Hide Lines on Fretless Bass

[ProdigalBassman]

Thanks everybody for your suggestions. I like the look of the fingerboard so don't want to cover / change that. The lines are a plastic material, I believe, which is probably why the Sharpie wore off - between the strings, interestingly enough

I'll try some of the stains etc. mentioned above. I don't want to go to the expense of having them cut out and replaced or a new fingerboard placed.

 

[rtav]

Thanks everybody for your suggestions. I like the look of the fingerboard so don't want to cover / change that. The lines are a plastic material, I believe, which is probably why the Sharpie wore off - between the strings, interestingly enough

I'll try some of the stains etc. mentioned above. I don't want to go to the expense of having them cut out and replaced or a new fingerboard placed.

Hey - I am more than a year late to the party, BUT...

ProdigalBassman - did you try the stains mentioned above? I'm looking at a Carvin fretless 6 that is gorgeous except for the fretlines that are brighter than my future. I'd love to change that and was wondering if you had any success.

Thanks!

 

[Gilmourisgod]

I’d like to eliminate the dots on all my bass fingerboards; I just don’t like the looks of them, whether I see them while playing or not.

I also just look at the edge dots— but with my belly all I can see, haha.

You sound like a good candidate for an Aerodyne Jazz! The American version has no dots or markers at all on the FB, does have dots on the side however. Gorgeous basses IMO.

 

[mikeswals]

The stain won't soak into to plastic either, just like the sharpie didn't. the metal string will simply wear it off too.

The most logical way is take the bass to a tech and have the plastic lines removed and have matching wood slices installed.

 

[cdef]

Not particularly helpful here, but I had a bass defretted and the grooves filled with ebony veneer. They stood out from the rosewood board just enough when playing, and weren't noticeable from a few steps away.

 

[gpx1200]

it's funny this thread comes up today just as im thinking of the prospect of airbrushing a fretless board and then putting epoxy over it anyone ever seen this??

 

[Old Blastard]

I have a fretless Fender without lines and a Drake with. They both look good to me and I make minor adjustments to finger placement depending on which I'm playing. I sort of take each guitar for what it is and adjust my playing to the guitar. Probably while I have 14 basses.

 

[Dan Knowlton]

Audiences don't care. I mean, make your stuff look however makes you happy, but they don't care.

True story: I was playing a gig once on fretless and at the end of the last song a woman in the audience yells up to me "Is that a fretless bass?". After I said yes she yelled back "Good god why?"

Turns out she meant to say "isn't that much more difficult for no good reason", but still, she's my favorite heckler of all time. Plus she bought me a drink after.

I have this heckler that is constantly on me about playing my fretless - but then, she IS my wife!

Dan

 

[Dan Knowlton]

I had a Ken Lawrence Brase converted to fretless and short (3/8") sections of plastic on the B-string side and dark wood for the rest of the inlay. Worked great for me and the plastic was not too noticable from a few feet away.

Dan K.