giannini re-fret suggestions

[andy savina]

hello all. i acquired a giannini craviola that was almost fretless, from multiple re-dressings. i noticed two things as i easily pulled them out: there was no teeth on the tangs, and they were glued in. 

i happily ordered new fret wire, not ever considering the width of the tang. the new fret wire tang is twice the width of the fret slots (0.10"), NOT including the teeth!

now, the questions i propose:

is there fret wire providers that make frets with no teeth? and thin tangs?

is it possible to thin the new fret wire down to less than half its original size (including the teeth)?

should i just widen the fret slots to accept the new fret wire?

thanks in advance for any advice.

[Frank Ford]

I'd simply cut the slots to fit the new frets. In the case of future refretting, that will be a bonus for the next guy. . .

[Greg Mirken]

That fingerboard is not bound, right? It's going to be way easier to recut the slots. I know of no fretwire available with a tang that narrow!

[Paul Hostetter]

And I've never heard of a fret slot that narrow—including on Giannini products. I'm with Greg and Frank, re-do the slots to work with good wire, binding or not. I can't remember ever seeing a Craviola with a bound board, so it should be simple.

[andy savina]

alright, ya convinced me. thanks for the quick response.

the slots are actually just under .20", narrower than the new tang minus the teeth.