Jumbo frets question

[mrpinter]

I like jumbo frets. I have a couple of guitars with 6150 frets and they're OK, but I prefer another couple of guitars that have 6115 SS frets, which are a little bigger. My question is: now much more noticeable would 6100s feel when playing them, compared to the 6115's. Are the 6100s so huge that they'd feel like "speed bumps"?

 

[Patrick from Davis]

The only complaint I have is that I tend to strangle the neck with my playing style.  Taller frets tend to make things easier to wrestle it out of tune.  If you shred and have a light touch, this is not a concern.  I don't really feel the difference as far as playing, but the way I play makes the 6100's less desirable because of my tendency squeeze it out of tune.  I do like the 6150s better because of this.  Perhaps I can state this a few more times...
Patrick

 

[Cagey]

There's not a great deal of difference between the 6115 and 6100 wire. Heightwise, we're only talking .006", going from .051"  to .057"

I would think if you could play one without any trouble, the other would fit like an old shoe. Personally, I put 6100 wire on everything. But, I'm a fairly calm player most of the time, and when I'm getting wild it's usually with leads where there's a lotta legato, vibrato and heavy bending so if I press hard enough to put a string sharp, you'd never hear it.

 

[stratamania]

I use the 6100s too and don't find them that big. But then again one of my guitars has 6000 and is scalloped.

I've got guitars with lower more vintage frets also. I find going back and forth not too much of a problem. I'm more the other way though as generally I don't like to feel the fretboard when bending and so on.

I tend to play different styles on the different guitars though. From what you say you probably would like them. Worse case would be to have them levelled a bit lower if it turned out not to be the case.

 

[bagman67]

My feeling on the difference between 6100's and 6115's is that the 6115's are a similar height but not so wide.  This may make a difference for you playing up high on the neck.

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

Can't speak for the 6115's as I have no experience with guitars actually strung up with them.  I've only felt a number of them in the showcase, and it was rare even back then to come across showcase necks that weren't fretted with 6105's or 6130's if they were fretted at all.  Most of them were yet unfretted.

I've played/owned many and currently own 1 guitar with 6100's on it, which is my Baritele (GOTM Sig Pic below) and I've always been at home on this fretwire.

I've had it on 25.5, 2475, and 25" scaled guitars and now the 28 5/8" Baritone scale.  Very consistent all the way across.

 

[fdesalvo]

6150s are ideal for me because, like PfD, I have a heavier touch.  I also find it the largest wire I can comfortably slide on.  Jumbos feel feel like speed bumps when I move my fingers across the strings. 

 

[mrpinter]

Thanks Frank, that's the kind of experience I'm looking for. I don't do much bending but do slide a lot. Maybe I shouldn't go for the 6100s, I'm thinking.

 

[fdesalvo]

No worries. The reason why I love the 6150s is because they stay out of the way for sliding and offer plenty of depth for getting under the strings for bends.  Something about the height and width that just works with 10ga strings. If I was back using 12s, I'd go jumbo.

 

[stratamania]

It's probably not going to help you but I find sliding into notes on 6100s or smaller frets to not be a problem. Think slides such as in For the Love of God, or YYZ.

I must admit however the first time I got heavier frets it did feel a little speed bump like. Now years later it's a little the opposite, that small frets feel well small.

It's all subjective in the end of course and individual preference.

Per Bagman67s comment on frets of the same height but different widths. I was chatting to a luthier a while back and he mentioned he had done some guitars with narrower frets higher on the neck versus wider lower down but of the same height. This is an interesting idea.

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

It's probably not going to help you but I find sliding into notes on 6100s or smaller frets to not be a problem. Think slides such as in For the Love of God, or YYZ.

I must admit however the first time I got heavier frets it did feel a little speed bump like. Now years later it's a little the opposite, that small frets feel well small.

It's all subjective in the end of course and individual preference.

Per Bagman67s comment on frets of the same height but different widths. I was chatting to a luthier a while back and he mentioned he had done some guitars with narrower frets higher on the neck versus wider lower down but of the same height. This is an interesting idea.

It's quite natural for me too, been playing on them so long, I have a light touch on the fretting hand anyway.  It's my picking hand that hits hard.

 

[stratamania]

It's probably not going to help you but I find sliding into notes on 6100s or smaller frets to not be a problem. Think slides such as in For the Love of God, or YYZ.

I must admit however the first time I got heavier frets it did feel a little speed bump like. Now years later it's a little the opposite, that small frets feel well small.

It's all subjective in the end of course and individual preference.

Per Bagman67s comment on frets of the same height but different widths. I was chatting to a luthier a while back and he mentioned he had done some guitars with narrower frets higher on the neck versus wider lower down but of the same height. This is an interesting idea.

It's quite natural for me too, been playing on them so long, I have a light touch on the fretting hand anyway.  It's my picking hand that hits hard.

Yes my touch is quite light too in general. I also play a lot with hybrid picking as well as just fingers on the right hand. Also alternate and sweep picking, I like to be able to switch from one to the other. Although bending and vibrato will sometimes be given a little extra muscle or intensity.

Dynamics in playing from the fingers is something I find worth working on even unplugged for control.

 

[rgand]

No worries. The reason why I love the 6150s is because they stay out of the way for sliding and offer plenty of depth for getting under the strings for bends.  Something about the height and width that just works with 10ga strings. If I was back using 12s, I'd go jumbo.

+1 on the 6150s. I like both slides and bends on them.

 

[Strat Avenger]

6150 is my fret size of choice, but I do have 2 guitars with 6100.
You pretty much get used to whatever fret size you're playing on after several hours of playing.  I say "pretty much" because I just can't stand small (vintage) frets no matter how much time I spend playing on them.

 

[mrpinter]

6150 is my fret size of choice, but I do have 2 guitars with 6100.
You pretty much get used to whatever fret size you're playing on after several hours of playing.  I say "pretty much" because I just can't stand small (vintage) frets no matter how much time I spend playing on them.

I'm the same way... I had a REALLY nice acoustic guitar (a Musser small body) that I just couldn't get completely comfortable on because of it's banjo frets. I sold it to Norman's Rare Guitars (Norman loves Mussers) and replaced it with another custom acoustic that had bigger frets but still not as nice feeling to me as the frets on my electrics. I actually had it refretted with jumbo frets - and I'm completely happy with it. People who play it are very impressed with how easily it plays - and it's probably because they're not used to nice big frets on acoustics.

 

[fdesalvo]

People who play it are very impressed with how easily it plays - and it's probably because they're not used to nice big frets on acoustics.

Ha!  I'm having my old Taylor refretted with 6150s next week!  Can't wait to see what it's like.

And a very relevant editorial about Norm and the guitar from the movie, "Back to the Future"

https://reverb.com/blog/the-true-story-of-the-time-traveling-gibson-in-back-to-the-future?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=rn151022_content-harmonytour&_aid=newsletter

 

[mrpinter]

Just for the sake of following up... I got stainless 6150's on the neck for the build I'm currently doing. I spent some time playing my 6115's and 6150's and found that the 6150's work just as well for me as the bigger ones. And I found a killer neck in the Showcase that had the 6150's on it, so there you go. Maybe I'll give the 6100's a try some other time.

 

[Strat Avenger]

Just for the sake of following up... I got stainless 6150's on the neck for the build I'm currently doing. I spent some time playing my 6115's and 6150's and found that the 6150's work just as well for me as the bigger ones. And I found a killer neck in the Showcase that had the 6150's on it, so there you go. Maybe I'll give the 6100's a try some other time.

That's awesome.