Fret wire - what size do you like?

[Pilgrim]

You're right about that...I'm going to have to reassess my crackpot theory.

Hey, if all of us re-assessed our crackpot theories, there'd be nothing to talk about here!!  

[drbassman]

How about StewMac's fret bender, Bill?  That seems to be a good tool to have for bigger frets.

I prefer vintage fret wire, thin with a very narrow contact strip with the strings.   Provides more accurate intonation and cleaner tone in my opinion...think about a 1/4 inch wide flat fret and its implications.

Fret wire got wider and flatter and board radius bigger as guitar players started bending notes.  Unfortunately basses followed suit.

Since you didn't ask: Fretboard Radius:smaller radius boards are more ergonomic and also intonate better, especially for chords, that's why the older the instrument the smaller the radius generally.  But we're all pretty much used to whatever decent instrument radius we started out with.  Dual radius guitar boards are small radius at the top so you can play in tune chords and flatter at the bottom for soloing.  Happily not a concern for me.

It's more difficult to shape and fret a small radius board and another reason cheaper guitars have flatter boards.

But whatever floats yer boat.  Or whips yer booty

I have a cheapo fret bender I got off eBay years ago and it works well.  Even with a fret bender, installing the big fat wires with a press and/or hammer can be a challenge they are so stiff.

I pretty much use a 12" radius on my basses.  I tends to match most bridge curvatures without any problem.

[birdie]

All of my whopping 3 builds (one as yet unfinished) have a 12 radius. Might go even flatter as time goes on.
I 'learned' to play bass on the fat four strings of a Spanish guitar when I was a kid in S. America. Probably explains a lot. Also agree about vintage frets. Like 'em best..