Comments on The Guitar Column: Crystal Frets Vs. GlassTones?

Update - Crystal Frets now owns the patent for the...

2011-11-27T06:04:29.510+08:00

Update - Crystal Frets now owns the patent for their product. Check out patent #7,714,218

I have played both at Winter NAMM 2011. The Glasst...

2011-02-06T09:05:58.445+08:00

I have played both at Winter NAMM 2011. The Glasstones does have a lot of sustain, but I could not get over the weird scratchy feel of the string sliding over the glass. Bends were not smooth feeling because of this (they sounded good though). Open and fretted string sustain was fantastic. Now, CrystalFrets did not have the nearly as much of that scratchy feel and the sustain was not as long lasting, whether open or fretted. However, Glasstones is a complete guitar and CrystalFrets is a modification to a fretboard. It really is silly to compare the two and I could care less about the patents. Just give me something that I like! Both have their own uniqueness, but I could take any of my guitars and have it Crystal fretted and cannot do that with Glasstones.

Bob Wier played a crystal fret Les Paul onstage at...

2010-09-28T12:10:25.933+08:00

Bob Wier played a crystal fret Les Paul onstage at Red Rocks last night...it was amazing!

I am not very familiar with Crystal Frets. I do k...

2010-06-16T03:10:23.858+08:00

I am not very familiar with Crystal Frets. I do know of Glasstones. All of this technology is for naught, unless the builder can execute. To date, Glasstone, LLC, cannot. They may have put the guitars in the hands of musicians but, that means nothing. There are not many that would look the developer in the eye and say, "This guitar is brutally difficult to play." This leaves the inwordly motivated company owner delude himself into thinking that glass frets "have arrived" and that everyone loves him/them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AugWNxKpelA

2010-04-28T00:57:52.599+08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AugWNxKpelA

You guys are putting bad energy all over both inve...

2010-04-17T14:05:51.898+08:00

You guys are putting bad energy all over both inventions. So much that what was once exciting is now nothing more than a big turn off. Can't we all just appreciate that there are two different types of material that can be used for magnifying a guitars beautiful sound? It's shouldn't be about recognition or money but more about putting something amazing out there in this world we share with each other that we can all enjoy.

John, This is what we have been saying all along....

2010-01-05T01:16:52.625+08:00

John,

This is what we have been saying all along...thank you for your post. We actually would like to ask you a bit more. Could you contact us at our website? www.crystalfrets.com

Happy New Year!

Gentlemen, I am a non-interested geologist. Th...

2009-12-31T00:49:37.224+08:00

Gentlemen,
I am a non-interested geologist. The term glass descibes the physical state of a solid. Glass, by definition, contains no cyrstal structure. That being said, glass can be a naturally occuring state of many compounds. Obsidian, for example, is volcanic glass. Obsidian has the same chemical composition as the more familiar basalt, it has mearly cooled so quickly that it did not have time to form any cyrstal structure. Generally the slower that a liquid cools, the larger the crystal that will form in the melt. Quartz is a naturally occuring mineral with a definate cyrstal structure. So in conclusion, glass does form naturally, quartz cystal are not glass, quartz has a very specific chemical compostion, "glass" can be composed of an almost infinate variety of compounds. feel free to ask for any clarifications.

Glad you enjoyed the recipe! Yams and wild rice m...

2009-12-04T20:04:17.665+08:00

Glad you enjoyed the recipe! Yams and wild rice mmmm.. gives me an idea for Christmas dinner!

Clinton

Hello everyone, Hope you all had a warm holiday f...

2009-12-04T12:58:58.570+08:00

Hello everyone,

Hope you all had a warm holiday filled with family and friends.

It seems this dispute of materials will never be finished in a guitar blog,(wich by the way, we would like to thank Clinton Carnegie for posting. Also my sister used his recipe for roated cinnamon chicken, served with yams and broccoli over wild rice...outstanding!)

We have a picture of one of our Quartz stones on our website www.crystalfrets.com. It took many thousands of years to form. No one in their right mind would ever call this glass, as it is NOT!

We are infringing on nothing and our product is more dense than any glass made.

Our comments have not been negative. Read your own words above, to see who has been negative.

By the way, Erich Stone feels he owes Glasstones at least a dinner at Red Lobster for all the free publicity.

Best-

YES

2009-12-03T18:58:44.973+08:00

YES

So if Crystal Frets continues to "FRAUDULENTL...

2009-11-29T15:14:26.356+08:00

So if Crystal Frets continues to "FRAUDULENTLY" use Pat 7,368,646 and continues to say they are the founders of the invention(even though there "patent" is pending), and continue with the Patent Infringement will there be any legal actions held against them? Clearly the chemical make up that is discribed covers Quartz.

Its already been played for years.

2009-11-22T04:45:33.922+08:00

Its already been played for years.

The only comparison that you should do, is crystal...

2009-11-22T04:44:36.252+08:00

The only comparison that you should do, is crystal frets to a regular guitar using a glass slide.

Crystal quartz is glass, chemical SiO2 (Glass) use...

2009-11-22T04:34:36.972+08:00

Crystal quartz is glass, chemical SiO2 (Glass) use of a no resin SiO2 is an infrigement of GlassTones technology, any way the you verbalize it. I don't have to compare my innovation to a infringement of my innovation. Your crystal frets are one point of the material, like playing glass slide, like Duane Allman, however in the open strum, un-fretted string or fretted string, the other point of the string contact is still interfering with the strings vibration. I would be very careful about trying to proceed, my US & International patent has been issued and your infringement is being noted. My advise to you is to stop the negative comments and stop your infringement. Patent infringement is a very serious matter, handled in courts of law, your comments regarding GlassTones products are not appropriate, unfounded, and ignorant. The innovation has already been issued, which is the reason that your application has been rejected. Regardless, of your rhetoric, by just having the strings fretted on a single point of silica (SiO2) material, crystal quartz (SiO2), Pyrex (SiO2), Borafloat (SiO2), Tempered glass (SiO2), etc you only purify the vibration some, not the full potential of the innovation. The full potential is only achieved when the string come in contact with two points of highly dense silica material; hence, purifying the strings vibration. Crystal frets and Erich Stone is a copy cat attempt at a prior invention, that has already been issued (May 6th, 2008 US Pat 7,368,646).

************** PATENT INFRINGEMENT *************

Dear Anonymous, Erich Stone does not compare hims...

2009-11-21T13:41:29.077+08:00

Dear Anonymous,

Erich Stone does not compare himself to anyone... a newspaper reporter who wrote the article compares him to Les Paul as they both stem from Milwaukee.

Quartz Crystals are not glass, they are stones, from the earth, in their natural form, cut and polished, not melted into glass. There in no glass that has the density of natural Quartz. The only mineral more dense is Diamond, also a stone...not glass.

Crystal Frets give a guitar more power and sustain, by trapping the strings energy, and sending it into a roll, taking it out of the standard 440 tune. This roll creates a more powerful, high definition tone.

Another thing about Quartz Crystal Frets...they will never wear down. Stainless steele strings can be used for a lifetime, and not wear the fret, unlike glass. Unless they start making guitar strings out of Diamond (also a stone), Crystal Frets will last forever!

Crystalfrets.com is doing side by side comparisons of guitars with Crystal and metal frets. The output levels speak for themselves. These side by side tests will soon be available on our website www.crystalfrets.com

Crystalfrets.com does not need to slam the work of Glasstones or its creator Mark Payung. We believe the guitars will speak for themselves. Perhaps a side by side comparison between Quartz Crystal and Glass frets is in order???

Crystal Quartz is an amorphous silica glass SiO2 (...

2009-11-19T02:43:02.031+08:00

Crystal Quartz is an amorphous silica glass SiO2 (Glass). Erich Stone's infrigement of US & International patents is appalling. The audacity to compare himself to Les Paul is ludicrous. The only person throwing stones is Erich Stone. I have only one question for Erich Stone. How do your crytal frets improve the power and sustain when the guitar is strummed and the strings are only in contact with the top nut and bridge saddles? GlassTones patent includes the use of highly dense silica (SiO2) for the top nut, fret board, fret, and saddles. The string is always in contact with a high dense silica, hence producing: unpresidented clarity of tone, unique timbre (voice), tons of fundamental natural sustain, strummed open or fretted. GlassTones owns the US & International patents for this revolutionary technology, Erich Stone is only infringing on our intellectual property. The only inferior product is Crystal Frets, and Erich Stone.

Glasstones, has a patent on using glass, a man mad...

2009-11-14T22:18:13.898+08:00

Glasstones, has a patent on using glass, a man made material, for frets and other guitar parts. CRYSTALFRETS, cuts and polishes stone. Our frets are more dense than glass. Our patent is pending, and we are aware of glasstones inferior fret product. Our guitars have gone past the standard 440arc of a guitar string, changing it into a roll. This string roll is what gives the guitar more power and sustain. We are in the studio, doing detailed tests on the differences between crystal and metal frets. We will have some video proof on our website soon.

And as for Glasstones....

There's an old saying, "dont throw STONES if you live in a GLASS house!" :)