Defretting an Ebanol fretboard?

[GeoffByrne]

Since Fender don't seem to be doing a Vintage Modified Fretless Jazz 5, I'm seriously considering buying the fretted 5 and defretting.

Has anyone tried defretted one of these necks?

[Chasarms]

I would expect the frets to come out pretty cleanly since there is no wood to splinter. It may be difficult to get the fingerboard to look good once you sand it out.

FWIW, the idea of buying a bass to defret it seems counter-intuitive. Surely, there is a fretless bass out there that will meet your needs.

[202dy]

Originally Posted by Chasarms

I would expect the frets to come out pretty cleanly since there is no wood to splinter. It may be difficult to get the fingerboard to look good once you sand it out.

FWIW, the idea of buying a bass to defret it seems counter-intuitive. Surely, there is a fretless bass out there that will meet your needs.

Actually, getting the fingerboard to look good is pretty easy. The technique is just like a quickie nut re-slot. Sand the fingerboard lightly with 600 grit wet or dry paper (dry) filling the slots level with the fingerboard. It is imperative that the sandpaper be on a block to maintain a true fingerboard. When the slots are filled wick liquid thin super glue into each slot. When the glue is cured lightly sand one more time to finish. There will be a very subtle black line at worst or none at all.

Chas is right about buying a brand new instrument with the intention of making a drastic change to it immediately. There has to be something out there that will give good service without having to go to such drastic lengths.

[Chasarms]

I've done fretless conversion on woodnecks, but I have never messed with ebonal.

If I understand correctly, ebonal is a material made from compressed paper and epoxy resins. I just wasn't sure if it reacts to sandpaper the same way wood does.

[JAUQO III-X]

These guys are experts at defretting ebonol fingerboards.

http://www.peekamoose.com/

[GeoffByrne]

Originally Posted by JAUQO III-X

These guys are experts at defretting ebonol fingerboards.

http://www.peekamoose.com/

Thanks for the link - it looks very interesting.

I'm jumping on a jumbo jet right now......

[JAUQO III-X]

Originally Posted by GeoffByrne

Thanks for the link - it looks very interesting.

I'm jumping on a jumbo jet right now......

You're welcome.

[DavcomBass]

I have done it. Please see:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=CZigfc_91tk

[boing]

Davcom: I'd appreciate any insight you have on working with ebonol. It sounds like your try came off well. I wonder if the hot-iron-to-the-frets trick is unwise/unnecessary, given the epoxy in the fretboard. What did you use to fill in the fret slots?

There has to be something out there that will give good service without having to go to such drastic lengths.

If there is, I'd be interested. The Squire Active V gets rave reviews on TB as being a value well out of proportion to its cost. I have one on order because I wanted to play with a cheap 5-string that wasn't crap. As long as I already have it, I can try a decent starter 5-string, and then a fretless, without laying out for two instruments, either one of which might not be my bag, or might be of lousy quality.

Laziness will probably make the question moot for me, but it's still nice to hear how other folks got on with their projects.

[GeoffByrne]

Originally Posted by DavcomBass

I have done it. Please see:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=CZigfc_91tk

Excellent - thanks for the link.

So how did you do it?

And how did you fill the slots?

Did you sand?

Etc, etc..........

[Showdown]

Originally Posted by Chasarms

I've done fretless conversion on woodnecks, but I have never messed with ebonal.

If I understand correctly, ebonal is a material made from compressed paper and epoxy resins. I just wasn't sure if it reacts to sandpaper the same way wood does.

Ebonal is like the stuff they make bowling balls out of. It is very hard and dense. I don't believe there is any compressed paper in it.