Fretwire choice dillema

kavoo

kavoo

Inspired
OK, here's the thing...

I'm going to refret my strat pretty soon (in the matter of days, maybe week or two). One thing I know for certain - I'm going for stainless steel frets. But I have a major dillema with choosing optimal fret size. Unfortunately I don't have much experience with different guitars and frets...

What I know:
1. I don't want the fat, big frets like XtraJumbo. I've had them in LTD MH-1000 and didn't especially liked them. I'm just feeling much more comfortable with firm contact between my fingertips and fretboard.
2. I definitely want to have frets favouring legato technique (I've just heard that the lower fret crown height is not good for legato/tapping).
3. I use lots of bends and vibrato (using fingers much more than tremolo arm).
4. I'm preferring very low/low string action.

Now... from what I've read and watched, it looks that for my preferences the wider frets the better. So it looks like the choice is narrowed to the following sizes:
1. Dunlop 6110 (or equivalent) - 2,920mm x 1,270mm
2. Dunlop 6130 (or equivalent) - 2,692mm x 0,914mm
3. Dunlop 6150 (or equivalent) - 2,591mm x 1,067mm

Which one to choose? What size will be the best option for my playing preferences keeping in mind that we are talking about stainless steel frets - it's the choice for decades (if I'll live that long ;)) and I don't want to make a wrong choice :rolleyes:
 
6110 or 6150 equivalents are probably your best choices - with the higher fret wire and the right luthier you have the option to file them down some more if they feel too high first time round. Also with the height your luthier can have more to work with if you wanted to radius the higher up the neck frets differently (without re-radiusing the fretboard) to help keep your action low and string bends good and wide up the squeaky end.

My first experience of SS frets was when I got my old warhorse guitar re-fretted a few years back due to it needing some fretboard levelling ....... I put the same effort into a string bend as I was used to previously and went nearly a semitone higher than I expected ....... really slippery frets.
 
The frets on my Wolfgang Special are SS and are quite small and I don't think Eddie VH has any problem with tapping, and actually I find them pretty fast.
 
6150 feels the best to me! Bending on them is really easy, especialy on a flatter radius. Would be perfect on a strat. Like you, I hate extra jumbo frets and those 6150 feels nothing like EX jumbos!
 
I think I have heard that wider frets have intonation issues although I don't understand how that could be if the fret is located in the same point on the fretboard. Something else to consider might be EVO fret wire it's not as hard as SS but harder than nickel you're luther will thank you.
 
I'd probably say 6130. Personally cannot understand how people prefer the super jumbo whatever sizes, but something in between is still nice.

For whatever reason everything people say that is nice about larger frets is in the opposite to me, it ruins the action and results in requiring more effort in pushing down the strings. The absolute insanely low action without any buzz is always on the smaller fretted instruments I own and requires no finger strength at all to push down and hold a chord.
 
Jumbo are better for everything unless you hold the neck with a death grip. tapping, vibrato, legato everything but you have to develop a feel for them. Sore finger tips until you learn the right amount of pressure.
 
I prefer jumbo frets—6150-size or thereabouts. Bending is noticeably easier than on shorter frets, especially on that high-E string. With super-jumbos, glisses are a bumpy, uncomfortable road.

Fret size is a personal preference. Only your hands will ever know what's right for you.
 
Many thanks for your replies. I think I'll choose between 6110 and 6150, just need to consult with my luthier the idea of filing down new frets to achieve some sort of compound radius without touching the fretboard.
 
kavoo said:
just need to consult with my luthier the idea of filing down new frets to achieve some sort of compound radius without touching the fretboard.
Click to expand...

Uhhhh...that might be a bit of a problem. Kinda like asking for a haircut but telling the stylist not to touch your hair.
 
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:D

Of course I'm not talking about going from standard 9,5" to 16" like in AM DLX models... just a bit to avoid fretting out while bending E1 string on higher frets with very low string action ;)
 
If that's the case, your best bet is the tallest wire you can find so that it can be "radiused" as flat as possible...

...but I also think you're asking for trouble.
 
I had my #1 strat refretted a few years ago, by local luthier Mike Lull. If you live in the Seattle area, he's the very best. We used medium / jumbo (6150 ish) stainless steel frets. When we talked about options for the refret, Mike suggested stainless steel. They're smooth as glass, and never tarnish. They also are more difficult to install, and wear down the tools used to cut / shape them (which is part of the upcharge for stainless steel). I love the new frets. They sound good, feel wonderful, and they'll last forever.

Unless you really hate the radius of your fretboard, I'd recommend going with a standard fret crown on your new frets. If you do hate the fretboard radius, you'd be better off ordering a new neck from Warmoth and specifying the compound radius + stainless steel configuration you want. My main strat is a compound radius neck, and I love it. I also own a few (ahem... probably too many) other strats that have constant radius necks, and they're also quite lovely.
 
Yeah, putting a radius on your frets that's different from the fretboard radius is just going to be weird. You'll have frets that are taller/shorter at the center than they are at the ends. Your guitar will feel like a different instrument depending on which string you're playing. Bending your E string is going to be a very different experience from bending your G string.

If you want a different radius, start by having your fretboard planed to that radius. Then get the new frets installed.
 
Hello Friends,
brand new to the site (a Brit).........I'd really like the kind of frets found on Jazz type guitars which tend to be wide and flatish.......I had heard that a few Strat owners had put Bass fretwire as replacements (thinking Stevie Ray Vaughan etc.). Is this a common move by many Strat lovers?If you have an idea......could somebody advise me of the best,suitable refret guage,please?Thanks All.
 
I like 6130 medium jumbo the best. I have a Mayones with jumbo and it’s a matter of learning the right pressure or the note goes sharp. Jumbo frets are very fast IMO but I do like feeling of the fretboard underneath that you get with medium jumbo.
 
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