What fret size does everyone prefer?

rspst14

rspst14

Tone Cat
Hey guys, I just picked up a used Hamer Studio at a nice price. Because I ended up spending less than I had planned, I'm thinking about having it refretted. It's 10 years old, and the stock medium jumbo frets are starting to wear a bit. They're okay closer to the nut, but they're starting to develop pits in certain areas above the 15th fret. It still plays nicely without buzz, but the pits in the frets can't be good for intonation. I might be able to get away with just a fret leveling, but I'm wondering if that'll leave the frets too low. I'm used to 6105 fretwire, the tall and narrow wire that came stock on my Wolfgang. I can't decide if I should refret with the same medium jumbo fretwire that came stock on the Hamer, refret with the slightly taller and narrower 6105 wire, or just have the frets leveled. What would you guys recommend, and how much does a fret level cost compared to a complete refret? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

Ryan
 
Re: What fret size does everyone prefer?

imo, they are all different and have different feels, and i like em all. i have extra jumbo's on my ec-1000, and the vintage mediums on my strat...
 
Re: What fret size does everyone prefer?

Dunlop 6100's. 2nd biggest fret made, although I do have 6000s on my V. They let you get each string by the balls.
 
Re: What fret size does everyone prefer?

The bigger the frets the better.. Actually, I should say "The taller the frets'" The better.. at least in my humble opinion.. Hell, if I could get away with it, I'd have a guitar with almost a scallop necki.. I don't like running into wood when playing lead guitar.. I wish I could get really really tall tall frets.. I mean even taller than offered now..hehe.. The best neck / frets I've ever played was on a wolfgang.. Of course, I've had several guitars with huge frets and loved them.. jackson makes the best all around neck for me..
Tim
 
Re: What fret size does everyone prefer?

6130. i think it's called medium jumbo
 
Re: What fret size does everyone prefer?

I could be wrong about this, but I thought fret wear usually appears most on the first 5 frets or so... guess it depends on who played it and how.

Personally, I like the 6150 size - it's a micron shorter than the 6105 and a touch wider. The width makes sliding into a note easier for me but YMMV. Here's a great chart about Fret Sizes.

From what I understand, a fret levelling should less than fret replacement if the frets are in pretty good shape. If there's a lot of work for the levelling, fret replacement might not cost much more. I'd want to be very confident about my luthier before I asked for a re-fret though. Does your neck have binding? That could make fret replacement a tougher task.

Those pits in the frets will make bending notes a b!tch, so you've gotta' do something.

Hopefully JohnJohn or Zerberus will be along shortly to give you better advice...

Chip
 
Re: What fret size does everyone prefer?

i dont know technical #'s but , ilike different frets for differnet things

the godin has what id estimate to be jumbo, maybe medium jumbo.....the site doesnt say, and i ahvent had it refretted. they are pretty big, not overly tall, but nice and wide for slides and bends....ive seen bigger, but not much. about the same size as a paul, they feel good for electric.

for acostic, the martin has tiny frets, tho they are tall. i like it for acoustic, makes it feel like an acoustic, ahrder slides, bends, and toughter action..acoustic feel
 
Re: What fret size does everyone prefer?

The last 2 guitars I have had refretted I put in 6100 . I bend a lot and like to be really able to grab the string with my fingers. I am currently in the process of negotiating on a PRS private stock and if all goes well I will probably be putting 6105 sized "gold" colored frets on it.
 
Re: What fret size does everyone prefer?

Fresh_Start said:
I could be wrong about this, but I thought fret wear usually appears most on the first 5 frets or so... guess it depends on who played it and how.

Personally, I like the 6150 size - it's a micron shorter than the 6105 and a touch wider. The width makes sliding into a note easier for me but YMMV. Here's a great chart about Fret Sizes.

From what I understand, a fret levelling should less than fret replacement if the frets are in pretty good shape. If there's a lot of work for the levelling, fret replacement might not cost much more. I'd want to be very confident about my luthier before I asked for a re-fret though. Does your neck have binding? That could make fret replacement a tougher task.

Those pits in the frets will make bending notes a b!tch, so you've gotta' do something.

Hopefully JohnJohn or Zerberus will be along shortly to give you better advice...

Chip
Click to expand...

Thanks Chip...I believe the guitar has had two owners before me, so who knows how it was played. I thought it was a little strange for the frets to be worn that high up on the neck, but that seems to be the case. The neck is rosewood on mahogany, unbound, with 22 frets. The 6150 looks like an interesting option, as I wouldn't mind something that is just a tiny bit smaller than 6105. There is a local luthier who has a pretty good reputation, I was thinking of having him do the work. There's also a shop around here that specializes in vintage guitars, and they have a couple luthiers that work there. Frets are about the only thing I don't feel comfortable tackling myself, so I'm not too familiar with the local luthiers. The first guy I mentioned is Buzz Feiten certified, so that makes me feel a bit more comfortable in having him do the work. I figure any luthier who spends the time and money to get Feiten certified is probably not just some random hack guitar tech.

Ryan
 
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Re: What fret size does everyone prefer?

http://jimdunlop.com/products/maintenance/frets/chart.html

Just came across that. I didn't realize there were more fret sizes than the ones listed on the Warmoth site. How come the dimensions listed on the Dunlop site are different than the ones on the Warmoth site? My Wolfgang has 6105 fret wire, which the Warmoth site lists as .096" x .047". The Dunlop site lists it as .09" x .055". Does Warmoth use Dunlop wire, or do they actually make their own?

EDIT: from the Warmoth site..."For general reference we use Dunlop's fret numbers, however, actual fret dimensions vary somewhat from batch to batch."

guess that answers my question

Ryan
 
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Re: What fret size does everyone prefer?

I'm pretty sure Peavey uses Dunlop fretwire, so the dimensions of the frets on my Wolfgang are a little different from the ones on the Warmoth site. I think I'm going to go with Dunlop 6120. I like the 6105's on my Wolfgang, but I wouldn't mind having something that's just a tiny bit smaller and a tiny bit wider. The 6120 wire seems to fit that description perfectly.

Ryan
 
Re: What fret size does everyone prefer?

I love the 6130 size... just seems to play faster (shorter, wider)
 
Re: What fret size does everyone prefer?

rspst14 said:
...and how much does a fret level cost compared to a complete refret? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
Ryan
Click to expand...

Here are the prices of my luthier - independent of state of the frets
Both include extras like adjusting the nut, octave ...

Re-fretting:
Fingerboard without binding: EUR 148
Fingerboard with binding: EUR 188
One piece maple neck (incl. revanish the fingerboard): EUR 148

Fret levelling EUR 68
 
Re: What fret size does everyone prefer?

I'll vote for Dunlop 6100s. Extremely easy to bend notes and the sustain is excellent.
 
Re: What fret size does everyone prefer?

Dunlop 6000 for everything but acoustics, there 6105 on Steel strings, and 6200 on Nylons ;)
 
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