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Cryogenically Treated Frets?

J T

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 20, 2005
Messages
10,502
I was checking out the 2019 Gibson 4-string bass and reading the specs, I ran across Cryogenically Treated Frets. Now that is the first time I believe I have seen this.
What sort of advantage does this treatment give to the frets over non-treated/standard frets? Any one know?


[h=4]Neck[/h]
Neck Material
Maple

Neck Profile
Rounded

Fingerboard Material
Rosewood

Fingerboard Radius
12" / 304.8mm

Number of Frets
24

Frets
Medium - Cryogenically Treated

Nut Material
Tektoid

Nut Width
1.625" / 41.28mm

End-of-Board Width
2.484" / 63.09mm

Inlays
Acrylic Dots

[h=4][/h]
 

marshall1987

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 30, 2005
Messages
3,278
From Wikipedia...

"The field of cryogenics advanced during World War II when scientists found that metals frozen to low temperatures showed more resistance to wear.

Based on this theory of cryogenic hardening, the commercial cryogenic processing industry was founded in 1966 by Ed Busch. With a background in the heat treating industry, Busch founded a company in Detroit called CryoTech in 1966 which merged with 300 Below in 1999 to become the world's largest and oldest commercial cryogenic processing company. Busch originally experimented with the possibility of increasing the life of metal tools to anywhere between 200% and 400% of the original life expectancy using cryogenic tempering instead of heat treating. This evolved in the late 1990s into the treatment of other parts."

So it appears cryogenically treated metals become harder and more resistant to wear.
 

PaulD

Active member
Joined
Jun 25, 2007
Messages
673
In engineering cryogenic treatment of metals is generally confined to steel alloys that have previously been hardened by a heat treatment. Steel can be hardened by a heat treatment which converts austenite (a crystalline phase structure) to martensite (a much harder crystalline phase). Heat treatment alone will convert most of the austenite to martensite but following the heat treatment with a cryogenic treatment (usually cooling with liquid nitrogen) will convert even more and increase the hardness compared to heat treatment alone.

If the frets are made of hardened steel (which I very much doubt) then cryogenic treatment may have some effect, otherwise it is more likely to be snake oil and marketing hype.
 

Tom Wittrock

Les Paul Forum Co-Owner
Joined
Aug 2, 2001
Messages
42,567
So, it's almost 7:30 pm on a freezing Friday down to single digits.
The UPS driver just wants to go home and warm up.
One last delivery to make.
A box for Gibson.
No one there [at that late hour] so he just leaves.
Sits there the whole weekend in sub-freezing temps.
Monday morning the package is brought into the building and the fret wire is taken to the work area.

VIOLA!!

Cryogenically treated frets!! :laugh2:
 

J T

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 20, 2005
Messages
10,502
OK so in relation to frets, they are harder than frets made of the same steel non-cryogenically treated. Not a different metal like stainless, just frozen at one point. Got it.

I would then assume that frets on a bass cryogenically frozen would stand up to string slapping style playing. I guess.

How long has this been on frets?

Didn't Dean Markley do something like this on strings some time ago? I've never heard of it on frets until now.

Thanks!
 

J T

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 20, 2005
Messages
10,502
So, it's almost 7:30 pm on a freezing Friday down to single digits.
The UPS driver just wants to go home and warm up.
One last delivery to make.
A box for Gibson.
No one there [at that late hour] so he just leaves.
Sits there the whole weekend in sub-freezing temps.
Monday morning the package is brought into the building and the fret wire is taken to the work area.

VIOLA!!

Cryogenically treated frets!! :laugh2:

Bawhaha! :rofl


"Hey boss, what do we do with this fretwire?"

"Hmm. :hmm Use it. It's a feature. What's the number of Marketing?"
 

poor man's burst

Active member
Joined
Oct 3, 2010
Messages
421
"OK so in relation to frets, they are harder than frets made of the same steel non-cryogenically treated. Not a different metal like stainless, just frozen at one point."

Except stainless steel frets (or EVO alloy and titanium frets), frets are made of german silver, an alloy (which contains no silver) of copper and nickel, not steel.
 

PaulD

Active member
Joined
Jun 25, 2007
Messages
673
OK so in relation to frets, they are harder than frets made of the same steel non-cryogenically treated.

No. Frets are not made from heat treated hardened steel so cryogenic treatment will have no effect on them. It is snake oil marketing hype.
 

Rich R

In the Zone/Backstage Pass
Joined
Jun 4, 2002
Messages
4,999
"They're fresh-frozen, to lock in taste and freshness!"
 
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