Removing fretlines from a fretless fretboard

[BlackMetalAkaz]

Hey guys,

I have a bass I am seriously gassing for. Its a fretless 6 with a lined fretboard.

Problem is I absolutely hate lines on my fret boards. I assume it must be painted on? is there maybe a way to remove the paint or otherwise get read of them? I never have done anything like that before on an instrument and this is the final obstacle I am dealing with.

If it helps, I am talking about the Stilletto Studio 6 Fretless by Schecter.

Thanks,

 

[kirkdickinson]

They are NOT just painted on. They are most likely strips of plastic glued into slots cut into the fretboard. If the fretboard is finished it will be over the strips.

A luthier could cut the strips out and glue new ones in that closely match the fretboard.

Leave them in or get one without lines from the start. Too much trouble.

 

[20db pad]

The most effective way to do this is to remove the fingerboard and replace it with an unlined one. This is prohibitively expensive and also not worth the trouble.

 

[pfox14]

The lines are always inlaid wood or plastic. You can't just remove them. Buy a fretless without lines if you hate them that much.

 

[HaMMerHeD]

The lines are probably maple veneer. You can dye them, but they'll still be visible. You could use a fretsaw to saw the lines out and replace them with something like black dyed or ebony veneer, but they'll still be visible.

Best to just live with the lines or buy a different bass.

 

[Lownote38]

Also, unless you replace the entire fingerboard, the side dot markers will be in the wrong place. On an unlined fretless, that's where your fingers go, and on a lined one, they fall in between where your fingers go.

 

[pnchad]

are you making music or in a fashion show or trying to impress someone???

this comes up regularly - such vanity

learn to play the thing - believe me (40 yrs FL experience here) - the lines will help

 

[carl h.]

Dye the whole fretboard black if the lines are bothering you.

 

[fhm555]

If it doesn't have some kind of finish on the board and the lines are wood veneer this should cover them. Just blacken your entire board.

That said, unless I had a lot of time under my belt with a fretless I'd welcome some reference lines.

 

[lokikallas]

Get a black epoxy job. Side dots will probably need to change too.
Actually it would be cool to expose just the edges of the inlays on the top to use as markers.

 

[bassbenj]

Dye the whole fretboard black if the lines are bothering you.

Might work. Depends if the fretlines are wood veneer (which is good) or plastic or epoxy (which is also good) or wood filler (which is bad).

Veneer or plastic fills the slots and gives the neck it's proper strength. The wrong wood filler won't and leads to neck troubles. However, veener or filler may take the dye easily while epoxy or plastic won't.

You can (as someone suggested) just coat the whole thing with black epoxy. Will work fine but will change the tone (to more Jaco like)

If you really, really love the bass and really really hate the lines, I'd just replace the whole fingerboard with a blank one. You can get one pretty cheap already smooth and pre-radiused from luthiers supply. An ebony one would really make the bass sing! Only the better pure black ebony is no longer available so if you want it pure black you'll have to dye that one too!

There are instructions online how to use a steam iron to take the old fingerboard off and you just glue the new one on and trim around it and tweak it in with side dots and sanding. I've done two fretless conversions this way and it wasn't that hard. Just be slow and careful. Or you could pay a luthier to do it for you. Results should be excellent.

But I'm not sure that lines would bother me enough to go to this trouble just to get rid of the lines. I've got a couple basses with lines and I'd prefer they were blank, but hey, *I* ordered one of them that way as a fretless noob, and the other one was used so it wasn't my decision. They both play just fine.

 

[Lownote38]

are you making music or in a fashion show or trying to impress someone???

this comes up regularly - such vanity

learn to play the thing - believe me (40 yrs FL experience here) - the lines will help

I learned fretless on one without lines and still prefer them that way. To me, not having the lines helped me learn it better. There was certainly no vanity involved. I wasn't trying to impress anyone either. It sounds like there's a chip on someone's shoulder!

 

[BlackMetalAkaz]

Thanks guys. I have emailed a few luthiers about it too. I will probably just have the fretboard replaced down the road. Though I love lokikallas black epoxy idea. I am sort of a minimalist and have a one bass at a time rule. So it's worth the extra work sometimes to make sure I have something I really want.