Looking for advice on possible Jack Casady fretless mod

[dheylen_2000@ya]

I have a Jack Casady Signature and it seems to me that the tone of this bass would work great as a fretless. I have a Jazz for my main instrument and I don't want to buy a 3rd bass, I also love this Jack bass so I'm pretty motivated to convert it.

The problem is that the Hipshot Supertone Bridge I have is pretty much bottomed-out on the G string so removing the frets won't work. (I don't think it would have anyway with the block-style inlays).

So to do this, I would have to get the fretboard (on the set neck) removed and a new one (ebonol?) put on. Lastly, I 've heard that putting in reinforcing rods in the neck can help with dead-spots, which a set of Hipshot Ultra-Light tuners were responsible for adding.

I would have to have this professionally done as it's so far beyond my capacities and available time that it's not even thinkable as a DIY.

My questions are: Is it reasonable to expect a well qualified luthier/guitar repairman to do this project for $400-$500 max? I'm willing to drop the reinforcing rods if that would bring it in for under $500.

Is there even any truth to the claim that reinforcing rods will eliminate dead-spots & if so would it work on a retro-fit like this?

Thanks for any help anyone can offer.

 

[madmatt986]

You could also put 2 or 3 layers of thick ebony veneer on the fretboard to build it up the highth of the frets. This of course would give you an unlined fingerboard but I prefer that.

If you want to get really fancy you can fill in the fret slots with maple veneer or light colored wood filler. That would give you side markers at the fret positions which is a must in my opinion.

Good luck and I can't wait to see pictures!

 

[colcifer]

madmatt seems on the money to me.

 

[ctmullins]

How much relief does the neck have in its fretted state? And how much relief are you looking for in fretless form? Often fretless necks are straight, or nearly straight. So if you pull the frets and then adjust the truss rod to straighten the neck, you may find that your bridge is still sufficient.

If this doesn't work, you may at that point consider recessing the bridge a bit - that might be more feasible than a fingerboard retrofit.