Lowering the strings on my fretless...!

[M1CK13]

Ok so I have a 1987 Fender J Bass MIM that my dad turned into a fretless. Well the sting height from the fretboard is too high. I've lowered it as much as I can at the bridge but it's still to high!! What else can I do?

[elgecko]

Shim the neck?

[testing1two]

It's time to shim the neck...not too difficult.

1. loosen the strings but don't remove them
2. loosen the 4 neck bolts
3. cut a .5" x 1" piece of .010 shim stock (use a thick business card if you don't have shim stock)
4. put the shim stock in the neck pocket between the two neck screws closest to the bridge.
5. snug the neck screws but do not tighten them
6. tighten the strings until they have some tension (not all the way to pitch)
7. make sure the neck is aligned (i.e. the distance between the outsides of the E & G strings and the edges of the fingerboard are the same). You can pull the neck slightly until the alignment is correct.
8. once the neck is aligned tighten the 4 neck bolts
9. readjust action to taste.
10. If you still can't lower the action enough, use a thicker shim.

[Abner]

But before you do any of that, have you filed down your nut slots?

[lhoward]

Ok, you've adjusted it at the bridge. Have you adjusted the truss rod to take some of the relief out of the neck?

L. Howard

PS: Adjusting the truss rod would be the next, easiest method to reduce string height.

[Turnaround]

Originally Posted by lhoward

Adjusting the truss rod would be the next, easiest method to reduce string height.

Careful - adjusting the trussrod is not a method for reducing string height. It's a method for adjusting neck relief.

[ehque]

Originally Posted by Turnaround

Careful - adjusting the trussrod is not a method for reducing string height. It's a method for adjusting neck relief.

+1. It may seem like it does lower the strings but its not the right way to go about it nor does it produce optimal results.

When you remove the frets you also need to file your nut slots that much deeper, otherwise your strings will be uncomfortably high. If that is done, your relief is good and you can't get your bridge saddles low enough, you need a neck shim, as mentioned above.

[Floyd Eye]

It produces fine results if you have forward bow in the neck already. Your neck can be adjusted to the flattest position possible before fret buzz. This should be done prior to adjusting the action at the bridge, filing the nut or shimming the neck.

[testing1two]

Originally Posted by Floyd Eye

It produces fine results if you have forward bow in the neck already. Your neck can be adjusted to the flattest position possible before fret buzz. This should be done prior to adjusting the action at the bridge, filing the nut or shimming the neck.

Technically it's not fret buzz on a fretless

Smarta$$ comments aside, the neck relief will only affect action by fifteen or twenty thousandths of an inch and this is at the apex of the truss rod curve in the middle of the neck. True, you can have less relief on a fretless fingerboard provided you don't have an unusually heavy plucking technique and it makes sense to set the relief before delving into further setup modifications.

[M1CK13]

I've filed the nut and adjusted the saddles and truss rod, so neck shimmer I guess is my next step. Thanx people!

[lhoward]

Originally Posted by Turnaround

Careful - adjusting the trussrod is not a method for reducing string height. It's a method for adjusting neck relief.

Rather than talking around it, perhaps its just better to say that doing a complete setup of the instrument first is needed to determine if shimming is required. It just seems that if the bass didn't need shimming prior to being de-fretted, it may just need a new setup done.

[Slowgypsy]

I'd also test for "ski jump". That instrument is certainly old enough to have possibly developed that situation. And no amount of shimming or any other adjustment is going to give you great results if "ski jump" is present.

[JLS]

Originally Posted by Slowgypsy

I'd also test for "ski jump". That instrument is certainly old enough to have possibly developed that situation. And no amount of shimming or any other adjustment is going to give you great results if "ski jump" is present.

^^^Good point!

[kraigo]

It took me a solid two months of tweaking to get my last fretless set up to my satisfaction. In the end shimming was not necessary. I hope yours goes faster.

This bass was a challenge. It was cheap but was made of good woods. The fit and finish weren't there at all. A lot of work was required, flattening the neck, filing the nut, playing with shims, bending the bridge (!), etc. It was a iterative process and a lot of thought was required.

I guess the moral of my story is to not be in a hurry about it. Sometimes it just takes time.

KO

[M1CK13]

I put it in the shop to get the adjustments I need and new pickups and a badass II Bridge...

[maturanesa]

i would say that its imposible to down the saddles at full and dont get a low action with the traditional bent plate fender bridge.
if i do it with mine, the open strings touch the frets.