Fret size preference, and why?

[3bc]

Not scientific at all, but it seems so far the responses have pretty significantly skewed towards smaller frets, which is amazing because so very few production basses use them. I think fender only offers it as an option on custom builds, and when they do it's like a vintage option, something that used to be standard that now has to be spec'd. Would be wonderful if more builders went back to the old school way of doing it and making smaller frets.

 

[ToneMonkey]

One of the things Lee Sklar has mentioned a number of times is when he learned about mandolin wire frets, he asked his luthier to use that for the bass he was having done up. He loved it so much all of his basses use mandolin wire frets. He said sure they need to be changed every a bit more often, but he is someone who does non-stop recording sessions or touring and it is no inconvenience. For the rest of us chumps who don't play nearly as much it should be even less of a problem.

I tried to find that video, but instead found this old talkbass thread where Lee addressed it:

Mandolin Frets

Stainless steel would solve the wear problem. All I use on electric guitar is SS6150. The luthier who did my first SS refret said his clients who really benefited from the change were mandolin players. Some would refret nickel silver frets annually. Stainless lasts years for them. I’m 65. I will likely never have to refret any of my electric guitars ever again.

 

[gpx1200]

Nope, but close. The Sklar signature model does use mando fretwire by default. The rest of the basses use banjo wire (slightly larger than the mando). Though you can request Mando if you have a bass built.

Really,.. I didn’t think it could get much smaller than what’s on my afterburners but then again I didn’t order either one of them so they might have the mandolin fret option and i didn’t realize it ...I’ll have to compare them to the combustion since I haven’t touched that one in a while

 

[Nephilymbass]

My main player is a Lakland with very small frets, relatively speaking. It was one of the first things that jumped out at me when I got it. My previous main player was a German Warwick, and those frets are huge.

I quickly really liked the smaller ones.

What does everyone like and why?

And why do so few basses seem to have these really small frets? Expensive? I'm the only loon that likes them?

I like smaller frets. I believe the frets on my Dingwall are banjo size. Also had a conklin with similar small frets. But yeah I don’t see basses with them often. I know Dingwall got into using smaller frets because of Lee Sklar. His signature uses even smaller mandolin frets I believe and Sheldon at Dingwall liked it so he went with the banjo frets basically across the full range except the Lee sklar signature where they are even smaller. But yeah I really don’t see any benefit the big chunky frets most companies use. Benefits of the smaller frets I’d say are they are actually easier to play, you get a more “woody” tone. Definitely not as much as a fretless but a little bit in that direction. I also I honestly think that pitch seems to be just a little more accurate. Because the string isn’t being bent over as big a fret as you press the string into the fingerboard which to me is less of an issue than right hand excursion where the notes go slightly sharp and then settle in if playing really hard. Might not be a big deal to most players but it’s something that I know for me with my left hand touch when I’m playing a high energy rock show that I do notice.

 

[Nephilymbass]

Do smaller frets make touch techniques, like tapping, more difficult to get proper volume and attack? I'd imagine that higher frets would make more technical stuff easier.

Imo smaller frets make tapping easier

 

[Curtinsmith]

I offer different fret size preferences for my custom builds - small, medium, jumbo. Personally I like them all. I played jumbo frets since I started playing bass and feel at home with the larger frets, but I have also found the tiny mando sized frets very comfortable and fast too ... for the short time I had playing them. Building a fretless is quicker of course and is thoroughly enjoyable to play on, even unplugged. I am yet to build a short scale 5 string for personal use and am still undecided on which fret size to use.

 

[BurningSkies]

Really,.. I didn’t think it could get much smaller than what’s on my afterburners but then again I didn’t order either one of them so they might have the mandolin fret option and i didn’t realize it ...I’ll have to compare them to the combustion since I haven’t touched that one in a while

They're not that far off from each other...I'm guessing both are actually the 'banjo' wire. I haven't gone as far as mando on mine, because I've been using their standard for more than a few years happily and I don't know that I need to mess with it. I do have one of the very early Voodoo Primas with jumbo frets and its my least favorite to play and I have to remember to back off the frets to get it to stay clean.

 

[Durham52]

Allparts necks with vintage specs have small vintage fretwire, both for Fender authorized ass and guitar necks. I think Hosko (also Japanese made) use the same vintage size wire on their vintage spec necks too.

 

[Jerry Ziarko]

I have mandolin frets on my Sklar and really have come to like them a lot.

 

[Matt R.]

I’ve been a big fan of the “narrow tall” frets Fender has been doing for the last couple years or so. I think they are 6105 if I’m not mistaken. Very easy to play.

 

[micahwc]

Tiny frets. I do my own setups and it feels like I can get the action lower. Preferably stainless so they will last despite their limited size.

 

[4stringfarley]

As mainly a fretless player on the occasions I do play a fretted I prefer as small as possible. I joke around calling frets speed bumps, but the jumbo large extra sausage ones do feel like that to me.

 

[Sid Fang]

I like 'em wide but don't like 'em tall. Sorta the opposite of the way I feel about women.

 

[Camarillo]

One of the things Lee Sklar has mentioned a number of times is when he learned about mandolin wire frets, he asked his luthier to use that for the bass he was having done up. He loved it so much all of his basses use mandolin wire frets. He said sure they need to be changed every a bit more often, but he is someone who does non-stop recording sessions or touring and it is no inconvenience. For the rest of us chumps who don't play nearly as much it should be even less of a problem.

I tried to find that video, but instead found this old talkbass thread where Lee addressed it:

Mandolin Frets

Here it is:

 

[spatters]

In my experience, it's the shape of the top of the fret that matters most.
This is usually a function of the width-to-height ratio.

A wide-but-short fret has a shallower curve to the top of the fret, and thus tends to produce more fret noise.
A tall-but-narrow fret has a sharper curve to the top of the fret, which tends to produce less fret noise.
This is probably why a session player like Lee Sklar prefers tiny frets: it lets you produce the cleanest tone with the least fret noise, which is important when your job is to sit in the mix.

In contrasts, bassists who are trying for a more aggressive tone want that bit of fret clank and buzz, to emphasize the attack of the note. (This isn't the same thing as fretting a note so poorly that it dies!) In particular, heavy bassists need that fret noise to give an attack to a note whose dynamics have been removed by distortion. This is probably why basses aimed at "heavy" music often have gigantic frets.

Fret height makes a big difference if you press the strings to the fretboard, but that's bad technique anyway, because it pulls notes sharp.