Luthier Quick Tip 5 Are Tall frets Better Than Short Frets?

How the height of your guitar's frets can affect tuning and intonation.

[ijahtom]

You just Descriped the reason why I really need and Love old style vintage frets. 🏵️👍🏻

[AlcatarDM]

I just bought my first guitar with jumbo frets, I did not know this existed. I got so annoyed because my guitar constantly sounded out of tune while it was tuned. Today the guitar store explained to me that it was due to my heavy playing style. Looked this video up to get a better understanding. Time to adopt a soft touch :)

[iChupacabraTube]

I’ve been playing guitar for almost 10 years now self-taught and am getting into self repair and maintenance. I had no idea you didn’t have to press the string to the wood, and after 10 years of gorilla grip on high action, tall crown guitars it’s like all my training weights have come off at once. Wow.

[CatharticGuitar]

I got a 2018 American Original, and for some reason, fender put an American Vintage 65 neck on it with the 7.25 inch radius and vintage (not vintage tall) frets. I was kind of scared of them at first, but I love them now. I decided to keep the guitar as is.

[aluminati]

Used to prefer low frets. About 10 years ago I developed a lighter touch. That turned me on to higher frets. So much I re-fretted 2 of my guitars with taller wire. Thanks for excellent video as always.

[GuitarJeff]

I would add to this, maybe this is more appropriate for a novice/ intermediate player to have lower frets. They tend to put a lot of pressure on the strings pulling them out of tune. Also if your novice Live player first few times in front of an audience. Your nervous your going to pull it out of tune. Ultimately you want to be able to play with the lightest touch possible and tall frets or even a scalloped neck can help you train this. The biggest advantage to the light touch is not just the sheer speed you get, but your hands do not get as tired. If your squeezing on the strings your going to exhaust your hands and forearms and maybe even get tendinitis. Ask yourself which is easier lifting a 10 lbs weight a few hundred times or a feather a few hundred times.

[Imanzane]

So helpful . Got a new guitar with higher crown height and was baffled why things were sounding wrong . I got heavy hands . Gonna try be more precise . Or carefully file them down . Ìts almost as much difference as a bend .

[WendyElkins-yf]

Thanks again Chris. U are my go to Luther I watch for advise and tips. Thanks so much.

[spiderfan]

You can level tall frets a few times before a refret. I prefer medium/low frets but can play tall ones.

[jooles]

After a life-time of playing I decided to get myself a new/vintage style 60s Solid-body Strat. It came with Vintage tall frets. I never used em before "undressed" which can make you play differently. I ditched using a pic on this Guitar and immediatly it sounded amazing. I got a Tele which had the sama frets but I decided to dress them and then I realised that when properly set and dressed the difference is night and day, I can even buff them down every string change till they get just right(fine wire wool). Having said this they are a lot better than the old style thin frets. Best frets on a strat were Dunlop medium jumbo that makes the playing less tiresome and gives the instrument a better sustain and clarity. I have learned after 45 years not to exert too much force on the strings and fretboard when it's not necessary. You have to be versatile and learn to adapt quickly....or get a decent fret-job, get an experienced luthier to do it and ask questions so you can learn toDIY.

[MrStevehunter]

The most recent guitar I've bought is a Fender Made in Japan Traditional '60s Mustang and part of its specification is what Fender Japan describe as "vintage-style frets" which are lower than modern ones. Before it arrived from Fender Australia I was afraid that this would be an issue for me, used as I am to modern jumbo frets.The 'vintage-style frets ' are only about 1mm high and 2mm wide and I'm not a very skilful player.
Happily they were very easy to adapt to, with no disadvantage over the modern higher and wider frets on my other Fender and Gibson guitars and, as you say, being lower they alter the tune less than high frets do when you press down.

[josephb]

I hadn’t played for about 38 years. Recently got a Jackson guitar. neck feels nice and even though it’s like starting over as a beginner to get coordinated again I felt like something is wrong with this guitar thinking it won’t stay in tune and the intonation is way off driving me nuts. So just yesterday I noticed how easily it is for the pitch to change when fretting the strings. Before when I was young I played for about 9 years on an old Telecaster Deluxe and the frets were short and I loved that guitar 2:54

[bryantwalley]

Great video. I play heavy handed. I hate big tall frets.

[TheRealSteveMay]

One thing I did to help develop a light touch is go down to 8 Guage strings. It takes a bit of getting used to but I prefer it now.

[dadudezpr]

Hi, is your video change my mind and the way I play guitar, a Luthier te each me how to press on the Fret, wow thanks dude!

[justinpaquette]

I did the opposite. I decided to correct my technique. I went down in string gauge, up in action and taller frets. Now my guitar yells at me every time I press too hard. Now I have a lighter tough and strings are real easy to bend. The high action makes the notes really right out. The action is not so high it goes out of tune though, its about the action used on an acoustic, but on an electric

[belo]

Hello,
Would Dunlop 6100 would fit on a Les Paul ( I play soft !) ? I play blues and classic rock ...Thanks a lot for your answer and help. Kind regards from France

[tiagoramalhais]

Good tip, another element to the equation is the strings gauge, the thicker the strings the higher the tension and the harder it is to press down and go out of tune. But regarding fret size I prefer medium just because I like the feel, with tall frets I actually play more accurately and with a lighter touch but it just feels weird to me.

[jamesjames]

Is tall frets somewhat analogous to a scalloped fretboard?

[FiddleSticks]

Great tip. I believe this is less relevant (but not entirely) for nylon string/classical guitars because of a lower elastic modulus for nylon strings. (They have to be stretched further to change an equivalent pitch). I’m curious on knowing your fret height recommendations for classical guitars .