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Is it possible!!!?
- Thread starter Westie808
- Start date
Yes you can remove the frets and fill in the slots with a filler. You might ask someone who's done it what they used.
Yeah, pull the frets out. I left the slots on my ebony board unfilled for five years before getting around to it. It played fine.
Google it
It's common. Jaco did it to his own bass with a butterknife supposedly,
I'd advise against doing it yourself though.. If u pull the frets out wrong, u crack the board.
u can find a cheap SX fretless for $99-$150 these days, and u get crazy quality from china these days for $99
It's common. Jaco did it to his own bass with a butterknife supposedly,
I'd advise against doing it yourself though.. If u pull the frets out wrong, u crack the board.
u can find a cheap SX fretless for $99-$150 these days, and u get crazy quality from china these days for $99
It's done all the time - even as DIY projects (Jaco!). Repair shops do it all the time - pull frets, fill slots with white or black plastic or filler, leave the fingerboard unfinished or have it sprayed with a hard clear finish (epoxy?), lower action at the nut and bridge and you're all set. I have an Ibanez SR605 that I'm considering having converted now - I'm not going to attempt it - it's going to my local repair guy who has done the conversion on several of my basses in the past.
Wow so I wasnt that crazy after all!! But the thing is that I wouldnt look great with all of those covered gaps with "epoxy" mind aswell get a new fret board right! But now that I know that its possible I should unfret my ibanez srx 550 or should I leave it just how it is?
just do it: it's the preferred way to get lost into the wonderful, endless game of self building/assembling/selling/buying/modifying etc......
IMWO, I did this to one of my basses and regretted it since the day I did it. I'd just go with a new SX fretless for $100.
if you use common sense and some patience, you'll absolutely succeed. After all it is not rocket science. Just take your time and use the right tools. You can make it...
Westie808 said:
Before starting, though, I would check for fretless basses around... it may work out better if you sell yours and buy another.
My favourite fretless is a £60 precision clone with a maple fingerboard. I removed the frets, then had my local luthier finish it, planing the board nicely etc. That cost me another £60, as I went for oil finish all round. I prefer it to my Japanese Fender Precision with unlined maple board...
So that worked great.
But I did the same to an OLP, and never got along with it and sold it... so it can be hit or miss.
Sure you can!
Took me forever though, just finished it the other day.
Epoxy fretboard, waterslide headstock decal. This bass will cost me way more than if I just went out and bought one.
Still not sure it will even be OK, as I don't have a body to attach it to yet. That's my next project.
Follow the sticky thread in Luthiers corner and away you go!
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f57/new-how-section-320006/
Took me forever though, just finished it the other day.
Epoxy fretboard, waterslide headstock decal. This bass will cost me way more than if I just went out and bought one.
Still not sure it will even be OK, as I don't have a body to attach it to yet. That's my next project.
Follow the sticky thread in Luthiers corner and away you go!
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f57/new-how-section-320006/
Attachments
Here is mine. Converted from a fretted Rosewood board to unlined fretless Maple board...
Not done by me!
Not done by me!
I made a bit of a mess pulling out the frets. I just tried to use some regular end nippers. You need something to get under the very end of the fret and pry up to start getting the fret out, once started then it just comes away. "pry" sounds like damage that is not the best word. Nail clippers (as flat as possilble) just at the very end of the fret might work, just using the a bit of the nail clippers on the end bit of the fret to get it started. That fret puller tool must be the way to go really.
Tape on either side of the fret. Wood was dry and it chipped a bit (a lot!). Good advice to crazy glue back in right away as you peel back the tape the chips stick to the tape so easy to place back.
Heating with a soldering iron didn't seem to make much difference, although with my hack nipper method it was hard to tell. My frets weren't glued in, I was just hoping the heat would help smooth things along. If yours are glued in then I guess heat is necessary.
Removing the frets was the hardest part really, if you can do that nicely, then rest is probably easier. I started with a fender licensed after market neck in case things got ugly. 3/4 of the frets came out nicely, 1/4 was a battle.
You can pretty much recover though, fill chips, fix up mistakes along the way. All part of the fun.
Tape on either side of the fret. Wood was dry and it chipped a bit (a lot!). Good advice to crazy glue back in right away as you peel back the tape the chips stick to the tape so easy to place back.
Heating with a soldering iron didn't seem to make much difference, although with my hack nipper method it was hard to tell. My frets weren't glued in, I was just hoping the heat would help smooth things along. If yours are glued in then I guess heat is necessary.
Removing the frets was the hardest part really, if you can do that nicely, then rest is probably easier. I started with a fender licensed after market neck in case things got ugly. 3/4 of the frets came out nicely, 1/4 was a battle.
You can pretty much recover though, fill chips, fix up mistakes along the way. All part of the fun.
Here is mine. Converted from a fretted Rosewood board to unlined fretless Maple board...
Not done by me!
I love that bass!!!!!
