Mandolin frets on a bass ??

[tplyons]

I prefer small frets, more slide, more of a woody sound.

However, jumbos have their place.

 

[fretlessspence]

My elrick has pretty small frets, don't know what size exactly but I love them.

 

[Bassamatic]

My old Aria Pro II has very small frets - so nice and easy to play. If the neck and fretwork are good, I think I prefer the small ones.

 

[rwhitney]

What size banjo fret wire do you use and recommend (for a PJ bass with J neck if that makes a difference)?

 

[Eli Brockway]

Neck width wouldn't make a difference at all to anything beyond the length you're cutting the frets at. Here's a handy chart going over a bunch of sizes. Vintage fender guitars (and basses too, if I remember right) were in the .078" wide and .043" tall area, with the Dunlop 6230. For something overall smaller, noticeably so, it looks like Jescar has good options.

 

[Keith Guitars]

I'm a big fan of the Jescar material - it is very consistent and good quality.
It's what I use for my instruments.

They make stainless mandolin wire which would be a nice choice for anyone concerned about premature wear.
The stainless wire is tougher than regular nickel silver and will hold up longer to an aggressive player.

FWIW, I made a couple of basses with mandolin wire and liked it quite a lot.
I would even consider using it on a personal instrument.
That said, it did feel noticeably small compared to the average instrument, so I wouldn't make an instrument for sale
with it unless requested specifically by a custom client.
My experience matches the Dingwall description -the bass had less metallic highs and a nice organic treble.
There could theoretically be less sustain, but I can't judge from my examples because those basses had other design
features which impacted the sustain equation.
Leland's Dingwalls sure sound good....

Cheers,
Martin

 

[Samatza]

I have Mando frets on one Jazz Bass, still sounds fretted but slides are a little smoother. It’s ok but nothing to write home about, it’s more a feel thing.

 

[bassdude51]

I have a real deal 1953 P Bass that's never had a fret job or a dressing. Not only does it have the small vintage fret wire but when the neck was made, the frets were leveled and crowned down close to the fret board. As a result, it fingers and frets EXCELLENT! None of that ugly tapping sound when fretting a note. Working from fret to fret, none of that "speed bump" thing going on like with med jumbo frets.

I've noticed on my basses with med jumbo frets, my fingers are suspended on the strings and hardly touch the actual fret board because the frets are tall.

So, there is a lot to be said for mandolin and banjo frets on a bass. There's a reason for it.

Now guys who play stainless steel rounds...........ahhh, those skinny frets might not be a good idea.