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Mandolin frets on a bass ??

5

5fretless

Dec 8, 2004
98
2
South Wales, UK
#1
Folks,

Am I going crazy when I think I remember Lee Sklar or Jeff Berlin talking about re-fretting a bass with smaller mandolin frets to get an almost fretless sound but still have the intonation. Might explain the tone Jeff Berlin got when he played with Bill Bruford........

Has anyone tried this ??

All the best

Bill
 
#3
From the Dingwall website:

"Leland Sklar turned us on to small frets. We use a size that is normally used on banjos. The small frets intonate very precisely, feel sleek and have a warmer, woodier tone. For the player with finesse, who is looking for the ultimate in playability, we also offer Mandolin frets. Necks fretted with mando frets sound even more woody and natural. Fret noise is almost non-existent. Playability takes the term “effortless” to a new level. Players with a light to medium touch can expect 5-10 years before replacement is necessary."
 
#4
Marcus Willett said:
From the Dingwall website:

"Leland Sklar turned us on to small frets. We use a size that is normally used on banjos. The small frets intonate very precisely, feel sleek and have a warmer, woodier tone. For the player with finesse, who is looking for the ultimate in playability, we also offer Mandolin frets. Necks fretted with mando frets sound even more woody and natural. Fret noise is almost non-existent. Playability takes the term “effortless” to a new level. Players with a light to medium touch can expect 5-10 years before replacement is necessary."
Click to expand...

Sigh. oh well.
 
#8
The standard frets on the Lakland USA 44-94, etc. series are very small... maybe not Mandolin, but much smaller than any other frets I've ever played. Quite frankly, I couldn't hear/tell/feel any difference between them and standard 'jumbo' frets.
 
#9
On guitar fret size makes a HUGE difference, with "jumbo" frets making it easier to bend strings and get vibrato. Smaller frets on an electric can make it a little easier to play "faster runs". Remember the old Les Paul customs were called "frettless wonders". On a bass, a properly set up instrument with GOOD quality fretwork and fret wire will have very little playability difference due to the diameter of the strings.
 
#10
I've put mandolin frets on a couple basses. The sound never came close to a fretless sound. I think what the benefit of smaller frets does is provide less "fret clack" for lack of a better term. I still use medium frets for about 90% of my basses, but every once in a while I get requests for the mandolin wire. If you have a spare bass you rarely play try having the frets replaced and check it out. I put Mandolin frets in my personal bass for couple of months, but then put standard frets back. I felt as though I could dig deeper with the bigger frets.

:bassist:
 
#11
quallabone said:
In my experience, 5-10 years means 5-10 of playing hours upon hours every day. You won't be replacing quality mando frets for a long time.
Click to expand...

Agreed, I think that Sheldon means that Leland can go 5-10 years before replacement. The only real difference should be that the fret can handle fewer fret dressings due to the reduced height. My experience is that they do not actually wear any faster than standard fretwire.
 
#12
I love the mandolin frets on my dingwall, and I've always preferred the smaller "vintage" fret on basses and guitars. The neck plays more smoothly to me, and on the dingwall, you can fret the note right on top of the fret and get a very cool sound, very "woody" ad IMHO more like a fretless. But not, you can't gliss up and down like a fretless
 
#15
vic_6 said:
i remember reading that Meshell Ndegeocello would get her semi fretless sound when she did slides because her frets were so worn down that it was almost fretless. i wonder how that relates to havving extremely small frets.
Click to expand...
I would think that normal frets which were that worn down would be wide and flat and not resemble traditional banjo/mando frets at all.

Someone on here had a DJ5 for sale which had come with the normal size frets, and he said they wore down pretty quickly and couldn't be dressed again after that. So he had it refretted with jumbo frets (I think). Anyone else have similar experience with small fret Laklands?
 
#18
I've played a Hanewinckel with mandolin frets. I liked it a great deal...worked for me because I have a pretty light touch. If/when I order a custom, I don't know if I'll use mandolin frets, but I'll order something on the small side.

Marshall
 

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