modern frets closest to stock 60s Gibson frets

[brad347]

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...

[brad347]

no help huh? Bummer.

[John Bell]

Dunlop 6230 is what you're looking for.

[brad347]

thanks kindly!!

[Soapbarstrat]

If my old Dunlop chart is still correct (from 1990), 6230 is .080" wide by .043" tall.
I know there's a chart online, but I'm too lazy.
Anyway, if that's the size you want, you got plenty of options. If you want to go a little taller, there's the .090" to .095" wide by .047" tall. Stew-Mac's #155 is .080" wide by .048" tall (batch I have is).
And then Jescar (King of fret-wires) has those sizes in NS, SS, and the 080 x 043 in gold colored bronze.
I have to agree that Dunlop is not the best quality wire out there today and not in my best interest to say that, since I do have some handfulls of Dunlop wire still. But I should say, Dunlop is certainly not the worst quality wire out there today. I've had the most trouble with the Dunlop 6105. Takes me 6 feet of Dunlop 6105 to do a 22 fret neck, because I have to put much of it in the reject pile for having so many pits in it.
Normally, it takes me around 4.5 feet for a neck, if it's properly made wire.

[brad347]

am I correct that jescar doesn't seem to have a website, only a mailing address? Is there anywhere where jescar wire is available online?

[Mike9]

http://jescar.com/index.html

[brad347]

thanks. That very first one on their product page looks like what I want.