What's up with those big frets?

[gdgross]

So I've been playing mando for around a year or so now. I've got a kentucky 150 that sounds pretty darn good, IMO, but doesn't hold it's tune very well, and has a few other minor problems.

Went down to buffalo bros a while back to check out some other mandos. Seems like a lot of the have got guitar-sized frets on them. I don't know about everybody else, but I think they look a little silly on mando.

Are there any advantages to the bigger frets on a mandolin? I can't remember if I liked them any better/worse from a tone/playability standpoint. I just remember thinking they looked odd.

Thanks,
Geoff

[John S]

The big frets can make it a bit easier to fret the instrument. If you're playing an instrument with the small fretwire and you don't have tough callouses on your fingers, your fingertips may "bottom out" on the fretboard before you can get enough pressure on the strings to make them sound clearly. I remember I had that problem on my first mando when I was just starting out, specifically with my pinky which had no callous at all. The taller frets can help with that. Also, many folks believe that they help with sustain as well, and last longer between refrets too.

After that first mando, all my mandos had the big fretwire, at least until recently. My latest mando has the small fretwire and it doesn't seem to bother me at all now. In fact I think I kinda like it.

[Scotti Adams]

..probably not guitar frets but rather banjo frets...I love them...to me it makes the mando easier to note and offers a faster finger board..not to mention thay last longer....

[TonyP.]

I had guitar size frets put on my Newson and I love them. I think my originals only lasted 3-4yrs and these have lasted more than 10 and just need a dressing. Skinny frets always feel weird to me, as weird now as a flat fretboard. I'll never go back to either one.

[MrSrubas]

Bigger frets, faster.
You don't have to push down as far for the string to get cut off at the fret. Commonly, I think it is guitar wire. I don't know if there is a difference between guitar and the banjo though.

[ira]

i have a 150s and i still use it at work, parks, etc... it is a great knock around instrument and certainly has served me well in both learning and continuing to play the mando. my new mando has, at my request, banjo wire. though it too takes a bit of getting used to. so much easier to play. don't know if it looks wierd, but if it does, who cares?http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif?

[Bob A]

The heavier the string, the thicker the frets (and the pick). Thin frets are great on bowlbacks; interestingly, the early Gibsons had thin frets, and the only strings available for mandolins at the time were basically bowlback type extra-lights.

I have to agree with John S - I've got all sizes, and it no longer seems to make a difference.

[Michael Lewis]

Fret wire sizes tend to vary depending on supplier. Common mandolin wire is .055" banjo is anywhere from .065" to .078", and guitar wire goes from .080" to over .110". Over the past 10 years I have done maybe 2 re frets with the .055" wire, maybe a dozen with the .065", and way more than a hundred with the .078" and .080" wire. The larger wire feels smoother and lasts longer, but there are other considerations like the way the neck feels with smaller frets.

Choose what works best for YOU.

[Steve L]

I much prefer big fretwire on my guitars, zouks and mandos. As noted elsewhere, they feel better (at least to me) and last far longer. I don't think they impact the looks of the instrument at all.

[Tom C]

What is involved from going from traditional to banjo size frets? Is it just a matter of replacing them or do you need a new nut cut and adjust the bridge height?

[Scotti Adams]

..Tom..your BRW should have banjo wire in it if you didnt specify otherwise when you had it built...

Larger fretwire USED to be a big issue with me. If you tend to have a gorilla grip & play to the board rather than to the fret, then the smaller wire IMHO is easier to play on.......bad habits are hard to break! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif #Fretwire size is not really an issue with me anymore thanks to Phoenix.

[Bowzette]

But remember Dale, that Rolfe design the Phoenix to play with tone and volume at low string height and very easy to fret.

Mike, I let a friend play my current 2001 Phoenix Bluegrass player Friday night.......he made me promise him first shot at it if I decide to sell it......LOL I've got to keep this one hidden if I'm going to try to keep it.

[John S]

If you tend to have a gorilla grip & play to the board rather than to the fret, then the smaller wire IMHO is easier to play on.......bad habits are hard to break! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif #
My own experience regarding big vs small fretwire is a little different. My Gibson MM is set up with J75's and nice low action and only requires a light touch. In fact one of the reasons I'm liking the smaller wire is that it does a better job of reminding me when I do grip too hard, which is a habit I've been focusing on for a while now. You can't use a gorilla grip with smaller fretwire without noticing your fingertips mushed into the fretboard and all the force & friction that goes along with that, and so you learn to lighten up. Actually, I would think that bigger fretwire would be compatible with a gorilla grip moreso than with the smaller fretwire, since the bigger fretwire would tend to reduce the fingertip-fretboard contact and thus a player might be less inclined to lighten the grip. #I do have mandos with the banjo wire and also the narrow wire, but with a light approach to fretting I can't really perceive an advantage to either anymore (callous issues aside).

[Tom C]

No , I had Ben use the traditional size frets being that's what I had on my current mando at the time. When I did play the ones with the banjo size, it kind of felt like a smaller scale or maybe less room between frets -Which probably would be an advantage for me. Plus I just read monteleone's(I think)take on fret size at that time.

[Lee]

Mmmmm, TonyP has a Newson. Mine could use a re-fret. I'm a fat fret fan too, and I like my BRW the way it is. But I wouldn't want to go bigger on the Newson and my Phoenix Deluxe is beautifully fast. I think fat frets are a bit more forgiving but don't reward good technique as well as skinnier frets.