# Why jumbo frets?



## jst (Feb 12, 2012)

Hello,
...just thinking...
Why is it that majority of electric guitars today have huge frets and large radius fretboards?
I mean, I understand the fast playability of such machines, BUT somehow I feel such guitars are geared more towards solo players.
I play only rhythm ( metal ) and lately I´ve been thinking what would a baritone scaled be like with smaller frets, tighter radius ( let´s say 10 or 12" ) and fatter neck? 
Maybe a baritone telecaster but of mahogany and with humbuckers?
Am I alone with this?

Went to check out the offerings on local dealers and the only guitars with smaller frets were Fender stratos and telecasters ( vintage models ).

I haven´t really played for twenty years, but now when our kids are getting older I find myself picking up the guitar more often ( the only one left is the LTD VB-200 ). 
For whatever the reason now I´m more concerned about the FEEL of the guitar as a whole than when I was younger


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## MaxOfMetal (Feb 12, 2012)

It's just a continuation of styles/fads made popular starting in the late 80's and early 90's. Before then, most guitars had small frets (now considered "Medium" or "Vintage Small") and smaller fretboard radii, a hold over from the 20's and 30's when a lot of classically trained musicians used to highly curved fretboards started getting more interested in guitars. 

The guitar is an old instrument and is still evolving. 

I suggest you play a whole bunch of different guitars and decide for yourself what's most comfortable for your own playing style.


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## SpaceDock (Feb 12, 2012)

What ever works with your personal playing habits is best. The rounder neck smaller fret guitars were for thumb over the top players, blues style also satch. The flat wide neck bigger frets is to encourage sprawled hand flat thumb style, more common is lead playing nowadays. I think the best guitars have a hybrid like Jackson were it flattens out closer to the heel. The ebmm petruccis have a nice productive carve that is in between, small round neck flat board big frets. PRS acknowledges this divide in playing style by having the three different carves for players to choose, wide fat, wide thin, regular. Ibanez is the flattest thinnest common guitar.


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## silent_k (Feb 12, 2012)

+1 to Max's suggestion re: playing a lot of different guitars. For me I found big frets meant I could use a lighter touch, making legato runs and getting big, odd chord shapes easier (and improved my bends and vibrato, too). Speaking of chording, I have basically zero metal/shred chops and lean more towards jazz, and for chord melodies I find a flatter radius (like 16", although I'm going to try 20", too) very comfortable. But I also have pretty long fingers and large hands, so your mileage will vary. For me what's also made a big difference is a slightly wider nut -- even the difference between 42mm and 43mm is significant. Guitars, like virtually every other instrument, are systems of interacting elements -- changing one may feel like a substantial enough change for you, but chances are it will be a few different things, like fret size plus radius plus thickness for example, that will ultimately feel right.


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## vansinn (Feb 12, 2012)

Makes it easier playing citar-like on slinky strings


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## Zonk Knuckle (Feb 12, 2012)

Bigger frets make bending easier.


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## Floppystrings (Feb 12, 2012)

Maybe people like jumbo frets because most guitars have thin necks and they like bigger necks and just don't know it yet.

When it comes to bending, it does seem easier on jumbo frets, or even scalloped necks. I don't like my fingers going against the grain on rosewood during bends on the thinner strings, I don't think anyone likes that feeling.


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## Darkstar124 (Feb 15, 2012)

You're definitely not alone. I've always enjoyed Fenders for the radii they use. Great for rhythm!


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## Stealthdjentstic (Feb 15, 2012)

I dont really mind smaller frets but prefer larger ones. I hate the super round radius on Fenders, totally ruins it for me.


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## Qweklain (Feb 16, 2012)

As most have said already, jumbo frets make it easier to bend strings. I personally prefer smaller, narrower frets. I think a lot of Ibanez's tend to have fret wire that is comparable to Dunlops 6105.


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## vampiregenocide (Feb 16, 2012)

I'm hopefully ordering a custom soon, and while I have mostly owned guitars with jumbo frets, I will be getting vintage small stainless steel ones on my build. I tried some guitars with vintage frets and I just find them less inhibitive to my playing. I don't notice them so much.


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## DoomJazz (Feb 16, 2012)

Fret Size :
Fret height - How far away the strings are from the fretboard. The higher the fret, the less contact you will make with the fretboard. 
Fret width - How long the fret will take to wear out

Fretboard Radius:

The bigger the radius, the flatter the fretboard.

Here's what I've found. Jumbo frets just wear longer and feel better. You should choose your fretsize by feel.

A flatter fretboard allows easier bending. Some people say it allows better shredding as well, but this is completely subjective. It is also said that a rounder fretboard allows for easier chording. These two generalizations for radius are what make compound radius fretboards so popular.

Completely my speculation, but Flat Fretboard + Jumbo Frets = Super low action if set up correctly.


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## IkarusOnFire (Feb 16, 2012)

Jumbo frets seem like a nod to old lutes - back in the day, stringed instruments had no frets. The neck was a piece of scalloped wood. I can't remember where I read that, so no links here, but that's what I heard  So why jumbofrets? Cause a lot of people like them...and the "scalloped feel" appears to have been tried and tested, and proven true to many.


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