This just means you haven't practiced enough to find it by feel
The markers definitely help, but I've been working hard to wean myself off them; the more I practice, the easier it gets.
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Fretless bass conversion done-page 4
- Thread starter spwath
- Start date
The markers definitely help, but I've been working hard to wean myself off them; the more I practice, the easier it gets.
I'm used to it for cello. No markers there.This just means you haven't practiced enough to find it by feel
The markers definitely help, but I've been working hard to wean myself off them; the more I practice, the easier it gets.
Yikes...buy a fretless. I would keep one of each (fretted and fretless) instead of trying to convert. But that is just me.
Ductapeman
Ringmaster and Resident Geriatric
Head over to Invalid Link Removed and look at their fretless neck with an ebony board-- lined or unlined, marked or unmarked, if you've been playing a Fender-type bass for a while the muscle memory will do most of the work anyway. First time I took mine to rehearsal we were four tunes in when the drummer asked when I was going to use the new fretless-- the ebony board is SO worth the upcharge, the feel is totally slick and smooth; I can see why they use it on bowed strings.
ETA: I just ran the neck builder, and the neck I have now (that was given me by a friend in like 1991 because he couldn't grasp it) would be like $700 now, but what a neck--
ETA: I just ran the neck builder, and the neck I have now (that was given me by a friend in like 1991 because he couldn't grasp it) would be like $700 now, but what a neck--
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They do look like nice necks, but expensive, more than bass. What about this one.
Invalid Link Removed
You need 2 things:
1. Needlenose pliers. Preferably rusty ones, as the rust grips better
2. Impatience. This is an easy job that can be done really quickly. You have better things you could be doing right now, get on with it!
At least... that's how 15 year old me did it. I also decided that I didn't want fret dots anymore, so I just scribbled over them with a sharpie. Presto.
1. Needlenose pliers. Preferably rusty ones, as the rust grips better
2. Impatience. This is an easy job that can be done really quickly. You have better things you could be doing right now, get on with it!
At least... that's how 15 year old me did it. I also decided that I didn't want fret dots anymore, so I just scribbled over them with a sharpie. Presto.
This just means you haven't practiced enough to find it by feel
The markers definitely help, but I've been working hard to wean myself off them; the more I practice, the easier it gets.
I started on upright and played that almost exclusively for the first seven years I played bass. So I'm no stranger to the cool kid's neck. And I'll agree the fretlines can become a crutch (and generally make you sound "out") if you try to completely rely on them to find a your notes. But I don't see them as the danger to your development as a fretless player that some people seem to think they are. I lump most of the arguments against lines in the same category as the arguments that took place back around the beginning of the previous century when children's picture books started becoming popular.
There were many (mostly publishers that weren't equipped to publish picture books) arguing that illustrations were bad because they hurt the development of a child's imagination, and their ability to "visualize."
Lines on a fretless neck are only a problem or a crutch if you let them become one. But it seems to me, from a lot of what I keep hearing around TB, that the most common argument against them is that they don't look cool - and might take away from some of the mystique certain fretless players try to weave around their instrument.
Whatever. I say just play the thing and be done with it.
Why would it matter on the scale length, no frets, remember? Your finger placement is the intonation, heck, go short scale.
Using my current strings (normal scale) would be a problem with short scale, would it not?
Agree. I mainly play 34" scale for fretted and fretless. But I also have a 32" fretless that's become my goto because it sounds great and is so easy to play. Took me about 20 minutes to become completely comfortable with it. And just the usual amount of practice to nail the intonation.
I also have a few 30" and one 35" bass. I've never had transition issues going back and forth from one scale length to another. Maybe that's just me. But I don't think so.
I found that most times, ignoring the received wisdom, and declining to make a big problem out of something goes a long way towards making sure it doesn't ever become a big problem for you.
It's a simple job to do, but a really tough job to do well.
If you want to do it, read a lot, prepare, and give yourself plenty of time.
On my most recent fretless conversion, I used .02" binding material from Stewart MacDonald.
Fret tangs are typically .022", so they fit fairly snug and didn't leave too much room that had to be filled.
You can pick your binding color to make the lines as obvious or subtle as you like.
If you want to do it, read a lot, prepare, and give yourself plenty of time.
On my most recent fretless conversion, I used .02" binding material from Stewart MacDonald.
Fret tangs are typically .022", so they fit fairly snug and didn't leave too much room that had to be filled.
You can pick your binding color to make the lines as obvious or subtle as you like.
I defretted my first bass, and it went fine. It was a project over a couple of evenings.
I bought a pair of end nip pliers, and had the frets out in no time, with very little damage. Then I sealed and epoxied the neck. Wet sanded the epoxy between coats. Nothing to it.
I bought a pair of end nip pliers, and had the frets out in no time, with very little damage. Then I sealed and epoxied the neck. Wet sanded the epoxy between coats. Nothing to it.
Some fretless necks have side dot position markers, which would be way off. But otherwise, yes - less issue with a fretless.
If you can get an ebony board it will last longer. If not, an epoxied rosewood board is great too.
Or you could do this, depending on your skill sets.
Eden "paddle" neck, $65.00
Flatwounds, $30.00
Sealer, stain and tinted polyurethane, $20.00
Piece of brass to shim neck, scrap metal pile.
EPiphone Thunderbird used with bolt-on neck, $200.00 off EBay with case.
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Reading and preparing is good advice. Note that main difficulty with defretting is wood chipping out of the fingerboard as you pull the frets. You then need to save the little chips and glue them back. It's not cool to have lots of chips. Sometimes you can slide frets out rather than pull them straight up. This saves the wood from chipping so much.
You want to fill the slots with something hard that will not compress like maple veneer or plastic. Plasticwood filler will NOT do. Soft slot fill allows a weakening of the neck and it can flex too much and the wrong way. And YOU DO NOT WANT TO USE A SUBTLE SHADE. You will need markers on the neck. These can be BRIGHT easily seen fretline ends in which case you can have normal fretted marking dots between fret positions. But best is to use side dots ON the fret positions as is standard for fretless basses. Even my lined G&L has side dots ON the fret positions. Invisible fretlines combined with fretted-style side dots will be a nightmare to play. To repeat if you use a dark subtle line filler, you MUST install bright white side dots on the neck that are located ON the fret positions (go look at a factory fretless bass). Playing fretless bass guitar without neck side markers at all takes more "muscle memory" than I can muster and I started out playing upright bass. On an upright you have "positions" that give you landmarks. On a guitar you have a long neck with no landmarks unless there are side dots.
I feel like I wouldn't need markers, used to cello, I tuned my bass in 5ths like a cello.
Would be cool if I found a cello scale neck...
