madgrinder Posted May 20, 2004 Share Posted May 20, 2004 I got my first guitar with jumbo frets and the action seemed really high, so I adjusted it to where I liked it. Now I get a nasty fret buzz anywhere below the ninth fret. I turned it back up and it plays well, it just seems too high. ...it's Mr Stabby, da da da da da daaaah, da da da da da da daaaah... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Soloway Posted May 20, 2004 Share Posted May 20, 2004 Jumbo frets should do the exact opposite. They should make your action feel lower. Since the fret does more of the work for you, you should be able to use less hand pressure. It sounds like something else is amiss in your setup. www.solowayguitars.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daddy ray Posted May 20, 2004 Share Posted May 20, 2004 Originally posted by madgrinder: I got my first guitar with jumbo frets and the action seemed really high, so I adjusted it to where I liked it. Now I get a nasty fret buzz anywhere below the ninth fret. I turned it back up and it plays well, it just seems too high.i have refretted all my players with dunlop 6000 wire (.118/.058) initially my actions appeared to be higher than before...then i realized i was seeing the distance from the fingerboard to the strings vs. seeing the distance from the fret top to the string...big differance it was an optical illusion dr have fun now! whatever the mind of man can concieve & believe it can achieve! study it as a science/practice it as an art! luck...that's what happens when preparation & opportunity intersect properly percieved every situation becomes an opportunity Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennyf Posted May 20, 2004 Share Posted May 20, 2004 Jim's a luthier, so I hesitate to disagree with him. But I do. Although I believe it's just a matter of 'druthers. The guitars that I have with big, new frets feel like the action is higher, even though the fret-top-to-string distance is the same or even less than guitars that feel better to me. I'm pretty heavy-handed, so I guess fretboard-to-string distance is more important to me in terms of how the guitar feels. I prefer the feel of wide, but low frets. So I guess it depends on your style and what you're used to. But when you say the buzzing is below the 9th fret, I'm assuming that means from fret 1 to fret 8? Maybe your guitar neck needs a bit more relief (front bow). Does it play alright above fret 9 with the action set where you like it? band link: bluepearlband.com music, lessons, gig schedules at dennyf.com STURGEON'S LAW --98% of everything is bullshit. My Unitarian Jihad Name is: The Jackhammer of Love and Mercy. Get yours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Soloway Posted May 20, 2004 Share Posted May 20, 2004 Originally posted by Dennyf: Jim's a luthier, so I hesitate to disagree with him. But I do. Although I believe it's just a matter of 'druthers. The guitars that I have with big, new frets feel like the action is higher, even though the fret-top-to-string distance is the same or even less than guitars that feel better to me. I'm pretty heavy-handed, so I guess fretboard-to-string distance is more important to me in terms of how the guitar feels. I prefer the feel of wide, but low frets. So I guess it depends on your style and what you're used to. But when you say the buzzing is below the 9th fret, I'm assuming that means from fret 1 to fret 8? Maybe your guitar neck needs a bit more relief (front bow). Does it play alright above fret 9 with the action set where you like it?I should probably clarrify since my opinion is that of a player, not a builder. As a played, I have an extremely light touch, but if you're heavy handed and press the string all the way to the wood every time, then there's a good chance that jumbo frets wil make your action feel like barbed wire. The whole benefit of jumbo frets is that they don't need a heavy hand. Once the string is firly in contact with the fret, you don't need to press any further. For players with a heavy touch, there's a good chance that all jumbo frets will acieve is to make your guitar go sharp and your hand get tired from the effort. Lighten up, don't press any harder than you have to and you'll find that jumbo frets will do a lot of the work for you. www.solowayguitars.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shoes Posted May 21, 2004 Share Posted May 21, 2004 I'll wade into this and likely drown myself somehow BUT: I have a variety of fret heights and widths on different neck profiles and I've only ever noticed height play an influential part of my playing. I can typically ignore the width and find the temperature, yes temperature, impairs my feel more than anything. Stupid point but I'm in Canada. The foremost impact you are going to notice after a refret is the change in height and loss of well worn security your fingers felt. New frets and if you never owned the guitar since it was new, you may find a new characteristic (relief) in the neck. You can adjust for this with the truss rod. A simple alteration is to hone the frets profile to suite your requirements. Nothing is going to feel comfortable after replacing well worn frets. Wide frets wear hardier than thin. That's simply the physics of friction and surface. There is no potential for the differences between thin or wide frets imparting a characteristic upon the sound given equal pressure is applied. A string that touches metal at any point will have cause to define the length of the string as played. You may think so or cause it to be so where you play the string harder and potentially pull more deeply. There's quite a bit to be said about this and touch is so personal that everyone needs to find what works best for them in a complementary way. No sense fighting it. I still think guitars are like shoes, but louder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bbach1 Posted May 21, 2004 Share Posted May 21, 2004 Originally posted by Guitars are like shoes. But louder.: [QB]I can typically ignore the width and find the temperature, yes temperature, impairs my feel more than anything. Stupid point but I'm in Canada. I'm really sorry that you live in Canada Guitars are like shoes . On a serious note, temperature can play a big part in the feel of your axe, expecially if you live in a land of extremes, which I do. Humidity and temperature affect the wood (swelling or drying) which can affect slightly, the frets. If you truly want to protect your beauties, you need to set up a room with the proper temp and humidity. I don't know what optimum is. For cigars it's 70/70. I would think that would be way too humid for any nice wood. Probably needs to be about 70/40 (70 being the farenheit temp and 40 being the humidity). Someone correct me if I'm wrong. bbach Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madgrinder Posted May 21, 2004 Author Share Posted May 21, 2004 we keep the house at a frosty 68*. I think the axes are safe here. I was just worried that the action was too high, because of the distance to the fretboard. My "gorilla grip" was really killing the intonation. Now that I have loosened up a bit, the jumbos are nice. ...it's Mr Stabby, da da da da da daaaah, da da da da da da daaaah... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tedster Posted May 21, 2004 Share Posted May 21, 2004 Maybe if you take off that Dobro nut your Uncle Tex put on it, it'll help Just kidding... "Cisco Kid, was a friend of mine" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shoes Posted May 21, 2004 Share Posted May 21, 2004 Originally posted by cwfno: Originally posted by Guitars are like shoes. But louder.: [QB]I can typically ignore the width and find the temperature, yes temperature, impairs my feel more than anything. Stupid point but I'm in Canada. I'm really sorry that you live in Canada Guitars are like shoes . On a serious note, temperature can play a big part in the feel of your axe, expecially if you live in a land of extremes, which I do. Humidity and temperature affect the wood (swelling or drying) which can affect slightly, the frets. If you truly want to protect your beauties, you need to set up a room with the proper temp and humidity. I don't know what optimum is. For cigars it's 70/70. I would think that would be way too humid for any nice wood. Probably needs to be about 70/40 (70 being the farenheit temp and 40 being the humidity). Someone correct me if I'm wrong.Good point coming from somebody in Freeze yer Balls Off North Dakota. I'm sorry we turned down your application to become a Canadian province. Most people assume wood is dead but in fact it isn't stable until it's reduced to ashes. So... polish your guitar and avoid silicon based products (this comes from Dan Ealeweine, my most trusted source of information on things guitarish) Fret Questions? Check out this site: Frets.com (Fret Buzz Section) I still think guitars are like shoes, but louder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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