What type of frets do you like best? Jumbos, med Jum, vintage?

[RandyW]

I've come to the conclusion that I'm a vintage type of guy.

Over the decades I've became so use to the small little thin vintage type frets
I find anything any bigger feels like speed bumps to my fingers especially with light gauge strings. So I normally use something a step below medium gauge.

Almost all my new electrics have the jumbo or medium jumbos. I always try to use only enough pressure to get a clean sound, hence NOT to press all the way to the fret board but when ever I start getting into so juicy blues riffs or some of the old rocky songs it all goes out the window, and I'm grinding away on the maple or ebony fret board.

Since I can't help from doing this I might as well have dinky low thin frets. When I do this on my Les Paul the guitar has to be tuned after every song because pressing on it jumbo frets al the way to the ebony is just like using the whammy bar on a strat.

An interesting thing I've found on setting up guitars is this:
If a guitar has perfect intonation between the open string and the 12th fret but you still find when you press on the first fret, that note is sharp then what your problem is going to be is that the nut slots are note low enough.
Now back to the whole damn fret thing again, If you adjust your slot depth for a jumbo size fret just pressing the string down far enough to get a clean sound but not all the way to the fret board when you do get carried away or even get a little tense and press all the way to the fret board your going to be playing a little to sharp.

On a lot of types of music you wouldn't even notice it but if you playing old standard with a lot of melody and finger picking it sounds like your out of tune.

I find with the smaller vintage frets worn almost to the fingerboard it sounds fine the trouble is they wear out quicker and a guitar that comes with these vintage frets is usually a custom shop deal.

I think may be a leading factor the GAS many people acquire you need several guitars to cover the different types of music.

Any thoughts or opinions on the matter or do I just need to see a shrink?

[ermghoti]

A preference is a preference. Personally, I can play jumbos in tune, and I prefer the reduced fretboard/finger friction they provide for bending.

[ez_willis]

Jumbos, but I've been a bass player way longer than a guitar player.

[Sirnothingness]

I got to go with the jumbo frets.

[Light]

All of my own electrics have Dunlop 6150 frets, and my acoustics all have Martin's standard fret wire. In either case, it is absolutly imparitive that they be dressed properly. This is not only to do with the whole buzzing thing, but particularly with the 6150's (which are jumbo frets, though not the truely huge stuff like the 6100 or the truly monsterous 6000), the edges need to be rolled off a bit to keep from getting that whole speed bump thing.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

[ez_willis]

Originally Posted by Light

In either case, it is absolutly imparitive that they be dressed properly.

Would you recommend formal or something a little more casual?