Fret size on Gibson acoustics, when did they get smaller??

[MKB]

Hi all, can anyone point to a specific date when the frets on Gibson acoustics changed from the jumbos (like on the electrics) to the much smaller frets being used now? It had to be sometime recently; the 1990 J-200 I used to own and probably every other older one I've played has had the jumbos.

 

The Gibson jumbo fret, IMO is the perfect fret for any guitar. I have every one of my non-Gibson electrics refretted with these. And to me the best feeling and playing acoustic is a J-45 with jumbo frets, like all the ones from the sixties and seventies.

 

A few months ago I went to a dealer to try out a new J-45, and was devastated to see it and every other Gibson acoustic has the small frets like on a Taylor. This totally wrecks the playability of a Gibson acoustic, and now I have to look for a used one.

 

Any help is appreciated, thanks!!

[Lefty Guy]

Maybe I'm being stupid but isn't this because the J-45 has a short scale whilst the J-200 has a long scale?

[pschaafs]

My 1969 J-50 has the tiny frets, so it isn't a recent thing....

[Buc McMaster]

I'll admit I've not seen them all, but I can't recall ever seeing a Gibson acoustic with jumbo frets. Those "railroad tracks" were reserved for the electric guitars and light touch playing on the fretboard. Perhaps the ones you're recalling have been refretted with fat wire......

[zombywoof]

Whatever they could make skinny Gibson made skinny in 1965.

[sorad]

the 70s ones i have played have had skinny

[grOOved]

I had a '96 J100 smaller frets, '05 J-160E with jumbo frets, and an '06 J180 with small frets. No clue why. Maybe it depends on the model and year. I personally like the smaller frets on acoustics for a smoother feel.

[anzafrank]

Hi all' date=' can anyone point to a specific date when the frets on Gibson acoustics changed from the jumbos (like on the electrics) to the much smaller frets being used now? It had to be sometime recently; the 1990 J-200 I used to own and probably every other older one I've played has had the jumbos.

 

The Gibson jumbo fret, IMO is the perfect fret for any guitar. I have every one of my non-Gibson electrics refretted with these. And to me the best feeling and playing acoustic is a J-45 with jumbo frets, like all the ones from the sixties and seventies.

 

A few months ago I went to a dealer to try out a new J-45, and was devastated to see it and every other Gibson acoustic has the small frets like on a Taylor. This totally wrecks the playability of a Gibson acoustic, and now I have to look for a used one.

 

Any help is appreciated, thanks!![/quote']

 

My 86 J-30 has the big one's, but I bought it used in 03, and not sure if it was stock.

 

Frank

[eltonwce]

65 LG1 has big frets 72 J45 , 95 BK , 2005J-100 2007 J 45 and 2008 Aj all small frets

[MKB]

Thanks for the responses, it looks like fret size is a bit of a roll of the dice on Gibsons. It's no longer an issue for me though, I found a sixties J45 on ebay and bought that one. MIGHTY nice guitar, and it does have the larger frets, just like I had hoped. What a sweet neck and tone. Problem solved!!

 

FWIW, scale length does not enter into this. It is related to fret size only. My wife's sixties LG0 has the larger frets too. Comparing the fret width of the sixties J45 to an early sixties Melody Maker and my 2005 SG, they all appear to the eye to be the same width.

[grampa]

My Gibson F-25 from 1966 has those nice wide frets. Very nice to play on.

[Jon 185]

I'm kinda new and still learning as much as i can about the playability of a guitar. And how all the different measurements can make a huge difference depending on the size of your hands and fingers! So that said, what are some of the pro and cons of bigger vs. smaller frets pertaining to hand size? Are frets sizes fixed to a specific dimension for a certain neck slot or can any neck slot accept any fret size universally? Thanks!

[fortyearspickn]

Note they're talking about the metal wire used for the frets themselves, not the spaces in between. Wider fret wire might last longer than thin, if of the same metal. Otherwise, they're only speed bumps as far as moving up and down the fingerboard !

[MKB]

It really depends on what you like best. The feel of a sixties Gibson 24.75" scale acoustic neck is just fantastic, and the large frets are part of the feel. I really hate when I have to expend energy pushing my fingertip into a fretboard when fretting a note, larger fretwire lessens this issue quite a bit. I also think the larger fretwire makes the neck much faster. But that's my opinion, others like the small frets for various reasons (as mentioned before they make the neck faster for some players, and lessen intonation issues with some players).

[Andre S]

my Martin frets are narrower and shorter than my Les Paul's