Refret, thinner stings, or something else?

paulmapp8306

so, my strat has recently had a fret dress/crown.   There some fairly deep groves in the 2/3/4th frets and the 9th to 14th were pretty flat.

Obviously that has meant to lower frets than previously - though it was its first dress.  I normally get one or even 2 from a guitar.

However, Im having issues bending the B and top E strings at the 3/4/5th fret now.   Im guessing that the fret height.  They are approx 1mm tall - and I THINK they wernt as tall as my other guitars even new (I think they were around 1.2mm - my others are 1.6mm).

I use 10s on all my guitars, so am now wondering what to do.....

1.   Put up with it and treat it as part of the playability of the guitar.
2.   Use 9s on the strat - or at least try to and see how that works.
3.  Just write off the cost of the dress/crown, and get it referetted (with taller frets than it came with originally).

not sure theres anything else I can do.  Raising the action has no effect as its the gap under the string along with string tension when bending thats the issue.

ZenOvertone

Put on some 9's and enjoy it for another year or two then full refret time - worth checking those heights as I think Dunlop 6105 Narow Tall 18% nickel silver is 1.5mm high "new" IIRC  This chart is useful https://www.jimdunlop.com/content/manuals/DUNLOP_FRET_WIRE_CHART.pdf

OilCityPickups

Hummm that's tricky one - I think I'd try 9s or 9.5 as a short term measure ...  but 1mm is very low for a fret height ... I think sooner or later you are going to need to bite the bullet and get a refret ... you will always be feeling handicapped without it.  

paulmapp8306

OilCityPickups said:

Hummm that's tricky one - I think I'd try 9s or 9.5 as a short term measure ...  but 1mm is very low for a fret height ... I think sooner or later you are going to need to bite the bullet and get a refret ... you will always be feeling handicapped without it.  

I have checked the specs for the guitar from new, and the frets used are indeed only 1.2mm tall new.  Its 11 years old.  Measured with a gauge, and there sitting at 1.06 tall post dress.

Its not really that mush of a loss - 0.14 mm over 11 years, BUT its just enough to struggle with the two lighter strings.

Im guessing trying some 9s on there is the first step.   If it makes it playable, I could work with that for a couple of years then refret.

Ive had a splurge on bringing a couple of guitars up to spec.  I have just re-fretted my PRS, thats 25years old and had already had 2 dresses.   I thought I d get away with one on the strat, but the PRS frets are 1.65mm high at new (and post refret).  Im guessing even after 2 dresses they were sitting around 1.2mm (before the last set of wear obviously) - so it kind of makes sense -though part of me doesn't like the idea of writing off the dress costs lol - but it is what it is. 

paulmapp8306

stuck some regular 9-42s on.  Feels odd lol, but I can bend the top E on the 5th fret by a tone, and just about on the 4th - thats about the same as my Tele with 10s on.

So, ive got some of my regular type strings (the 9s were spares from ages ago) but ordered the 9-46.  That should give me the weight on the bottom and allow me to bend.

Ill get it re-freted a little down the line.  6 months to a year maybe so at least the fret dress costs arnt totally wasted.  

skullfunkerry

Alternative idea: get the fretboard scalloped

fretfinder

Did the ‘luthier’ you used advise you before he did the work that there’d be relatively little fret height left after the fret dress and crowning? Seems like some different advice at that point might’ve taken you straight to the refret you really needed. 

paulmapp8306

fretfinder said:

Did the ‘luthier’ you used advise you before he did the work that there’d be relatively little fret height left after the fret dress and crowning? Seems like some different advice at that point might’ve taken you straight to the refret you really needed. 

no, they said there was plenty of fretwire to do the dress.  They even said when I collected it the frets would take another dress, maybe two.

They also made the point that some like really low frets, and others really high - so reagardless of what the frets "could" take it may not suit me.  

Given there only 1.2mm high brand new, the 1.04mm they are now isnt really that much lower TBH.  The little research I did online gives a guide of re-fret if there would be less than 0.6mm left.  its way over tha in my case.  its also perfectly fine iwt hthe 9s, its just the 10s have higher tension, and I do do full tone bends as low as the 3rd fret.  for those who dont do that - they would be absolutely fine with 10s.

Its a good thing in many way - I know where my limit is.   All my other 3 are 1.65mm.   The PJE is new, the Tom Anderson has SS frets, and the PRS was ferreted a couple of weeks ago (same Luthier) - so again as new.  As such I now that Im good at 1.2mm but 1mm is too low for me with 10s.   I can bear that in mind for future potential dress v refret choices - and also will get taller frets on the strat when it is re-freted. 

Im perfectly happy being able to get 2 good dresses depending on wear from each set of frets.  Given the dress of the strat took 0.15mm off its "new" height - and my other guitars frets (so also the strat after a refret)  start at 1.65, that gives me a GUIDE of 1.5mm after 1st dress, and 1.35 after a 2nd.  I have leeway of taking 0.2mm instead of 0.15mm from each dress and still end up at 1.25mm which I know Im good with.