Tall Frets

Any input from those of you with knowledge
about this is appreciated.

I think I'd enjoy extra-tall frets on my next uke.
I know intonation could be shaky. I only have
'bargain' ukes (2), and that's o.k. with me. I mention
this because someone out there may have specified
big frets on a custom uke or may have noticed a
difference between ukes in their collection.

I'm a uke noobie but I always wanted to have a
guitar re-fretted with monsters. Stock 'jumbos'
on an electric are as close as I came, but wanted
a bit more.

Thanks.

Can I ask WHY you want bigger frets? I'm just not quite grasping that.

Although I'd love to pick up a cheapie Mahalo or something like it one of these days and take a dremel to it to give it a scalloped fretboard.

Just, you know, to see what it was like...

tad,

Just want a little better, cleaner fret control with
a bit less pressure, especially when I'm "reaching."

The scallop idea is simply a step too far for me,
but I can dig it. Please report if you ever do this, though.

rabbit said:

tad,

Just want a little better, cleaner fret control with
a bit less pressure, especially when I'm "reaching."

The scallop idea is simply a step too far for me,
but I can dig it. Please report if you ever do this, though.

Click to expand...

I wasn't reading closely enough, sorry.

Yeah, I mean the fretboard on every uke I've tried has been different, but none of 'em have really stood out as having really tall fretwire...

Of course, I've only played maybe eight or nine ukuleles, none of 'em particularly fancy.

But I'm guessing custom might be a way to go, if you're really seriously NEEDING the tall frets.

I probably won't scallop one any time soon, but one day when I can go visit my sister for a weekend in Baltimore, I think I might do it... (She's the one that's handy and owns tools and knows how to weld and stuff. I'm just the one who can do computers.)

Either go custom, or have a uke re-fretted with fretwire of your choice. Shouldn't be crazy expensive, a guitar re-fret is something like £80.

I'm thinking that if you try to scallop a fretboard on a really cheap uke you're going to be severely disappointed. Many of them have plywood fretboards that simply won't scallop tidily.

When you decide to go for it, do enough research to make sure you're getting a solid wood fretboard.

Or just go totally crazy and buy a solid fretboard, replace the cheesy one, and scallop away. Of course, you gotta make sure it's exactly the same in the scale length department or you'll have to move the bridge and other such tasks.