medium jumbo vs vintage tall?

[kuch]

I'm looking at a Fender American Original 60's Tele in LPB, and my only concern is that it comes with Vintage Tall frets.

I would play one if I could but I don't have any access locally to any.

I would appreciate any thoughts from anyone who has these frets on any of their guitars and how they compare with Medium Jumbo's, which are what I'm most used to.

IMHO, it's one of the nicest looking guitars out there, especially with the double bound body.

thanks for any input you might have.

 

[Gimble]

I have vintage tall frets on my Tele, first time I ever had them, before always used medium jumbo frets, except for a MIM Strat that had vintage frets.

In my opinion, it’s the best of both, tall enough for easy bending, but not as obstructive when fretting chords, etc.

 

[unixfish]

The AP-II has "narrow tall" frets on it. I'm not sure if those are the same as vintage tall? I would assume they would be similar enough to give you an idea.

 

[Jakedog]

Narrow tall are my favorite frets ever. Med jumbo is my second choice.

Old school vintage sized frets SUCK. I can deal if they’re on a 9.5” or bigger fretboard. But I don’t like them. Put them on a 7.25” radius neck and congratulations, you’ve created an absolutely useless guitar-like object.

The vintage/narrow tall is great. Easy bending, yet no “speed bump” feel. I’m a fan. They have similar height to med jumbo, they’re just narrower.

 

[Esquire Jones]

I’ve got two guitars with Vintage Tall frets.

They feel different to me.

One is lacquered maple which seems to make the frets feel not as tall, I think.

I mean the ever-so-slight thickness of the lacquer is noticeable.

On a rosewood board, VT frets feel nice, though.

So far, my favorite frets are 6105’s.

 

[howardlo]

I recently got my first two guitars with the tall/narrow frets. I normally prefer med jumbo, but like the tall/narrow better.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

I doubt I'd notice much difference. If I did, most likely I'd forget about it in five minutes.

 

[Boreas]

Never been a fan of medium jumbo. I like my frets loud and proud (of the fretboard). Only way my flabby fingers can grab the strings.

 

[schmee]

The whole industry has confusion on what frets are called.
I'm not sure what 'Vintage Tall' frets are...? never heard of them.
Most common frets are in the range of .043-.047 tall from my experience.
Medium Jumbos are just wider. In the .102 x .046 range.
Frankly either is just fine for me at ~.046 tall, the mediums just wear slower.

True Jumbos are ~.055-.059 tall and useless to me. But when I hear "tall" I think in terms of this.
Some Vintage Gibson are said to be .036 ish. Probably the 'fretless wonder' era.

"Modern Narrow" may be what some call "Vintage Tall'?
Fender says: "Modern narrow and tall; (.090″ x .055″)"

How tall are "vintage tall"?
Also, beware that 6105 has different sizes depending on who you ask.

Warmoth:

Medium Jumbo Narrow (6105)​

This tall, narrow fretwire is a very popular choice among contemporary guitarists.

Materials	Nickel/Silver	Stainless Steel	Gold
Availability
Number	6105	SS6105
Width x Height	.095" X .047"	.095" X .047"

Dunlop:
What size fret wire is 6105?


"The 6105 series is a tall and narrow jumbo wire for players that want more exact intonation.
Measures . 055" tall and . 090" wide."

 

[Festofish]

I’m not a fan of narrow-talls. I’m pretty sure it’s a cost cutting measure. They appeared out of nowhere and I don’t recall anybody bitching about md-jumbos or calling for thinner frets around that time. I’m no historian. It just seems they switched for no real reason except to offset rising costs or more likely to make more money. Sure it might not be much per guitar but you add that for most of the Fenders available today and you’ve got a decent bit o change.

 

[Flaneur]

I needed a period of adjustment, when I bought a used guitar, with NTs. The height felt weird- but the problem was really down to wear. A re-crown solved it.
Some folks can move from guitar to guitar and never seem to worry, about frets, radii and scale length. I also like Medium Jumbos- but once the NT guitar was in playing shape, the adjustment was pretty easy.

 

[Lowspeid]

I own a ‘60’s AO with the vintage tall frets. I also own a Gibson R8 and Songbird Deluxe with similar size frets. I don’t mind them, and they feel a lot better than the vintage size frets that came on a MIJ Jazzmaster I traded away a while ago. But they don’t feel/play nearly as well as the medium jumbos that came on my American Standard or American Deluxe, so when I refret my guitars (Tele will be sooner than later) I’ll be getting medium jumbo frets. They feel “better”, and make it a little easier to play/fret and I hit fewer clams with medium jumbo frets than the vintage tall.

 

[Boreas]

Some digging found this:

Fender American Original 60s Stratocaster Review & Prices | FindMyGuitar

Find the cheapest offers online in this review of the Fender American Original 60s Stratocaster, we'll evalue its sound, build quality, platability and value to help you decide if it's worth getting.

findmyguitar.com

 

[Esquire Jones]

The whole industry has confusion on what frets are called.
I'm not sure what 'Vintage Tall' frets are...? never heard of them.
Most common frets are in the range of .043-.047 tall from my experience.
Medium Jumbos are just wider. In the .102 x .046 range.
Frankly either is just fine for me at ~.046 tall, the mediums just wear slower.

True Jumbos are ~.055-.059 tall and useless to me. But when I hear "tall" I think in terms of this.
Some Vintage Gibson are said to be .036 ish. Probably the 'fretless wonder' era.

"Modern Narrow" may be what some call "Vintage Tall'?
Fender says: "Modern narrow and tall; (.090″ x .055″)"

How tall are "vintage tall"?
Also, beware that 6105 has different sizes depending on who you ask.

Warmoth:

Medium Jumbo Narrow (6105)​

This tall, narrow fretwire is a very popular choice among contemporary guitarists.

Materials	Nickel/Silver	Stainless Steel	Gold
Availability
Number	6105	SS6105
Width x Height	.095" X .047"	.095" X .047"

Dunlop:
What size fret wire is 6105?


"The 6105 series is a tall and narrow jumbo wire for players that want more exact intonation.
Measures . 055" tall and . 090" wide."

The confusion around frets (and neck profile)is what keeps me from buying new guitars online.

It’s all a crap shoot what a guitar neck will feel like.

It’s entirely possible I wouldn’t connect with another guitar that had 6105’s because of all this.

At the end of the day, what does it all mean?

 

[schmee]

The confusion around frets (and neck profile)is what keeps me from buying new guitars online.

It’s all a crap shoot what a guitar neck will feel like.

It’s entirely possible I wouldn’t connect with another guitar that had 6105’s because of all this.

At the end of the day, what does it all mean?

I know, with all the time spent on ads and stuff, you would think makers would get hip to specifying real data, neck thickness, shape, radii, body size etc etc.

 

[John_doe_blc]

I'm glad you're considering the Fender American Original 60's Tele in LPB. It's definitely a beautiful guitar, and I can understand why you're drawn to it.

When it comes to the Vintage Tall frets, it's great that you're taking the time to research and compare them with the Medium Jumbo frets you're most used to.

I personally have some experience with Medium Jumbo frets and I've found them to be very comfortable for playing a variety of styles. However, I haven't had the opportunity to play a guitar with Vintage Tall frets.

From what I've read, Vintage Tall frets are known for having a bit more height, which can result in a slightly different playing experience, such as increased sustain and easier bending. However, it may take some getting used to for those who are primarily accustomed

 

[Boreas]

I know, with all the time spent on ads and stuff, you would think makers would get hip to specifying real data, neck thickness, shape, radii, body size etc etc.

Specs are not sexy. Manufacturers don't like to specify their "secret sauce" any more than they have to. But they should make those specs easily available for us "number nerds".

 

[kuch]

Old school vintage sized frets SUCK. I can deal if they’re on a 9.5” or bigger fretboard. But I don’t like them. Put them on a 7.25” radius neck and congratulations, you’ve created an absolutely useless guitar-like object.

Hey JD,
I might not feel as strongly as you do on the subject, but I pretty much agree. I picked up a AVRI 52 tele, twice, because who wouldn't want one right? Well, eventually I sold them both because I couldn't "bond" with the 7.25"R and vintage frets. And, this is from a guy who grew up playing those types of neck/frets in the 60's. Go figure....
Fender in the last few years has finally realized that a lot of players like the flatter fretboards and larger frets. It's great that they're putting them on "vintage" style guitars.

thanks for your feedback

 

[kuch]

I'm glad you're considering the Fender American Original 60's Tele in LPB. It's definitely a beautiful guitar, and I can understand why you're drawn to it.

When it comes to the Vintage Tall frets, it's great that you're taking the time to research and compare them with the Medium Jumbo frets you're most used to.

I personally have some experience with Medium Jumbo frets and I've found them to be very comfortable for playing a variety of styles. However, I haven't had the opportunity to play a guitar with Vintage Tall frets.

From what I've read, Vintage Tall frets are known for having a bit more height, which can result in a slightly different playing experience, such as increased sustain and easier bending. However, it may take some getting used to for those who are primarily accustomed

JDB,
Welcome to the forum.

thanks for your input

 

[Tricone]

Vintage Tall = railroad tie

Medium Jumbo = parking lot/drive thru speed bump.

I am having medium jumbo 6100 stainless steel fretwire installation on my vintage archtop the middle of next month. I prefer mj's profile and feel personally. Ymmv.

My tricone has vintage tall fretwire.Vintage tall isn't a bad feeling fret wire at all. I prefer the smoother feel of mj wire. I will replace my tricone's fretwire with 6100 ss mj when it is due a fret change.