fender vintage tall fret size

You must log in or register to reply here. Pick your material wisely. Me likey. And each manufacturer uses slightly different measurements for different fret sizes. This can be great for creativity and can bring out different elements of your playing. Too tall and I am constantly out of tune with chord playing. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. These are as follows: Refrets are expensive. The one drawback is that the scalloped feel, not really touching the fingerboard with my fingertips, isnt as comfortable as with larger (much larger?) Strat Talk is the leading online community and marketplace for Stratocaster guitars. Youre offline. As I will explain in more detail below, I consider the size of frets you use to have a much greater impact on playability than tone. And whilst that is an overly simplistic summary, there is some truth in it. It may not display this or other websites correctly. This was used on early vintage guitars, including pre-1960s Fender guitars. I will look at different fret sizes and the impact that these different fret sizes have on both tone and playability. It is impossible to cover all of the different situations that could affect the suitability of a refret. In other words, what you like on a finished fingerboard feels shorter than that same fret will feel on an unfinished fingerboard. However in short Gibson and Epiphone Les Pauls both have a shorter scale length than Fender and Squier Stratocasters. Jescar 39106, 45100, 47104. The information outlined here will help to make you a more knowledgeable guitar player. Do you think youd like more height or less height? This is because the point of contact between the string and fret becomes fractionally closer to the bridge. This is what makes the world go 'round. They are both wide and tall, without being as big as jumbo frets. And because of this, wide frets will feel comparatively wider on a Les Paul type guitar than they will on a Stratocaster type guitar. . , Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a kind comment Nobrot I really appreciate it and I am very glad to hear you enjoyed the article! Bending is tough, as is vibrato but if bending aint your thing, these frets will certainly not slow you down. Frets are cut from fret wire, which is manufactured in lengthy rolls and is usually made of nickel silver, an alloy that doesnt actually contain any silver. This is a read only version of the page. And this has led to these guitars being jokingly described as fretless wonders. And it is worth taking this into account before you get too focused on fret size. Narrow Tall. And this makes bending as well as playing at speed more difficult. In fact, the dimensions of vintage jumbo frets almost sit at the opposite end of the spectrum when compared with modern frets. In this way, if and when you go to buy a new instrument, you will be able to make an educated decision about which features are important to you. It is called the tang and helps to hold the fret in place. You are using an out of date browser. We can measure the existing frets on your guitar and find a suitable replacement. That is not to say that you shouldnt consider refretting your guitar. Despite these benefits, with jumbo frets, there is a lot of fret wire under your finger. Frets this big will require what appears to be slightly higher action in order to compensate for the extra fret height. JavaScript is disabled. American Ultra, Player series, Vintera models. Many acoustics go for frets in this size range as well. The Length of a fret is determined by its position on the fretboard. The first of these sections is embedded in the fretboard. I didnt discover that frets came in different sizes until many, many years into my guitar playing career. With taller frets, there is less contact between your fingers and the fretboard. You might discover that different fret sizes lead you to play differently. Used on a number of signature models, and a good choice when vintage frets feel too small. These frets allow for seriously low action and are a bar-chorders best friend. Fret size preference is really subjective and personal. A Medium Height and Medium Width provide great playability potential, which makes bends and vibrato easier by allowing you to get under the string easier. However here I have added in a few points that are worth considering before you change the frets on your current guitar. Guitars that have them: 70s era Gibson Fretless Wonder LP Customs, other Gibsons of the 70s and 80s saw considerable reduction in fret height but not to fretless wonder levels, some Mosrite Guitars, other assorted odd birds from the 70s. I do like the idea of there being more material to work with in case of a fretjob, high fret, etc. Proponents of bigger frets argue that they result in bigger tone. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Please confirm you want to block this member. If you have just bought a guitar (without paying any attention to the frets) then dont worry. As such, I would argue that changing frets is arguably more appropriate if you are playing a guitar in a higher price bracket. We are not talking about the space in between the fret wires (where you place your finger to play a note). To talk about scale length in depth is beyond the scope of this article. Questions to ask yourself would be, Do you like the feel of your present fingerboard? There is a wider break point where the string meets the fret. Try out similar guitars with different fret sizes, and see what feels best. Guitars that have these frets: Basses, again, Jackson, Charvel, Ibanez, many shred-friendly guitars. For most players, this process happens over many years. What size is the best size for me? Stainless may last forever but it may ruin your tone! It is a separate topic and one that I will cover in more detail in future. This contributes to a smoother playing feel when using wider frets. And so if you are playing at your best and can properly express yourself, then you will produce a better tone. And if not, worry not! This makes it more difficult to bend with these frets. If you are a physical player and you really like to dig in with your fretting hand, then you might benefit from bigger frets. Guitar sounds great though, extremely spanky and the neck feels great, the guitar ringsjust the frets ain't my fave. They also slide up more difficult and add to the effective neck thickness. The height of these frets means that you dont need to apply very much pressure at all with your fretting hand. a lot of their size designations tell you next to nothing. You can then decide whether you want to be more or less adventurous in your choice of fret size. Most modern Fender necks. Frets this large also carry the term Medium Jumbo. For reasons I will explain in more detail below, these frets are very popular and are used on a wide range of different guitars. And that is always a good thing. There is more fret material that you need to slide over. And these are as follows: 1.) Like modern narrow and tall frets, the height of jumbo frets makes string bending and fretting easier. As such, my focus here will predominantly be on this point. Im having a neck built and needed a primer on fret sizes and this helped a ton. We need a better term for "grumpy old men yelling at clouds" in the misinformation age. Ultimately, fret size is largely a matter of personal preference. 6100: Jumbo. That will help you to feel the differences between different frets. In which case going for a refret would make sense. However before you go out and change frets, I would recommend first thinking about your current situation and set-up. Fender does not use stainless steel frets on any of its models. It is a job that you will likely have to outsource to a guitar tech. While guitar shopping, you will often run across mention of the size of a guitars frets jumbo frets or medium jumbo frets and so forth. my bit of experience with fender and their fret sizes is that you have to get the guitar in your hands and judge if it is right for you. Medium Height and Medium Width frets: Jescar 47095, 47090, and 45080 are all great options. Maple boards do indeed lose fret height to the finish thickness. Again, just to reiterate, action is the distance between the bottom of the string and the tippy top of the fret. This includes Stevie Ray Vaughan, Rory Gallagher and more recently players like Philip Sayce and Kenny Wayne Shepherd. Understanding this helps you to appreciate the differences between different guitars. My new CS strat came with 6105s and they are a touch wider than the vintage style and definitely taller. Conversely, you might feel that the frets on the two guitars are different, in a good way. And below I will provide further detail on some of the circumstances where I would and would not recommend a refret. If you like your fingers to actually touch the fingerboard when fretting the strings, frets that arent very tall like the 6130, 6150 or 6230 are for you. You cant really feel the frets under your fingers. In the Custom Shop catalog that I have they say it's their most popular fret on CS guitars. A Short and Wide fret will provide the player with more surface area of the fret making contact with the string. This is also because playability is linked to tone. And it is for this reason that most modern guitars are not equipped with vintage style frets. This is partly because playability is affected by a number of factors, all of which interact with one another. Listed by part number, name (where applicable), crown width and crown height, they are, from smallest to largest: 6230: The smallest fret wire found on older Fender necks (.078 x .043). These frets get called everything from bass frets to railroad ties and they certainly provide any guitar with enough height to execute a couple level and crowns before you run out of material. My new Starcaster has 'narrow-tall' frets and so far, I really like them. You might much prefer the frets on your new guitar. Like guitar strings, frets are measured in 1/1000ths of an inch. Broadly speaking, there are two different sections to a fret. The width of the frets gives these guitars a very smooth playing feel. https://www.tdpri.com/threads/new-7ion-usa-esquires.1036910/page-4#post-10280079. It's the best playing neck of all my guitars. There are various manufacturers of fret wire. And in turn this makes techniques like bending and tapping easier. This fret will allow for easier bending and vibrato than the Short and Thin fret but still not as good as a Tall fret that buys you a little Real Estate between the fingerboard and string. And the impact of this will be more or less pronounced, depending on the scale length of your guitar. So with that in mind, lets get into it! Compared with the fret wire listed above, vintage jumbo frets are much wider. However in contrast to vintage jumbo frets, jumbo frets are also tall. Fret nomenclature is not consistent. That being said, thats something I personally get used to quick and isnt a deal killer for me. Of these 20 different fret sizes, they produce 5 different sizes of fret wire that are much more common. Fender PlayThe #1 guitar learning platformTRY FOR FREE. And it is often quite expensive. And all of the following references to fret size here will be focused on this part of the fret. Conversely, modern narrow and tall frets are easy to bend and play at speed. If you are totally new to the guitar though, you probably wont have strong opinions on what you like and dont like at this point. This stuff is really huge. If you are considering buying a new guitar, then I would wait until you have it before refretting your current guitar. Medium height, medium width is best for me. Having said that, for most blues guitarists I think that slightly bigger frets can work well. We just explained fret anatomy because when we talk about fret sizes, were talking only about the width and height of the crown. The significant drawback for blues guitarists, is that as with vintage frets, it is more difficult to bend with these frets. As are the Sanko SBB-217 or SBB-23. As such, if you have a vintage guitar, then it is likely to be fitted with this type of fret wire. Yngwie Malmsteen and by request on Custom Shop orders. These are as follows: The smallest fret wire that you are likely to encounter is 6230 fret wire. Then I tried 6230 stainless vintage wire. Medium Height and Wide Width Examples: Dunlop 6155, 6110, Jescar 51100, 51108, Sanko SBB-221 or SBB-214. But it isnt information that you can really use practically. Having said that, if you have quite a heavy playing style, it is easy to apply too much pressure to the strings with these frets. The Jim Dunlop 6150 is quickly becoming a shop favorite. The largest fret wire available (.110 x .055). Action is the distance between the crown (tippy top) of the fret and the bottom of the string, NOT FROM THE FINGERBOARD TO THE BOTTOM OF THE STRING. In my view, all of this makes it more important to understand fret size and to appreciate the different fret sizes available. For example, one of the drawbacks of tall frets is that there is an acute angle between the fretboard and the top of the fret. This is a less intensive process and is also less expensive than a full refret. That is related to the scale length of your guitar. And so what feels comfortable for you might feel very uncomfortable for another player. And that is a totally separate topic that I will cover in more detail in future. There are simply frets that will be more or less suitable for you. https://www.tdpri.com/threads/american-original-fret-wire.813206/, https://www.fender.com/articles/gear/different-fret-sizes-explained. Before we look at different fret sizes, I think it is useful to quickly run through the anatomy of a fret. Which size you like is purely a matter of preference, although it can affect your playing style. You can reach me on [emailprotected] and I am always around and happy to help . Like vintage jumbo frets, jumbo frets are also wider than the frets on most guitars. For although a refret might be a great idea, it could also be inappropriate. As noted at various points here, changing your frets is not a hassle free process. As such, a lot of modern guitars are fitted with medium jumbo frets. You cant replace frets like you can a set of guitar strings. I'm just sayng these feel small to me and am curious what exactly is Fender's "vintage-tall"? Since most/all necks get wider as you work your way up the frets, the 1st fret is considerably shorter than the 20th fret. If at this stage you have decided that the frets on your current guitar are not best suited for your playing style, then you might be considering a refret. And yet there are differences between them which will make some of them more or less well suited for you. Great article. If you want the tallest fret you can find, then your action will only appear higher than if you picked something shorter because of its greater distance off the fingerboard. And if you're not a member of Fender Play, click here for a free trial. In fact, depending on the height of the frets, your fingers might not even touch the fretboard, which can give your guitar an almost scalloped feel. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me on[emailprotected]. I believe Fender means narrow as vintage but taller. . And these same guitars were used to dial in some of the most famous and inspiring blues tone of all time. Much wider but not as tall as 6230 (.102 x .042). Our interactive gear guide, FindYour.Fender.com, matches you with the perfect model by learning about your sound & style. The numbers used below generally correspond to Dunlop's fret size numbers; however, actual fret dimensions can vary minutely from lot to lot. For most players, this takes many years. And this can quite easily push the notes that you are fretting slightly out of tune. Lets say for example that you are looking to buy a Fender Stratocaster: Well, at the time of writing, you can choose between a Fender American Ultra Strat, a Professional Strat, a Performer Strat, a Player Strat, and a variety of American Original Strats. Let me know how you get on in the comments, and if you have any questions, just pop them below or send me an email on [emailprotected] I am always around and happy to help! When it comes to playability, there are really two different factors that we need to consider; fret height and fret width. Whether you are looking to change the frets on your current guitar, or you just want to pay closer attention to the frets on the next guitar you buy, I would always recommend going to a guitar store in person. Fender's most commonly used fret size on our most popular models. In this way they are almost as wide as jumbo frets, but not quite so tall. If your fingerboard is finished (like a maple Fender or rosewood Rickenbacker), then a considerable amount of fret heightwill be lost due to the finish. Compared with vintage instruments, most modern guitars have frets that are both wider and taller. The relationship between the height and width of these frets is actually similar to the vintage frets noted above. And yet they do so without being quite so large. This is just one of many examples of how a part of your guitar (other than fret size) can affect playability. And modern blues guitarists like Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Philip Sayce both of whom play a high octane style of blues guitar play with the same size frets. As the name suggests, medium jumbo frets have dimensions that sit somewhere between modern narrow and tall frets and jumbo frets. The best thing to do would be to simply play as many guitars with different fret sizes as you can and try to determine what fret size feels the most comfortable to you in your style of play. And you will then be able to choose those best suited to your playing style. Contains spam, fake content or potential malware. Hey thanks for taking the time y'allno I get it. , Unsplash, Rock Guitar Universe, Manchester Guitar Tech, Harmony Central, Strat Talk, Guitar Player, Fender, Guitar Gear Finder, Haze Guitars, Joe Bonamassa Forum, Strat Talk, Music Radar, Seymour Duncan, Zing Instruments, Guitar, The Art of Lutherie. And in turn this will produce a stronger and more resonant sound. An extreme example, the Gibson Fretless Wonder. When discussing fret sizes, there are two elements of the crown that are important to consider. However if you have been playing the same guitar for some years and its frets are starting to look a little worn, and you are also considering trying different sized frets, then now could be a great time for a refret. Watch this video. frets. So dont take unnecessary risks. And this then pulls the note sharp. The best way to answer that question is by playing a handful of guitars with the intent of focusing on how the frets affect playability. To talk in depth about fret wear and the different materials used to make frets is beyond the scope of this article. So before you start looking at different fret sizes, I would focus on amassing a few more hours of playing time. We all like different stuff. Sign up here for the latest blues knowledge and information into your inbox. Yet as I will explain in much more detail below the size of the frets on your guitar has an impact on its feel and playability. The words Fender, Telecaster, Stratocaster and the associated headstock designs are registered trademarks of the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. So, Height and Width are the two determining factors that shape how a fretboard feels/plays. 6230 fret wire is .078 wide and .043 high. The crown runs the width of the slot; the tang runs a bit shorter than the width of the slot. And so the frets that work well in theory might not actually be the best option. These guitars cost different amounts, have different pickups and have a variety of different features. Medium Jumbo. In theory, a larger mass of metal should result in greater vibrational coupling between string and wood. However the fret sizes do vary between some of these Strats. You can usually feel the frets under your fingers, and this can make sliding feel clunky and awkward. Generally speaking, most players find it easier to bend strings on frets that are larger than vintage frets. Here is everything you need to know about different fret sizes: In my opinion, part of the reason that frets are not often discussed is because they are very much a fundamental part of your guitar. It also helps with sustain.

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