brad347
02-08-2008, 10:09 PM
Hey all.
I'm about due for a refret on a '67 Epiphone Riviera.
I want to put frets on that are as close to the original width as possible. I wouldn't mind if they were a little taller than the frets on there right now (don't know if they are leveled or not). They're so low that they could not even be dressed... 'fretless wonder' style. That's not really my bag, but i don't want real tall frets either. I don't care for either extreme, but something right down the center of the strike zone. I like old guitars and have always played old guitars, and I'm used to the way they feel. Never got into big frets.
So, not caring much for big frets, even "medium jumbos," I tend to like skinny frets of medium height. The originals on my '62 jazzmaster and '53 Epiphone Triumph are perfect, but most people would probably consider them banjo frets nowadays.
I realize the wire on the Epi is a little wider than that wire, but I want to leave it with what it was built with. I sort of believe in letting guitars be what they are rather than changing them all around. I changed one guitar all around and it didn't help it much, but that's another story...
Anyway, my question is "what currently produced wire is as close as possible to stock 60s Gibson wire."
While we're at it, I've also heard rumblings of late against the durability/quality of Dunlop fretwire. Anyone else heard this and can confirm/deny it? If so, who makes better wire?
This will be my first time to have a guitar refretted. I've always had enough guitars around and played with a light enough touch that I've managed to avoid it until now. I'm afraid that old jazzmaster isn't far behind though...
I'm about due for a refret on a '67 Epiphone Riviera.
I want to put frets on that are as close to the original width as possible. I wouldn't mind if they were a little taller than the frets on there right now (don't know if they are leveled or not). They're so low that they could not even be dressed... 'fretless wonder' style. That's not really my bag, but i don't want real tall frets either. I don't care for either extreme, but something right down the center of the strike zone. I like old guitars and have always played old guitars, and I'm used to the way they feel. Never got into big frets.
So, not caring much for big frets, even "medium jumbos," I tend to like skinny frets of medium height. The originals on my '62 jazzmaster and '53 Epiphone Triumph are perfect, but most people would probably consider them banjo frets nowadays.
I realize the wire on the Epi is a little wider than that wire, but I want to leave it with what it was built with. I sort of believe in letting guitars be what they are rather than changing them all around. I changed one guitar all around and it didn't help it much, but that's another story...
Anyway, my question is "what currently produced wire is as close as possible to stock 60s Gibson wire."
While we're at it, I've also heard rumblings of late against the durability/quality of Dunlop fretwire. Anyone else heard this and can confirm/deny it? If so, who makes better wire?
This will be my first time to have a guitar refretted. I've always had enough guitars around and played with a light enough touch that I've managed to avoid it until now. I'm afraid that old jazzmaster isn't far behind though...