what do you call old style frets?

[FALKEN]

here is a description of a 2008 fender neck on ebay:

"Official American Fender Stratocaster Neck- American Fender Stratocaster- Modern "C" Shape- Maple- 9.5" Radius (241 mm)- 70's Style Headstock- 22 JUMBO Frets- 25.5" (648 mm) Scale Length- 1.6875" (43 mm) Width at Nut- Genuine Fender"


I have an old telecaster that has what I believe is a "U" neck, but more importantly the frets are sort of "flat". do you know what this would be called?

[zazz]

i think the flat frets are the jumbo. Its because they are so big that they can have the crowns flattened. Personally i love the flat jumbo frets and its a plus . My les paul has those and it makes it much more playable. Also even if the neck is curved the frets can still be flat over the width of the neck which makes for a much more playable guitar.

[Milnoque]

Originally Posted by zazz

i think the flat frets are the jumbo. Its because they are so big that they can have the crowns flattened. Personally i love the flat jumbo frets and its a plus . My les paul has those and it makes it much more playable. Also even if the neck is curved the frets can still be flat over the width of the neck which makes for a much more playable guitar.

Crowning frets adds expense to the preparation of a fingerboard. For many years Fender did not crown their frets because it was cheaper not to do so.

Old Les Paul Customs used to be advertised as fretless wonders. This was supposed to be because the frets were so tiny you would hardly feel them. Gibson did not crown the frets on these instruments.

The curve across the neck is called radius. The guitar he referred to has a radius of 9.5". Your Les Paul has a radius of 12". You cannot compensate for that difference by grinding the frets down no matter how big they are.

[Milnoque]

Originally Posted by FALKEN

here is a description of a 2008 fender neck on ebay:

"Official American Fender Stratocaster Neck- American Fender Stratocaster- Modern "C" Shape- Maple- 9.5" Radius (241 mm)- 70's Style Headstock- 22 JUMBO Frets- 25.5" (648 mm) Scale Length- 1.6875" (43 mm) Width at Nut- Genuine Fender"


I have an old telecaster that has what I believe is a "U" neck, but more importantly the frets are sort of "flat". do you know what this would be called?

The curve on top of a fret is called the crown. The frets you refer to are uncrowned.

If you think about it, having a proper crown on the fret ensures that the string makes contact with the fret at its centerpoint. This is needed for ideal intonation. I'll wager that if it is properly adjusted it plays in tune just fine with the frets as-is.

Just my 2cts

[ggunn]

Originally Posted by Milnoque

Old Les Paul Customs used to be advertised as fretless wonders. This was supposed to be because the frets were so tiny you would hardly feel them. Gibson did not crown the frets on these instruments.

Not all Les Paul were fretted that way when they were doing that, but mine was when I bought it. I grew to hate it; bending strings was nearly impossible. I guess it would have been great for jazz. I had it refretted with jumbos after playing it for about a month.

[Milnoque]

Originally Posted by ggunn

Not all Les Paul were fretted that way when they were doing that, but mine was when I bought it. I grew to hate it; bending strings was nearly impossible. I guess it would have been great for jazz. I had it refretted with jumbos after playing it for about a month.

In the '70s I did a lot of fret jobs on those for the same reason.

[FALKEN]

well I've noticed that I get better intonation from the flat frets and they are easier to play. I was wondering if there are any new fender necks like this or would you have to go to warmoth or something.

[Milnoque]

Originally Posted by FALKEN

well I've noticed that I get better intonation from the flat frets and they are easier to play. I was wondering if there are any new fender necks like this or would you have to go to warmoth or something.

This probably has to do with hacing lower frets rather than having a flat crown. What gauge strings do you use? Tall frets and very light gauge strings don't go together unless you have a very light touch.