bad frets

[henrigates]

I have a Fender Custom Tele, made in Korea, neck-thru-body. Unfortunately when I got it I was unaware of what jumbo frets were, and the frets are HUGE like bass frets. when i fret a string and push hard, the string can go very sharp. I pretty much can have a tremelo going with my left hand if i push in hard.

 

Anyway, this is very annoying because you can never really be in tune; either open or fretted will be flat/sharp. I'm guessing I need the frets filed and recrowned, hopefully not all new frets. Any advice? Could I do the filing/recrowning myself without screwing up the guitar?

[mrbrown49]

I would leave them as is and instead alter your playing style. Fret a little more off the fret to reduce the tuning effects and make sure your intonation is dead on. This will help you concentrate on fretting pressure, and once you get that down, you will learn the dynamic things that you can do with it. That was a big part of SRVs sound. His frets were huge.

[henrigates]

yeah, if i fret RIGHT behind the fret above, then its not noticeable, just when I'm playing I forget about how i'm playing, and just play naturally, i guess.

[RaVenCAD]

I agree with mrbrown. Jumbo frets can be a great thing once you get used to them. But, if you must, then I'd take it to a tech, tell them how high you want the crown to be and let them go at it. Stewmac.com has a fret size chart, so you can see what guitars have what size frets.