Having a vintage Jazzmaster neck refretted, what size?

[adamrobertt]

I've got big frets on my '61...Dunlop 6150, like the ones on my LP Custom...the guitar plays itself

Wanting to try this but worried about it losing that darker JM tone. Did you have any issues Like that?

lol what

[Ursa Minor]

I spent about a full year getting the courage to have my '63 Jaguar done. It needed frets bad. I liked the small frets and it was easy and fun to play but the divots in the first position were too deep to dress away. I went local (luckily have lots of options in Chicago.) Ended up going with Stew Mac #148. They're just a little bigger than the original vintage wire. I couldn't be happier. I'd probably go with the same when my JM finally needs a refret. Can't believe I wasted so much time pining over it. It plays and sounds so much better.

That said, I do like some of the wider, low Gibson wire. I'd totally consider that too and almost went that route. In the end its whatever you feel is best for you. I don't think you'll regret bigger wire. If you're going to keep it then you've already answered that question. Get what's right for you.

The way I see it, you'll have to reacquaint yourself with the neck after a refret no matter what size wire you choose since you'll no doubt have to dial in the setup to taste - so even if you got the exact same size it would still take some time to settle in.

[gishuk]

I love the low and wide Gibson frets, I have a 79 LP Custom and its fantastic, but I've never been sure how well those kind of frets would work on a 7.25 radius neck.

[Tele295]

I think I had Dunlop 6230 wire when I had my Jazzmaster refretted.

[timtam]

Anyone needed more than one refret on a vintage guitar ? That's one argument for stainless steel - you'll probably never need another one on those old slots. Ideally done by the guys who use it all the time, and do them well, not the ones who hate using it. Most will say it's harder to install, harder on tools (will wreck some), so they may charge more ... but the end result is much more durable.

[Dieca]

Another vote for stainless here. I love the feel of the smaller vintage frets, especially when they are narrow and low, I would guess thats just because my first good guitar was my mustang which had its original frets dressed low. Consequently, when refretting I wanted them dressed low and stainless means I can do this without worrying I'll need another refret really soon.

Fret size is definitely a preference, so if you're undecided go and play a bunch of guitars and pay attention to how the different fret sizes feel, I only realised what I liked by playing stuff that I didn't like.