Fingerboard problems on brand new fretless :(

hunta · #1 01-26-2007, 12:22 PM

I have a brand new Fender Jazz Deluxe Fretless, which I bought a few months ago, got it setup at a music store that usually does pretty good work, wasn't really satisfied, and haven't had time to work on it myself until recently.

Right now I've got the neck pretty much flat, and the upper register just buzzes like hell. It's completely unusable. I looked closer at the fingerboard, and when I run my fingers over the fret lines it's like going over a tiny speed bump. This is a brand new bass! What gives?

This is only the 2nd fretless I've ever owned and I don't know what to do to fix this. I'm assuming it can be fixed? Hopefully won't be too expensive? Maybe this is some kind of a warranty issue? Sinking even more money into a new and expensive bass is not going to make me happy but I really just want it to be playable. And for the amount of money I blew on this thing it SHOULD sound amazing, not unusable...

Thanks for listening to me complain haha.. Very frustrated..

hunta · #2 01-26-2007, 01:28 PM

Yeah. Although the "fretline bumpiness" i can feel down to like the 8th fret..

Scottgun · #3 01-26-2007, 01:45 PM

Buzzing above the 12th fret might mean you need to tighten the truss rod. I would check that before assuming it is the fret lines. However, thanks for giving me ammo in the lines vs. unlined debate.

Scott

hunta · #4 01-26-2007, 03:16 PM

Yea, it is winter here. It's just weird, I have a Carvin fretless and I've never had this kind of problem before. I need to pick up some feeler gauges tomorrow, I've been just doing it by sight.. Probably not the best way but I've never had problems like this. How much relief should I have here? I've only seen guides for fretted basses.

All I've ever seen about fretless relief is to get the neck as flat as possible and then lower the action until it buzzes, then raise it up a little.. Is that completely wrong?

Scottgun · #5 01-26-2007, 03:19 PM

http://www.garywillis.com/pages/bass...tupmanual.html

But I would take it to the shop and get it looked at.

Scott

tplyons · #6 01-26-2007, 10:17 PM

Needs a setup and the fingerboard planed from what you're saying. IIRC Fender uses a synthetic material for the fretlines that does not expand and contract with the rosewood fingerboard on your bass, or if it does, at different rates so may stick out sometime. Same thing as fret sprout in the winter, same concept. Just take it to a tech to have your fingerboard levelled, it's proper maintainence for a fretlesss anyway.

Jazzdogg · #7 01-26-2007, 11:16 PM

Thanks for posting the link to Willis. Clear, succinct, useful.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scottgun

http://www.garywillis.com/pages/bass...tupmanual.html

But I would take it to the shop and get it looked at.

Scott

hunta · #8 01-28-2007, 03:17 PM

Yea.. Measured it up and it's about .025 clearance right now. Guess I'm going to bring it in tomorrow and see how painful a fingerboard planing will be to my wallet (assuming that's what it needs).

I'll update with what they say, if anyone is interested. I still can't believe I'm having so many problems with this bass haha.. This is my first Fender and it's not giving me a real good opinion of Fender products. It just really hasn't sounded "right" since I got it, and it's already been in the shop once...

Christopher · #9 02-01-2007, 10:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hunta

This is my first Fender and it's not giving me a real good opinion of Fender products. It just really hasn't sounded "right" since I got it, and it's already been in the shop once...

FWIW, I've never bought a Fender instrument that was ready to go straight out of the box. Each required a fair amount of tweaking.

The best Fenders in terms of out-of-the-box next/fretwork, IMO, are the Made In Japan models.

the low one · #10 05-22-2007, 06:32 AM

I've got a similar issue with my MIM Jazz fretless where some of the fret lines above the 12th fret aren't perfectly smooth. With the action low it's fine below the 12th fret mark but on about the 15th fret mark on the D string it buzzes. Can this be resolved with a little light sanding?

It doesn’t seem to affect the other strings though. It’s one of those annoying things when you practice at home, but on a gig I very rarely venture that high up the neck so it’s not really a problem, though I will get it sorted one day.

I created this thread recently which shows a picture of my fingerboard:
Lined fretless neck not flat

Baleen · #11 05-23-2007, 04:21 PM

Before you plane the neck, have you tried shimming it? Does the body end of the fingerboard have a rise? I have three Fenders and all require a shim to be happy. Besides seeing the rise, the other main symptom is that with the neck and action looking good, there is bad buzzing high up on the neck.

Also, have to talked to the folks you bought it from? (ideally, before you plane the neck)