Preferred Fret Style/Size/Make for Rhythm Guitar, Strumming and Chords?

[Miget Kotla]

Title of thread says lots about the question. Maybe all not same answer and there are a few?
Looking to learn about preferred fret styles and sizes for rhythm guitar players -and those who want frets that might enhance strumming and barre chording.....and chord playing in general. Not concerned about lead or bending strings.
Thanks for sharing your experience and preferences.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Preferred Fret Style/Size/Make for Rhythm Guitar, Strumming and Chords?

On electric guitar, I am mostly preferring skinny vintage Fender or medium Gibson oval.

On bass guitar, I prefer no frets at all.

On Chapman Stick, I prefer the pyramid cross-section stainless steel variety - possibly because ONE Chapman Stick is all that I can afford.

 

[Agileguy_101]

Re: Preferred Fret Style/Size/Make for Rhythm Guitar, Strumming and Chords?

You should just make one thread with all your questions. Seriously, it seems like you have a lot.

 

[Miget Kotla]

Re: Preferred Fret Style/Size/Make for Rhythm Guitar, Strumming and Chords?

You should just make one thread with all your questions. Seriously, it seems like you have a lot.

I found a site with so many people having so many answers......kind of hard not to ask a group like this lots of questions.
My next question would be relating to string gauge and for those not playing lead or any finger picking what would the preferred gauge be (for rhythm/strumming).
Thanks!

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Preferred Fret Style/Size/Make for Rhythm Guitar, Strumming and Chords?

In my opinion, there is no single definitive answer to the majority of these questions. So many things about electric guitar are down to personal taste.

Rick Parfitt of Status Quo bangs out solid rhythm guitar on huge strings. Billy Gibbons has occasionally gone as skinny as .007 AND detuned 'em. Two big sounds from two distinctly opposite approaches. There really is no fixed formula.

I play both guitar and bass guitar. On bass, I tend to use big strings and smash the bejesus out of them. (Think Billy Sheehan, Geddy Lee fingerstyle.) Sometimes, I do a Les Claypool - kinda bass and "rhythm guitar" noises all at once.

 

[simply rod]

Re: Preferred Fret Style/Size/Make for Rhythm Guitar, Strumming and Chords?

When I play rhythm and sing lead, I like to be able to think about the guitar as little as possible. Optimally, my guitar parts will feel automatic. To me, that means lots of practice and a very comfortable guitar. Low action and low frets with 10s or hybrid 9s is most comfortable. The fret width isn't important to me, but the fret height is. I don't recommend very low frets for everyone, but it works for me. As long as I remember to cut my fingernails.

 

[Rockstar216]

Re: Preferred Fret Style/Size/Make for Rhythm Guitar, Strumming and Chords?

Really it's all about preference. Only way to find out what you like is to go out and play on different size frets. Ibanez guitars usually have big jumbo frets, Fenders sometimes have medium size frets. Really the important aspect is how well are the frets made and what are they made out of and are they leveled correctly.

 

[crusty philtrum]

Re: Preferred Fret Style/Size/Make for Rhythm Guitar, Strumming and Chords?

My frets are made from the ribs of Aardvarks. You don't use metal for the nut, and bone sounds better, so it's obviously the better choice for frets. I've experimented with the ribs from many small animals, and Aardvark sounds and feels the best. And playing George Throrgood's 'Bad To The Bone' is a scary realistic experience.

 

[LReese]

Re: Preferred Fret Style/Size/Make for Rhythm Guitar, Strumming and Chords?

This is something I generally don't put a lot of thought into. I do like them a little taller, but no biggie.

My Martin has EVO medium/talls, Fenders stock frets, Some with Stainless... Its all good, but if I need to refret I'll go with the longer wearing materials. As long as the fretwork is OK, I don't hear enough of a difference (Actually I hear none) to matter.

 

[kilphody]

Re: Preferred Fret Style/Size/Make for Rhythm Guitar, Strumming and Chords?

6150

 

[Zerberus]

Re: Preferred Fret Style/Size/Make for Rhythm Guitar, Strumming and Chords?

There is no ideal here, it`s all about what feels comfortable under YOUR fingers. That means that everything from a fretless to scalloped board is fair game, as long as YOU enjoy playing on it.

I personally use Dunlop 6100 (Or Stew-Mac 150, whatever i happen to have on hand) on almost everything, sometimes 6105 (notably on acoustics), so I guess that would be my preferred fretwire for rhythm playing. This of course pertains only to my personal instruments. That said, I won`t rip out frets that are otherwise just fine simply because they could be .010 inch higher than they are, so most of my guitars still have their original frets.

 

[DarkMatter]

Re: Preferred Fret Style/Size/Make for Rhythm Guitar, Strumming and Chords?

As some of the others have advised, the best thing for you to do would be to try out several guitars and note the parts of each that you like and don't like. We all prefer different configurations for our own reasons.

 

[Myaccount876]

Re: Preferred Fret Style/Size/Make for Rhythm Guitar, Strumming and Chords?

I like HUGE frets with a very round radius. 6100 frets and a 7.25".

 

[Miget Kotla]

Re: Preferred Fret Style/Size/Make for Rhythm Guitar, Strumming and Chords?

Not much chance of finding an existing guitar with all the desired features mentioned above?

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Preferred Fret Style/Size/Make for Rhythm Guitar, Strumming and Chords?

Some Fender (Japan) Stratocasters have the shorter scale length and narrower/shallower neck profile. These models also have the pickups positioned to suit the shorter scale length.

Fender (Mexico) used to offer a guitar design that was a halfway house between a Stratocaster and a Jaguar. This might come closest to your desired spec without resorting to boutique builders.

 

[CTN]

Re: Preferred Fret Style/Size/Make for Rhythm Guitar, Strumming and Chords?

Steel bridge cables, held down with glue rendered from pure horse feet.
This only works if the neck is made out of pure 65 million year old dinosaur bones.
And the truss rod, of course, needs to be diamond, otherwise, you can't hear the crystal lattice.


FFS, seriously, go read some books about how guitars are built and work and play the f*ck out of a whole bunch of guitars and decide what you want out of a guitar and then go throw your money at someone to make it for you. I'm sick of all these stupid questions.

 

[ratherdashing]

Re: Preferred Fret Style/Size/Make for Rhythm Guitar, Strumming and Chords?

I am going to say this once, because I don't want to repeat myself in all your threads.

The fact that you are asking all these questions suggests to me that you are NOT ready for a custom built-to-order instrument.

Please don't take that as an insult - it's not meant as such. It's just that you seem to be asking input on almost every spec you can think of, and in my opinion these are things you should already have learned by the time you order something custom built.

The whole point of a bespoke guitar is to get the features that you know you want, not features that are suggested to you by others. It's meant to be a personal choice, one based on your own experience and your own tastes. You go to a custom builder to get the exact, special instrument you wish you had.

I've been playing guitar for over 20 years, and I only just recently felt comfortable ordering a custom build. I asked this forum two questions in total: both were very, very, very specific pickup and wiring related. That's all I needed to know - everything else was already in my head based on my own experiences as a guitarist.

 

[Grenade]

Re: Preferred Fret Style/Size/Make for Rhythm Guitar, Strumming and Chords?

Midget Kolta, I have some questions. Do you have a guitar now? What do you like/dislike about it? Now some statements. Look up the specs on your guitar. Go play a bunch of different ones to see what you really like.

 

[Zerberus]

Re: Preferred Fret Style/Size/Make for Rhythm Guitar, Strumming and Chords?

I have to agree with RD.

There doesn`t seem to be a single aspect of the instrument`s construction that you`re really set on, MK, and that itself is alreads setting yourself up for a disappointment. I know asshats who`s shop you would have walked into that would have told you "this is best, this is best, this is best", totalling around 5000$, and you really wouldn`t have had any significant input on the guitar, much less had it made to your personal specs, which is the whole point of a custom instrument.

My honest suggestion: For the 3k+ that a custom would cost, buy a used strat, les paul, and maybe something a bit more off the wall like firebird, Flying V, or Mustang /jaguar.

Play them all for a few months, until you figure out exactly what you like and don`t like about each one.

Then take thatknowledge, and see if you can find something closer to what you want already hanging on a wall somewhere. Take that guitar home if it exists, play it for a few months , and figure out what you would like improved on it.

Then take THAT combined knowledge and contact a custom shop.... that way, you´ll have a 3000$ guitar that you actually want to play, not a 3000$ guitar that the shop wanted to build.

I will gladly be that shop when the time comes, but at present I can not in good faith send you out to burn money on a custom.

For example, if I were to oder a bespoke guitar right now just because I can, I would want:

A maple neck thru a limba body, and a deep quilted maple top
ebony fretboard, no inlays, flame maple binding on fretboard and headstock
Firebird or Explorer body style
7 strings,
multiscale, 27" bass 25.5" treble
27 frets, dunlop 6100 wire, last 3 frets angled and scalloped
Neck profile between an Ibanez Wizard and a Jackson Soloist
Graphite nut with a Zero fret
a custom multiscale Kahler PRO 7 trem,
Duncan 7 string Custom @ bridge and JB @ the neck
500k pots all around, volume and 2 tones, 5 way megaswitch
in a dyed blackburst or blueburst with natural masked binding.

That`s a guitar worth approximately 5-6000 dollars depending on the exact details.

Essentially, if you don`t have at least half of these things decided beforehand, (2/3 -3/4 is significantly better, 100% is ideal), you`re just making it more likely for you to get disappointed by the end result. And it will be an expensive diasppointment.

Side note: I think I know what I`m building next if the limba boards I have are wide enough, that should be a good showcase of ability for any that may still have doubts :beerchug:

Essentially, the difference between a custom shop and a production guitar is similar to an off the rack suit vs. a custom tailored one, and should be approached in very much the same fashion.

 

[AlexR]

Re: Preferred Fret Style/Size/Make for Rhythm Guitar, Strumming and Chords?

I'd agree. The timbre of your posts so far is that you don't know what you want, but you've not tried anything to rule out what you don't like.

Also - you say you want it for rhythm guitar......why spend all that money???? Guys grab custom guitars primarily as they facilitate lead playing the best as well as rhythm and there is no other way with a stock guitar. You'd do well just grabbing a Jag or something similar (as you say you want short scale).

I once made up a custom guitar back in the day...simply because leftys were almost unavailable in Australia. Took the 'best' features from a couple of guitars. Its probably my least played guitar now as it misses the features that made the originals so good....I was just not experienced enough to know what these were.