Aging nickel silver parts....

[kevinT]

I wouldn't hold your breath waiting for stewmac to "upgrade their parts." They told me that 2 years ago and nothing at all changed. They were talking about having PAF repro covers, and they never got those etc. etc. I hope so but doubt it. Yeah they're service is great but those baseplates are alot more expensive than AllParts now and they're the same I think...

I believe allparts and stewmac were getting their baseplates from different vendors in the past. Allparts' baseplates never had the rounded bottom corner on thier baseplates. I've bought different batches from SM and each time they had that funky bend on the bottom. I haven't bought any recently so they might have corrected them.

Last time that I bought covers from SM they were using Schaller covers.

[belwar]

Last time that I bought covers from SM they were using Schaller covers.

Thats changing within a few months.

[David Schwab]

I think right now they are making good money in tooling. I know as a maker I tend to buy a fair number of small tools from Stewmac, onesie twosie specialty woods from LMI or allied Luthierie (todd there is a great guy and I highly recommend him).

Yeah, I mostly buy tools from Stew-Mac, and I have several pounds of their fretwire in several sizes. I was using LMI's truss rods and was getting slotted fingerboards from them also. I remember when Todd was with LMI. I mostly buy wood right from lumber yards, but it's getting harder to find the nicer figured woods. We have so much wood stock piled at the workshop that I wouldn't need to buy any more maple for the rest of my life! lol

[LtKojak]

Yeah, I mostly buy tools from Stew-Mac, and I have several pounds of their fretwire in several sizes

Hey David!

I'd like to ask you... how's the Stew-Mac fretwire? I've never used it myself. and asking 'round here most luthiers say that it's OK but a bit weak, that doesn't hold for very long compared with Dunlop fretwire.

My take is that here people buy Dunlop fretware only because is already cut in 24 pieces and curved.

Well?

[belwar]

Hey David!

I'd like to ask you... how's the Stew-Mac fretwire? I've never used it myself. and asking 'round here most luthiers say that it's OK but a bit weak, that doesn't hold for very long compared with Dunlop fretwire.

My take is that here people buy Dunlop fretware only because is already cut in 24 pieces and curved.

Well?

The dunlop is nice, but expensive. If you are buying bulk, may I recommend Dae Hung in korea. Great quality and tons of sizes to choose from. They cut all the sets to length and file back the tangs of every fret for me. Great prices too. The stuff is hard and wears quite slowly, but can still be "bent" to the fretslot without a ton of raised ends.

[David King]

My favorite fretwire comes from Holland via DiMarzio. It's head and shoulders better than the crap from Dunlop. I think Stewmac wire is actually better than Dunlop. The worst wire I ever got came from Martin, softer than lead and very uneven. (Actually Warwick wire is softer than Martin wire and takes the prize as the worlds worst but it's perfect match to the quality of the Warwick basses.)
LMII sells some decent wire including ss in a couple of sizes.
There's a big wire outfit in Russia (Cintec?) that's always trying to push wire at me but to me the price isn't most important. I want quality and the Dutch wire just can't be beat. Comes in 5Lb coils in two sizes, Lg and small. Keeps things real simple and it's about half the price of Dunlop (in tubes) and Stewmac.

[David Schwab]

Hey David!

I'd like to ask you... how's the Stew-Mac fretwire? I've never used it myself. and asking 'round here most luthiers say that it's OK but a bit weak, that doesn't hold for very long compared with Dunlop fretwire.

I think it's very good, however I have to mention that all my fretwire was bought from them about 15 years ago, so I have no idea if it's the same stuff.

But it's been on a number of instruments I play regularly since then and it wears great. I haven't had to do any work on the frets yet.

[David Schwab]

My favorite fretwire comes from Holland via DiMarzio.

I remember that DiMarzio fret wire. I had some once and I liked it a lot.

[j. pierce]

My favorite fretwire comes from Holland via DiMarzio. It's head and shoulders better than the crap from Dunlop.

Do you just call up Dimarzio and order that stuff over the phone? I've never seen mention of them carrying any fretwire in their literature or website, but you're not the first person I've heard mention this wire. A google search isn't turning up much, either. I need to re-order, and it might be time to try something new.

[David King]

Unfortunately the folks at DiMarzio can be real jerks about everything. I basically have no time for their attitude and usually split the coil with someone who is willing to put up with them. If you order from them regularly anyway then you already jumped through the hoops and had your crotch licked by the icy-hot, forked tongue that guards the gate. (I have her card somewhere, she was all sweetness at NAMM but that was all lie.)
The fretwire used to be in the printed catalogue. If you get that then you're all set to go with a part number.

[voodoochild]

This is where Stew Mac gets their wire. www.polymet.com. Its good wire. 2nd best to Jescar IMO. Dunlop wire is just triple marked up and doesn't really do anything for me other than weigh heavy on the wallet

[defaced]

Hydrochloric acid fumes under a bucket.

And to add to this, you can get a gallon of muriatic acid from Lowes for 6-8 bucks - it's in the paint section by the paint thinner/acetone/MEK/mineral spirits usually on the floor in a white jug. Muriatic acid is 30% HCl, and I'll go out on a limb and say it'll etch anything we'll throw at it. Even the vapors are insanely dangerous so to this outside - they were enough to corrode a stainless steel microwave I have. I guess that's what I get from etching welds in my kitchen sink.

[Joe Gwinn]

And to add to this, you can get a gallon of muriatic acid from Lowes for 6-8 bucks - it's in the paint section by the paint thinner/acetone/MEK/mineral spirits usually on the floor in a white jug. Muriatic acid is 30% HCl, and I'll go out on a limb and say it'll etch anything we'll throw at it. Even the vapors are insanely dangerous so to this outside - they were enough to corrode a stainless steel microwave I have. I guess that's what I get from etching welds in my kitchen sink.

Hydrochloric Acid is quite hard on stainless steel, and the fumes will rust everything in the room.

However, HCl is not a poison. We make it in our stomachs. Concentration is the key, as high concentrations cause chemical burns.

[SlidePicker]

I made the mistake of briefly opening a bottle of muriatic acid in my basement, and reliced all of my tools.

[David Schwab]

...and reliced all of my tools.

Just to be nit-picky, and because it's one of my pet peeves, "reliced" is not a word.

Relic is a noun, not a verb. You can hold a relic, but you can't relic something. You can however antique* it or distress it or rust it, etc. Or maybe make it look like a relic.

A relic is:

relic |ˈrelik|
noun
an object surviving from an earlier time, esp. one of historical or sentimental interest.
• an object, custom, or belief that has survived from an earlier time but is now outmoded : individualized computer programming and time-sharing would become expensive relics.
• ( relics) all that is left of something : relics of a lost civilization.

So a relic would not be a tool or guitar that you would currently use, it would be like an old lute or sacbut in a museum.

At the very least it probably should be spelled "relic'd".




(*"antique" is a noun and a verb)