Fret Size

[Dan in NH]

How important is fret size to tone & playability?

I keep feeling like I wish my KM-250 had taller frets.

[Bill McCall]

Playability is much easier, and that may make an impact on good tone.

[sunburst]

Fret size comes down to personal preference. Some like wide, some like tall, some like small frets, so obviously different people prefer the playability of different frets.
As for "tone", there is no inherent difference, but people who prefer a certain fret size may be able to produce better tone using their preferred frets.

[pops1]

If you have a heavy left hand and press hard taller frets may play out of tune. They work fine with a light touch. I like small frets myself.

[mandroid]

Some fret materials are not made in the traditional older heights & widths ...

[Dan in NH]

If you have a heavy left hand and press hard taller frets may play out of tune. They work fine with a light touch. I like small frets myself.

After I turned 40 and started packing on weight there isn't much about me that ISN'T hefty.

[jherm]

i ordered wide frets on my appitius but my friends frets on his northfield are twice as wide ..... so different makers fret width are subjective to say the least .. get what ever feels right for you

[keith.rogers]

i ordered wide frets on my appitius but my friends frets on his northfield are twice as wide ..... so different makers fret width are subjective to say the least .. get what ever feels right for you

I wonder what Appitius considers "wide?" Northfield says they use Stew-Mac 155. It's wider than older style mandolin frets, but fairly normal guitar width (.080") that is about what I imagine is fairly common on [many, but not all, modern] mandolins. It is taller than most, though. I like it, so when I refretted my Eastman, which had narrow frets by comparison, that's what I used. Works fine and makes going back and forth more comfortable for me.

[Nashville]

I can't imagine fret size could make a difference in tone. If it does I don't think I could ever hear the difference.
But I do notice a difference in how it feels. I tend to prefer the larger fret myself, but this is entirely subjective and I don't pay too much attention to it. It would never stop me from buying a mandolin. I currently own 5 mandolins and 12 guitars, and I couldn't tell you which instrument has which fret.