What would you do in this situation?

[Shoes]

My Strat's got big beefy frets on it and I leave it out for anyone to play because it's rather indestructable and unlikely to be damaged in a way that I would care. So... I play it a lot. It's always plugged in and sitting there.

 

What I notice now is my touch is tuned to this fret size and not easily transferred back to the SG or LP which are essentially fretless wonders. It's making me think that having those refretted so that I don't need to compensate for the differences is a resonable idea. I'm not so much concerned with any impact on their value, that's not what they're for.

It made me wonder how many of you out there with several guitars have thought to or actually had your guitars modified to a particular configuration that's common to your needs in this way. It makes more sence to me as I think about it and I think the impact on the overall sound will be insignificant.

 

Thoughts anyone?

[Dr. Ellwood]

Yes, I started along time ago having frets replaced that are all the same exact wire. This goes along with my idea of having all my guitars use the exact same string gages even the same manufacturer. All the actions on all my guitars are adjusted the same or as close as possible to each other the only exception is the acoustic and the Dobro.

[mdrs]

Most of my friends that play out do the same thing. My one friend has all of the guitars he plays out done by the same guy, with the same fret wire, and the same set up measurements, same strings, etc. etc. He's even done this with some of his vintage axes, and he's a vintage knowledgable guy.

 

It does make sense to have each neck feel and play the same.

[Rhino Madness]

I agree about putting the same fret wire in all the guitars. FWIW I also love big jumbo frets and require them on any electric that I play a lot.

 

As for the same string gauge, I'd say it's more guitar-dependant, especially if the guitars have a different scale length.

[Dr. Ellwood]

Originally posted by mdrs:

Most of my friends that play out do the same thing. My one friend has all of the guitars he plays out done by the same guy, with the same fret wire, and the same set up measurements, same strings, etc. etc. He's even done this with some of his vintage axes, and he's a vintage knowledgable guy.

 

It does make sense to have each neck feel and play the same.

Yes, always looking for ways to take the complexity out, there are enough things about gigging that are bothersome to be concerned with different gages, unmatched sets of strings or different feeing frets etc.

[Gruupi]

I usually only play my main electric and get used to the feel and tone of it. I prefer to keep my others since the only time I play them is for someting different to inspire me. The gigantic bass frets I have on my SRV Strat along with the beefy neck make me play differently than on my main guitar. Its similar to what I said in Elwood's acoustic post. The reason I have seven guitars is for the differences, not the similarities.

[Dr. Ellwood]

I think the differences in electric guitars to be specific, are abundant in the electronics, neck profiles, body woods, finishes (heaviness-thinness etc.) cavities under the pickups or lack of them. The mechanical things like fret wire gage, string gages etc. can be easily communized without sacrificing uniqueness.

[Shoes]

That's what I thought about the whole thing. It's not able to significantly impart any characteristic into the actual sound. Where it plays in is in the touch or feel that it provides and that does have an impact on how well you play various styles.

 

I'm essentially a creature of habit and want to position and play in a similare manor on any guitar to maximize my potential.

[Dr. Ellwood]

Originally posted by Guitars are like shoes. But louder.:

That's what I thought about the whole thing. It's not able to significantly impart any characteristic into the actual sound. Where it plays in is in the touch or feel that it provides and that does have an impact on how well you play various styles.

 

I'm essentially a creature of habit and want to position and play in a similare manor on any guitar to maximize my potential.

Exactly!!

[Junior 1]

I bought an SX LP with jumbo frets, and now I'm having problems switching to my Tele! I like the jumbos!

[Bluesape]

Have to be Devil's Advocate here: My '71 Fenders have smaller frets than those popular today. My more contemporary pieces have mediums. My Gibbys are all older and stock. I like switching from one to another as they are, as each one offers a different playing experience. I don't want my guitars to feel uniform and generic, anymore than I'd want to eat the same food every day. Besides, why would you want your vintage piece to feel like every Ibanez/Yamaha/Washburn/Jackson out there?

[Rhino Madness]

Originally posted by Bluesape:

Besides, why would you want your vintage piece to feel like every Ibanez/Yamaha/Washburn/Jackson out there?

I have to side with Ellwood on this one:

 

Originally posted by ellwood:

I think the differences in electric guitars to be specific, are abundant in the electronics, neck profiles, body woods, finishes (heaviness-thinness etc.) cavities under the pickups or lack of them. The mechanical things like fret wire gage, string gages etc. can be easily communized without sacrificing uniqueness.

[Gifthorse]

I like big frets too. I don't mind small frets. I guess it doesn't matter to me if it is a nice guitar.

[Guitarzan]

i am in a position of liking certain atributes of both types.

i like the response of the larger frets and i also appreciate the smoothness of the low frets.

my pacifica and LP are totally different.

the LP has a big fat chunky neck with standard Gibby wire. nice response to hammers and pull offs as well as less flubbing of notes seeing there is always lots of metal there to make contact with.

my pacifica has a very ( extremely) thin and wide neck with hardly any fret IMHO.

it is harder to play certaing things clearly, but she sounds great for riffing, because the frets are not high enough to slow my hand down with friction.

i have thought about getting larger wire on it but i like being able to switch to a different guitar when i change my mind or feel different.

the Pacifica is alot harder to bend on. so i strung it with 9's and i may have to go to 10's so i can control my hands abit.

i am usually happy if they are dressed with a nice crown and are setup for no buzz.

my first real guitar had vintage style frets on it and i had no problems at the time doing hammers and taps. mainly because it was new and had nice fretwork.

i think my playing is affected more by where the neck is hanging and my hand position than the actual size of the fret.

that being said i love the standard fretwire that fender uses on the american strats.

so now that i have babbled on and on like Grampa Simpson i will leave you with this..

i don't really know.

[Rhino Madness]

If the same playing style is to be applied to multiple guitars, then it makes sense to me to use the same fretwire on all of them. But if different guitars are used not only for a different tone but also for a different style, then it might make more sense to leave the fretwire alone.

 

For instance, if an Ibanez pointy guitar and a Strat were both used for big rock lead, I'd go for big frets on both. But if the Strat was mostly used for clean chordal playing, I'd leave the vintage style frets alone.

[PPaul]

It's a personal preference that I don't get. Do you repower each of your vehicles with the same 350/TH combo? Eat the same meals every day?

 

Some guitar models are associated with certain musical genres, like jazzers prefer archtops, and the Tele is the country archetype. Each has characteristic sound and feel and playability.

 

My argument breaks down because some models cross musical boundaries (LP's and Strats go anywhere) but I really prefer to experience the variety of types and setups, and find that my playing is, to a degree, influenced by the instrument type.

 

PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPaul

[Chad Thorne]

Originally posted by Bluesape:

Have to be Devil's Advocate here: My '71 Fenders have smaller frets than those popular today. My more contemporary pieces have mediums. My Gibbys are all older and stock. I like switching from one to another as they are, as each one offers a different playing experience. I don't want my guitars to feel uniform and generic, anymore than I'd want to eat the same food every day. Besides, why would you want your vintage piece to feel like every Ibanez/Yamaha/Washburn/Jackson out there?

I'm with the Primate of Blues on this one.

[Hardtail]

Originally posted by Bluesape:

Have to be Devil's Advocate here: My '71 Fenders have smaller frets than those popular today. My more contemporary pieces have mediums. My Gibbys are all older and stock. I like switching from one to another as they are, as each one offers a different playing experience. I don't want my guitars to feel uniform and generic, anymore than I'd want to eat the same food every day. Besides, why would you want your vintage piece to feel like every Ibanez/Yamaha/Washburn/Jackson out there?

I agree.

[Dr. Ellwood]

Originally posted by Hardtail:

Originally posted by Bluesape:

Have to be Devil's Advocate here: My '71 Fenders have smaller frets than those popular today. My more contemporary pieces have mediums. My Gibbys are all older and stock. I like switching from one to another as they are, as each one offers a different playing experience. I don't want my guitars to feel uniform and generic, anymore than I'd want to eat the same food every day. Besides, why would you want your vintage piece to feel like every Ibanez/Yamaha/Washburn/Jackson out there?

I agree.

Actually YES, yes I do want them to feel as much as possiable, the same. My playing style does not change from guitar to guitar for the electrics. I want the differences to be in the sound not in the mechanics, I see no advantage at all in having the feel be much different but huge advantages in the sound being different. As much as you try to commonize between instruments on things like strings, fret wire and setups they still retain their own character.

[Bluesape]

Originally posted by ellwood:

Originally posted by Hardtail:

Originally posted by Bluesape:

Have to be Devil's Advocate here: My '71 Fenders have smaller frets than those popular today. My more contemporary pieces have mediums. My Gibbys are all older and stock. I like switching from one to another as they are, as each one offers a different playing experience. I don't want my guitars to feel uniform and generic, anymore than I'd want to eat the same food every day. Besides, why would you want your vintage piece to feel like every Ibanez/Yamaha/Washburn/Jackson out there?

I agree.

Actually YES, yes I do want them to feel as much as possiable, the same. My playing style does not change from guitar to guitar for the electrics. I want the differences to be in the sound not in the mechanics, I see no advantage at all in having the feel be much different but huge advantages in the sound being different. As much as you try to commonize between instruments on things like strings, fret wire and setups they still retain their own character.

Nothin' wrong with that, Lee, from a practical stance, but variety is the spice of life, and I'd feel limited by that - kinda like covering every food with ketchup or mayo. I don't quite see the point in dozens of guitars that feel alike. If I could afford a variety of sports cars, I'd want the Porsche, Bimmer, Jag, Ford Gt, and Ferrari to each have its own personality. I want the same from my guitars, and I also find that different guitars influence me to broaden my repertoire and pallette of styles. I might feel differently if adhering to a more rigid set list.

 

Getting my 175 a couple years after my Tele really opened up new directions for me, as very few guitars are as diverse as those 2. Maybe the learning curve was advancing at the same time, but the resonance had me hearing more, and paying more heed to chords, tones, tuning, etc. The kid in me wanted a Strat, but something told me it could wait, and this avenue was more appropriate at the time. I might never have explored blues and jazz and even folk if I'd stuck with one type of guitar. Maybe I'm just more experimental.

[Gruupi]

I agree with Elwoods decision to set up his guitars the way he likes them. He is going for very specific sounds to play very specific parts and there is a huge advantage if you are switching guitars alot to not have to spend half the song getting used to the feel. I contemplated that quite a bit with my guitars but decided not to make them uniform as long as they were playable.

 

Part of the reason I built my Warmoth (and the Carvin before it) the way I did was to get several different sounds in one guitar that I really like the feel of. I could take this guitar to any electric gig I would want and be able to get my sounds. It got to be a pain carrying multiple guitars and having to switch every other song and I wanted an easier route.

 

As I stated in my earlier post, I kept my other guitars as is, on the rare occasions I play them its because I am in a rut and need something different in sound and feel to inspire me. So I really don't see any reason to agree with anyones decision one way or another except to help Shoes think about which way he wants to go. If you really want to use all of your guitars and are struggling with the feel thing, I see nothing wrong with modifying a non-vintage instrument. If you are like me and you spend a good part of your time improvising, then those little differences may make you play something that you wouldn't have played if it was easy.

[Billster]

FWIW, I've never had aproblem switching guitars with different fretwires. My SG is a fretless wonder type, with wide, but low frets. My Strat has jumbo frets, and my 335 clone is somewhere in between.

 

Doesn't change my approach at all. It might be harder to dig into certain bends on the SG, but I manage

[miroslav]

Originally posted by Rhino Madness:

If the same playing style is to be applied to multiple guitars, then it makes sense to me to use the same fretwire on all of them.

But it's more than just the size of the fret wire..

Just putting the same fret wire on all your guitars will most certainly NOT give them the same playing feel.

 

Each neck contributes to the feel...because of different width...different radius...different thickness...not to mention the fret boards and their shape/feel.

IMO...the installed fret wire works together with all those other elements to give that guitar it's particular feel.

So...if you want the same feel on all your guitars...you might as well install the same neck on all your guitars...otherwise, you're fooling yourself thinking it's just the fret wire that governs feel.

 

I like each guitar to have it's own personality...from its tones to its electronics...to its feel...and it doesn't bother me to switch from one to the other.

It's like not even something I am concious about...I just adjust after a minute or two of playing.

Making them all feel the samewell, then they all feel the same.

Having differences is what brings out the special nuances from each guitar.

Otherwise...you can reduce you guitar collection down to only about 2, maybe 3 guitars...

 

While I do use the same string gauge on my electricsI dont use the same brand/type of string on every guitar.

Some I like with GHS Boomerssome with Ernie Ball Slinky pure nickelsome Fender 150ssome Everly Nickel Rockerssome DAddarios.

There was a time when I even use to make up my own custom setsmixing the individual string gauges to suit the tone of the guitar. I was thinking about going back to that for one or two of my guitars.

Same thing with guitar picksI have at least 6 different brands/types of picks that Ill use for different things.

 

The last thing I would ever do is pop out perfectly good stock frets on all my guitars just so I can replace them with the same fret wire!

[Fumblyfingers]

I like fat frets although I think they are harder to intonate as there is a much bigger contact area. It seems a thinner fret with a small contact area would be way more accurate and easier to set up right. Has that been discussed yet here?

[miroslav]

I haven't really analyzed it in detail...

...but IMO...big/fat frets give you a lot more "fudge" room and they feel kinda' "buttery" than small/thin frets as you play single notes.

This may be good for bluesy playingbut may be annoying for other styles.

Though it seems to me that I can play single note runs a lot faster on guitars without the big/fat frets.

 

Also...if you really nail the string...the big/fat frets will tend to make the string go out of tune a lot easier...since there's much more height between the string and the top of the fret board.

I find big frets a bit of a PITA when playing chords...since you are hitting multiple strings/notes and it's a lot easier to make the chords sound sour.

 

I only have one guitar with big/fat frets...the others are all more of your average medium size fret wire...and a couple with small/thin fret wire.

The medium size fret wire works for a variety of stylesIMO.

 

I still cant believe some of you guys would take a new guitar (especially if the neck has binding)and have the frets removed just to go to something a pinch different in size..???

If I was that focused on fret wire sizeI think I would just buy the guitars that had what I wantedbut then they would probably all end up feeling like the same guitar if I was really focused on those minute details.

 

Well...you do what you gotta do.

If it makes you happy and you play better...it's all good!

[Dr. Ellwood]

"I still cant believe some of you guys would take a new guitar (especially if the neck has binding)and have the frets removed just to go to something a pinch different in size..???"

 

The changes only happen on the first refret.

[miroslav]

Oh...not until the first refret.

 

But then...your playing that guitar for quite awhile with its stock frets and it must feel comfortable, and you must get really use to how it feels/plays since it takes quite a bit of playing before you need a refret...

...unless of course you're a real gorilla (no offense, Blue )...

...or you just really play that one guitar a WHOLE LOT and it wears out rather quickly.

 

So after getting quite homey with a guitar before its time to refert...why then would you then want to go to a different size fret...?

 

OK...maybe just for a change...but that's a different reason.

Some of you guys are saying that you like to have ALL your guitars feel the same.

But if you wait 'til it's time for a refret on each one of them...then all that time they are not the same...

so you must get use to them as they are after playing them for all that time...don't you?

 

Like...how often do you guys refret...?

How soon after you buy a new guitar...?

 

Heckmy oldest guitar is my Hagstrom Swede, bought new since 75.

In the first 20 years, I played the crap out of it before I started seeing some fret wear in a couple of spots (and it came with rather small frets to begin with).

I could have gone for a refret awhile backbut a couple of years ago I filed and dressed them myselfand while they are now even a pinch smaller the guitar still plays as good as ever and will not bother with a refret for some time yet.

On my newer guitarsI doubt Ill be refretting during my lifetimeespecially since the more guitars I acquire the less playing I do one any one guitarwhich extends the fret life even longer on each guitar.

 

Im sure you guys that gig a few days each weekplus practicesyou probably do wear your frets a lot quickerthough how quick?

And you must develop a feel for them with the stock fretsso why change?

[Dr. Ellwood]

Well in my case, yes I do play allot, a blues band and the regular rock band gig every week, and as you said rehearsals for both of coarse. Most all of my guitars a quite old and have been refretted and the newer ones where ordered with the same wire as the old ones where refretted with. I think the only ones that have anything other than the same wire on them are the two my son has and the acoustic and the Dobro haven't. I have had accidents on stage with bass players tuning keys nailing frets and banging headstocks etc. So the point in my case is that when a instument needs refretting for any reason, the replacements are all the same.

[Dr. Ellwood]

Oh I forgot to mention, I use the exact same picks and never change the style, size or hardness of them, I like consistency, all setups are the same, all trems are blocked, all strings are 150's .010 sets, I use the same guitar strap on all guitars except the Dobro and the acoustic.

[Rhino Madness]

Originally posted by miroslav:

Originally posted by Rhino Madness:

If the same playing style is to be applied to multiple guitars, then it makes sense to me to use the same fretwire on all of them.

But it's more than just the size of the fret wire..

Just putting the same fret wire on all your guitars will most certainly NOT give them the same playing feel. (...)

As was mentioned before, each guitar still retains its own uniqueness even if the same fretwire is used. But if you like to always slam your fingertips on the fretboard then it makes sense to stick to low frets. And if you like to bend strings without dragging your fingertips on the board, it makes sense to use tall frets.

 

This is far from being a search for an even feel and even playing experience across all guitars.

 

My Ibanez guitar had huge frets and when they showed too much wear, I had them recrowned: they were perfectly dressed but noticeably lower. My playing on this guitar has lost a lot of its enjoyment and the guitar will soon get a refret job.

 

But even with the same big frets, this Ibanez and my Strat feel and sound and play very different.