Refretting 1975 4001

[antonius]

I'm thinking of getting my 1975 4001 refretted as I've got some localised buzzing issues due to uneven fret wear and the frets are far too low and worn for levelling/dressing. I've found a well respected luthier here in the north of England who has done a refret and fretboard refinish on his own '73 4001 so I think I'll be in safe hands.

However, is there anything I need to consider when discussing how to proceed with the luthier? I want to get this right. I realise that my bass will feel different with higher frets but is there an optimum fret height or fret type for Rickenbackers? Should they be lower than on other types of basses? Should I go for a more durable fret material than the original frets or will this change the tone? I'd really appreciate any insight from anyone with experience of this. Thanks...

[cassius987]

On all of my new Rics compared to "standard bassses" like Fenders, the frets feel a lot smaller, and I've really come to like that. However the CV is helping in that area. I did play a Road Worn P Bass and it had similarly shallow frets and low action, maybe look in to what they use.

[antonius]

That's useful to know Joshua. Thank you. When you say 'the CV is helping' do you mean that the thick finish is effectively raising the fretboard higher in relation to the frets and making the frets seem even lower? I've been playing this 4001 for 20 years and I've come to love the feel of low frets with low action too, although I'm happy to adapt if necessary.

[FretlessOnly]

Can't speak for Joshua, but it sounds to me that that is exactly what he was getting at. I would definitely consider strongly the height of new frets, especially if you play fairly hard with your fingering hand. If the frets end up being significantly higher than your old ones, you might end up with some pitch problems which would require changing your fingering technique to avoid.

An extreme example of this is my 650 Dakota, which has jumbo frets. As a fretless bass player, I just can't play that guitar in tune because of the finger pressure I use.

[godber]

Paul Wilczynski gave me some advice re. fret sizes for my '78 4000 on this thread -

viewtopic.php?f=14&t=395073

I haven't had it done yet, but there are a number of named fret brands available in the UK which come close to the measurements recommended.

[antonius]

Thanks John and Mark. Great information and advice.