Vintage frets

bluez

Joined: Jul 11, 2010
Posts: 135
Norway

Posted on Jul 07 2012 05:30 AM

My first re stratocaster was a mij with vintage frets. So when i bought a MIA standard with medium jumbos i thought they were a bit odd to play at first. No i think they are great. There is a new daphne blue MIA re stratocaster in my local shop. It sounds amazing. I am worried that going back to vintage frets will bother me. It also seems that so many are negative towards vintage frets.

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Fady

Joined: Mar 07, 2010
Posts: 2274
North Carolina
United States

Posted on Jul 07 2012 06:26 AM

I think it comes down to how much you fret over it. (Ha!) If you think the frets will bother you, you're right. If you think the frets won't bother you, you're right.

Why not just focus on that gorgeous color and the "sounds amazing" bit?

—

Fady

El Mirage @ ReverbNation

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ColtsSurf

Joined: Apr 03, 2008
Posts: 477
United States

Posted on Jul 07 2012 10:05 AM

I spent most of the last five years playing CS Strats with 6105 and medium jumbo frets and flatter boards.

This Spring I bought a CS Strat with vintage frets and a 7.25" radius (they are difficult to find as CS puts 6105's on the majority of their guitars).

It's a really interesting difference. The vintage spec Strat is just so easy to play. It just feels less complex to deal with than the bigger fret guitars. It flows better, if that makes sense.

As a bonus, it doesn't go sharp when playing bar chords.

—

Paul

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D22

Joined: Apr 20, 2006
Posts: 2056
1 Link Pin

Posted on Jul 07 2012 12:46 PM

I had a very difficult time bonding with my American Standard Strat for years and finally hypothesized the med-jumbo frets were what was annoying me. I took my guitar over to Steve Soest for a sig. fret leveling (to get them down) and then dress them up. Once completed (with some other key adjustments to accommodate my style) my Strat is heavenly to play. It just plays smooth. I can't emphasize this enough but a personalized set-up on a guitar is so critical to it allowing YOU to speak through it or not.

—

Last edited: Jul 07, 2012 12:48:37

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synchro

Joined: Feb 02, 2008
Posts: 4567
Not One-Sawn, but Two-Sawn . . . AZ.
United States

Posted on Jul 08 2012 11:44 AM

Of the guitars I play most often the split is about even between medium jumbos and vintage style frets. To my surprise I find that the vintage frets work beautifully for my needs. I recently spent some quality time with a '57 AVRI Strat and found it quite playable as a Surf guitar.

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The artist formerly known as: Synchro

When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar.

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ColtsSurf

Joined: Apr 03, 2008
Posts: 477
United States

Posted on Jul 08 2012 01:45 PM

Hey synchro, I had not seen your Guitar WebSite before. That is pretty damn cool. Nice job!

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Paul

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synchro

Joined: Feb 02, 2008
Posts: 4567
Not One-Sawn, but Two-Sawn . . . AZ.
United States

Posted on Jul 08 2012 02:09 PM

ColtsSurf wrote:

Hey synchro, I had not seen your Guitar WebSite before. That is pretty damn cool. Nice job!

Thanks. It's a labor of love.

—

The artist formerly known as: Synchro

When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar.

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Doctor_Morbius

Joined: Oct 26, 2008
Posts: 608
This Planet Earth
1 Download Pin

Posted on Jul 08 2012 08:36 PM

I don't care for vintage frets or 7.25 inch radius fretboards. In fact, I've put a Strat neck on my AVRI Jazzmaster so I would enjoy playing it. I have an AVRI Jaguar also, but it's a thin skin model and comes stock with 6105 frets and a 9.5 inch radius. Very nice.

—

Cats 'n' Strats, 'cause that's how I roll - I eat reverb for breakfast!

Fenderus Collecticus
Strat Blender Pot Modification HERE

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crumble

Joined: Sep 09, 2008
Posts: 3158
Guildford England
United Kingdom

Posted on Jul 09 2012 05:53 AM

Just switched my 7.25 Strat neck with large Gibson frets to another 7.25 rad with vintage frets. Wow, what a difference! it's easier to play, less drag factor for bending and sounds like a Strat again.

Original neck needs a re-fret, i'm hearing good things about Evo Gold Fret Wire - very tough material.

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JohnnyDobro

Joined: Apr 10, 2012
Posts: 28

Posted on Jul 09 2012 10:20 AM

It's mostly a matter of personal taste/comfort, but very generally speaking, if you're playing mostly chords, (especially barre chords) between frets 1-7 or so, the more curved the fingerboard, the more comfortable the guitar will seem. Big frets and flat fingerboards facilitate smooth string bending all over the neck and make for easier, more even (and in-tune) extreme upper register playing. If bending a bunch of high notes ain't your thang, the 7.25 radius and smaller frets are likely the way to go. I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that radius was used to further accommodate the natural curvature of human fingers...

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Noel

Joined: Mar 15, 2011
Posts: 8528
Back in Piitsburgh, Pennsylvania, where I grew up.
United States

Posted on Jul 09 2012 10:43 AM

JohnnyDobro wrote:

It's mostly a matter of personal taste/comfort, but very generally speaking, if you're playing mostly chords, (especially barre chords) between frets 1-7 or so, the more curved the fingerboard, the more comfortable the guitar will seem. Big frets and flat fingerboards facilitate smooth string bending all over the neck and make for easier, more even (and in-tune) extreme upper register playing. If bending a bunch of high notes ain't your thang, the 7.25 radius and smaller frets are likely the way to go. I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that radius was used to further accommodate the natural curvature of human fingers...

I've thought about this a lot, as I've chased playing barre chords for a long time. Why did Leo Fender make his first guitars with narrower necks, small frets and 7.25 radius fingerboards when other guitar makers used wider necks, larger frets and much flatter fingerboards? He could have just copied the Gibson necks everyone else was using. I think his idea was to make the guitar easier to play. Maybe especially for kids with thinner fingers.

I started out with a very flat fingerboard and jumbo frets. I couldn't play a barre chord to save my life. So I eventually bought a MIM Strat with a narrower neck, slightly smaller frets and rounder fretboard. Bingo! Barre chords! The final piece of the puzzle was my CIJ Jazzmaster. Narrower neck, vintage frets and roundest fingerboard. Better barre chords! I'm inexperienced and still working hard as I can to get better. And the guitar I play best of all right now is my CIJ Jaguar with all that and the shortest scale.

I think this is maybe just what Leo intended.

—

This is Noel. Reverb's at maximum an' I'm givin' 'er all she's got.

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bluez Joined: Jul 11, 2010 Posts: 135 Norway	Posted on Jul 07 2012 05:30 AM My first re stratocaster was a mij with vintage frets. So when i bought a MIA standard with medium jumbos i thought they were a bit odd to play at first. No i think they are great. There is a new daphne blue MIA re stratocaster in my local shop. It sounds amazing. I am worried that going back to vintage frets will bother me. It also seems that so many are negative towards vintage frets. Top
Fady Joined: Mar 07, 2010 Posts: 2274 North Carolina	Posted on Jul 07 2012 06:26 AM I think it comes down to how much you fret over it. (Ha!) If you think the frets will bother you, you're right. If you think the frets won't bother you, you're right. Why not just focus on that gorgeous color and the "sounds amazing" bit? — Fady El Mirage @ ReverbNation Top
ColtsSurf Joined: Apr 03, 2008 Posts: 477	Posted on Jul 07 2012 10:05 AM I spent most of the last five years playing CS Strats with 6105 and medium jumbo frets and flatter boards. This Spring I bought a CS Strat with vintage frets and a 7.25" radius (they are difficult to find as CS puts 6105's on the majority of their guitars). It's a really interesting difference. The vintage spec Strat is just so easy to play. It just feels less complex to deal with than the bigger fret guitars. It flows better, if that makes sense. As a bonus, it doesn't go sharp when playing bar chords. — Paul Top
D22 Joined: Apr 20, 2006 Posts: 2056	Posted on Jul 07 2012 12:46 PM I had a very difficult time bonding with my American Standard Strat for years and finally hypothesized the med-jumbo frets were what was annoying me. I took my guitar over to Steve Soest for a sig. fret leveling (to get them down) and then dress them up. Once completed (with some other key adjustments to accommodate my style) my Strat is heavenly to play. It just plays smooth. I can't emphasize this enough but a personalized set-up on a guitar is so critical to it allowing YOU to speak through it or not. — Last edited: Jul 07, 2012 12:48:37 Top
synchro Joined: Feb 02, 2008 Posts: 4567 Not One-Sawn, but Two-Sawn . . . AZ.	Posted on Jul 08 2012 11:44 AM Of the guitars I play most often the split is about even between medium jumbos and vintage style frets. To my surprise I find that the vintage frets work beautifully for my needs. I recently spent some quality time with a '57 AVRI Strat and found it quite playable as a Surf guitar. — The artist formerly known as: Synchro When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar. Top
ColtsSurf Joined: Apr 03, 2008 Posts: 477	Posted on Jul 08 2012 01:45 PM Hey synchro, I had not seen your Guitar WebSite before. That is pretty damn cool. Nice job! — Paul Top
synchro Joined: Feb 02, 2008 Posts: 4567 Not One-Sawn, but Two-Sawn . . . AZ.	Posted on Jul 08 2012 02:09 PM ColtsSurf wrote: Hey synchro, I had not seen your Guitar WebSite before. That is pretty damn cool. Nice job! Thanks. It's a labor of love. — The artist formerly known as: Synchro When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar. Top
Doctor_Morbius Joined: Oct 26, 2008 Posts: 608 This Planet Earth	Posted on Jul 08 2012 08:36 PM I don't care for vintage frets or 7.25 inch radius fretboards. In fact, I've put a Strat neck on my AVRI Jazzmaster so I would enjoy playing it. I have an AVRI Jaguar also, but it's a thin skin model and comes stock with 6105 frets and a 9.5 inch radius. Very nice. — Cats 'n' Strats, 'cause that's how I roll - I eat reverb for breakfast! Fenderus Collecticus Strat Blender Pot Modification HERE Top
crumble Joined: Sep 09, 2008 Posts: 3158 Guildford England	Posted on Jul 09 2012 05:53 AM Just switched my 7.25 Strat neck with large Gibson frets to another 7.25 rad with vintage frets. Wow, what a difference! it's easier to play, less drag factor for bending and sounds like a Strat again. Original neck needs a re-fret, i'm hearing good things about Evo Gold Fret Wire - very tough material. Top
JohnnyDobro Joined: Apr 10, 2012 Posts: 28	Posted on Jul 09 2012 10:20 AM It's mostly a matter of personal taste/comfort, but very generally speaking, if you're playing mostly chords, (especially barre chords) between frets 1-7 or so, the more curved the fingerboard, the more comfortable the guitar will seem. Big frets and flat fingerboards facilitate smooth string bending all over the neck and make for easier, more even (and in-tune) extreme upper register playing. If bending a bunch of high notes ain't your thang, the 7.25 radius and smaller frets are likely the way to go. I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that radius was used to further accommodate the natural curvature of human fingers... Top
Noel Joined: Mar 15, 2011 Posts: 8528 Back in Piitsburgh, Pennsylvania, where I grew up.	Posted on Jul 09 2012 10:43 AM JohnnyDobro wrote: It's mostly a matter of personal taste/comfort, but very generally speaking, if you're playing mostly chords, (especially barre chords) between frets 1-7 or so, the more curved the fingerboard, the more comfortable the guitar will seem. Big frets and flat fingerboards facilitate smooth string bending all over the neck and make for easier, more even (and in-tune) extreme upper register playing. If bending a bunch of high notes ain't your thang, the 7.25 radius and smaller frets are likely the way to go. I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that radius was used to further accommodate the natural curvature of human fingers... I've thought about this a lot, as I've chased playing barre chords for a long time. Why did Leo Fender make his first guitars with narrower necks, small frets and 7.25 radius fingerboards when other guitar makers used wider necks, larger frets and much flatter fingerboards? He could have just copied the Gibson necks everyone else was using. I think his idea was to make the guitar easier to play. Maybe especially for kids with thinner fingers. I started out with a very flat fingerboard and jumbo frets. I couldn't play a barre chord to save my life. So I eventually bought a MIM Strat with a narrower neck, slightly smaller frets and rounder fretboard. Bingo! Barre chords! The final piece of the puzzle was my CIJ Jazzmaster. Narrower neck, vintage frets and roundest fingerboard. Better barre chords! I'm inexperienced and still working hard as I can to get better. And the guitar I play best of all right now is my CIJ Jaguar with all that and the shortest scale. I think this is maybe just what Leo intended. — This is Noel. Reverb's at maximum an' I'm givin' 'er all she's got. Top

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Vintage frets