Considering defretting

[Smit_Dogg]

Hello TB'ers

After testing the waters with a budget fretless bass to see if i liked them (which i did!) I've been currently GAS'ing for a good fretless bass. I recently had the idea to defret one of the basses i already own, that being my Lakland Skyline 44-02. I dont use this bass as often as i used to since purchasing a 66 reissued MIJ Jazz, soI would like to incorporate it more by having that extra bit of variety by turning it into a different beast!

I was wondering if any of you guys would think this is good move as I don't want to unwittingly devalue the bass by removing the frets etc as I'm aware Lakland use the unique PLEC'ing method with their frets.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated ..

Regards

Smit-Dogg

 

[Pilgrim]

Anything less than a spotless, professional-quality job seriously reduces the value of that kind of bass. Unless you're willing to put a lot of time and meticulous work into getting a professional result, I suggest you buy a fretless neck and just swap necks.

 

[MD]

No.

 

[hrodbert696]

As far as value goes - my perception is that ANYTHING you do to a bass pretty much reduces its value. Even upgrades rarely persuade people that it's worth spending more on a used bass than they would if everything were stock.

As far as playability goes - yes, you should be able to turn your Lakland into a perfectly decent fretless. If you're not concerned about selling it later, go for it. Although, if you've never done it, you might want to buy a cheapie and practice the process just to get the hang of it.

 

[Smit_Dogg]

Thanks for the replies up to now folks. The work will be performed by a well respected bass tech in the UK called Dave Wilson, a former technician/luthier for Overwater, now set up business on his own. I wouldn't attempt to do a job like this by myself on an instrument of laklands quality...

 

[JIO]

I've done it on an allparts Tele/'51 P neck more because at the time one wasn't offered. If you really want a project it's possible for not that much effort. But I agree that having a 2nd fretless neck is the best tact so you will have more options.

I can imagine having a pro defret it may cost close to a 2nd neck. Worth checking.

 

[Smit_Dogg]

Thing about getting a second neck is; will I be able to find one with dimensions suitable for the Lakland.?! I found on another bass i tried changing a neck on, that even if you get the neck width matching at the heel, the actual depth of the boards differ. The new neck I was installing barely lipped over the body...

I'd be getting charged about £120 ($200) for the defretting. Plus there will be the cost of fuel to deliver/collect the bass.

 

[SlingBass4]

You've posed the question, explained the situation, that qualified tech will do the work, and I believe everyone that has responded has your best interests in mind. That said: It appears you've performed your due diligence, and are prepared to live with the results (IF I read your correctly). It's your bass - do what you wish...*I* would.

 

[Mushroo]

I defretted one bass (Warmoth parts bass) 10 years ago, and I still regret it. Never making that mistake again!

 

[Skip_NJ]

I defretted a $150 P bass copy with good results, but the bass is made of plywood and there wasn't much on the line. If I were you, I'd think about selling or trading the Lakland for a fretless you like.

 

[Tom Howland]

For any high end bass. Leave the de-fretting and epoxy to a pro.
HG Thor Labs does all my work. Best there is. But it's not cheap.
If your not sure your into fretless. I would buy another bass, or a neck. ( fretless ). Then see if it's for you.

 

[Smit_Dogg]

Ok, so I had the work done and I'm extremely pleased with the outcome. All frets have been filled with rosewood veneer as close as damn-it to the colour of my fretboard and all dotted fretboard markers filled with a similar dowling. I also had all inlay dots moved to the correct fretting positions. It isn't entirely invisible when you get up close and scrutinise it, but from around a foot away you can't see any of the defretting work. Most importantly as well, this thing totally sings, masses of "mwwwah" and "pwwwowww" on tap and it's effortless to glide around it. The technician who did the job said he'd been playing it a lot as he loved how it sounded. His parting words were 'it's been a shrewd economic decision to have this job done'. For a £120 ($200-ish) I've saved myself the hassle of selling this bass and having to find a worthy fretless to replace it.