Hello All! I have owned a lot of Fender gear through my 32 years of playing mostly Gibsons & Fender stuff. Tweed amps etc.

I recently bought a 2012 American standard strat /w/ maple neck from Wilcutt guitars. On arrival I noticed the frets seemed very low. I called their shop, talked to the person that set up & shipped the guitar and he swore to me the frets were never touched and were 100% factory.
I realize you loose some height from lacquer but mine measure at lowest .036"
(Av.036-.040) Does this sound typical to you? That just sounds like 6130 fret dim.
They are dressed beautiful,& the neck is SUPER straight but...
I almost feel like I may have got a lemon here? I have researched this immensely and cannot find an answer as to whether this is standard on these guitars

Thank You.

Hi Dynochrome,



What difference does it make? If you like the way that the guitar plays/feels, forget about it. If you don't like the way that it plays/feels then take it back. To get a true measure of the fret height, you would have to remove the poly finish and/or remove a fret to measure (yes it's poly, not lacquer). Or, even better, compare yours to another similar new model.

_________________
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Too late to take it back. And I don't like low frets. I am simply wondering if they all are like that or whether I got screwed. I don't care how much is buried under the poly it is irrelevant.I'm not trying to identify the fretwire. I am talking about the part that gets used. (above the poly.) and on mine the usable part is .036"

OK, the height of medium-jumbo frets is listed as .036". Your guitar is listed as having medium-jumbo frets. I'd say that your measurement indicate that things are as they should be. Perhaps you would prefer the 6105, 6150, or 6100 as they are very tall.

Fret Sizes

2012 American Standard Specs

_________________
---> "The amp should be SWITCHED OFF AND UNPLUGGED before you do this!" <---

Por favor, disculpe mi español, no se llega a la práctica con mucha frecuencia.

Normally I put in 6000. Most people seem to like bigger frets,I would think if all new fenders were like mine there would be more complaints. I'm sure only a small percentage of new guitars (any brand) have frets .036" from factory. That's nearly worn out to a lot of folks.I asked Fender with no reply yet if they are all like this - that's all I want to know.

Also the chart you linked listed "Modern American Necks" as having 6150 frets .046 tall.
When I asked a authorized dealer what frets were in 2012 AM Fenders he said 6150.
If so I lost .01 between Poly and finishing. I also realize not everyone's "Jumbo" is the same.
If someone else has a New American Strat that can measure fret height?

Yep, different strokes. The medium-jumbo (6130) and vintage size (6230), are almost exactly the same height, and those two sizes are on the majority of Fender Strats, not "worn-out" at all. It just sounds like the medium-jumbos are not for you, but they seem to be the correct size for this model, from your indications.

6000? That must be very tall, I didn't see that size listed. Have you tried a scalloped fret board?

_________________
---> "The amp should be SWITCHED OFF AND UNPLUGGED before you do this!" <---

Por favor, disculpe mi español, no se llega a la práctica con mucha frecuencia.

I believe 6000 are the biggest. Measurement wise not a whole lot bigger than 6100.

You don't need to scallop your board with those babys.

http://www.lutherie.net/fret.chart.html

Nice chart, thanks.

I can see why you feel that the medium-jumbos seem worn-out when compared to your preferred fret size.

The Road Worn Strat has the taller 6105 frets, and although seemingly easy to fret notes/chords, it feels like little speed bumps when sliding down the neck, so I just prefer the medium-jumbo overall. Maybe I like the feeling of security that I get when my fingers touch the fret board.

_________________
---> "The amp should be SWITCHED OFF AND UNPLUGGED before you do this!" <---

Por favor, disculpe mi español, no se llega a la práctica con mucha frecuencia.

Fender contacted me. Seems the wire starts @ .046. SO between poly & finishing I lost .01
That seems like a very small amount, (3-4 sheets of paper or hairs) but it takes some getting used to for me. I have to be conscious about it or my fingers don't "dig in" right and I could slip off a string. And I don't really like to have to think about anything but the notes I'm playing! I am just so tore about having biggies put in a brand new guitar.
Otherwise I love this guitar. It's really a solid & beautiful piece.