Replacing Frets

[Slipperydick]

On my Precision bitza I have a Mighty Mite Jazz neck with a maple board, its OK but the frets are a bit thin for my liking, around 2mm wide, maybe a bit less.

I am thinking of ripping them off and trying to fit wider ones, around 3mm wide, like the ones on my old Bass Collection. But I’m a bit worried partly cos I’ve never attempted it before.

Presumably its just a matter of making sure theyre all the way into the slots then lightly stoning and polishing them…or is it ?

Is it really really difficult to get them to fit, or to get the old ones out, will wider frets fit into the same size slot ?

Any advice would be really appreciated.

Edited March 19, 2011 by Slipperydick

[icastle]

[quote name='Slipperydick' post='1168645' date='Mar 19 2011, 07:09 PM']On my Precision bitza I have a Mighty Mite Jazz neck with a maple board, its OK but the frets are a bit thin for my liking, around 2mm wide, maybe a bit less.

I am thinking of ripping them off and trying to fit wider ones, around 3mm wide, like the ones on my old Bass Collection. But I’m a bit worried partly cos I’ve never attempted it before.

Presumably its just a matter of making sure theyre all the way into the slots then lightly stoning and polishing them…or is it ?

Is it really really difficult to get them to fit, or to get the old ones out, will wider frets fit into the same size slot ?

Any advice would be really appreciated.[/quote]

Fret tangs are all around the same width so that won't be a problem.

Getting them out can be awkward though.
Some people advocate heating them up with a soldering iron and prising them out, some people just seem to go in with a hammer and chisel and manage to remove them without wrecking the fingerboard (god knows how! ).
I'm pretty sure I've seen a specific tool somewhere to remove them, although it might not be a cost effective purchase if you're only planning on using it once.

Fitting replacements isn't too hard, you just cut the fret wire to the right length and chamfer the ends with a file.
You do need to take into account the curvature of the neck and put a slight 'bend' in the fret wire to match it.

In all honesty, as much as I like 'fiddling', I'd be inclined to take it to a luthier if it was an instrument that was expensive or I was dependant on.

[Ou7shined]

It's kind of hard to impart everything you need to know in a few sentences but you seem to be on the right track. Most important is using the right tools for the job - fret pullers and a fret hammer are your minimum. And just take it nice and steady, don't get ahead of yourself - make sure you're happy that each fret is seated before going onto the next.
Making new frets fit where old frets used to be can a pain but you can take up the slack with wood veneer.

A handy tip is to put a curve greater than the radius of your board in the frets that way the ends don't spring up when they are tapped in.

[Slipperydick]

Dyou reckon I might have to replace, or maybe put a shim under the nut ? I want to use jumbo frets, which will probably be higher. although there is a fair bit clearence at the first, and as I'm pretty heavy handed I like a high ish action, pound coin easily fits under the E string at the 12th.

[icastle]

[quote name='Slipperydick' post='1168853' date='Mar 19 2011, 09:15 PM']Dyou reckon I might have to replace, or maybe put a shim under the nut ? I want to use jumbo frets, which will probably be higher. although there is a fair bit clearence at the first, and as I'm pretty heavy handed I like a high ish action, pound coin easily fits under the E string at the 12th.[/quote]

I doubt it.
The new frets might be 1mm wider but they shouldn't be much taller than the existing ones.

[7string]

The real trouble would come if the maple board is lacquered.

Taking out the old frets mights chip some of it away and you'd have to re-finish the neck.

[Slipperydick]

Its not, the neck was plain wood when I got it and I just laquered the back. i might do it afterwards though.

[Mr. Foxen]

Think the first thing to do is figure what you don't like about the existing frets and see if that can be sorted directly. Re-fretting is major surgery, and narrow frets are kind of better for intonation, the problems you are having might be another setup issue.

[Slipperydick]

Thanks for all the help.

Main reason I fancy thicker frets is that both my 91 Precision and my Bitsa are a bit rattly, not fret buzz, just Klanky when I fret strings, even with Roto's on them, and much worse with Slinky's or Hartke strings. I do my own set ups, but have had the precision done once or twice over the years without any real improvement. Doesnt happen so much with lighter strings, but its still there.

Other basses that I have with thicker frets its not a problem, so I guess its just down to my playing style, but after all these years its not about to change.

[LawrenceH]

[quote name='Slipperydick' post='1169300' date='Mar 20 2011, 10:58 AM']Other basses that I have with thicker frets its not a problem, so I guess its just down to my playing style, but after all these years its not about to change.[/quote]

Are you sure it's the fret size per se? Only I have completely the opposite experience. I like that clankiness but my bass with small thin 'vintage' frets doesn't do it nearly as much as one with bigger, thicker frets. I had assumed it was more down to the fret profile than the actual size, with the one with a wider, shallower profile giving more clank than the ones where the contact point with string was very small.
It might even be possible to get what you're after by re-profiling the existing frets to make them more rounded? I'd be interested to know other people's thoughts there because that clankiness is a bit of an elusive tonal goal for me.

[Slipperydick]

[quote name='LawrenceH' post='1169346' date='Mar 20 2011, 11:47 AM']Are you sure it's the fret size per se? Only I have completely the opposite experience. I like that clankiness but my bass with small thin 'vintage' frets doesn't do it nearly as much as one with bigger, thicker frets. I had assumed it was more down to the fret profile than the actual size, with the one with a wider, shallower profile giving more clank than the ones where the contact point with string was very small.
It might even be possible to get what you're after by re-profiling the existing frets to make them more rounded? I'd be interested to know other people's thoughts there because that clankiness is a bit of an elusive tonal goal for me.[/quote]

Not really sure about anything. The bigger, more rounded frets on my BC and on one or two others do it less, I can control it, but the bigger frets just seem a lot more forgiving and less prone to it. With identical action height at the 1st fret and at the 12th, same strings, same scale length - although the BC has 24 frets. I cant see what else it might be.

Edited March 21, 2011 by Slipperydick

[spinynorman]

[quote name='Slipperydick' post='1168645' date='Mar 19 2011, 07:09 PM']On my Precision bitza I have a Mighty Mite Jazz neck with a maple board, its OK but the frets are a bit thin for my liking, around 2mm wide, maybe a bit less.

I am thinking of ripping them off and trying to fit wider ones, around 3mm wide, like the ones on my old Bass Collection. But I’m a bit worried partly cos I’ve never attempted it before.

Presumably its just a matter of making sure theyre all the way into the slots then lightly stoning and polishing them…or is it ?

Is it really really difficult to get them to fit, or to get the old ones out, will wider frets fit into the same size slot ?

Any advice would be really appreciated.[/quote]

Based on my own experience, I wouldn't try to do this for the first time on a bass I was likely to want to play anytime soon.

I pulled the frets on an SX maple neck in order to sand out the finish, then attempted to put the same frets back. About 70% went in ok, the rest popped up at the edges. In the end I sold it to Rich (ou7shined) and he managed to make something of it.

At the least, I'd get a cheap neck off here or ebay and experiment first, before trying it on a bass I was bothered about.

Edited March 22, 2011 by spinynorman