Do bigger frets helps you play faster?

[JohnnyGuitar]

I use a Gibson with medium jumbo frets, I think they are defined as a 6130... I feel really good playing fast licks on it because I'm used to it - it was my first electric. I actually feel better with it then on guitars I've tried with higher frets.
I have a lot of experience with vintage frets and I know I don't feel to comfortable playing them.
Do you guys feel that it's the bigger the better with frets? do you think that guitars using jumbo-jumbo frets are better for shredding then guitars with medium jumbos?
Is there a point when you think - the frets are too tall for me?

On the same subject:
I know Eric Johnson is using medium jumbos (at least his signature guitar is) and that Randy Rhoads hated jumbo frets... what frets was EVH using on his guitars? medium jumbos? the thin but tall jumbo frets? or the jumbo jumbo (6150 I think)?

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: Do bigger frets helps you play faster?

I don't care, just want them to round on the top....no scalloped stuff either
Vintage, jumbo, between...I take it all

 

[danglybanger]

Re: Do bigger frets helps you play faster?

...totally don't get bigger frets.

 

[mrturtle_91]

Re: Do bigger frets helps you play faster?

My guitars all have medium-jumbo, and they're awesome. Never played with anything bigger or smaller.

 

[danglybanger]

Re: Do bigger frets helps you play faster?

try small. extra small. they'll get in the way less

 

[JohnnyGuitar]

Re: Do bigger frets helps you play faster?

try small. extra small. they'll get in the way less

tried them. I actually play them. I can play anything - but they are not my first choice.

 

[SonofaMitch]

Re: Do bigger frets helps you play faster?

try small. extra small. they'll get in the way less

+1 My Gibby's Vintage style and It's AWSOME!!

~Mitch~

 

[JohnnyGuitar]

Re: Do bigger frets helps you play faster?

+1 My Gibby's Vintage style and It's AWSOME!!

~Mitch~

AFAIK, vintage style Gibson frets are usually wider then Fender frets Dangly's talking about.

 

[ratherdashing]

Re: Do bigger frets helps you play faster?

I like wide frets as long as they're not too tall. If they're tall I tend to bend the note out of tune due to the amount of space between the string and the fretboard (I grip the strings pretty hard - something I'm trying to improve).

I can rock the skinny vintage Fender frets (the Canadacaster has them), but wider frets do improve sustain, if that's what you're looking for.

Regarding the original question, no, I don't think so. Action and scale length seem to be the two main factors in fast playing ... aside from practice, of course.

 

[Ayrton]

Re: Do bigger frets helps you play faster?

I like narrow and medium tall.

 

[BigAlTheBird]

Re: Do bigger frets helps you play faster?

try small. extra small. they'll get in the way less

My Green Buddy has extra small frets, they kinda piss me off. They make bends really hard. I much prefer bigger frets. The ones on my Gibby are perfect!

 

[ratherdashing]

Re: Do bigger frets helps you play faster?

My Green Buddy has extra small frets, they kinda piss me off. They make bends really hard. I much prefer bigger frets. The ones on my Gibby are perfect!

I don't see how small frets would make bends harder. Maybe it's the small fingerboard radius that's bugging you.

 

[Zhangliqun]

Re: Do bigger frets helps you play faster?

Depends on what you mean by bigger: Wider or taller?

Taller frets will help you jet around the board faster because you don't have to press down as hard because the fingerboard isn't kicking you back out as much. Wider frets (assuming the same height) won't have any effect on your playing one way or the other, though they may affect tone since there's more metal right there. Wide frets look cool though.

 

[Diego]

Re: Do bigger frets helps you play faster?

Less wood gets in the way of your fingers with taller frets. They don't make you play faster, but they indirectly help you to. Just like scalloping; less effort is required.

 

[cream123]

Re: Do bigger frets helps you play faster?

I like my small frets on the strat the most...but that may be the neck as well. I guess bigger frets do allow you to play faster in general but there are a lot of other factors.

 

[baritone]

Re: Do bigger frets helps you play faster?

Less wood gets in the way of your fingers with taller frets. They don't make you play faster, but they indirectly help you to. Just like scalloping; less effort is required.

Yeah, tall frets and scalloping are a similar concept. The purpose is to decrease friction between the fretboard and the fingers. I prefer tall frets, but I think scalloping is goofy.

 

[benji657]

Re: Do bigger frets helps you play faster?

for me, playing fast has more to do with the action(height of strings)
rather than frets..

i have a strat with vintage style frets and a gibson les paul..
and i am pretty sure its the lower action of my paul that enables me to play faster (rather than the bigger frets..)

 

[BigAlTheBird]

Re: Do bigger frets helps you play faster?

I don't see how small frets would make bends harder. Maybe it's the small fingerboard radius that's bugging you.

You could be right. For sure though, bends are a lot harder on my Green Buddy, for whatever reason. I'm betting it's a lot of things - the longer scale, the higher action (which I'm working on adjusting), the smaller neck radius could be part of it, and also maybe the frets. Who knows!

 

[Bezmotivnik]

Re: Do bigger frets helps you play faster?

Yeah, tall frets and scalloping are a similar concept. The purpose is to decrease friction between the fretboard and the fingers. I prefer tall frets, but I think scalloping is goofy.

Yeah, that's the rationale anyway. Depending on your style of playing this can be a big deal or not really matter. A lot of note-bending on little frets means a lot of rubbing between your fingers and the fretboard. Does that matter to you personally?

I prefer big frets for one inescapable reason: Overall longer useable life. More metal, larger bearing surface, more there to correct or recrown more times. Given the standard alloy, you're ahead with jumbos. This isn't opinion or a matter of preference. You just have to decide if it matters to you if you prefer the feel of smaller frets. [shrug]

When (if ever) tempered stainless frets become the norm, smaller vintage frets will look more attractive to me.

 

[BigAlTheBird]

Re: Do bigger frets helps you play faster?

I think Bez it the nail on the head as ar as I'm concerned, Rather. The problem with my fretboard is that it's very friction-ful, whereas on my Gibson there is very little friction. And I've always thought it was because more of my finger was touching the board. I guess I was right. It's an old board, but it's in really good shape for how old it is. And i've oiled t back to health. But it's still not as nice as my Gibby, which has one of my favorite boards I've ever played.