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  #1  
Old 09-17-2020, 04:56 PM
brians356 brians356 is offline
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Default Decision: Fret profile for modern J-200

My first launched thread on this forum. (Been active on UMGF and TDPRI a long time.)

I'm refretting an Epi Elitist (MIJ 2000s) J-200. It was built with jumbo frets (.106 x .047) but I'm thinking of switching to mediums (.080 x .043) since that's what I prefer playing on. However, I'm also planning on selling this guitar in the near future, so I'm thinking maybe I should put jumbos back on it. People may expect jumbos on latter day J-200s. All my other Gibson 6-string acoustics are '40s through '50s and have medium frets. But later Gibsons may lean toward jumbos, I just don't have much exposure to them.

Any suggestions or comments?

Brian
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'00s Epi Elitist J-200
'85 HD-28, '98 HD-18 Jimmy Buffett, '05 D-1, '06 000-15S
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  #2  
Old 09-17-2020, 07:29 PM
Rudy4 Rudy4 is online now
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Originally Posted by brians356 View Post
My first launched thread on this forum. (Been active on UMGF and TDPRI a long time.)

I'm refretting an Epi Elitist (MIJ 2000s) J-200. It was built with jumbo frets (.106 x .047) but I'm thinking of switching to mediums (.080 x .043) since that's what I prefer playing on. However, I'm also planning on selling this guitar in the near future, so I'm thinking maybe I should put jumbos back on it. People may expect jumbos on latter day J-200s. All my other Gibson 6-string acoustics are '40s through '50s and have medium frets. But later Gibsons may lean toward jumbos, I just don't have much exposure to them.

Any suggestions or comments?

Brian
It depends on how much money and time you're willing to throw away.

Modify it as you see fit; someone else might actually agree with your modifications. Otherwise, sell it at whatever the market will allow and let someone else reverse your efforts if they choose to do so.
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Old 09-18-2020, 01:05 PM
Howard Klepper Howard Klepper is offline
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I've gotta wonder if the person who decided to name a line of guitars "Elitist" spoke English as a first language.
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Old 09-18-2020, 02:36 PM
soma5 soma5 is offline
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Why would you compromise your enjoyment playing a guitar for as long as you own it so that it might sell a little more easily at some undefined point in the future? A fret job is a few hundred dollars for a buyer. Let them decide what they want and take care of it themselves.

If you don't really like the guitar, why re-fret it at all?

It is possible that I'm misinterpreting the situation. If I got it wrong, I apologize. I am a believer in playing the heck out of the guitars I love, and I believe in optimizing that playing experience insofar as possible.
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Old 09-19-2020, 12:53 AM
brians356 brians356 is offline
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Originally Posted by soma5 View Post
Why would you compromise your enjoyment playing a guitar for as long as you own it so that it might sell a little more easily at some undefined point in the future? A fret job is a few hundred dollars for a buyer. Let them decide what they want and take care of it themselves.

If you don't really like the guitar, why re-fret it at all?

It is possible that I'm misinterpreting the situation. If I got it wrong, I apologize. I am a believer in playing the heck out of the guitars I love, and I believe in optimizing that playing experience insofar as possible.
I appreciate the comments and question. I like the guitar, but : A) It needs fret and fingerboard work, in particular it has bad hump at the neck/body joint area, B) I have another Elitist J-200 that I like better, and C) I have waaay too many guitars, especially acoustics, so I need to say goodbye to more than a few. I could have sold the guitar as is, but prefer to pass along a great playing guitar. And I enjoy refretting, it's therapy for me.

So I'm refretting it, the old frets are already gone. I just wondered if anyone would care to persuade me to put jumbos back on it. I suppose it's kind of a dumb question for which there's no real answer.
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'00s Epi Elitist J-200
'85 HD-28, '98 HD-18 Jimmy Buffett, '05 D-1, '06 000-15S

Last edited by brians356; 09-19-2020 at 10:56 AM.
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Old 09-19-2020, 01:07 AM
brians356 brians356 is offline
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Originally Posted by Howard Klepper View Post
I've gotta wonder if the person who decided to name a line of guitars "Elitist" spoke English as a first language.
The line was originally distributed as "Elite" which I'm sure you'll agree is more comprehensible, but Ovation already had that name in use.
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'47 LG-3, '49 J-50, '52 J-45, '53 LG-3, '57 LG-2 3/4, '57 C-W, '59 C-W, '64 B-25-12N, '07 Jackson Browne Proto
'00s Epi Elitist J-200
'85 HD-28, '98 HD-18 Jimmy Buffett, '05 D-1, '06 000-15S
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Old 09-19-2020, 05:06 AM
soma5 soma5 is offline
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Originally Posted by brians356 View Post
I appreciate the comments and question. I like the guitar, but : A) It needs fret and fingerboard work, in particular a it has bad hump at the neck/body joint area, B) I have another Elitist J-200 that I like better, and C) I have waaay too many guitars, especially acoustics, so I need to say goodbye to more than a few. I could have sold the guitar as is, but prefer to pass along a great playing guitar. And I enjoy refretting, it's therapy for me.

So I'm refretting it, the old frets are already gone. I just wondered if anyone would care to persuade me to put jumbos back on it. I suppose it's kind of a dumb question for which there's no real answer.
Understood, thank you. Many of us have too many guitars so we understand the predicament. You've just got an additional wrinkle in your story. Personally as a buyer, I rarely know or care what size frets came on a guitar originally. I do care if the guitar is set up well and plays easily.
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Old 09-19-2020, 11:55 AM
Howard Klepper Howard Klepper is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by brians356 View Post
I appreciate the comments and question. I like the guitar, but : A) It needs fret and fingerboard work, in particular it has bad hump at the neck/body joint area, B) I have another Elitist J-200 that I like better, and C) I have waaay too many guitars, especially acoustics, so I need to say goodbye to more than a few. I could have sold the guitar as is, but prefer to pass along a great playing guitar. And I enjoy refretting, it's therapy for me.

So I'm refretting it, the old frets are already gone. I just wondered if anyone would care to persuade me to put jumbos back on it. I suppose it's kind of a dumb question for which there's no real answer.
If you are not going to play the guitar and plan to sell it instead, and one choice makes it more saleable why is this not a no-brainer?
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  #9  
Old 09-19-2020, 12:05 PM
brians356 brians356 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Howard Klepper View Post
If you are not going to play the guitar and plan to sell it instead, and one choice makes it more saleable why is this not a no-brainer?
No one has yet opined which frets makes it more salable. I suggested perhaps jumbo frets (original configuration) but no one else has opined. Do you consider the original spec the no-brainer choice?
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'47 LG-3, '49 J-50, '52 J-45, '53 LG-3, '57 LG-2 3/4, '57 C-W, '59 C-W, '64 B-25-12N, '07 Jackson Browne Proto
'00s Epi Elitist J-200
'85 HD-28, '98 HD-18 Jimmy Buffett, '05 D-1, '06 000-15S
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  #10  
Old 09-19-2020, 05:38 PM
Howard Klepper Howard Klepper is offline
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Originally Posted by brians356 View Post
No one has yet opined which frets makes it more salable. I suggested perhaps jumbo frets (original configuration) but no one else has opined. Do you consider the original spec the no-brainer choice?

Apparently I misunderstood your original post. I thought you presented the question whether you should do what is best for resale, or do what you like best personally.
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  #11  
Old 10-08-2020, 04:44 PM
brians356 brians356 is offline
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Update: I'm installing jumbo frets. It makes the most sense to keep it "as original" for likely resale.

But, I wish there were more fretwire choices. Maybe I need to look beyond LMI and Stew-Mac, but there's nothing available between .080" and .103" crown widths. I'd be happy to be able to select something in the .090" to .095" wide range, and like .040" to .045" tall. The .103" and .106" just look like rolling pins to my eye. Am I alone in this?
-
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'47 LG-3, '49 J-50, '52 J-45, '53 LG-3, '57 LG-2 3/4, '57 C-W, '59 C-W, '64 B-25-12N, '07 Jackson Browne Proto
'00s Epi Elitist J-200
'85 HD-28, '98 HD-18 Jimmy Buffett, '05 D-1, '06 000-15S
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