Vintage/small/middle sized/not jumbo frets vs Jumbo ferrets

sunshiner · Post by **sunshiner** » Fri Jan 05, 2018 6:03 pm

Side note: "JUMBO FERRETS" is a great band name, take it anyone who wants

I've read numerous times here that you guys liked vintage size frets on your shortscales rather than jumbo frets on current Squier Mustangs and Jaguars.

What are other pros of the vintage size frets other than that they give you more space on a shrtscle neck, if there any? What are cons?

What are pros and cons of jumbo frets on the full scale guitars in your opinion? Have you ever played a Strat/Tele with tiny frets and how did it feel to play it?

Bacchus · Post by **Bacchus** » Fri Jan 05, 2018 6:04 pm

Feels and mojo.

George · Post by **George** » Fri Jan 05, 2018 7:25 pm

I don't like wood rubbing against my fingers so don't like vintage frets. My current guitar I play all the time has proper jumbo frets and I love it. Still sounds like a Strat.

My take is that shortscales happen to be mostly decked out with vintage frets because the majority on the market have always been vintage or vintage reissues. Historically they've never been given a Fender Standard range that incorporates the flatter radius and medium jumbo frets that occurred in the 80s/90s, that all other mainstay Fender guitars have. There's not really any other science behind it that I'm aware of.

BearBoy · Post by **BearBoy** » Fri Jan 05, 2018 7:37 pm

George wrote:I don't like wood rubbing against my fingers.

George · Post by **George** » Fri Jan 05, 2018 7:42 pm

Horses for courses!

vojtasTS29 · Post by **vojtasTS29** » Sat Jan 06, 2018 7:17 pm

I like jumbos. Makes it easier to bend, you can have a lighter touch and there's more material to sand off when they go bad.

Dillon · Post by **Dillon** » Mon Jan 08, 2018 9:54 pm

I don't like small frets. Haven't owned any vintage-spec Fender guitars in years because 7.25" radius and small frets is probably my least favorite combination. Notes tend to fret out easier when bending, and hammer on / pull off doesn't have much sustain.

On the contrary, I also don't like jumbo frets. Easier to fret, but the strings tend to dig into your fingers, and it can be too easy to fret, with pressing too hard inadvertently altering pitch.

Medium / medium jumbo is where it's at. Nothing too wide or too tall, but just right. As far as short scales go, the recent-ish crop of Chinese and Mexican models with with 9.5" radius and medium frets are by far my favorite.

sunshiner · Post by **sunshiner** » Sun Jan 14, 2018 2:15 pm

I like the way my acoustic guitar feels when I play cowboy/barre chords. It has flatter radius and rather small frets. And though I have a light set of strings on it, it's still a PITA to bend. So, bigger frets are a universal choice for a reason

singlepup · Post by **singlepup** » Sun Jan 14, 2018 11:12 pm

So I had a Squier VM Jaguar. Playing chords in the upper register was tough. Since I'm primarily a rhythm player, it felt like only half of the guitar was useable. That is literally the only reason why I sold the guitar: I did not like medium jumbo frets with the 24" scale.

In contrast, I had a Squier Vista Jagmaster (CIJ) with vintage frets. It was such a pleasure to play. That neck was perfect. Too bad I don't really like humbuckers or Strat bridges.

Now, if we're talking about 25.5" scale, it's a different story. I currently have two Telecaster variants. One has vintage frets, one has medium jumbos. I don't really have a strong preference. Both are good for different reasons. As you might imagine, the vintage-style one has a 7.25" radius, while the other has a 9.5" radius. I get along fine with both.

Honestly, I think the most important part of a neck is its shape. I had a 62 AVRI Jaguar that should have been amazing. However, there was something about the neck shape that I just hated. My wrist cramped when I played it for too long. The Squier VM Jaguar had a much more comfortable neck IMO.