My Iceman has tall frets on it. At least taller than any other guitar I own or have played.
It makes it a bit different to play, but I'm good with that--as well as the fretless wonder type on another guitar.

I find it makes bending easier, and helps with vibrato.
But you also have to watch how you remove your fingers from the strings as you can get accidental pull offs sometimes.

 

But you also have to watch how you remove your fingers from the strings as you can get accidental pull offs sometimes.

I get those on my current guitars!

 

My Tele has a 9.5" radius fret board, deep C neck profile and jumbo frets.
Though I tend to prefer a flatter radius neck (I don't like 7.25" radius boards) this guitar is super comfortable and easy to play.
My Strat has a 10-14" radius fret board, modern D neck profile and medium jumbo frets.
While I tend to prefer the deep C neck shape over the modern D, I find both guitars easy to play and do like the big frets on them.
That said, I have other guitars with smaller frets and I like them as well.
I find that the neck profile and radius are bigger factors to me than the fret size.

 

Not to derail but**

the fatter v-picks (3mm and fatter) help with arthritis a lot. They’re an instant relaxation on the hands. The Farley or snake are a good starting point. Even the 1980 ( although that one has what’s called a ghost rim, still pretty sweet. Just a different biting attack). Ask @bigboki @sulphur And a bunch of others. I really notice a difference. And going to 0.09’s was a breath of fresh air. With so much more articulation.

happy to discuss is you wanna chat.
Good luck. Oh and tomatoes are said to be bad for arthritis. So says YouTube lol.

Dr. Chong from the William Osler Health institute in Hamilton told me once and I quote: Your hands are like guns with a limited number of bullets. Choose to shoot them wisely.

He was an expert Dr. especially with musicians And artists and their health issues.

 

Not to derail but**

the fatter v-picks (3mm and fatter) help with arthritis a lot. They’re an instant relaxation on the hands. The Farley or snake are a good starting point. Even the 1980 ( although that one has what’s called a ghost rim, still pretty sweet. Just a different biting attack). Ask @bigboki @sulphur And a bunch of others. I really notice a difference. And going to 0.09’s was a breath of fresh air. With so much more articulation.

happy to discuss is you wanna chat.
Good luck. Oh and tomatoes are said to be bad for arthritis. So says YouTube lol.

Dr. Chong from the William Osler Health institute in Hamilton told me once and I quote: Your hands are like guns with a limited number of bullets. Choose to shoot them wisely.

He was an expert Dr. especially with musicians And artists and their health issues.

I am transitioning from using picks to using my fingers.

I have thought about going to 9s on my Gibsons. i currently use 9.5s on my Tele, and I believe my acoustic is strung with 10s (maybe 11s?).

 

All good tips already provided. I had some issues with my fretting hand due to a b-ball injury a few years back - forearm tight/painful, fingers tight / arthritic type pain. Started an exercise regime to get blood flowing combined with massage. Did the Osteopath, Neurologist (ulnar nerve issue developed), Acunpuncture, Chiro etc. and the RMT and Osteopath provided the best results.

I make sure I do push ups everyday as I’m exercising less. One key ingredient that was suggested to me by an RMT a year ago was Yoga Balm. This stuff is like magic. Not cheap, but all natural, smells strong and slight burn but incredibly effective. My fingers/forearm have never felt this great in a long time. A good warm up prior to picking up an instrument is also key.

all the best

 

Where did you apply Yoga Balm ? over the entire arm or just locally where you felt the pain ?

 

I apply it all along the forearm (over and under the arm). One morning I woke up with a stiff neck, applied the balm, and within minutes, it was gone.

 

If your not used to large (taller) frets you will press harder than usual.
I have 90's Guild s100 with flat fat frets and its great, some people wouldnt like it for bends.
I lighter gauge string might help with string pressure.

 

I have the beginnings of arthritis. We wear out, I'm afraid. Barre chords especially have become harder. I use this, which makes the barre much easier on my index finger. It presses the strings a bit closer as well, making the rest of the chord easier to play. You can experiment with anything about the same size and shape.

fireslide home

 

I popped into my local L&M today to try some different Teles.

The necks weren't super comfortable, but I think that is mostly due to unfamiliarity and is something that would be overcome fairly quickly.

If I am going to make the switch, I think jumbo frets would be the way to go rather than the vintage tall ones. Unfortunately, on all of the Teles that I tried the strings were dead flat (ie. they didn't follow the curve of the neck) which made them all damned near unplayable. And it wasn't just me, a friend who works there tried them and said the same thing. I can pop back in tomorrow and get their tech to fix the radius of the strings on the ones I am interested in. He is a friend of mine and I have to go by to see him anyway, so might as well kill two birds with the one stone.

Then again, if I want jumbo frets I could always just buy an '80s shredder for shits and giggles or forget the jumbos and stick to what I know and buy an SG.

 

My experience with larger frets on an electric is that I tend to push the strings out of tune because I mostly play bluegrass kinda shit on Martin dreds with 13s on them so lots of hand strength. My MagSeven tele has medium frets and a compound radius which I like with 11s. Firebird V 2015 has very low frets and a wide neck so I finally tried 10s and they work good on the Firebird. They're all different; pretty much every guitar I have likes different strings from the others and the necks are all different radius, thickness, scale length and nut width. Then there's the fuckin mandolin ... lol

 

I’ve had tennis elbow the last couple months, I recently picked up a Suhr modern, stainless steel jumbo frets, 10-14” compound radius, I set the action pretty low and set it up with 9’s. It’s the most comfortable playing guitar I own.

 

And here I was thinking a "light touch" was a function of action height, string gauge and proper crown on the fret...

 

I would try more modern shaped necks with a medium jumbo. Stainless is really nice. You mention shredder guitars, get your hands on a Jackson USA soloist just for a test drive and see how it is for you. I feel they really nailed the neck on those. Note the specs, and find something similar like an Anderson or Suhr and don't look back.

I went from stock vintage thin to medium jumbo's on my D35 when I wore through the first set. It changed the guitars tone a bit but I find it more comfortable, snappy in a good way and easier to play leads/bend.

All that said, the easiest playing guitar I've tried was a 70's les paul custom black beauty. I think it was a fretless wonder and man, the strings bent themselves.

 

All that said, the easiest playing guitar I've tried was a 70's les paul custom black beauty. I think it was a fretless wonder and man, the strings bent themselves.

I was thinking of my 80s Explorer right before I saw your post...(also a fretless wonder). super easy to play. those badass metal guys had everyone fooled

 

There are two aspects to larger frets: width and height. Frets can be tall and thin, but they can be wide and low as well. Thinner, narrow frets have the potential to be more "accurate" with respect to intonation. where wider ones can be a little off if not crowned properly. Of course, both have the potential to result in optimal or poor intonation, depending on the quality of work done. It's just that wider fret have more space to make mistakes in. In know because I've made them.

Frets having greater mass can afford a smidgen better sustain, but theat would depend on what the neck itself has to offer. If the neck is light and highly resonant, then I imagine a higher-mass fret would aid in sustain, just as a brass nut or greater headstock mass would. If the neck itself is dense and more or less inert, as many maple necks can be, then fret mass is likely moot.

Based on my own experience, taller frets and lighter-gauge strings make for a poor marriage. One has to think of strings as being like a metal bar being bent over a pivot point. The taller the pivot point and the thinner the bar, the easier it is to bend the bar out of its initial shape. I zealously refretted my Epi Coronet myself with heavier frets in the late '70s. The thicker tang of the heavy frets did manage to stiffen the neck as I'd hoped for, but the greater height ended up truncating the life of light-gauge strings. They would lose their intonation easily, and you could easily see it in the way the string vibrated. No longer perfectly straight, they never seemed to be in tune. Perhaps there are string brands that survive such abuse more than others, but frankly I wasn't going to spend the money and time finding out.

The bottom line is that if you can bear with slightly heavier strings, OR find a brand that is more like spring steel and tolerates bending over taller frets better, OR don't mind replacing light strings more frequently, OR don't mind poor intonation, than have at it; hand comfort is never unimportant. But factor in the caveats. This is one of those you-don't-get-something-for-nothing situations.

And, as others here have suggested, perhaps that comfort goal can be achieved with a different neck radius or profile. If you've never tried a V-profile, give it a whirl. The V sirs right in the pocket between thumb and index, and relieves some of the muscle tension normally required to hold one's fret hand rigid. Makes barre-chording easier.

 

Based on my own experience, taller frets and lighter-gauge strings make for a poor marriage. One has to think of strings as being like a metal bar being bent over a pivot point. The taller the pivot point and the thinner the bar, the easier it is to bend the bar out of its initial shape. I zealously refretted my Epi Coronet myself with heavier frets in the late '70s. The thicker tang of the heavy frets did manage to stiffen the neck as I'd hoped for, but the greater height ended up truncating the life of light-gauge strings. They would lose their intonation easily, and you could easily see it in the way the string vibrated. No longer perfectly straight, they never seemed to be in tune. Perhaps there are string brands that survive such abuse more than others, but frankly I wasn't going to spend the money and time finding out.

This is the opposite of what I've experienced. I have the largest available jumbo fretwire on my tele and play with 9's and have never had an issue. It's your touch that affects this the most IMO.

 

Today's episode of That Pedal Show illustrates another aspect of the relationship between light gauge strings and tall frets. Remediable, but does require an adjustment. It's at the 27:30 mark

 

Well, it's not the "opposite", strictly speaking. What you're saying is that it might be an issue if one does not adapt their touch, but if you adapt, it doesn't have to be. That's an entirely sensible and fair comment. At the same time, if one doesn't or can't adapt their touch, it can pose an issue.

 

A v neck with jumbo frets might be the way to go.
Try to play one and see how it feels.
I love a v neck.

Nathan

 

Thanks for all of the comments and advice.

I ended up buying a guitar with a slim taper neck profile and medium jumbo frets. The purchase was completely unexpected.

I was in my local L&M late this afternoon and was trying various guitars. I had no intention of buying today. Just for shits and giggles I tried the Flying V that matches my Explorer. I always assumed that Vs were impossible to play sitting down, but discovered today that they are actually very comfortable and stable even without a strap. I also liked the neck and the frets as they reminded me of my Explorer and didn't bother my hand at all. Actually, my wrist was bothered a bit until I realized that I was in an extreme version of the classical position. Once I relaxed, my wrist felt fine. As I was sitting talking to their Assistant Manager about trading in my Orange towards a V, I kept fretting chords throughout the conversation and my hand didn't tire or ache at all. I took that as a good sign.

I know they have a reputation as metal guitars but guys like Albert King, Pete Townshend, Dave Davies, Billy Gibbons, Hendrix, Marc Bolan, Lonnie Mack, and Keith Richards use(d) them and none of them can be accused of being metal players.

It turns out that the chain has four or five NOS aged cherry Flying Vs left kicking around, and they are currently on sale for about $400 less than the one that matches my Explorer. Because I have bought that Explorer, an AC30, and a Boss GT-100 since the lockdown began I figured I should save the $400 so I opted for one of the aged cherry ones.

One of those is now making it was from Winnipeg to me........................................

This is the model that I bought:

Gibson.com: Flying V 2018

legacy.gibson.com

 

I ended up buying a guitar...
The purchase was completely unexpected ...
I was in my local L&M late this afternoon ...
I had no intention of buying today...

I've bought a few like that .... lol

 

Went to an outside jam at Bales Park today and people showed up with battery powered amps and telecasters; fortunately I didn't get up early enough because I was thinking of going to L&M Bloor and buying a Fishman battery acoustic amp.

 

I just watched the latest TPS on YouTube. Dan, the one who plays the tele's usually plays 11-52's and he was asked to please please try 8's. He really struggled to play them because he had gotten so used to squeezing the heck out of the 11's that when playing the 8's he was constantly out of tune from squeezing to hard. And I just noticed someone already posted the video..... Oops

 

8s are a little extreme, he should have tried 9s to start with.

 

Yes--V's can be very comfortable sitting down--almost makes me want to buy one...

Enjoy!

 

 

I saw a better pic of his playing his in something like the classical position.

 

 

I hope you like the V you bought but didn't play as much as the one you did. It's never a given that two of the same model are going to feel the same - or even sound the same.

Big frets are easier on the fingers for bending but I find very little correlation between player and what is the most comfortable neck to play on. People bring me their guitars that they absolutely love to play and, for me, I just think WTF?
We are all built a little differently so a "best for all" just doesn't exist.
For me, I like a fairly round back profile and medium-large. Has to have soft rolled fretboard edges. I also really like a 1 5/8 nut width which very few companies go with. 1 11/16 is much more common. I have a 1968 es335 with the 1 9/16 nut and round medium-fat back profile that I find is a total breeze to play. Most people don't like that narrow nut width but I got used to it easily.

All to say, if you have arthritis or other hand issues, there's more than just fret size to consider.

 

arthritis??

solution: bigger neck, lighter gauge strings. Jumbo frets aren’t going to have as much as a dramatic impact on the PSI needed to achieve chords and notes.

final solution: nylon string guitars.
Willie Nelson is 1175 years old and can keep up with the best of them with his N20.

 

arthritis??

solution: bigger neck, lighter gauge strings.

Nope. Bigger necks kill me. They make my hand hurt like hell whereas thinner necks do not. I had an R8 that I really liked, but I was forced to sell it because the neck was too big for me (even a friend who is a guitar tech noted that he could feel it when playing that guitar).

It is widely believed that thicker necks help when it comes to arthritis but that is not always the case. If you read the various forums you will find that there is a minority of us who cannot handle thick necks and for whom thinner necks are the way to go.

For me, I can sit here with my hand in a very loose fist and not feel anything. But if I hold my hand wider, as if I am holding something like an imaginary softball in my hand, then it starts to ache after a very short time. The longer I keep my hand like that, the worse it gets.

 

@zztomato is correct - there is no “one size fits all“ and, many other aspects to consider and will vary from player to player. For me, slimmer necks don’t work as the underside of my wrist pushes upward which is the death nail for carpel tunnel. I recently had a stellar Knaggs style Strat that had a medium size neck and within a day, my forearm was f*cked. Medium large neck carves tend to work best for me since reaching middle age....

 

@zztomato is correct - there is no “one size fits all“ and, many other aspects to consider and will vary from player to player. For me, slimmer necks don’t work as the underside of my wrist pushes upward which is the death nail for carpel tunnel. I recently had a stellar Knaggs style Strat that had a medium size neck and within a day, my forearm was f*cked.

Sounds like me playing around with an R7. I loved Gold Tops, but could only ever own an R7 if I was to have the neck shaved down.