Electric Guitar Strings

Are stainless steel strings harder on frets?

Quick Answer

Stainless steel strings are harder than nickel-plated strings, but under normal playing conditions they shouldn't cause excessive fret wear on a properly maintained instrument.

Fret wear is influenced far more by playing style, fret material, setup, bending pressure and how often you play than by string material alone.

The same is true when comparing nickel-plated steel and pure nickel. Nickel-plated steel is slightly harder than pure nickel, but many players use nickel-plated strings for years without unusual fret wear, especially on guitars with modern fret materials.

For guitar and bass, choose your string material for the tone and feel you want.

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