Anyone de-fret without filling/using epoxy, etc.?

[Stinsok]

I have seen a couple of basses hanging in pawn shops that had the frets pulled, but no other work done to the neck. Are there any negatives to doing this?

[Scott in Dallas]

Compressed frets add to the stiffness of a neck and having bare slots in the fretboard weakens it even further (see kerfing). It's also contrary to the design of the instrument, might end up chipping away and just looks retarded.

On the plus side, you might pick up one for a song and either re-fret or fill the slots with ebony or maple and have a decent instrument if the neck hasn't warped.

[FBB Custom]

Just as you wouldn't saw slots in the back of the neck, you don't really want to do that to the front either. With nothing in the slots, the neck will bend excessively under tension. Tell the pawn shop that they've lost their minds trying to sell those things as they are ticking timebombs, then make them a lowball offer and fill them yourself. All it takes is a little veneer, an exacto knife, wood glue, and sandpaper.

[fretlessrock]

I know that it isn't exactly with the topic here, but one nice feeling/playing defret that I have had my hands on was done on a bench sander! Never pulled the freets, just sanded them off and trued the board in one shot. Crude, but effective.

[mvw356]

i've done it, and no problems. I doubt that removing the frets has any impact whatsoever on the stability of the neck.

[Suburban]

Originally Posted by FBB Custom

Just as you wouldn't saw slots in the back of the neck, you don't really want to do that to the front either. With nothing in the slots, the neck will bend excessively under tension. Tell the pawn shop that they've lost their minds trying to sell those things as they are ticking timebombs, then make them a lowball offer and fill them yourself. All it takes is a little veneer, an exacto knife, wood glue, and sandpaper.

Good idea!

And for basics: the open slots will not withstand time under the tension of the strings. You need to fill them if you want consistency.
You also want to fill them to be able to use the entire board for fingering, without having weird sounds when you stop around the slots.