Fret question

dan_giese · Post by **dan_giese** » Mon Oct 27, 2003 7:10 am

Hello all. I am new to this forum. It's hard to believe i havent found this site earlier! I've had my ric 360, six string for a couple of years now and i've grown to love it more and more each day. However, I do prefer the feel of larger frets to the standard ones, and i am seriously considering having some jumbos or the like put on. Has anybody here done that? Opinions? I have been searching the forums about refretting until i turn blue in the face. I hope to hear from some of you!
dan

admin · Post by **admin** » Mon Oct 27, 2003 7:41 am

Welcome Dan. Congratulations on your Rickenbacker 360. This model is surely a classic.

A number of people have successfully refretted their Rickenbackers with a gauge of wire that is slightly wider and higher than the stock RIC wire. This comes down to the functional versus the aesthetic. If you are a "bender" then increasing the height will make this playing style easier.

It may also be of interest to note that, depending on your pickup, as you bend up the fret you may notice a volume drop off in the note. This effect has been noted by those who have high gain pickups on their Rickenbackers.

So getting the right fretwire, for your playing taste, may yield results that are not as palatable as you would like. Just in passing, it would be important that you have your instrument refretted by someone who is familiar with a lacquered fingerboard. There are a few additional considerations in doing this work, should you wish to avoid cosmetic blemishes.

sneakers · Post by **sneakers** » Mon Oct 27, 2003 9:23 am

Ahhhhhhhh....... I'm not alone, but I've learned to adjust to my 360/12. It just seems right now, plus I don't have nerve enough to rip the frets out and replace them.

dan_giese · Post by **dan_giese** » Tue Oct 28, 2003 7:01 am

Peter, Thank you for your reply. I have the standard pickups on mine, and i dont really notice a drop off when i bend with my standard frets. Do you know why this may occur with larger frets? Do different frets change the tone much? If i go ahead with this, i'd take it to Dave's guitar shop in Lacrosse, WI. it's a great store and they sure know what they're doing.

Dan

admin · Post by **admin** » Tue Oct 28, 2003 8:13 am

Dan: Based on the conversations I have had with people who have changed the fretwire of guitars, there has been no reported change in the tonality. The greater the displacement of the string from its normal position the greater the likelihood that the string may move away from the pole position of the high gain pickup producing a reduction in volume.