Who likes Speed Frets?

[dubtrub]

Adam, those frets on the Mosrite photo you posted don't look like any original speed frets I've seen. All the 60s Mo's I've encountered had flat frets like the fretless wonder. If they had frets like depicted with some height and roundness I would probably like 'speed' frets. On my '64 the frets are flat as a pancake with almost sharp edges just like on your '63.

I watched Semie do his speed fret routine back in 1960. He simply used a largeflat file and filed those fret down almost to the tang then smoothed up the edges. Check out Mel's thread on the parts-rite he built. He speed fretted his guitar using that same method.

[dorkrockrecords]

Danny, you played that guitar that I posted (it IS my '63) and there's no doubt that they are speed frets. However, they have zero fretwear so your chances of finding another example like it are slim to none.

[JimPage]

Hey, Danny--

>>Check out Mel's thread on the parts-rite he built. He speed fretted his guitar using that same method.

Can you please post a link to that thread? Mel is MWaldorf, right?

I have been looking for the last hour and can't find it, but I have learned a lot by looking at some other folks' work.

In my search I saw a refinish of a '64 Mustang that really took me back to my early days of playing in bands; my best buddy, then and now, had a red Mustang that was great except for the switches.

--Jim

[dubtrub]

Hey, Danny--

Can you please post a link to that thread? Mel is MWaldorf, right?

viewtopic.php?f=20&t=112&start=60

[MWaldorf]

Thanks for the link Danny. I used a big flat file to do the job. I actually did it several times to get the frets as close as I could to the '66 I've got. The key was to remove the string guide and get the neck as flat as possible so that the frets were level. This is my main guitar these days, and I'm pretty happy with how it came out. A more practiced hand would have gotten the fret ends dressed better, but hey.

[dubtrub]

Oh! I almost forgot to answer the question to this topic. Who likes Speed Frets? NOT I.

I love everything about a Mosrite except the ultra narrow string spacing at the zero fret and those little speed frets. That's precisely why I build my own custom clones.

[Veenture]

I love everything about a Mosrite except the ultra narrow string spacing at the zero fret and those little speed frets.

This is precisely what makes me so hesitant of going after a real Mosrite; …what if I can't get used to playing on one?

Having said that, I don't favour jumbo -or even medium-jumbo frets either...and oh, the way I lowered medium jumbo frets on a one-time Strat of mine was NOT by filing down each fret individually with a file but with a sand block of cork using a very fine sandpaper wrapped around it, filing...err sanding about 4 or 8 frets at a time, depending on where you start on the fingerboard. I had zero experience and figured this way would offer best results regarding uniformity in the frets. This method at any rate highly reduced the risk of doing filing damage to the fingerboard.

BTW, Adam, thanks for coming to the rescue with that excellent close-up of the slim frets on your very own '63 Mo' (secretly I was hoping you'd come up with a suitable pic ...and the frets don't look all that 'discouraging' either, I must admit – hardly like the Gibson’s “Fretless Wonders”)

[dubtrub]

Paul,

Although I haven't played an original from the 70s, it is my understanding that Semie quit filing down the frets down to the tang and those guitars are considered more playable. The new Fillmore Mosrites that Dana sets up are much more playable. They have extremely small frets similar to a mandolin but yet the are extremely serviceable. They are not filed down flat, yet would be considered speed frets by most folks. Thay are dress down quite a bit though, and if all else fails, simply raise the action and you can dig into the neck and get those cool string bends. That's hard to get do on a '60s Ventures model. with the frets filed away However, between my '64 & '66, the '66 is more playable as the frets aren't file away as much. The original vintage fret wire starts out at .070 wide and the tops are filed away. Mandolin wire is usually around .055 - .065 and pretty low by comparison. I normally use .080 wire from Stew Mac, then dress them down about 2/3 their normal height and that seems to get it in the right 'feel' zone for my style of playing.

[brutus]

Not to stray off topic but, the fret markers on the octave of my guitar have risen above the fret board. The strings are not catching but i can feel them with my fingers and see that are above the fret board. how would I fix this problem?

[dubtrub]

Not to stray off topic but, the fret markers on the octave of my guitar have risen above the fret board. The strings are not catching but i can feel them with my fingers and see that are above the fret board. how would I fix this problem?

Use an Exacto knife and shave them off flush. But first, try pushing them back down with the flat edge of a screw driver.