I apparently cannot help myself. Show me a bizarre vintage Gibson and I can’t say no. I like big basses and I cannot lie, and my first gigging bass was a fretless jazz. My affinity for the RD standard - arguably Gibson’s take on a jazz - continues to grow. So to find one already modified with a beautiful piece of ebony to create a fretless monster… a thousand times yes:
Of course, it did not arrive perfect. The additional finish on the neck needed a lot of leveling, the stock bridge and its radius had little to do with the (intentionally?) compound radius of the new fretboard, and the fretboard itself resembled a skatepark more than a playing surface. Okay it wasn’t TERRIBLE but it needed help. Here’s a bit of progression from 80 grit up through final sand, polish, and hydration. First position radius measured 7.25” while it neared 12” above the twelfth “fret”. The shiny low spots in these progress pics can give a better sense of the adjustment needed. I decided on a 10” radius as both a happy medium and a comfortable curve that I enjoy.
I’m out of larger nut blanks at the moment, but when the restock arrives that will be the final thing to get this to a place I’m happy. This thing is a beast and I love it.
Of course, it did not arrive perfect. The additional finish on the neck needed a lot of leveling, the stock bridge and its radius had little to do with the (intentionally?) compound radius of the new fretboard, and the fretboard itself resembled a skatepark more than a playing surface. Okay it wasn’t TERRIBLE but it needed help. Here’s a bit of progression from 80 grit up through final sand, polish, and hydration. First position radius measured 7.25” while it neared 12” above the twelfth “fret”. The shiny low spots in these progress pics can give a better sense of the adjustment needed. I decided on a 10” radius as both a happy medium and a comfortable curve that I enjoy.
I’m out of larger nut blanks at the moment, but when the restock arrives that will be the final thing to get this to a place I’m happy. This thing is a beast and I love it.
