ngiorgio -> RE: Fret Height? (Jan. 12 2009 7:55:43)
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0,8mm is a vVERY low fretwire. I dont think you can buy anything lower than 0,94mm. So it must be a guitar which for some reason has had its frets lowered. I have played Condes and they did not have such low frets. Fretheight is a compromise. Theory. Talking about same string setup. Lower frets, pros: faster play and a feel that action is lower because distance between string and fingerboard (not fret) is smaller. relaxing feel in left hand. cons. you have to fret you fingers more precise in order to produce a good tone. (closer to frets. will last less time, because you will wear them out faster. Higher frets: Pros: you dont have to fret your fingers so precise in order to produce a good tone. They last longer. cons. The guitar feels like it has a higher setup. More stressing feel in left hand. Go for something normal. I will advice you a 1 - 1,1mm high wire. Making the wire wider can give you a feel of a lower fretwire because you dont bump so much when you slide up and down the neck, but intonation will be worse on worn out frets This is the best explanation I have seen regarding fret height. FWIW, I have had the pleasure of owning and playing quite a few flamenco guitars. The easiest one to play was a negra which had larger than normal frets (which were this luthier's standard fret size) and a slightly radiused fingerboard. This guitar was just effortless on the left hand. Action was set low, well under 3mm at 12th fret. I owned his guitar for 5 years. The most difficult one to play well, was a blanca which had extremely low frets. This guitar was in my possession for a long time. It was not hard on the left hand and played very fast, but was difficult to fret cleanly. I think that what makes the problem worse with super low frets is that they may not be crowned as well as higher frets. If the fret is too flat, it will be more difficult to be accurate with the left hand fingers, and may also lead to some intonation problems.
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