FRETS ... Mainly Strat type guitars

Stratman68

Stratman68

Axe-Master
So I have always played Fender Strats and Teles-just what I like and do. So not looking for advice on "other" guitars, just have questions about frets.
I have had different frets way back when, mainly because I have been playing so long and that's what Fender offered.
Last 20 years mainly medium jumbo. As I get older (well I am older) my hands are always looking for help.
In searching many, many articles and videos this is what I found.
Medium Jumbos-comfortable and OK-very common
Narrow Tall-unforgiving and you need to be precise-
Jumbos -easier to play and definitely easier to bend - So I am leaning towards these. I am not saying this info is correct that is why I am asking for advice-opinions on Frets, NOT guitars.
Thanks
 
I am 56 and find that medium jumbo stainless steel frets are ideal for my playing. I find jumbo frets to have noticeably less precision in intonation, even when plek'd. The best fretwork I've seen is on my multiscale Strandberg Boden, and on my Suhr strat (both of which came from the factory with SS frets). and on my trusty workhorse strat that I've had for 30 years (Mike Lull did a SS refret on that guitar about six years ago).
SS frets will never wear out, and maintain their finish beautifully. It makes all the difference in bending / fretting, and lets you have the ease of playing without using a full on jumbo fret.
 
This is a very personal preference. I think your descriptions of the pro / con of the fret types are accurate. I think the medium jumbo frets are the most forgiving generally. Tall frets require more care when fretting not to bend the note sharp but they give you extra room to get under the string for bends. If you can go to a shop and play guitars with various fret types that is going to be the best way to know.
 
Almost everyone who plays out regularly is on .55 .57 high these days and the choice is width. I would say go with Stainless 57110 Jescar and get used to them. Also this is an opportunity to rework the radius compound or flatter.
 
Andy Eagle said:
Almost everyone who plays out regularly is on .55 .57 high these days and the choice is width. I would say go with Stainless 57110 Jescar and get used to them. Also this is an opportunity to rework the radius compound or flatter.
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Appreciate the suggestion but I do NOT play out anymore, except for the occasional jam and I am getting a NEW guitar not regretting.
 
If you have decided on the guitar the frets on it are what they are . I would recommend the Am Pro for value and it has 6105 which are nice but rather soft. If you are set on a particular model and don't want to refret there is no choice .
 
Andy Eagle said:
If you have decided on the guitar the frets on it are what they are . I would recommend the Am Pro for value and it has 6105 which are nice but rather soft. If you are set on a particular model and don't want to refret there is no choice .
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Andy, of course their is a choice? The type of frets (narrow tall, Jumbo, medium jumbo, etc) will help "decide" which guitar I buy. Hence, my "reason" for asking the forum opinions on fret size\type.
 
Sleestak said:
I am 56 and find that medium jumbo stainless steel frets are ideal for my playing. I find jumbo frets to have noticeably less precision in intonation, even when plek'd. The best fretwork I've seen is on my multiscale Strandberg Boden, and on my Suhr strat (both of which came from the factory with SS frets). and on my trusty workhorse strat that I've had for 30 years (Mike Lull did a SS refret on that guitar about six years ago).
SS frets will never wear out, and maintain their finish beautifully. It makes all the difference in bending / fretting, and lets you have the ease of playing without using a full on jumbo fret.
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That is where I am leaning, medium jumbos.
 
So in the Fender range what guitar would that lead you too as American Pro has 6105 and the performer 6100. The old Am Std had butter soft medium but that it gone?
 
Andy Eagle said:
So in the Fender range what guitar would that lead you too as American Pro has 6105 and the performer 6100. The old Am Std had butter soft medium but that it gone?
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Well, that is the issue. The Ultra is the only choice, but I would probably wind up swapping out the pickups. I already have pickups I could put in and maybe sell the noiseless ones. Of course, I would check out the noiseless before removing them, be stupid not to. I can get a really good price. So time to think.
Originally I wanted the American Pro but the narrow tall frets are not for me. I have a friend in NY that has one and he loves it and raves about the neck. He also says the body is super comfortable to play. He is someone I have known for decades and trust. So we'll see.
 
YMMV but getting used to different fret sizes was something I was afraid of. I now have a rotation of 3-4 guitars, 3 of which have different fret sizes; Fender Medium Jumbo, Fender Vintage and PRS narrow. After playing each of them for an extended period, I don't really notice anymore. Each has a different feel of course, but it's no longer something I think about.

That said, when doing a fret job I prefer 6105 frets but will knock them down to .046-48 when levelling them.
 
JoKeR III said:
YMMV but getting used to different fret sizes was something I was afraid of. I now have a rotation of 3-4 guitars, 3 of which have different fret sizes; Fender Medium Jumbo, Fender Vintage and PRS narrow. After playing each of them for an extended period, I don't really notice anymore. Each has a different feel of course, but it's no longer something I think about.

That said, when doing a fret job I prefer 6105 frets but will knock them down to .046-48 when levelling them.
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You are correct, my mileage does vary, but only because of circumstrance and physical issues.Don't mean this as an excuse, merely, a fact. Age and arthritis.....As I stated, what I was 1 minute away from buying was a Strat with Tall Narrow frets. But when I researched it did worry me a bit. I mean I'm not dead yet, but I have had to change the way I play because of the arthritis( mainly stretching and strength is limited). Doesn't hurt to play, it's just different than it was 15 years ago.
In particular, as an example, the word "more precise", comes up a lot when researching tall narrow frets. That doesn't mean I am sloppy or don't want to be precise, just that the changes I have had to make need consistency. Thanks very much!

I will say that this thread has been very helpful, as this forum always is.
 
As others have stated, it's very much personal preference. Try looking into buying from places with good return policies. Sweetwater isn't for everyone, but having 30-40 days to test drive stuff you might be unsure whether or not is going to work for you is pretty nice. Especially during this time where going to a guitar store to try everything isn't exactly ideal.

Only thing additional I would suggest is see if you can maybe find a user group (Facebook perhaps) of guitar players with arthritis. Information/advice there should be a bit more reliable and tailored to your specific situation.
 
So is this accurate? I would think it is, for the most part. Id 6105 is the "newer" fret on the American Professional Strats, it really does not seem so different (I mean .011 width & .011 height) than the medium jumbos I have been playing all my life.

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Morphine said:
As others have stated, it's very much personal preference. Try looking into buying from places with good return policies. Sweetwater isn't for everyone, but having 30-40 days to test drive stuff you might be unsure whether or not is going to work for you is pretty nice. Especially during this time where going to a guitar store to try everything isn't exactly ideal.

Only thing additional I would suggest is see if you can maybe find a user group (Facebook perhaps) of guitar players with arthritis. Information/advice there should be a bit more reliable and tailored to your specific situation.
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That is a great idea about groups\FB\Guitarplayers\arthritis) Also, you are right about Sweetwater. I can return pretty much anything without hassles, except of course for shipping, but that seems fair.
Thanks
 
I was mistaken on the "6105" frets I use. They're Jescar 55090 which are .090 x .055 and are a bit narrower than 6105 but I level them closer to the 6105 height @ .046-.048. Something about the feel of the narrower frets is just more comfortable for me. Before leveling the .055 to @.047, the only thing I noticed was how much I could feel the frets when sliding up or down the fretboard. Lowering the height made it much less noticeable.

BTW, I'm in my mid 50's and have some hand/finger joint issues as well so I can relate to a certain extent. At the end of the day though we all need to use what works best for us.
 
Dunlop 6105 is the standard and that is .090 x.055
Only Warmoth say 0.47 for their 6105. Fender is or starts out at .055.
you can just dress down an Am Pro to .047 easily but I seriously recommend you try it for a month without playing anything else first. I almost guarantee that you will end up preferring it but you do need to properly get used too it without playing on anything else while you do.
 
6100 is wrong too. 6100 and 6105 are both .055 , 6000 is .058.
This numbering system is Dunlop's. Better to use Jescar as the fret name is the size and the wire is better too.
 
Intonation on jumbo frets is entirely down to the quality of the fret dress. if it is crowned properly the contact point is just as small as on any narrow fret. Even if the crowning is on the flat side and replicated on all the frets the intonation is correctable to compensate for a slightly off dead centre contact but they do all need to be the same for this to work. Big frets require less hand grip and are better for articulation and easier to cleanly fret. there is no disadvantages once you get used to them. The same is true for a flatter radius in fact ergonomically and fretboard geometry say flatter the better.
 
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