HI, FIRST LUTHIER Post, and i am a newb. The only adds to a bass was a chrome bridge cover on a fender jazz. Anyway, i am thinking about buying a 5 string fretted (Spectr Classic 5 or Wasburn Taurus 5) and just read the making lined fretless post (very helpful thanks) and a guy mentioned defretting. Anytips, without going insane Jaco on the beautiful new fretboard.
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Defretting TIPS
- Thread starter MurvintheWalrus
- Start date
i started a similar project recently...
first get some painters tape on all the fingerboard between the frets. it can hold done some wood chips that would normally come out.
u can heat up the fret with a soldering pen, but it really depends on the make of the neck. if the frets are glued, the pen will really help, and if they're not, at least it will make the fret softer and easier to pull.
DONT do what i did: wedge a small screwdriver or pick under the fret and wiggle it up
DO this: get a pair of end nippers, and grind them if they are not perfectly flush, and then u can grab underneath the edge of the fret and lift across the board.
first get some painters tape on all the fingerboard between the frets. it can hold done some wood chips that would normally come out.
u can heat up the fret with a soldering pen, but it really depends on the make of the neck. if the frets are glued, the pen will really help, and if they're not, at least it will make the fret softer and easier to pull.
DONT do what i did: wedge a small screwdriver or pick under the fret and wiggle it up
DO this: get a pair of end nippers, and grind them if they are not perfectly flush, and then u can grab underneath the edge of the fret and lift across the board.
^^^ what he said
Also, if it's a maple fretboard, score the finish around the frets with a straight razor. Go slowly when pulling out the frets. Try to chip out as little wood as possible (some will chip out inevitably, but you can minimize it). Once the frets are out, clean the slots (I use a .23" kerf saw from stewmac), and glue in the veneer of your choice. Then it's business as usual, level the fretboard and apply finish if it needs it.
Also, if it's a maple fretboard, score the finish around the frets with a straight razor. Go slowly when pulling out the frets. Try to chip out as little wood as possible (some will chip out inevitably, but you can minimize it). Once the frets are out, clean the slots (I use a .23" kerf saw from stewmac), and glue in the veneer of your choice. Then it's business as usual, level the fretboard and apply finish if it needs it.
I defretted a neck i had from my old bass today actually. i used a soldering iron to soften the glue, until i found the frets were only pressed in.
I used a paint scraper to lever the fret ends up then slowly pull it out.
It turned out great, no major chipping at all. Although, i used wood putty to fill in the fret slots. The first coat of polyurethane on the fretboard is drying now.
Good luck!
I used a paint scraper to lever the fret ends up then slowly pull it out.
It turned out great, no major chipping at all. Although, i used wood putty to fill in the fret slots. The first coat of polyurethane on the fretboard is drying now.
Good luck!
I did mine about a month ago. I pulled the frets with a pair of cheap end cutters that I ground with a nice flush edge. I heated the first fret with a soldering iron before pulling it, but there was no glue, so I didn't bother heating the rest. I filled the lines with bondo, sanded, and then finished it with a really nice shiny superglue finish.
I found the best way to remove the frets was just by grabbing them with the cutters. With normal nickel silver frets, they'll actually dig into the metal fairly easily, rather than trying to force them under the edges immediately. Once you have a good grip, just lightly rock them back and forth and they'll work their way loose without much chipping at all.
The first couple I did by trying to get the jaws under the edges right away, and they turned out alright, but definitely had more notchy edges from the teeth on the fret pulling out.
Just jiggle it back and forth and it'll come out easier, without as much chipping.
I found the best way to remove the frets was just by grabbing them with the cutters. With normal nickel silver frets, they'll actually dig into the metal fairly easily, rather than trying to force them under the edges immediately. Once you have a good grip, just lightly rock them back and forth and they'll work their way loose without much chipping at all.
The first couple I did by trying to get the jaws under the edges right away, and they turned out alright, but definitely had more notchy edges from the teeth on the fret pulling out.
Just jiggle it back and forth and it'll come out easier, without as much chipping.
I know on my rosewood fretboard it was really easy to take the frets out. I was all worried about chipping the wood and everything, but they came out like butter on mine. Just stuck a knife under em and gently wiggled.
Didn't even fill in the slots and it plays great!
Didn't even fill in the slots and it plays great!
newb, first post. i, too am interested in doing this to my spector 5 (rosewood) anybody got pix of before and after? during? when i lived in las vegas, i was gointo take my bass to ed roman (recommended by spector) but they lost their lease and had closed their repair shop.
I didn't take any before, but I got some during/after shots.
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showpost.php?p=5305436&postcount=8
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showpost.php?p=5305450&postcount=9
SDB Guitars
Commercial User
You *can* leave the frets in, and use the tang as the line markers, but the wood will wear much faster than the metal, and you might not like that.
What you are actually seeing is probably just a bound neck. Pretty much *all* frets are pressed or glued in. The tang is much narrower than the working portion of the fret, you wouldn't see it from the top, and if the edges of the fingerboard are bound, you won't see the tang from the edge, either.
