While surfing on YouTube I found a new (2011) NAMM interview
This new company put quarts crystal guitar frets into a guiar
Here's the vid
http://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=relmfu&v=H5ttG3tsvRw
Here's the company's website
http://www.crystalfrets.com/
Let me know what you think
Crystal guitar frets
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Re: Crystal guitar frets
Interesting, but I'm more than a little sceptical
While I don't claim to fully understand the way a guitar makes its sounds, this seems a little odd. It's the vibration of the wood that gives a guitar its character, which in turn is why the neck joint and bridge are important (in transferring the vibration presumably).
If the strings are retaining more vibration, they should sustain more - energy has to go somewhere. But I think the company is overstating the value of their product. The only other frame of reference I can offer for tone is with slides. Glass and ceramic is warmer than chrome and brass. Is quartz more similar to glass? Damned if I know.
I sure would like the try an instrument with these frets
Rob
While I don't claim to fully understand the way a guitar makes its sounds, this seems a little odd. It's the vibration of the wood that gives a guitar its character, which in turn is why the neck joint and bridge are important (in transferring the vibration presumably).
If that is the basis for the frets, I'm a tad confused. If only the string vibrates then you probably would get much better sustain. But it seems like the wood would have less of a role in the tone. If the only means of transfering vibrations is via the air to the body, then the neck would surely be completely redundant, and that would raise questions over the ideal spec of the fingerboard too (rosewood vs maple). And even if everything is vibrating... surely it would all vibrate the same frequency, so who cares????What I wanted to do is not have two things vibrating. I wanted the string to vibrate and nothing else
If the strings are retaining more vibration, they should sustain more - energy has to go somewhere. But I think the company is overstating the value of their product. The only other frame of reference I can offer for tone is with slides. Glass and ceramic is warmer than chrome and brass. Is quartz more similar to glass? Damned if I know.
I sure would like the try an instrument with these frets
Rob
www.rstorey.co.uk