Does anyone PREFER small frets?

[GuitarStv]

I was just wondering about this . . . it seems like small frets make playing guitar less fun and more work. You have to push harder into the fretboard, it's very hard to do bends, wide vibrato craps out, hammer ons and pull offs are tougher. The only real benefit that I can think of to the large frets is that if you really really push hard into a chord it doesn't go out of tune. Does anyone actually like smaller frets for some reason?

 

[Gingrel]

Re: Does anyone PREFER small frets?

I don't like the really massive ones on Ibanez necks, (I believe they are 6100 size), but too small isn't good either. I have 6150's in my strat, which are by no means small, but there is a limit...

 

[oilpit]

Re: Does anyone PREFER small frets?

Depends on how small we are talking, but yeah, I'd say as a general rule I like smaller frets...

It just feels more comfortable, massive frets just feel strange to me

 

[ibanezrocks]

Re: Does anyone PREFER small frets?

I don't like the really massive ones on Ibanez necks, (I believe they are 6100 size), but too small isn't good either. I have 6150's in my strat, which are by no means small, but there is a limit...

I think the 6150's are a pretty popular medium jumbo. They're easy enough to play but not so big that you can easily push notes out of tune. I had an Ibanez RG at one point where I could do a narrow fast vibrato by pushing with varying degrees of pressure. Interestingly enough that was how I first discovered vibrato, which confused the crap out of my guitar teacher.

 

[RushOfBlood]

Re: Does anyone PREFER small frets?

yes I like them pretty small, something like the dunlop 6240

 

[jmh151]

Re: Does anyone PREFER small frets?

It depends. The small "vintage" frets on my Clapton strat are dressed nicely, it has very low action, so I don't notice any problems. It actually has a feel close to my Les Paul.

The small frets on mt MIK Dean were a problem- I just couldn't comfortably get my fingers under the string enough to do string bends.

I love huge frets. I tried scalloped necks and it was like walking a tightrope

 

[uOpt]

Re: Does anyone PREFER small frets?

I can't deal with wide frets.

Between small and narrow and tall and narrow ("6105") I go with the taller ones.

How high I want my frets depends on the fretboard radius. The flatter the higher I want. I have a looming suspicion that smaller frets sound better, too.

 

[Christopher Caruana]

Re: Does anyone PREFER small frets?

I can go both ways. My les paul has small, vintage size frets.......but my baretta has medium-jumbo size

 

[ES350]

Re: Does anyone PREFER small frets?

On some guitars, I like smaller frets. Archtops, acoustics, even some 24.5" scale solidbodies...I hear more wood, less metal.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Does anyone PREFER small frets?

No.

 

[Grandturk]

Re: Does anyone PREFER small frets?

Bigger the better for me. I tried to love vintage tiny fretwire, but I found myself just not playing those guitars. I had my favorite strat neck - a MIJ 54 RI - refretted with some monster wire. I had Matt at 30th St in NYC do it - I played a bunch of Strats off the rack there until I found the one with the right size and feel to the wire and tol him to use that. Don't know what size it is, but they big ol' frets:

 

[JordanM82]

Re: Does anyone PREFER small frets?

Simply put... no... give me jumbos anyday...

 

[ImmortalSix]

Re: Does anyone PREFER small frets?

Nope, love the bigguns.

 

[jmh151]

Re: Does anyone PREFER small frets?

The ones I like are the railroad ties on USA made Charvels- it's different than the Jumbo 6100's they use on the Pro Mods- it's closer to 6000's, but I hear Jackson Charvel has their own fretwire.

 

[TheProphet]

Re: Does anyone PREFER small frets?

I prefer smaller frets. One of my guitars is a fretless wonder (pretty close) and it's one of the smoothest guitars to play on. Granted I usually like them a little taller and skinnier. Basicallt I had a tech butcher the frets while doing a fret level and dress, and then had to get it redone by someone who I required references for.

I can't stand the 6100 size frets, too tall and too wide.

The highest I will go is 6105's because they are skinnier than the 6100's

 

[Diego]

Re: Does anyone PREFER small frets?

I like them tall and narrow.

My Ibanez had tall and wide frets, I liked the height but not the width, it got in the way of my fingers in the higher frets. Thinner frets don't do that.

 

[Kensai]

Re: Does anyone PREFER small frets?

I was just wondering about this . . . it seems like small frets make playing guitar less fun and more work. You have to push harder into the fretboard, it's very hard to do bends, wide vibrato craps out, hammer ons and pull offs are tougher. The only real benefit that I can think of to the large frets is that if you really really push hard into a chord it doesn't go out of tune. Does anyone actually like smaller frets for some reason?

Funny hoy different the same thing is for different people...

For me, it´s easier to play faster with vintage frets, the fingerboard woods is closer to the string than with jumbo frets, so the response to my fingers is faster.
It´s a little bit harder to play some bends, but not too much for me.

Anyway, I can play with all kind of frets, really don´t care too much about it.
Easier to play fast with vintage frets, easier to play bends with jumbo.

 

[Fikealox]

Re: Does anyone PREFER small frets?

I'm pretty neutral when it comes to width, but I prefer at least jumbo height. I have a light touch, so I don't think I see any benefit from small frets, while I do notice the increased difficulty of bends and vibrato as frets get below jumbo size. Maybe if I'd spent more time playing on small frets when I was starting out I'd have a heavier touch and different (better?) bend/vibrato technique.

 

[Pink Unicorn Horsey]

Re: Does anyone PREFER small frets?

Bigger the better for me. I tried to love vintage tiny fretwire, but I found myself just not playing those guitars. I had my favorite strat neck - a MIJ 54 RI - refretted with some monster wire. I had Matt at 30th St in NYC do it - I played a bunch of Strats off the rack there until I found the one with the right size and feel to the wire and tol him to use that. Don't know what size it is, but they big ol' frets:

I wish you knew what size fret wire that is, because just looking at it makes me want to play that neck!

 

[That90'sGuy]

Re: Does anyone PREFER small frets?

It's weird, you guys have got me... I can't seem to notice all that much of a difference with frets. I'll take narrow or jumbo as long as they're not worn down so much that things fret out and there are dead spots and playability issues around.