NFT: Guitar fret replacement and playability

Will help, but it might not be a radical change.
ask your luthier about jumbo frets.

Action is the height of the strings above the fretboard. I mean sure, if it's fatter fretwire the strings have to travel less distance to contact the fret, but action is primarily governed by setting the bridge/saddles for the strings you're using, filing the nut to a certain depth, truss rod adjustment, things like that...

You going to play slide? Defenately use jumbo frets or
they will wear down...if you have a truss rod...
you can get action ...I bought an old vintage classical
guitar (no truss)...neck is perfect but action 1/2 "
At 12th fret...guy says he must have left in car or garage..
warped at bridge..way high...have to put bowls of water
inside and cover hole for 2..3 weeks...hope it works

In comment 11835241 SBlue46 said:

Quote:

You going to play slide? Defenately use jumbo frets or they will wear down...if you have a truss rod... you can get action ...I bought an old vintage classical guitar (no truss)...neck is perfect but action 1/2 " At 12th fret...guy says he must have left in car or garage.. warped at bridge..way high...have to put bowls of water inside and cover hole for 2..3 weeks...hope it works

It has a truss rod. It's an archtop. The strings are the TI bebop medium gauge. I'm looking for a Joe Pass/Wes Montgomery style sound. I used to play the medium light gauge (.013s), but it's just as easy to play the .014s and the tone is incredible.

In comment 11835235 Model4001 said:

Quote:

Action is the height of the strings above the fretboard. I mean sure, if it's fatter fretwire the strings have to travel less distance to contact the fret, but action is primarily governed by setting the bridge/saddles for the strings you're using, filing the nut to a certain depth, truss rod adjustment, things like that...

Yeah, I know. I always get it set up professionally. It feels pretty good, but some of my friends' arch tops feel amazing. It definitely takes me a little more pressure to sound notes. It's noticeable. I stumbled upon the article below and it got thinking about it. I don't want to spend that kind of money unless the difference would be significant though.
link - ( New Window )

In comment 11835160 dorgan said:

Quote:

Will help, but it might not be a radical change. ask your luthier about jumbo frets.

Thanks!

..they ROYALLY fucked up my brothers Heritage LP. Frets were a mess, and the axe was returned with a different bridge!

Thanks for the info. I'd do it locally if I decide to do it at all, but the thought of shipping it did cross my mind.

But gibson fat frets would be good...wish I never sold
my 60s gibson 325 ...that was nice jazz guitar. .

Why not es 175 Gibson. ..always liked that guitar. .
my jazz teacher in 70s had one...

I swear that was easily one of the top 2 or 3 guitars I have ever owned. That was a KILLER guitar. I loved everything about that guitar... except the size of the body (which is why I sold it). I still kick myself in the ass every day for selling that guitar.

Surprised you don't like the stock frets, pretty sure they would be medium jumbos.

Refrets, I am not a fan. But Probably only because I have heard my luthier complain about what a bitch it is to do... and the results are generally unpredictable (based on the desired result). I had a warmoth tele neck refretted with 6105 frets from some teeny ones that were on it when I bought it, and the fret board got tore up a little bit when he pulled the old ones out. I never got on with that neck but I think I didn't care for the profile anyway. Wasn't worth the hassle of the refret.

I don't think I have helped you at all here, lol.

Yeah, I do love the guitar. It sounds absolutely amazing. Since I made this post, I have thought about simply adding another guitar (a dangerous path - LOL). I thinking of looking at a Sadowsky Jim Hall and a Benedetto Bravo. I've heard great things about both. These are pricey, but I could find used ones in the $3K range (still more than I'd like to spend, so I may need to sell the Heritage if I fall in love with one of these). Next time I am in NY, I think I am going to head over to Sadowsky in LIC and compare them side by side to the Heritage. It would be harder to find a Benedeto Bravo - I think they are just sold factory direct, but maybe I will get lucky and mandolin brothers or somewhere else will have one. A friend of mine works at the Music Zoo in Roslyn and he is going to keep his eye out for me too.

I LOVE that place! lol Great selection of gear (especially Taylor acoustics).

Wish they were a little closer to me... although that might be bad because I am lusting after a few pieces they have!!

I take the Port Jeff ferry over there every mow and then.

Yeah, it's a really cool place. My friend has been working there for quite a while now. He appraises guitars.

One of the things I am really lusting over that they have... a mahogany Taylor Grand Concert 322CE. I really REALLY want that guitar! lol

Actually I would say leave that one you have as is and buy another. I have seen a Benedetto Bravo in the violin brown to black burst... that guitar was unbelievable, absolutely gorgeous... but I think it was also way (WAY) more than $3 grand!

In comment 11836681 Johnny5 said:

Quote:

Actually I would say leave that one you have as is and buy another. I have seen a Benedetto Bravo in the violin brown to black burst... that guitar was unbelievable, absolutely gorgeous... but I think it was also way (WAY) more than $3 grand!

Yeah, they are $5,000 new. You can find used ones in the $2,800 to $3,500 range, but there aren't many used ones out there and they sell quickly!

In comment 11836681 Johnny5 said:

Quote:

One of the things I am really lusting over that they have... a mahogany Taylor Grand Concert 322CE. I really REALLY want that guitar! lol

I just googled it. Awesome!

one that sold for $3,500. I need to stop thinking about this or they may be a divorce in my future!
link - ( New Window )

the Heritage have bound frets?

If so, the job is complicated. If not, a good luthier can refret without much trouble.

I've had it done twice on acoustics. Both were improved, but both needed fret jobs going in.

Unbound. However, I have done a little more research. It looks like it already has jumbo frets. I measured the string height at the 12th fret low E and it's 3/32". That's pretty good right? I did find something interesting though. One of the online reviews mentioned that this guitar has a very rounded and a little thicker neck than most archtop guitars. Maybe that's what I am noticing when I play other guitars? (Incidentally, this guitar gets great reviews. Most people love them and think they are a great value for a solid carved top.)

I want to sit down side by side with some other archtops, but it will have to wait until my next trip to NY. I need to go to a place like Mandolin Brothers. Down here in VA, Guitar Center seems to be the only place that has them, and they only have a small selection of inexpensive guitars. That's not the comparison I want to make.

neck profile and board width at the nut are the first things I check out on a guitar. If neither one suits me, I don't care how good they sound. If they're not comfortable to play, they're no good to me.

Can't help you much with archtops. Love their sound, but haven't owned one since the 70s. Went exclusively to acoustics back then and with the exception of one banjo, one solid body electric and a few ukes, flat top acoustics are all I own.

Their basses are beautiful, but not for me. A little too "modern" of a tone. I prefer Mike Lulls.

check the height at the 12th fret, then hold the low e down and measure the space between the bottom of the string and the top of the 7th fret. You might just have too much relief in the neck and the truss rod could use an adjustment.

Go to frets.com and check out the articles on set up.
Great resource for issues like this.

Thanks. I wouldn't say it's uncomfortable to play, it's just less than perfect - LOL. It may be time for a change or an addition though. I have had this guitar for 15 years and it's my main gigging guitar. It might be fun to try something else. If another guitar feels a little better, that would be an added bonus. I think I could get $1500 for it which would be a nice chunk of change to put toward something else.

the prices on Heritages, and you're spot on the value. Maybe a bit more, maybe a bit less, but you're in the right area.

One of these days I'll post a picture of some of my guitars.
They're great drooling material!

away! I have tried to avoid getting too into guitars because I am also into watches. That's a deadly combo that would lead me to the poorhouse pretty quickly.

Definitely check the relief. Also, setting the relief for your preferred tone could quite possibly vary from where you would rather it set for preferred playability...

Also, one problem with checking specs on Heritage... not sure what year yours is but I'm thinking they were pretty custom at one point, not sure if they still are. Basically you ordered it with preferred specs... so to throw another wrench in everything if you didn't order your particular guitar it is possible to have been ordered with any number of options... nut width, profile, frets, even fretboard radius could be completely custom!

I only know this because when we replaced the nut on my H535, it was wider than 1-11/16 which took us by surprise a bit. The neck on mine was wide, with medium jumbo frets and a really flat fingerboard radius. Also I would say it was medium thickness or even slightly more narrow and was U-shaped. The neck on that guitar was unbelievable... also mine was built when they were using Schaller for their OEM pickups. Those pickups were fantastic, not super powerful (but powerful enough) really open and chimey. Damn it. Now I'm really missing that guitar again... lol

Mine wasn't customized. I bought it new from Jay Wolfe Guitars in '99. They shipped it to me. It's just a stock '99.

Mine has schallers. It really does sound great which is why I am torn about parting with it. I may just need to save up to add something, but I am sure my wife would want to do something much less fun (like buy a bedroom set).

Keep the Heritage as is for yourself and buy another axe!

Check out how I got my Heritage... I traded a Les Paul 1960 Custom RI (It was Honeyburst on a plain maple top... GORGEOUS) which was a nice guitar, I had swapped the pickups for SD JB and '59 HBs... but I just never got on with that neck. I traded it straight up to East Coast Music Mall (Long gone... GREAT store) for the H535 and a G&L ASAT... I felt like I had won the lottery... lol. All I did was change the nut to Corian because someone had filed the original nut too low. I loved that guitar but I had it in my era (which spanned several years LOL) of severe G.A.S. and I ultimately sold them for something else. I regret getting rid of pretty much every guitar I have owned but the Heritage loss is particularly painful. Keep yours!

advice! That puts off another guitar for a little while though (which would be OK). I wish these things weren't so damn expensive - LOL! I guess I could look at something a little cheaper like a Guild or an Eastman. I'd like to get a laminated archtop in addition the (carved) Heritage. That's what got me thinking about the Sadowsky and the Benedetto (both laminated), but they are up there in price.