Fretless: fret lines coming loose causing buzzing

bryhawks · #1 01-20-2007, 02:42 PM

Hi, all. New here, and new owner of a MIM Fender Jazz fretless. Much to my dismay, while it was on layway (I'd go in to play it every few weeks, make sure it was still 'the right one'), I noticed a string buzz about halfway up the neck, and I'm thinkin' "This is a fretless...what am I missing here?" Turns out three or four of the inlaid fret markers/lines around the 12th fret have raised up, as if the glue holding them in the fretboard has let go. They don't come all the way off (the edges are still tight except for one who's edge is loose and I can pick it half-way out of the neck), but they stick up enough in the middle to buzz against the strings when I play higher on the neck.

I've had a few guitar-techs tell me they can sand them down, put a coating on the fretboard (which is rosewood), etc., but I really like how the bass feels/sounds right now and I don't want to take any chances on changing it. It seems that all that should be required (since I want to keep the lines for now) is that the few loose ones can be carefully pried up and re-glued back down. What's the best solution for this?

Also, if I did want to rip them out (I don't yet), is it bad to leave the line-shaped holes where they were, or should these be filled in?

Many thanks,
Bryan

Turnaround · #2 01-21-2007, 03:18 PM

It shouldn't be a big deal to reglue the fret lines. I would use water-thin cyanoacrylate (super-glue). Don't pry up the line, just add a TINY bit of glue along the inlay and allow it to wick in - it will do that on its own if the glue is thin enough. Then press the inlay down with a stick - don't use your finger unless you want to become permanently attached to your bass. After about 30 seconds or less you can stop pressing. Let it dry for about an hour.

This will leave a bit of glue residue on the fingerboard. You can sand the residue off, but use a radiused sanding block to do so. The last thing you want is to introduce some sanding grooves into the fboard.

If this sounds scary - see a tech.