So I've made five cbgs so far and I'm really wanting to try frets on my next build. I still want to be able to play slide with the frets so I'm wondering what fret size to get to start experimenting with.
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I too prefer large frets for personal builds.,,.but for the guits I build to sell I use Stew-mac #148 medium/medium for the frets and #150 highest/widest for my zero fret.,.,works for me.
Fret size doesn't really make a huge difference in terms of playability, but I find wider fretwire easier to install, so most of our guitars use medium or jumbo fretwire (2-2.5mm wide), and I also like the Van Gent super jumbo (about 2.7mm wide). The most important thing to pay attention to is getting the fretboard straight and true (ideally with a tiny bit of relief) and setting the action right- you don't want it too high. Also a good set of decently heavy strings that will come to pitch at a fairly high tension will help greatly with slide playing - you need to have a very light and sensitive touch to play with low-tension strings.
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I too prefer large frets for personal builds.,,.but for the guits I build to sell I use Stew-mac #148 medium/medium for the frets and #150 highest/widest for my zero fret.,.,works for me.
Fret size doesn't really make a huge difference in terms of playability, but I find wider fretwire easier to install, so most of our guitars use medium or jumbo fretwire (2-2.5mm wide), and I also like the Van Gent super jumbo (about 2.7mm wide). The most important thing to pay attention to is getting the fretboard straight and true (ideally with a tiny bit of relief) and setting the action right- you don't want it too high. Also a good set of decently heavy strings that will come to pitch at a fairly high tension will help greatly with slide playing - you need to have a very light and sensitive touch to play with low-tension strings.