G&L recommendation?

[Corn Pop]

I played a G&L SB-1 at a gig and those MFD pickups cut through the mix so well, and the band and I loved it, but there was one show-stopper-- the frets on it seemed so sharp and I couldn't get over it.
Question: Is there another G&L model with better fret work than the SB1? That has that MFD pickup? Or if you want to suggest another brand, I am open to ideas. Just want a great neck with pickups that cut through.

 

[lowfreqgeek]

Sharp fret ends have nothing to do with the model of bass. It's a function of the fingerboard (wood) drying out and shrinking over time and the frets (metal) not shrinking. This is especially common if you live in the arid Southwestern US.

Neither my SB-1 nor my LB-100 have any fret-sprout, but I have other much more expensive basses that I've had to file down the fret ends as the seasons change. It's not a big deal or hard to do, so I wouldn't let a little fret-sprout keep me from an otherwise good bass.

 

[Chris Chong]

Either try to fix the problem yourself, buy fret file crowning tools.

Or spend more to get a tech to fix it for you.

 

[2F/2F]

Do you really think that the quality of the fretwork is model-dependent? How do you figure that works in the factory? "Hey; these ones are SB-1s. Make sure to do crappy fret work."

If you want something like the MFD sound in any standard style P Bass, then put a DiMarzio Model P in. DiMarzio technology is what the MFDs were originally based on, and the Model P is the pickup that G&L used in their first variant of split-coil SB-1. The SB-1 used a licensed version of this pickup in 1985 and 1986, as they were developing and mass producing the parts for the first split coil MFDs, which didn't debut till late 1986. The licensed version was called the PBX. It was built in Germany by Schaller, to DiMarzio Model P specs.

Strings, setup, and amp settings play as much or more of a role in what you heard too.

 

[svtbass]

Sharp fret ends have nothing to do with the model of bass. It's a function of the fingerboard (wood) drying out and shrinking over time and the frets (metal) not shrinking. This is especially common if you live in the arid Southwestern US.

Neither my SB-1 nor my LB-100 have any fret-sprout, but I have other much more expensive basses that I've had to file down the fret ends as the seasons change. It's not a big deal or hard to do, so I wouldn't let a little fret-sprout keep me from an otherwise good bass.

"This is especially common if you live in the arid Southwestern US."

Everything here is pointed, sharp, cuts and burns like hell when it punctures your skin... and is venomous. Especially fret ends.

 

[Doctor Morbius]

I have a JB Tribute and the fret ends are among the sharpest on any bass I've ever had. I loved how the bass sounded, but couldn't get over the sharp tang sticking out of the wood. I ended up doing a very hack job with some fret files, but now it's one of my favorite basses to play. Love teh toanz!!

 

[rolfplamperton]

Man, I’ve had sharp fret ends on Fodera’s. They can happen to any bass of any level of quality. Take it to a tech, and if you get paid at gigs, write it off.

 

[One Way]

I’ve owned 3 G&L basses each purchased new, Tribute models JB, L-2500, and M-2500. Each one had fine fret work.

 

[Brandon Shea]

If you don't want to buy the tools to fix this yourself, you can always do what I did and take your bass(es) to a shop to have them file the frets. I had to do that last winter on two of my basses: the cheapest (Sire V7) and the most expensive (EBMM StingRay Special). Fret sprout can happen with anything.

The shops around me charge between $30-60 for this kind of work. Definitely worth it for an instrument that you otherwise like.

 

[oldcatfish]

Sharp fret ends have nothing to do with the model of bass. It's a function of the fingerboard (wood) drying out and shrinking over time and the frets (metal) not shrinking. This is especially common if you live in the arid Southwestern US.

Neither my SB-1 nor my LB-100 have any fret-sprout, but I have other much more expensive basses that I've had to file down the fret ends as the seasons change. It's not a big deal or hard to do, so I wouldn't let a little fret-sprout keep me from an otherwise good bass.

This is the answer. Either take it to a tech or learn to fix it yourself. It’s not that difficult to do as long as you use the right tools and take your time. There are youtube videos that show you exactly how.

Other than that, just find another one of the same model that already is set up better, or as someone else suggested, add a Dimarzio model p to any p bass to get close to the sound. The easiest thing would be to take yours to a guitar tech though.

 

[Dadio]

A 400 grit sponge sanding block , several passes lightly run along the length of the neck slightly angled will get rid of the fret sprout within seconds. Will create a matt finish on the binding but looks and feels fine.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

I played a G&L SB-1 at a gig and those MFD pickups cut through the mix so well, and the band and I loved it, but there was one show-stopper-- the frets on it seemed so sharp and I couldn't get over it.
Question: Is there another G&L model with better fret work than the SB1? That has that MFD pickup? Or if you want to suggest another brand, I am open to ideas. Just want a great neck with pickups that cut through.

Sharp fret ends are repairable and having hem dressed is not that expensive. I’m guessing about an additional 3-5% of your acquisition cost.

 

[Kubicki Fan]

@Corn Pop,
It is worth doing the fix yourself because you can do the work during the dryest period of the year and the fix will be very likely permanent.

Selling a good instrument that needs an easy fix is regretful. Fret sprout, as the condition is known, can happen on any woodden neck that had no chance to dry to a steady state.

Even my us made stingray special (with torrefied neck) managed to develop some fret sprout. Go figure..

 

[vvvmmm]

If you decide to do it yourself, look for the tool that is like a 4-6" piece of wood with the file embedded innit such that you run it along the side - reminds me of a typewriter return - called a "beveling file"; quick, easy and relatively safe if you pay attention.

 

[TeeSee]

DIY bro

MusicNomad Fret Beveling File MN831

Fret Beveling File Precision tool for filing and bevelling fret ends, 2 in 1 design, Ergonomic handle made from high-quality, durable acacia wood, Unrivalled stability when filing thanks to the curved radius and ideal width, Ideal filing angles of...

www.thomann.co.uk

Amazon.com

Amazon.com

Plenty of Youtube vids to show you how, just use your keyboard or your thumbs on your phone.]


not gonna say they are the best videos just saying

Dont forget to invest in a black Sharpie and some masking tape, or take to your expensive luthier to get ripped off for a job you can do yourself, but if you are a serious player you will hang on to these tools and DIY cos once you do it once you will need no one else.

 

[Sertsa]

Before filing I'd get a humidifier and/or put it in a reasonably humid environment to see how it responds. It'll likely still need fretwork if it's that bad, but possibly not nearly as much.

 

[Kubicki Fan]

Before filing I'd get a humidifier and/or put it in a reasonably humid environment to see how it responds. It'll likely still need fretwork if it's that bad, but possibly not nearly as much.

What mystery are you trying to solve? With increased humidity the fret sprout resolves temporarily.

File while it is the driest.

 

[Brandon Shea]

DIY bro

MusicNomad Fret Beveling File MN831

Fret Beveling File Precision tool for filing and bevelling fret ends, 2 in 1 design, Ergonomic handle made from high-quality, durable acacia wood, Unrivalled stability when filing thanks to the curved radius and ideal width, Ideal filing angles of...

www.thomann.co.uk

Amazon.com

Amazon.com

Plenty of Youtube vids to show you how, just use your keyboard or your thumbs on your phone.]


not gonna say they are the best videos just saying

Dont forget to invest in a black Sharpie and some masking tape, or take to your expensive luthier to get ripped off for a job you can do yourself, but if you are a serious player you will hang on to these tools and DIY cos once you do it once you will need no one else.

I ended up buying one of these because of this thread. Got it today and used it on my wife's Squier mini Jazzmaster with sharp frets. Well, they were sharp, anyway... it's much better now! I'll probably take another pass at it soon, but even a few minutes of work resulted in a pretty nice difference.

 

[vvvmmm]

Having tried to do it with straight files in the past, I think those things are genius.

 

[GIBrat51]

I played a G&L SB-1 at a gig and those MFD pickups cut through the mix so well, and the band and I loved it, but there was one show-stopper-- the frets on it seemed so sharp and I couldn't get over it.
Question: Is there another G&L model with better fret work than the SB1? That has that MFD pickup? Or if you want to suggest another brand, I am open to ideas. Just want a great neck with pickups that cut through.

Yeah... like others have said; fret sprout can, indeed, be the result of poor fret work, but it's usually inversely proportional to the cost of the bass. The only other cause, is simply the climate you live in...
When I lived in Las Vegas, Nevada? The average annual relative humidity runs about 26%, with highs that might get all the way up to 48% - in the very short "monsoon" season (that's polite for "Flash Floods); and lows that run about 9%. Which is why visitors and newbies get nosebleeds - fairly often, too... Every bass and guitar I bought, in the 32 years I lived there? After sitting in my front room for about 6 weeks, they ALL had fret sprout. Some, like my '95 Alembic Epic, were so bad that I could barely pick the thing up by the neck. Guitar techs there, made their living doing almost nothing but fretwork...
So... yeah; your fretboard has dried out, and now you have fret sprout. Either get the files for the job, and do it yourself - or take it to somebody else, and have it done. Which is what's happening with my Alembic right now. I got it out in the monthly rotation on New Years Day, and... the thing's got fret sprout?!? You'd think that moving from the Mojave Desert to Northern Indiana 5 years ago - where it lives in a decently humid finished basement - would have made the Ebony fretboard swell past the fret ends. But, Nooo; it's got frickin' fret sprout. Not real bad, though; just enough to be annoying...