Fretted to fretless to fretted bass?

[ashtray]

I'm looking at buying a rare bass that has been converted to fretless. I would want it fretted though, and replacing the neck is not an option. I was wondering if there were any potential issues I would get in to if I tried to fret a bass that had been defretted.

And second question, is this a job I could do on my own (with tools from Stew Mac, etc?) or should I plan on taking it somewhere to have it done? How much would a job like this typically cost?

 

[grifff]

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Here's just one example, look under Conversions of Fingerboards. Looks like it will cost about $650.00USD to get it professionally done.

 

[lojo]

I know nothing about building instruments but do intricate toolwork for my job, and would advise if as you say replacing the neck is not an option, then having a non skilled person carry out his first fretting job on it would be a very risky decision

 

[ashtray]

$650?! I would think it shouldn't cost much more than a refret, right? I mean the process is similar, except you don't need to pull the old frets. Just need to cut the slots for the new frets - and the spots are already marked off where they go...

I can see this being a risky job for a noob like me though.

Shoot, I really want this bass - but the added cost to return it to being fretted might kill the deal.

Going to check locally and see what kind of quotes I can get...

And, come to think of it - I might look into the cost of a new Warmoth neck, and see if it would fit (this would be the tricky part due to the highly custom nature of the bass in question).

 

[6Steve6Harris6]

Just play it fretless, man.

 

[Chowderboots]

What kinda bass is it?

 

[TheBassPreacher]

I think it would deal with how well (nor not well) the defret was done, and what was done to it when it was defretted.

 

[Jools4001]

A rare bass huh...well, if you try refretting it yourself they will be even rarer because you WILL screw it up.

Fretting is a lot harder than it looks, and what might seem to you like simply sawing out the lined markers takes even more skill than making a fretted bass in the first place. Why? because most luthiers slot their fingerboards when it is a squared off blank, this gives them a straight edge that they can use with a fretting jig to ensure that the frets are perfectly perpendicular to the fretboard centreline. They then taper the fingerboard before they put the frets in. After that it becomes a 'simple' question of making sure that all the frets are seated, trimmed flush, bevelled at the edges, perfectly levelled and crowned.

Trying to re-slot a fingerboard once it's already tapered will mean that the person that does it will have to hold their breath and hope that if they freehand it they will be able to recut each fret slot without the saw wandering off-line or slipping even once across all frets, or they will need to make a custom jig to hold the saw perpendicular to the centre line.

For a first time fret job? No chance.

 

[fourstring44]

OK, here ya' go: I have a 1964 jazz bass that my dad bought new, I bought it from him in 1969. So needless to say this bass has been with me a very long time and has a lot of personal history. I had it defretted in the mid 80's and left it that way untill 2003. I sent it to Michael Dolan and had him refret it (I think the cost was around $300) he did a fabulous job and was well worth every penny. I would imagine to have a qualified tech do it today would run $300-400. Not really that much more than a regular fret job. Bottom line it's not that big of deal unless it was defretted in some weird way that tore up the fingerboard. Just be sure you have someone who knows what they are doing do the job!

 

[ashtray]

Thanks all!

Oh, Stew Mac sells a jig for holding the neck and cutting the slots - has adjustable depth control and what not. (That and the saw alone are $100 though.)

First things first - decide on buying the bass. After that I can see how the defret was done and what it will take to get back to the fretted side of the moon.

 

[ErebusBass]

I can't imagine it would cost $650 to refret the bass.

It all depends what they did to it. What did they fill the slots with? Did they coat the board with anything? How much of it did they sand off when they defretted?

I wouldn't do it myself, but before you let this kill your buzz for this bass, find some luthiers in your area and call them. See what they generally charge for fretwork, and tell them what's up.

Edit: just checked out the link that quoted $650. Pedulla's pricing is not a good guide for estimating the price of a local luthier.

 

[Chef]

Dolan=highly recommended

OK, here ya' go: I have a 1964 jazz bass that my dad bought new, I bought it from him in 1969. So needless to say this bass has been with me a very long time and has a lot of personal history. I had it defretted in the mid 80's and left it that way untill 2003. I sent it to Michael Dolan and had him refret it (I think the cost was around $300) he did a fabulous job and was well worth every penny. I would imagine to have a qualified tech do it today would run $300-400. Not really that much more than a regular fret job. Bottom line it's not that big of deal unless it was defretted in some weird way that tore up the fingerboard. Just be sure you have someone who knows what they are doing do the job!