ARTICLE GUIDE, Defret your bass guitar

[dkelley]

update: I HAVE defretted my own bass now... was much easier than I expected, but pretty much what I hoped for.

fun, easy, worth every second. but I need to lower the nut slots now... with bass strings being so thick, are there standard guage round files I could buy for the task or do I need to buy special overpriced files as I would if I were working on the nut of teeny tiny guitar strings?

[Pilgrim]

Wrap emery cloth around a drill bit and use that...no files needed. Got the idea here on TB! Make sure to measure the total diameter of drill bit PLUS emery cloth to assure it's the right size.

And I still get the cold shivers from seeing a screwdriver used to remove frets. 9 out of 10 people will DESTROY their fretboard if they attempt that.

[dkelley]

never mind nut slots, low priority. I shimmed the neck a bit to lower my action, working really well. truss is well setup but top 5 or so "frets" are buzzing a lot so will do a bit of sanding there. Probably means I sanded more down where it was easier to do so. I also go lazy filling frets up in the last few high ones so will have to add a bit more to the top before i sand it there again.

This is seriously one sexy instrument which was basically free.

those sejung guys can really build a nice bass for cheap eh?

and defretting it gives me a nice fretless when my old ibanez musician professionally done fretless conversino is long gone now due to fingerboard wear after a couple of decades with roundwounds.

[FretlessAddict]

De-fretted my Dean Playmate acoustic by this guide, it worked great. Thanks!

[novenpeter]

thanks for the guide

[anarkink]

Yeah I followed this guide, thanks for it.

One thing that seemed to work best for me was to heat the fret, run a razor under each side of the fret (carefully), and then yank.

I had perfect technique for the last 4 frets, lol.

[Peanut Vendor]

How many layers of epoxy and what kind should I use? I have a rosewood fingerboard, Squier P-Bass if that makes a difference.

[galanti]

what's the point of the lacquer?

[Plantbrain]

Originally Posted by galanti

what's the point of the lacquer?

Smooth feel and reduces fretboard wear considerably.
You can use several coats and lightly sanded in between each coat, much like a piano type finish(old school = 30-40 coats). Polyurethane is much tougher and you might get a similar effect with 2-3 coats. Or you can try and do say 5-10 coats and have a real tough one. I'd oil the board prior to doing this.

[Pilgrim]

Originally Posted by Rodent

any kind of nippers are preferred over utilizing a screwdriver and hammer to remove the frets. you are indeed lucky to not have significant wood chips and dents. that said - excellent job documenting the overall fretted -> fretless conversion process.

you can buy these two tools pre-made, or simply find a similar tool and gring the ned flush. the latter is definitely a less expensive way to go






should you decide to, various wood veneers cab be installed instead of the wood putty (chemical wood.) you can also utilize dark glue on a dark fingerboard to help hide the fret tang marks in the fret slots against the veneer

[snip]

all the best,

R

This excellent post cannot be mentioned too often.

DO NOT USE PLIERS AND A SCREWDRIVER. You will very likely damage the fretboard.

And DO NOT use putty of any kind in the fret lines. Use a solid, non-compressible material such as plastic strips or veneer.

[Danhorse]

Guys, I need to ask a question: I was considering defretting my old Aria SB600, but it has a glued on neck, which attaches to the maple that runs through the body, so I would not be able to shim it. Would that mean I would need to route out the bridge cavity to lower it?