safe to defret on my own?

[BrandonBass]

Ive seen alot of people claiming to have defretted themselves and did a fine job. However, after sharing the idea with one of my bassist friends he recommended me to send it to a pro, else my bass might 'suffer from alot of intonation problems'.

I have reasonable IQ, can adjust truss rod and action by myself withouth screwing it up, and im not exactly rich as of now. Ideas?

[Joospocks]

just don't sand the radius off the fretboard (like I did) if you do it. If you're careful, you shouldn't suffer from any intonation problems.

[OmnitzGarima]

Originally Posted by BrandonBass

Ive seen alot of people claiming to have defretted themselves and did a fine job. However, after sharing the idea with one of my bassist friends he recommended me to send it to a pro, else my bass might 'suffer from alot of intonation problems'.

I have reasonable IQ, can adjust truss rod and action by myself withouth screwing it up, and im not exactly rich as of now. Ideas?

Be very careful. Sometimes pulling the frets can pull small chips out of the fingerboard. I understand the urge to do it yourself. Good luck if you do.

[funkifiedsoul]

Originally Posted by OmnitzGarima

Be very careful. Sometimes pulling the frets can pull small chips out of the fingerboard.

precisely, which is why you should use a soldering iron to heat the fret first. This melts, or at least softens the underlying glue, helping to avoid said chipping. You'll do fine. Good luck.

[kb9wyz]

Hit up the guys in the luthier's forums as well about this. I have seen a lot of threads related to this in there.

[Justin Tuskey]

Originally Posted by BrandonBass

Ive seen alot of people claiming to have defretted themselves and did a fine job. However, after sharing the idea with one of my bassist friends he recommended me to send it to a pro, else my bass might 'suffer from alot of intonation problems'.

I have reasonable IQ, can adjust truss rod and action by myself withouth screwing it up, and im not exactly rich as of now. Ideas?

sounds like bs on the intonation. if its fretless....the intonation is on your hands, not the basses. the only thing I would be concerned with (I just defretted one of my basses, but sent it off to be finished by a pro) is to watch for chips and scratches. get a fret removing tool. stewmac has one that is expensive. I got one off ebay for $6. put down painters tape right up against each side of the fret you are working one. heat up the fret with a soldering iron. take care not to overheat. clamp down with the tool and slowly wiggle the fret out. if it fights back stop, this is where you could gouge it. just move slowly with a gentle touch, they will come out.

I cant comment on anything else though thats where I stopped. good luck!

[OPBASSMAN1994]

I defretted my first bass. It has some intonation issues, but nothing a little sliding can't cure, and nothing in the range that I normally play on that bass (only high up around the 14th fret). It sounds awesome. honestly, I think it sounds pretty freaking incredible. Don't be afraid. Trust your feelings, use the force, young padawan.

[202dy]

The only real structural problem that can occur when de-fretting a neck comes from using a soft filler in the slots. This will have a negative effect on overall neck stiffness. In an extreme example it can be very difficult for the truss rod to overcome excessive relief.

Cosmetically speaking, chipping the fingerboard is the big issue. Using a dedicated fret removal tool goes a long way to preventing this. A pro will have a small container of liquid thin CA glue on the bench during the process. After each fret is removed the chips can be glued back into place. When the neck is sanded the repairs are nearly invisible. It is also a good idea to have CA solvent on the bench, too. It is almost impossible to do a good job of this and not get CA on the fingers.

Intonation is a function of saddle placement. If there is a problem with intonation adjust the saddles.

[Turnaround]

Originally Posted by funkifiedsoul

precisely, which is why you should use a soldering iron to heat the fret first. This melts, or at least softens the underlying glue, helping to avoid said chipping. You'll do fine. Good luck.

Not a bad idea, but not all frets are glued. So you may do fine of the frets are glued. But if they're not....?

And getting the frets out is the first step in a multi-stage process. Be sure you know about what follows.

So, is it safe? Do you mean "will anybody die?" Probably not. Will your bass survive? Probably. Will you be satisfied with the results for the next 5 years? Probably not if this is your first de-fret. Less than 1 year - maybe. But it's kinda like asking "Is pistachio ice cream good?"

[bassbenj]

Originally Posted by BrandonBass

Ive seen alot of people claiming to have defretted themselves and did a fine job. However, after sharing the idea with one of my bassist friends he recommended me to send it to a pro, else my bass might 'suffer from alot of intonation problems'.

I have reasonable IQ, can adjust truss rod and action by myself withouth screwing it up, and im not exactly rich as of now. Ideas?

I also am about to embark on defretting a couple of bass necks. It seems pretty straight-forward getting the frets out but there is more to it than that. You also have to fill the old fret grooves with wood (piece of veneer) to stabilize the neck.

I URGE you to view all the various defretting videos people have made and placed on You tube. VERY informative. I'd suggest to gather the proper tools (fret puller, fret saw, etc.) before you (I) start! Cleaning the old fret grooves (fret saw) and fitting veneer to them is a bit tedious but not rocket science. The fingerboard curvature is what makes this a bit tricky. Go view the videos they explain all the details!

http://www.youtube.com/results?searc...ng+a+bass&aq=0

Good luck (for BOTH of us!)

[Matthijs]

Defretting is perfectly doable, if you heed all of the advise mentioned above and do your research.