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  #1  
Old 11-14-2010, 04:53 PM
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Location: San diego, CA
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Hello!
Ok, so heres the deal...I've had a michael kelly dragonfly 5 string ABG for 8 years now. The electronics are shot, the action is kind of goofy, it's in need of so much TLC. I don't play it. I recently bought some nylon flatwound tuned EADGC for it and though...I wish this bass was fretless!

So I began pulling ONE fret...I wanna continue..but I want to do a good job!

My plan is:

1. Defretting the bass
2. Putting some fret lines
3. Finishing the neck
4. Sand the back of the neck and paint it so it's satin not glossy.
5. Putting some new JJB piezos
6. Playing the heck out of it!

When I took the highest fret out...it chipped a little bit..how can I avoid this? As the bass is pretty much inlay heavy (I don't want to mess them up). Do I have to heat them up?

I was thinking of filling the fret slots with Wood Filler (mahogany color). Is this a good idea? Or do I need wood veneer, and what/were can I get it?

I don't really want to mess with epoxy...Can I use Poly? What kind? Wipe on poly, or the regular poly. I've seen both from Minwax.

How can I get it leveled? My bass has a 14" Radius Fingerboard. Should I buy a radiused Sanding block from StewMac?

What grit sand papers should I use to level the fingerboard before aplying finish? and then to polish it?

I plan on making my own saddle bridge as the stock one is cheap plastic and uneven? Can I make it out of a nice block of walnut? I've found pen blocks at a good price at fleabay!

I will be very greatfull for all types of advice!
  #2  
Old 11-14-2010, 05:04 PM
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Just keep in mind, once you pull the frets, the inlays will wear faster than the rest of the fingerboard. Might cause problems later on. I'd use something stronger than poly. Maybe CA.
  #3  
Old 11-14-2010, 05:52 PM
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Originally Posted by Rip Topaz View Post
Just keep in mind, once you pull the frets, the inlays will wear faster than the rest of the fingerboard. Might cause problems later on. I'd use something stronger than poly. Maybe CA.
Even after a nice thick coat of poly??
Wouldn't the inlays be buried under the finish? And it's not like Im gonna use stainless steel roundwounds on it....Or is poly that soft?
  #4  
Old 11-14-2010, 05:53 PM
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No but compared to the strings, the inlays are.
  #5  
Old 11-15-2010, 02:25 AM
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Originally Posted by Rip Topaz View Post
No but compared to the strings, the inlays are.
But I mean...The inlays are gonna be buried under probably 1 or 1.5mm of polyurethane...Strings are not gonna touch the inlays if thats what you mean...
  #6  
Old 11-15-2010, 12:25 PM
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bump
  #7  
Old 11-15-2010, 10:22 PM
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I would not use polyurethane on a fretless neck. Its just too soft. I'd use epoxy or CA glue, there are tutorials and build threads featuring both methods in this forum...
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