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Kala UBass Megathread, Part 6

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#324
Some GC's have competent techs, but they'll charge you what they're told to charge you. A local shop with a reputable tech you trust is surely the way to go, but a defret can still be expensive. It's apparently easy to do yourself, though I'd never attempt it.
 
#325
T-MOST said:
I have a spruce top and I'm very happy with it. I've used it several times on gospel gigs and it's been great. i did have some mild feedback issues but I bought a sound hole cover and it does help.

But I have a question: I'm thinking about having it defretted (I should have bought a fretless)
Is that possible for an instrument of this type? and how much should it cost?
Click to expand...

Here's a link to pics and explanation of how I de-fretted and filled my U-Bass. I really don't recommend the nail-clipper approach. Yes, it will *work* (and U-Bass frets are conveniently very easy to pull compared to some instruments), but you will likely end up with a rougher looking job and may have to apply a hard finish to the fingerboard to prevent further chip-out. A couple of sharp chisels are preferably (followed up by fret pullers or even nail clippers if you must).

Details here:

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f8/kala-ubass-megathread-part-4-a-893171/index37.html#post13259925

What a clean fret pull looks like:

20120906_132724.jpg


I like not having a finish on the rosewood with the fretless U-Bass. It's really not needed with the soft rubber strings and feels amazing!

With the maple veneer I inlaid:

20120906_165601.jpg


There were some slight imperfections in some of the veneer I had (and I ran out of material), but it came out very nice anyway!

Given the time, tools and experience to do this job - I personally couldn't justify charging any less than $200 to do the job. It wouldn't be worth it to me. $300 at Guitar Center where they will likely rush the job and just fill the slots with wood filler? (with an unfinished board I would expect the filler to dry out and start separating out eventually as the rosewood board goes through seasonal changes) Nope - not worth it!
 
#326
3234718 said:
Some GC's have competent techs, but they'll charge you what they're told to charge you. A local shop with a reputable tech you trust is surely the way to go, but a defret can still be expensive. It's apparently easy to do yourself, though I'd never attempt it.
Click to expand...

I did have a set of pups installed at GC several years ago and they did a great job. A defret job however, is definately a whole other issue. I don't want to try to tackle it either. :rollno:
 
#327
What I'd really like to do is somehow cover up the lines on my fretless hog. It would look awesome with just the dots, and the lines only screw me up anyway because the real positions aren't exactly on the lines.
 
#328
3234718 said:
Some GC's have competent techs, but they'll charge you what they're told to charge you. A local shop with a reputable tech you trust is surely the way to go, but a defret can still be expensive. It's apparently easy to do yourself, though I'd never attempt it.
Click to expand...

True!

GC makes me nervous as they have so much work they have to zoom through. Are they going to take the time to do the best job they can? They really cannot. Not the GC tech's fault - it's simply not an ideal scenario for the best quality work.

You do get what you pay for (usually). I think my defret took me about 3 hours or so including inlaying the maple. What is 3 hours worth to you?

The tools for this project aren't expensive. You likely already have 2 chisels or your neighbor does. Just make sure they are sharp. Fret pullers from Stew Mac are awesome for less than $30 [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] but not necessary. I've seen similar flush ground nippers that could be ground down further at hardware stores for half that. Then all you need is sandpapers, filler material and some superglue to secure it. A radius block is helpful for getting a really accurately flat radiused board - but you could probably 'get way' without it on a U-Bass with its soft strings and high action.
 
#329
3234718 said:
What I'd really like to do is somehow cover up the lines on my fretless hog. It would look awesome with just the dots, and the lines only screw me up anyway because the real positions aren't exactly on the lines.
Click to expand...

You'd have to saw them out probably, then fill with something. Maybe some rosewood veneer? You'd still see the lines up close, but not from 20' away.
 
#331
You can get a cheapo pair of nippers from Harbor Freight (if you're in USA) and grind them down flush on a grinder or stationary belt sander of some sort.

If you have a soldering iron with a flat tip (like the blade of a screwdriver), you can file a little notch in the middle of the tip. Then you can run the soldering iron up and down the fret right before you pull it, that'll minimize tearout from the tangs of the fret. Softens up the end grain at the slot a bit so it's less likely to chip out. The little notch just makes it so you don't slip off the fret.
 
#332
I got a reply from Ryan at Kala about the gap in my Shadow Pick Up. See below.

Is it true that most shadow systems have this?
photo here Invalid Link Removed

I don't want to be too picky, but this gap seems a little big to me. If some of you have this too, then I'll just convince myself to live with it. PLEASE kindly ADVISE!
My dilemma is that I already got a strap pin installed on the ubass, so I can't exactly return it now. If it's not "normal" then I will have to go through what it takes to get it fixed/replaced.

Thanks in advance for helping a newbie!
Thank you, letseatpaste, for your previous reply. Good luck with your tuner button.

RYAN's REPLY: " I see the opening. Most of the shadow systems have this. There’s not much that can be done when they are installed because they have to bend with the curvature of the body and so it will give either way when it is mounted, that board is floating so that it can flex without cracking. If this concerns you, you will need to contact the dealer about it from here on out. This is not considered a factory or manufacturer defect. To a technician this would be considered normal in the building/installation process."
 
#333
Mine does have a gap around the inside of the frame, that makes sense about following the curvature of the body. Not sure if I'm seeing it right, but I wonder if you could trim out that foil tape with a little exacto type pen knife and then it might look right.
 
#338
I took the SR's off and put the pahoehoes back on, which was a challenge, and i'm much happier now! No weird noises and the intonation is perfect. the strings were short so I had to stretch them and string them at the same time by myself, which was a challenge! I had to do a standard string wrap on the D and G strings instead of the suggested method of kn otting them, but its working fine. Played it at church tonight and got a a lot of positive feedback.
 
#339
Hi, I usually just lurk on this site and got account to ask this question specifically: what does the Hutch Hutchinson model sound like acoustic?
Living in Aus, I can't afford to ship a Ubass here. I have a relative going to the US and I will be shipping the Ubass to their hotel. I want to know how loud do the (cool looking) slits make the Ubass play unplugged?
 
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