convert freted bass to fretless

[bass_head]

hi all ,,,
i have an ibanez sr3005 prestige series bass .
one the frets was jumped out cuz of an accident , and the repair shopman said its 50/50 that if it can be fixed or not ,
i think if i can take off all frets and fill the holes with wood materials , and make a fretless bass , what do u think ? is it possible ???

[christobass 416]

Defretting ?

You can DEFINITELY get a new fret put in, though. I don't know what your local luthier is talking about.

[bass_head]

i tried to put back the fret my self , it was my first time , and i damaged the fret and fingerboard abit , and cuz of that , that shopman said , it s 50/50 if he can fix it ...

[Watson Guitars]

Could be he didn't really want the job, maybe because he was busy and backed up. I'd ask around your music stores, there are a lot of repair people out there.
Your 2nd choice, if it's not a laquered neck (like maple for example) is to convert to fretless. It's not complicated, but it does require a great deal of care. Don't attempt unless you are at least handy with small tools and detailed work. I will try to find a good tutorial which I have stashed away somewhere..

[bass_head]

thank u , the neck and fringerboard material is wenge