4 Strings Posted July 4, 2013 Share Posted July 4, 2013 What's the deal with frets? Fender use big 'Jumbo' size, my MM Sabre has thin frets (not sure what you'd call those, I suppose in Americaspeak they'd have to be 'Regular'. Does jumbo mean tall or fat? Should basses use jumbo only? Why fat frets? Do they last longer? Are they supposed to sound different? Do they just feel different? Why thin frets? Are they smoother to touch? Look more elegant? Cheaper? For banjos? Is there a middle option? Is this the best or worst of both worlds? There's the 'Dunlop' fret size chart, but what does this mean in practice? [attachment=138316:frets_sizes.jpg] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Rich Posted July 4, 2013 Share Posted July 4, 2013 (edited) Hey, who you calling Jumbo? I can't say I really noticed the difference going between the two fret sizes, but it's a big thing for guitarists who bend strings and it totally changes the feel. In theory big frets should last longer, but it probably depends more on the material used and the material the strings are made of. Stainless steel strings seem to eat frets much quicker. I'd be surprised if many bass players have a strong preference, but this is Basschat and anything is possible! Edited July 4, 2013 by Fat Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4 Strings Posted July 4, 2013 Author Share Posted July 4, 2013 [quote name='Fat Rich' timestamp='1372957919' post='2132175'] Hey, who you calling Jumbo? I can't say I really noticed the difference going between the two fret sizes, but it's a big thing for guitarists who bend strings and it totally changes the feel. In theory big frets should last longer, but it probably depends more on the material used and the material the strings are made of. Stainless steel strings seem to eat frets much quicker. I'd be surprised if many bass players have a strong preference, but this is Basschat and anything is possible! [/quote] I suppose I should avoid references to the whether the cap fits or not! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White Cloud Posted July 4, 2013 Share Posted July 4, 2013 A local bassist got super excited once with the super thin frets on my old Lakland Daryll Jones bass....I hadn't even noticed. I don't get excited over frets and honestly couldn't explain the difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CamdenRob Posted July 4, 2013 Share Posted July 4, 2013 I've often wondered this... sometimes I see frets described as 'medium jumbo' what on earth does that mean? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jellyfish Posted July 4, 2013 Share Posted July 4, 2013 Can't speak much for others, but my Dingwall (and almost all Dingwall's) has really thin [b]banjo [/b]frets. And I love them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
molan Posted July 4, 2013 Share Posted July 4, 2013 I generally prefer thinner frets and have recently been playing two near identical basses back to back - one has 'jumbo' and the other very thin (but not quite mandolin). I've just found I can play faster and more fluidly on the thin fretted bass and there's virtually no other difference between them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myke Posted July 4, 2013 Share Posted July 4, 2013 I know Leland Sklar uses Banjo ones. I think they make his slides sound smoother? Not sure how that works but that's what I heard. Less resistance I assume? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev Posted July 4, 2013 Share Posted July 4, 2013 Can't say i have ever noticed either! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grissle Posted July 5, 2013 Share Posted July 5, 2013 [quote name='Myke' timestamp='1372972635' post='2132433'] I know Leland Sklar uses Banjo ones. I think they make his slides sound smoother? Not sure how that works but that's what I heard. Less resistance I assume? [/quote] Actually they're Mandolin frets, and they're very small and give almost a fretless feel and require very little finger pressure to fret. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KiOgon Posted July 5, 2013 Share Posted July 5, 2013 (edited) 'Vintage Frets' every time for me, makes a huge difference to the feel of a neck, I can't see the need for anything bigger. I'm pretty sure the bigger they are the easier for machines to fit with less attention by hand to finish, so cheaper production. Jumbo = big speed bumps, IMO there's no way a neck with Jumbo Frets can be described as - fast & I reckon the smaller the frets the lighter the touch needed. Also easier to get a fast low action IME & the less the string bends over the fret the better the intonation. Proper frets are measured in good old fashioned Imperial Inches too, none of your modern foreign metric mm $h1t Edited July 5, 2013 by KiOgon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myke Posted July 5, 2013 Share Posted July 5, 2013 [quote name='Grissle' timestamp='1372989463' post='2132595'] Actually they're Mandolin frets, and they're very small and give almost a fretless feel and require very little finger pressure to fret. [/quote] Ah, my mistake. Thank you for the correction Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Posted July 5, 2013 Share Posted July 5, 2013 I have thin frets on my Lakland Duck Dunn, which I think of vintage and bigger ones - jumbo I'd have said on my G&L L2000, I find I do prefer the frets on the G&L and make the odd fretting error sometimes I wouldn't have made if the fret was bigger. It's far from the end of the world though and doesn't stop the Lakland being my go to bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lfalex v1.1 Posted July 5, 2013 Share Posted July 5, 2013 I favour big frets. It's just that they're what most of my basses seem to come with. I have a feeling that my crazy Yamaha Attitude 10th Anniversary has thinner frets as you go up the 'board... Jumbos by the headstock, banjos towards the bridge. N nice bass. Bleedin' weird, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayPete1977 Posted July 6, 2013 Share Posted July 6, 2013 never really noticed, same as nut width, board radius, scale length etc, I pick it up and play it then if I like it I buy it and gig it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted July 7, 2013 Share Posted July 7, 2013 Another lover of the vintage style frets. Lakland use them (i believe they are banjo frets) and this was the big draw to me. I was amazed to find them on my Squiers. I definitely notice a difference doing between med-Jumbo and vintage, although i wouldn't say its a problem for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted July 7, 2013 Share Posted July 7, 2013 Most of my Precisions have/had modern jumbo sized ones, but have had a few with vintage sized, no preferences really, but for slides etc the vintage ones do make things easier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4 Strings Posted July 8, 2013 Author Share Posted July 8, 2013 Seems like there's little difference in the touch. My Sabre has thin frets (converted from fretless at some stage in its career) my Stingray has jumbo. I notice other things to differentiate the difference between the basses. Would the general conclusion, apart from dave bass5's experiences, be that things like fret wear will be more important? Anyone used SS frets? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.