NND (new neck day)!! My first fretless experience!

[bassingeorge]

So I got a really nice, used Mighty Mite unlined fretless P bass neck from the classifieds (thanks Jackcrow). This is my first time really playing an unlined fretless...the only time I touched one was long time ago at a GC.

Honestly I was kinda nervous, thinking the fingerboard was gonna feel so foreign and weird I was gonna regret my purchase.

So the neck came, I installed it with minor difficulty, a quick set up and bam, on to playing.

To my surprise, if you know your bass and fretboard, fingerboard in this case, "finding" yourself on it is not as weird or hard as I thought. I can definitely hold tune and intonation on some of the easier songs that I know, and even tried the upright bass song "the lovecats" from The Cure, with really good result. It's kinda flattering in a way, and suuuuuper fun to be able to play fretless, unlined for that matter and be kinda ok at it. I am still planning on doing some lines with tape, for more visual reference, and shoot some tinted nitro on it.

Anyways, here it is!

 

[blacktocomm]

I was also intimidated by fretless but had the same experience you did once I gave it a shot. I also almost pulled the trigger on that neck, but you beat me to it. Looks great on your P bass!

 

[TDR1138]

So I got a really nice, used Mighty Mite unlined fretless P bass neck from the classifieds (thanks Jackcrow). This is my first time really playing an unlined fretless...the only time I touched one was long time ago at a GC.

Honestly I was kinda nervous, thinking the fingerboard was gonna feel so foreign and weird I was gonna regret my purchase.

So the neck came, I installed it with minor difficulty, a quick set up and bam, on to playing.

To my surprise, if you know your bass and fretboard, fingerboard in this case, "finding" yourself on it is not as weird or hard as I thought. I can definitely hold tune and intonation on some of the easier songs that I know, and even tried the upright bass song "the lovecats" from The Cure, with really good result. It's kinda flattering in a way, and suuuuuper fun to be able to play fretless, unlined for that matter and be kinda ok at it. I am still planning on doing some lines with tape, for more visual reference, and shoot some tinted nitro on it.

Anyways, here it is!

View attachment 4159557

That looks great. Dig the unlined board with the black-on-black look.

I bought the same MM neck toward the beginning of this whole COVID thing. Still trying to find the right home for it, and was thinking of a black MIM P for it. I’ve had it on a couple of Squier bodies and the neck pockets have both had gaps, so I want to find one that fits better.

Not sure if the prior owner did anything to the neck, but I found that the edges were very sharp, so I did take a file to the edges to take the sharp corners off, then hit the whole fretboard with 2000 grit sandpaper to take the sheen off and smooth out the filed edges. Lastly, I blacked out the existing marker dots with a sharpie and then added lines/dots on the thumb side for my own reference, while keeping the board looking unlined. Not the prettiest, I do plan to redo it a little nicer, but it gets the job done.

Good luck with your fretless adventure. I’m enjoying mine.