exotic Ziricote HT with SS frets. That has my favorite neck. But I rarely gig guitars that cost over a grand. Why risk it? So I have 2 Eart guitars with SS frets and 2 Harley Bentons with SS frets I gig. HBs hare hardtails and the Eart trems are decked as I'm not a trem user. I have a 10yr old Chapman that I also love and when these frets finally wear out I'm getting SS put on it. My rehearal guitar is a Soloking with SS frets. I don't gig it because you can't see the side dots on stage. There's always lights in the practice space so it works there. I'd bought it to be my gigging guitar but after I got it I realzied black side dots on roasted maple are really hard to see in low light. Orherwise it's good to go. So long story long, yeah I'd do it.
Thanks for sharing mate 😃👍
Totally agree, poorly viseable side dots are a massive bug bear of mine. My experience with luminlays is't an ideal solution for me either.
The next thing I'm going to try is...
Stickers.
But wait! Not just any stickers! 😂 I'm gonna cut up some of the "Fretlook" fretboard inlay decals. They're superhard wearing.
I also got in touch with Fretlook and they're considering making side dot stickers also with glow in the dark options
@@stevecassidyguitar I tried glow in the dark paint. The kind of paint people put on gun sites. The problem is you get bumps everywhere there's a dot and it wasn't comfortable to me. So I took them off and just use that particular guitar in a well lit enviornment. My LTD also has black side dots on a roasted neck but they're easy to see. I guess the neck isn't as dark. The Soloking is the only one I have issue with.
@@MikeS4628 Ha! I bought one of those wee tubs of gun sight paint after seeing Fluff's vid on it. But never got round to trying it. That was a couple of years ago, it's probably all dried up now 🙈
Smooooooth
These new frets most certainly are! 😀👍
Why not use the headstock camera like Døvydas. Glad it worked out for ya.
That's a good shout I've been thinking about that recently. Yoshi (My GF) has an old GoPro she was gonna loan me, but we forgot to bring it back from China - That would have been ideal.
I'll look into it more though - Cheers 😀👍
I think if I had to get frets sorted out I might be tempted to get a full re-fret instead.
But! I'd like to ask luty eh luthor eh the expert for recommendations based on experience and have a gab aboot that
That sounds like a smart move mate 😎👍 I'd likely do that in future too, but only if the guitars definitely a keeper 👍
@@stevecassidyguitar Thanks for sharing Steve. These are all good things
If I didn't have a JS400 myself, I think I'd be wondering why anyone would invest this much in a refret. I love mine as it is, and don't feel the need to make any other upgrades - tuners and humbucker done. Anyway, hope you're happy with it.
In hindsight - you're probably right, Humbucker and tuners is all it really "needs" upgraded.
I defiinitely took it too far 😂🙈
The SS refret was mainly out of curiosity, there was nothing wrong with the original frets. Had zero wear
But still zero regrets.
@@stevecassidyguitar Enjoy the tinkering while you're up for it. At my age, I'm almost tinkered out (I think I may have invented a new phrasal verb there!)
@@TheStratpicker 😂👌 If it can't be done with a screwdriver, then it goes to the tech. 😂🙈 So I don't do much of the tinkering myself. That would tinker me out too 😂👍
Size of those frets.....I've just ordered some Jescar SS frets for upcoming builds. Also huge. I have no experience playing them that chunky.
Nice! 😀👍
The frets are "Jescar 57110-S" these are the closest to the medium Jumbo's that were already on there. I'm not a fan of bih chunky frets, these are as big as I'm comfortable with. Harley Benton's are advertised as Medium Jumbo too, but they always feel bigger to me.
Good luck witht he projects mate 😀👍
17:38 had me rolling😭
HA!HA! 😂👍
What type of neck is tiring?
For me it's anything with a flat radius fretboard, and for the neck usually anything too flat like a "D" profile, or even anythig that's too rounded.
The radius is more to do with chording, (I play mainly funk stuff in my band setting) and for the neck shape, it's not so much tiring as it get's uncomfortable and kind of rubs against my joints in the wrong ways.
I completely accept that I have issues here 😂👍
16:04 were you fretting about nothing 😂
Ha! Brilliant!😀👌
There's definitely a better title in there somewhere "Fret not" or summin 🤷♂️👍
a certain local guitar tech told me that stainless steel frets make your guitar sound tinny...i guess they want the customer to keep coming back
😂🙈 "Tinny" is an interesting choice of description 😂
It can’t be THE dream guitar….its not RED😄😄😄
You're right! I didn't spot that - I revoke everything! 😂👍
Singer couldn't help but check herself out in the cam during the gig footage 🤣🤣 no judgement, we all do it 👍😉
Ha! 😂👍
I wish I had hair to be keeping tabs on 😂👍
@@stevecassidyguitar aye, she has a decent mop on top. Such luscious volume 🤣🤣
So the frets cost more than the guitar?
Yes! 😂🙈
Almost twice as much! I think I paid £140 or £175 for the guitar and the frets and refret (labour included) was £300 🙈.
Plus I already pumped a loadof other upgrades into it.
I think the Full cost is £625.
and I'd still do it all again 😁👍
@@stevecassidyguitar Each to their own and wish you well with the guitar (+ I don't doubt the quality of the work done by the luthier) but for the money, you could have bought an 80's Fender Japanese strat or a modern second hand Vintera strat, for an example. Both far superior guitars (in my experience) and re-sellable. I know you'll say you would never sell the Jet and blah blah but we all end up selling them in the end. 😜
@@vincentdoyle6987 Cheers mate! You're right, I will say I'll never sell it 😜👍
But the thing is, there isn't a guitar I know of past or present with this neck spec and heel joint.
My no.1 for many years was my 2004 USA Fender standard strat. I've barely touched it for 2 years now.
I'd say Fenders are only superior in resale.
I was the biggest Fender fan boy ever, basically since 2004 when I got my strat, had loads since then too (still have several). But (ime) Fender is currently in one of thier worst era's of production (post covid). They've got cool models etc, but the QC is some of the worst it's been for decades. Very good shout on the 80's MIJ stuff 👍 but it's still nowhere near the neck spec I've got here.
300 quid for all that work is a bargain. My local tech charges 80 quid just for a shaped bone nut. All that work would probably cost me 500+ in my area.
Totally agree! I just watched John Robsons Agrajag refret vid again this morning, he shows a lot more of the work being done on his and has sped it up. Unbelievable amount of graft and attention to detail for £300!
All you need now is a Vega-Trem.
I've never tried the Vega trem - heard great things tho. Would be keen to give it a go 😀👍
I changed the trem on this to a Gotoh 510 - that's my favourite trem, got it on a few guitars 😁👌
@@stevecassidyguitar If you really want to pimp your Jet, then I think it's worth it. It will even make your guitar lighter because of how small the trem block is. And that won't sacrifice tuning stability. If anything, because of how each saddle is locked into place, it might improve tuning stability further.
For me its the size of the frets matter more than the material. It heavily affects my playing
That's definitely a factor for me too. I don't like super Jumbo's. These are Jescar 57110-S . Advertised as Jumbo, but feels more like medium jumbo to me.
Saying that I've recently, really fallen for a Squier affinity Starcaster that has Narrow Tall frets 😀👍
I freaking hate working on frets, I hate taping, I hate leveling, ugg, never attempted a full refret. I have one HB with stainless steel frets, if I'm practicing the same riff or lick over and over again for some time I usually reach for that,
Ha! I would never attempt it either 😂👍
My tech "skills" are limited to jobs that can be done with a screwdriver 🙈
I am sorry for your other guitars as now they will pale in comparison 😅
Ha Totally! The others will get jealous and will want refretted now too! 😂
and I might not be able to say no 😬🙈
Even with the discount you must have spent £300 quid on a £200 guitar. For a lot less than that I picked up a used Chapman Ml1 Pro Thru Neck, complete with SS frets, Hipshot Hardware, and Seymour Duncan pickups. Best neck ever and sounds incredible. Plus it's still worth the 400 I paid, whereas this guitar is still worth £200.
That said... A budget Chinese guitar impressing you so much that it's yo is r forever guitar?! You've made me want to buy a Jet. But the Yorkshire man in me is still shocked and appalled 😆
Ha! 😂👌
But soz mate... you're dead wrong!
I've actually spent £625 all in on this guitar! 😂🙈
Here's all the previous mods with a price breakdown:
th-cam.com/video/ihd-k_8NLX0/w-d-xo.html
The guitar even now is worth nothing to anyone, but to me, it's well worth every penny I've put into it. It's a keeper and I'd do it all again.
My previous No.1 was my 2004 Fender USA standard strat, I've not touched that in almost 2 years now.
Country of origin doesn't come into it for me - never has.
I also don't even see this guitar as having any monetary value, I don't think of it as a £200/£600/£??? or anything guitar, It's just the guitar that I gig every weekend, plays and sounds great, but most importantly, feels better than anything else I've ever played.
Tried out a Chapman recently too - Great guitars, but the one I had (ML1 Hybrid) was a bit of a weighty beast, I couldn't see the side dots, it wouldn't stay in tune and the selector switch was in a daft position:
th-cam.com/video/BsmoD3GmOUE/w-d-xo.html
I did like the stock Chapman pickups though.
It's not a bad guitar - just not to my taste.
My modded Jet is EXACTLY to my taste 🤓👍
Worth checking out If you like Fender strats 👍
My head exploded reading this. Spending £650 on a £200 guitar to be left with a £200 guitar seems like madness. I'm speaking as someone who buys and sells as per of guitars though and generally comes out ahead. Not as someone trying to make/mod their dream/forever guitar. That's the other part I don't get though. I've got a Strat Plus from the 90s I've owned 25 years. I'm about to get that refretted. It's my forever guitar. I can't imagine feeling that about a £200 cheapo, however good.
You're right about the Chapman Hybrid. I had one to and just sold it. A right beast and mine wouldn't stay in tune either. They basically put their own version of a Floyd on it, but no locking nut?!
@@chriscolabella880 You're completely correct - From a buying/selling point of view, I know what I've did is ludicrous. 😂👍
But this is purely for performance.
If a guitar is your forever guitar, I can't see how the name on the headstock would come into it at all.
The Fender strat plus guitars are admittedly incredible, and I'm not surprised it's your forever guitar 😎👌
But what makes it your forever guitar?
Is it the sound, playability, finish, woods, quality, neck feel, tonal options, etc...
Or is it, the brand or what it's "worth" / Value is? 🤷♂
Different strokes for different folks innit?
No judgement here mate - You do you 😃👍 Do/play whatever makes ya happy 😃🙏
@@stevecassidyguitar I think we agree completely then. We just have a different perspective on what gives a guitar it's value. I did exactlly the same as you with a Lake Placid Blue SX strat: upgraded pups, bridge, nut, active electronics, custom switching (it already had a great neck). My thinking was exactly the same as yours: I play in 2 bands and we play some dives. I don't want to take a 1-2k guitar in there when this one sounds and plays as good as anything and it's not the end of the world if some scrote nicks it while I'm in the gents.
But... the name on the headstock does matter to me... and lots of people. Why do people buy a Rolex not a Sekonda, why do they buy a Mercedes not a Vauxhall? For many people a guitar is both a status symbol and a musical instrument. And for a lot of people (not me) the former is much more important than the latter. If that makes me a brand snob in the eyes of some then, yes, I'm a brand snob. Though I do have a £115 Fazley hung on my wall next to 3 American Strats so I really do appreciate an ace budget guitar too.
I think the problems arise when people try to convince themselves they are getting more for their money with a Fender than just the name. Objectively, the average Mexican Fender isn't as good as the average Vintage V6 costing half the price or less. But you are not paying for an objectively better instrument, you are paying for the advertising, the headstock, the logo, the heritage etc. These are very much part of the product, albeit a part which do not affect tone or feel.
I drive a crappy old Fiat and wear a F91w, and this does not bother me... I just can't apply the same thinking to my guitars somehow.
Regardless. You've won a new sub mate. Currently binging your vids :)
@@chriscolabella880 Ha Cheers mate! 😂👍 For what it's worth I buy Lidl baked beans and not Heinz - but that's probably the just the tight-fisted scotsman in me 😜
If this is 110% your number 1 guitar guess the rest are going to gather dust or get sold 😉
Ha! It's my No.1 "Gigging" Guitar 😜
But nah... it is my no.1 😎👌 But you always need like 12 understudies - just in case 😂🙈👍
I do want to get a stainless steel refret on one of my guitars. but it has gotten to the point that you can get quality guitars now that come with stainless steel frets that is cheaper than a refret. I got a Levinson Scepter Ventana and an Artist AT53 both have some very tidy SS frets.
Ah The Levinson Sceptre! Forgot about them - They look very appealing, 9.5" radius with Stainless steel frets - They might be the only company doing that as far as I know. Will have to check them out - thanks for the reminder 😎👍
@@stevecassidyguitar yes but there is nothing like having an old favourite guitar refretted with ss. i do want to try it! but yeah I have the levison i got it for AUD$449 as b stock and blown away no issues with it its great! i wont even do any mods. pickups are great! i think Levinson blades were quite popular expensive guitars back in the day. Sceptre is his import brand. They do a tele and strat type.
to me Jet will always be inferior to Harley Benton just because they dont offer stainless steel on any of their guitars
I can totally see that mate. I wish Jet would do SS frets too.
and I wish Harley Benton would do 9.5" radius fretboards on C shaped necks 😂🙈
It's gonna be hard for any company to compete with Harley Benton in terms of specs and still turn a profit.
Harley Benton have carved out that unique position in the market where they have zero distribution cost and have been smart enough to pass on almost all the savings on to the customer - genius way to build a brand imo.
We're seeing many other brands offering to buy direct now, even Fender in the past couple of years.
Looks like we should enjoy what's left of the brick & mortor stores while we can.
Soz - weird tangent there 😂
@@stevecassidyguitar for vintage radius and as frets there’s EART. Love them
@@sixsledges5474 I've had 3 Earts too 😂🙈
I had the corsairs but they're compound fretboard radius and compound neck profile.
Soloking is also close (had 2 of them too 🙈)
9.5" radius, SS frets but a D profile neck unfortunately again.
It seems there isn't a Guitar you can buy with a 9.5" radius, C shape, 22 SS frets, roasted maple neck and fretboard. I've been hunting for those specs for a long time - that's the main reason I went ahead with this project 😀
You could go some sort of custom shop route - but I can't afford that
I tried the jet js400 in a music store a while ago did not like the frets at all, too low. (they were finished nicely though) I did a refret on my old takamine gx-200t with some dunlop 6100 jumbo frets came out very nice. I wish the jets would have jumbo frets like those 6100 :(
I think the Jet's come with "medium Jumbo" frets, but a lot of manufacturers have different ideas as to what that is i think., To me Harley Benton SS "Medium Jumbo" frets they have on the Fusions etc, feel more like Jumbo to me.
I had this refretted with Jescar 57110-S frets, classed as Jumbo but feel the same as the original Jet Medium Jumo (to me)
I'M HORRIFIED! WHERE WAS MY WECLOME?
I feel like I'm not weclome around here anymore 🥲
😂🤣 I'm so sorry mate 🙈
Please accept my alopogies 😬🙏
alopogy accepted
@@-processdrone- Thnak You!! 😁🙏