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Post by ss "Shane" on Sept 2, 2018 4:36:58 GMT -7
I’m currently in the market for a Gibson Les Paul, particularly the traditional 2018. I like everything about the listed specs BUT I’m concerned about the fret size. Gibson list their frets as “medium” and I’m typically a jumbo or 6105 guy.
I played my Father in Law’s 1981 Custom Paul the other night and those frets seems really small. If I had to guess, those frets were vintage.
Are Gibson’s newer “medium” frets round, flat, small? I just don’t know. It seems as if I have to pay well above three grand to get a Les Paul with advertised jumbos or 6105s.
Can someone give me an idea about the Gibson medium frets as compared to Fender’s? Thanks in advance!
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Post by digs57 on Sept 2, 2018 7:51:01 GMT -7
I have only ever played pauls with med-small frets...the frets on gibby's if done right/plecked? are sweet,smooth and buttery...Arent anything like fender to my way of thinking...there not high shouldered frets I guess...to many have that coil tap business in them...hope they all aren't going pc board...maybe?
*Customs do have the smaller high shouldered frets...because of ebony fret board as what I understood*
You land on the right one for you...it will become your new best friend...and yes the one you really want will probably cost you 3k...hope you find a keeper!
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Post by KeithA on Sept 2, 2018 7:53:34 GMT -7
I have only ever played pauls with med-small frets...the frets on gibby's if done right/plecked? are sweet,smooth and buttery...Arent anything like fender to my way of thinking...there not high shouldered frets I guess...to many have that coil tap business in them...hope they all aren't going pc board...maybe? You land on the right one for you...it will become your new best friend...and yes the one you really want will probably cost you 3k...hope you find a keeper! Couldn't have said it better myself 😎
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Post by GuitarZ on Sept 2, 2018 8:06:32 GMT -7
Hey! Keep you hands off of my Les Paul then. I think I have jumbos. When it was re-fretted back around '85, the guy talked me into to going with larger frets to avoid future fret jobs.
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Post by headshrinker (Marc) on Sept 2, 2018 9:40:36 GMT -7
As said above, customs from that era have the "fretless wonder" frets on them, which are thin and often short. As I understand it, they are the ones Les Paul liked. I think they are also on the Les Pauls with low impedance pickups, since he used them also. They are not a good representation of Les Paul frets. Most folks who have them on a custom, get them changed to mediums like on other Les Pauls when they change them out.
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Post by ss "Shane" on Sept 2, 2018 17:52:17 GMT -7
I also brought my brother in law’s Lester home to try out. It’s a Black Beauty bought new sometime between 02 and 05 I think...he doesn’t know.
I love those frets but HATE the 3 humbucker set up. The middle pickup gets in my way. Those frets are a little thicker than my 6105 fretted guitars but seem somewhat narrower that my jumbo fretted ones.
I guess I’m to the point where I have to roll the dice on Gibson’s frets. I’m just hoping that the black beauty are what Gibson are calling medium.
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Post by Chilly Gibbons (Todd T.) on Sept 2, 2018 18:06:33 GMT -7
The new 2019s apparently come with low frets - not exactly sure what that means. Doesn’t sound appealing to me at all. I just got a 2018 SG Standard and it has large frets, medium jumbos. Plays like a dream. Have other Lesters from the past decade and beyond and they all have the same frets. I’ve read about the fretless wonders but have never played one. Don’t think I’d care for it. I think you’d be happy with the 2018 Traditional.
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Post by Christopher on Sept 3, 2018 6:29:43 GMT -7
The frets on my 2005 LP aren't thin and skimpy like my archtop or any of my acoustics but they're fat enough to bend on and play well for me. My CS336 has the same size wire and plays flawlessly, too. The best bet is to get a few LPs in your hands before you pull the trigger. I'd also look for a used one if possible. Save some coin as most start around $1500 instead of $3K.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 3, 2018 6:36:42 GMT -7
I wouldn't trust anything on the Gibson website. Whoever wrote "low frets" may not even know what a low fret would be. If you can't wait to try one at least wait for Premier Guitar to get a hold of one.
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Post by helmi on Sept 3, 2018 7:45:26 GMT -7
I love those frets but HATE the 3 humbucker set up. The middle pickup gets in my way. I have a PRS singlecut where i had a middle pickup added to it. It only get's in the way if you THINK about it. most people are so used to it NOT being there, I think the visual aspect is more of a mental block than anything most of the time. It also depends on where your hand comes across the body and where you pick at. I tend to pick up front around the neck pup, so it doesn't bother me. my fingers may catch the edge of the middle pup pickup ring once in a while, but not the pick. IT'S AN ILLUSION!!! (lol)
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Post by jrl10002 on Sept 3, 2018 9:43:39 GMT -7
You may want to look into a Heritage H-150. They use "medium jumbo" fretwire. I have both Heritage and Gibsons and I like them both but prefer the Heritage. They are still being made in the same way Gibson made them years ago with much of the same tooling and no CNC machines and they now have a plek machine as well. Comparing mine I think the newer Heritage guitars are better than the Gibsons. You will certainly save quite a bit of money if you chose to go the Heritage route. The drawback is resale value of Heritage guitars. If you're looking for a keeper I would say give the Heritage a try. Good luck in your search.
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Post by Maddog on Sept 3, 2018 10:05:31 GMT -7
I had my '56 LP refretted 25+ years ago with what was then called "Medium Jumbo" wire. Absolutely perfect....
It seems very similar (if not identical) to wire I've currently heard being called "Medium" today....
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Post by nicholas on Sept 3, 2018 10:09:15 GMT -7
I currently have two LP Customs, a late 80's, and a 2014. Also a 2016 339. I've also had an embarrassing amount of Gibbys over the years. I can't say I feel much difference between any of them as far as fret size goes. They all feel good. My older Custom's frets are a little lower from leveling jobs over the years, which you might be experiencing with your father in laws guitar? I wouldn't think too much about it. You'll adjust.
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Post by helmi on Sept 3, 2018 15:16:57 GMT -7
You may want to look into a Heritage H-150. They use "medium jumbo" fretwire. I have both Heritage and Gibsons and I like them both but prefer the Heritage. I've owned a H-150. great guitars. all factors considered, I would take one over a Les Paul any day. regret selling it!
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Post by premiumplus (Dave) on Sept 4, 2018 7:30:37 GMT -7
I agree about what's been said about trusting what's on Gibson's website. I own a 2017 Firebird with "Medium" frets, and a 2018 Explorer with "Medium Jumbo" frets. I just looked at them side by side, and without getting calipers out I can't see a difference. Go figure, they both play really well. Now I'm wondering if there's any difference between "Medium" and "Medium Jumbo"...
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Post by Deleted on Sept 4, 2018 8:34:04 GMT -7
All three of my R8s have what I'd call "medium jumbo" frets--which is to say, low-ish and wide-ish. They all play great. I think if it was me I'd try to find the model I was interested in locally and try it out--or make sure that if you're buying online you get a decent approval period in case you want to return it.
That said--before buying a 2018, I'd check out the 2019 models (the early post-Henry era), which are being advertised as "back to basics" and less expensive. I'm really curious if they went back to soldering vs plug-in circuit boards, among other issues.
Also, I can't say enough good things about the now discontinued re-issue models (excluding the 2012s, which have those insane laminated fingerboards). I've owned four of them (wish I still had that 4th one--oops) and they've all been great. If you can find a nice light R8 with a decent top used, snag it!
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Post by ss "Shane" on Sept 4, 2018 15:23:49 GMT -7
I agree about what's been said about trusting what's on Gibson's website. I own a 2017 Firebird with "Medium" frets, and a 2018 Explorer with "Medium Jumbo" frets. I just looked at them side by side, and without getting calipers out I can't see a difference. Go figure, they both play really well. Now I'm wondering if there's any difference between "Medium" and "Medium Jumbo"... Try adding “medium profile” to the mix....whatever the heck that means. It’s enough to make me nuts while reading online descriptions and trying to figure out Gibson’s frets lol. I’m really not looking forward to driving down to a Houston Guitar Center to get hands on.
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Post by mudman on Sept 4, 2018 19:23:06 GMT -7
All three of my R8s have what I'd call "medium jumbo" frets--which is to say, low-ish and wide-ish. They all play great. I think if it was me I'd try to find the model I was interested in locally and try it out--or make sure that if you're buying online you get a decent approval period in case you want to return it. That said--before buying a 2018, I'd check out the 2019 models (the early post-Henry era), which are being advertised as "back to basics" and less expensive. I'm really curious if they went back to soldering vs plug-in circuit boards, among other issues. Also, I can't say enough good things about the now discontinued re-issue models (excluding the 2012s, which have those insane laminated fingerboards). I've owned four of them (wish I still had that 4th one--oops) and they've all been great. If you can find a nice light R8 with a decent top used, snag it! I did. I love that guitar. I play it almost every day.
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Post by Stephen on Sept 5, 2018 18:03:07 GMT -7
I just got a NOS 2016 Les Paul Custom and it has “medium jumbo” frets. I like them.
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