Mosrite Speed Frets - Sizes & Replacement Fretwires

[101Volts]

Since there's no topic specifically for the Mosrite Speed Frets that I'm aware of and their size, I've decided to create this topic.

My Early 1966 Ventures II still has its original frets, and I measured them in thousandths of an inch. Their height tapers from one side of the fretboard to the other:

.070 Wide
.022 High on Low E side
.015 High on High E Side

They also taper even further near the end of the fretboard by the High E, probably under .010. (My guitar has no binding, however, and Ventures models might be different.)

My question is, is this actually the standard fretwire size (both in width and height) that Mosrite used to make Speed Frets in the 1960s? I know they changed to thicker fretwire later, but that's not the point.

Also, did Semie get the idea from Les Paul, who used "Fretless Wonder" necks in the 1950s? I suppose that's where he got the idea, knowing that he was a fan of Les Paul.

There's a chart below which shows that Dunlop had a size called "6350," and it would have been the correct width, but I'm not sure if Mosrite used that exact fretwire or not. As of this date, that's not a fretwire that they make.

As for replacement fretwire, the closest currently manufactured sizes I found are Dunlop varieties 6250 and 6270. Each one is .075 wide. 6250 is 0.030 high, so it's not too far away to sand it down right. 6270 is taller, at 0.040. Here's a link to their sizes, wiht more details:

jimdunlop.com/content/manuals/DUNLOP_FRET_WIRE_CHART.pdf

Dunlop 6340, if you can find that discontinued size somewhere, is a bit closer at 0.072 wide. (It's near the bottom of this old chart which I sourced at the link below.)

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



- Austin

[Greg_L]

I used the 6340 on my 65 MkI. Came out great.

[101Volts]

I used the 6340 on my 65 MkI. Came out great.

Did you shave the height down much? I also can't imagine that it changed the Mosrite sound much, I suppose it's very accurate.

Also, I found some 6340 on eBay, from Germany. This seller has 10 pieces of 2 foot long sections of it, but he wants $6.21 per section plus incredibly costly shipping. The shipping came out to $120.67 for me, it may be different for you. This wire is available, and I can't find it anywhere else on eBay, true... I could imagine paying more for it since it's discontinued, but not this much.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Dunlop-6340-Co ... SwTtVf0KCM

Also, going by the chart I posted above, these sizes also look close:

Dunlop 6290 (0.072 wide.)
Dunlop 6300 (0.065 wide.)

So in total (for discontinued sizes,) we have those two plus 6340 to choose from, and these currently manufactured ones:

Dunlop 6250
Dunlop 6270

Both are 0.075 Wide, and are 0.030 and 0.040, respectively.

- Austin

[Greg_L]

I used the 6340 on my 65 MkI. Came out great.

Did you shave the height down much? I also can't imagine that it changed the Mosrite sound much, I suppose it's very accurate.
- Austin

No I left them almost just as they are. They're leveled and the edges got knocked down but I left them tall-ish and flat. IMO they are pretty much exactly like the frets that were original to Mosrites....just fresh and new. I used the 6S6340. They were pre-cut. They weren't hard to find, and this was just last year.

For me I didn't care that much about the frets being super authentic. I didn't want to file them down to nothing. I want to play the guitar. Mine doesn't stay in a case under the bed.

[Sarah93003]

Perhaps Bob Shade or others that worked at Mosrite may have some insight into this. In the back of my mind I seem to recall that Mosrite had an operation where they "flattened" the frets just a little bit. I have no reference, it's just what popped into my head.

[101Volts]

Did you shave the height down much? I also can't imagine that it changed the Mosrite sound much, I suppose it's very accurate.
- Austin

No I left them almost just as they are. They're leveled and the edges got knocked down but I left them tall-ish and flat. IMO they are pretty much exactly like the frets that were original to Mosrites....just fresh and new. I used the 6S6340. They were pre-cut. They weren't hard to find, and this was just last year.

For me I didn't care that much about the frets being super authentic. I didn't want to file them down to nothing. I want to play the guitar. Mine doesn't stay in a case under the bed.

Though I find speed frets to be just fine, I don't bend strings a lot. If you have .12s or heavier strings on the guitar and it's tuned to E Standard, it is difficult to go much beyond a 1 or 2 note bend. Mosrites tend to have a 10" radius, if I recall. I've managed to bend .13s on the speed frets, but only by 1 or 2 notes.

Perhaps Bob Shade or others that worked at Mosrite may have some insight into this. In the back of my mind I seem to recall that Mosrite had an operation where they "flattened" the frets just a little bit. I have no reference, it's just what popped into my head.

I think that's correct; my 66 has flat frets, they don't look rounded on the top at all.

- Austin

[101Volts]

I'm surprised that I missed this in the chart; Dunlop 6350 "Tapered Tang" is exactly the right width. It's also dicontinued, and it's a softer metal than others available.

Dunlop also manufactures a modern form of 6300 (confusingly) which differs from the vintage kind.

So, we have these to chose from:

Currently Manufactured Fretwires:

Dunlop 6250 (0.075 wide, 0.030 tall.)

https://www.jimdunlop.com/dunlop-jumbo- ... wire-6250/

Dunlop 6270 (0.075 wide, 0.040 tall.)

https://www.jimdunlop.com/dunlop-jumbo- ... wire-6270/

Dunlop 6300 (Modern variety. 0.063 wide, 0.028 tall. 12% Nickel / Silver; softer fretwire.)

https://www.jimdunlop.com/dunlop-jumbo- ... wire-6300/

Link to Dunlop's Fretwire Chart:

https://www.jimdunlop.com/content/manua ... _CHART.pdf

Discontinued Fretwires (again, as shown in the chart below: )

Dunlop 6290 (0.072 wide, 0.032 tall. 18% Nickel/ Silver.)
Dunlop 6300 (Vintage variety. 0.065 wide, 0.026 tall. 12% Nickel / Silver; softer fretwire.)
Dunlop 6340 (0.072 wide, 0.035 tall. 18% Nickel/ Silver.)
Dunlop 6350 (0.070 wide, 0.044 tall. 12% Nickel / Silver; softer fretwire.)

I bought some Vintage Dunlop 6300 on eBay, and it had the date of "1977" on the tube.



- Austin

[101Volts]

I'm surprised I hadn't done this before; I took a 2 Foot Section of Fretwire (it's easier to handle in this way,) and I used my StewMac Fret Barber (Fret Tang Side Reducer) to reduce the width of the Fretwire Crown. With that in mind, any of us can get Mosrite's Fretwire Width of 0.070 Inches (or smaller, for higher frets, if desired.) I'd recommend that you buy a fretwire width that's close to the width you want, however, to reduce working time. I tried this with a fretwire that must have been at least 0.095, and it took a while. Go for something that's 0.075 - 0.080, and it'll be faster.

StewMac's Fret Barber:

https://www.stewmac.com/luthier-tools-a ... arber.html



- Austin

[Sarah93003]

That's really cool!

[101Volts]

That's really cool!

And in theme with being cheap here for any beginner luthier, I've found a cheap source for fretwire in bulk that can be shaved down:

StewMac's Narrow Fretwire, # 0147-LB.
Nickel-Silver Content: 18% (I'm not sure what original fretwire is, is it 12%?)
Crown Height: 0.040 (Mosrite's 1960s height is 0.022 on the Low E side, 0.015 on the High E side, judging by my 66 Ventures II "Carved" model.)
Crown Width: 0.080 (Needs to be 0.070 to be vintage accurate, but 0.060 might be better above the 12th fret.)
Tang Height (under the tang) is: 0.062
Tang Width: 0.023
Tang Width with Barbs - 0.036 to 0.037 (Depending on how hard I squeezed the wire with the caliper.)

The Tang Width and Tang Width with Barbs measurements are from wire I bought in 2009, but they don't seem to have changed them in-between then and now.

If you buy StewMac's Narrow 147 in a Tube, the tube contains 70 feet of fretwire, for $53.68 + Shipping. Here it is at their site:

https://www.stewmac.com/luthier-tools-a ... twire.html

...

For another fretwire, Dunlop does have their Modern 6250, which is the closest thing to the Vintage Mosrite Fretwire in size without shaving it down. I'm not sure of its Nickel/Silver content, though:

Nickel-Silver Content: 18%
Crown Height: 0.030 tall.
Crown Width: 0.075 wide
Tang Height (under the crown) is: 0.065
Tang Width: 0.020 (not counting the barbs.)
Tang Width with Barbs: 0.036

This variety is the more expensive option at $165.83, and I'm not sure if there's free shipping or not. I've heard it said that there's 40 feet worth, in 2 foot sections. That seems to be how they sell their fretwire, but I'm not sure.

https://www.jimdunlop.com/dunlop-jumbo- ... wire-6250/

StewMac is by far the cheaper option, at under $1 per foot.

If Dunlop sells theirs by 40 foot packages, then theirs comes out to over $4 per foot.

- Austin