This is what I see when I see a fretless bass converted from fretted

[GretschWretch]

I''m not a huge fan of defretted basses. Partly because of the looks and partly because the dots end up in the fretted positions. But in the "go figure" department. I have converted several perfectly good SX basses to fretless but did it by changing the fingerboard so they came out unlined. It was pretty easy to do and I bought some real ebony fingerboards back when you could still get them for under $50 each, while my Carvin AC50 is lined and has dots in the fretted positions so looks like a cheap defret instrument. It cost me over a grand.

I've always preferred clean fingerboards to lined ones, although if the bass comes from the factory lined (like the old Eko BA-4s), I won't mess with it. So when I do a defret, in addition to removing the frets I also drill out the top dots. I use a combination of sanding dust and super glue to fill the fret slots and dot holes before I do a final dressing on the 'board. The result is not invisible, but comes darn close.

For side markers I use 1/4" adhesive dot labels.

 

[BD Jones]

I confess that I just don't get it. It seems that if you want a fretless bass, but are strapped for cash and only have one bass - a fretted one - it's time to sell your fretted bass and buy a fretless. I don't understand the attraction to converting, unless you are a budding luthier experimenting on a sub hundred dollar instrument.

Please educate me.

I had did a defret job once. I did it because it was cheaper than buying a fretless and selling the bass wouldn't have made me enough to buy one. I already had a fretted bass and wanted a different sound. That's why I did it. However, as mentioned before most people have it done because they like a particular bass but it doesn't come fretless. I have a Fender Precision Lyte Deluxe that I love (first new bass I bought with my own money in 1991). I've thought about having a fretless conversion done on it, but I'm concerned about altering a semi-vintage, no longer made and hard to come by bass.

 

[Spidey2112]

I confess that I just don't get it. It seems that if you want a fretless bass, but are strapped for cash and only have one bass - a fretted one - it's time to sell your fretted bass and buy a fretless. I don't understand the attraction to converting, unless you are a budding luthier experimenting on a sub hundred dollar instrument.

Please educate me.

Tell me if I'm wrong, but isn't that vehicle using a
WAY HUGE Bartolini for a rear window?

 

[Spidey2112]

It really isn't all that difficult to do a nice job so why not?

Plenty of resources on how to do most anything, if you are inclined...

 

[Mvilmany]

BTW, I converted a 1980 dodge D50 pickup to be a convertible back in the late 80's. It is because I was cheap, still needed a pickup, and ....

I converted a fretless bass into a 1980 dodge pickup truck.

 

[bass_lord_mutha]

Well, I'm having my converted fretless reconverted back to fretted, so take that lmao

 

[fdeck]

On both of my de-fret jobs, I filled the slots with "walnut" colored Plastic Wood. The lines are just visible enough to be useful, without being garish. The Fender has held up for 33 years. This one is my cheap Ibanez:

 

[+6dB Dan]

OK, somebody's gotta say it already...

Because finding a lefty fretless is basically impossible. And a 5-string or 6-string lefty fretless? Apparently that's a completely unreasonable thing to ask of manufacturers.

 

[Joebone]

For what it's worth, some would (will) argue that, if this....

is what you see, when you see a fretted bass modified to fretless, you see this bass....

.. in the same light. Seeing as this is (arguably) what started it all, I'd respectfully disagree with you.

That is a gorgeous photo of Jaco. What beautiful hands he had, and his visage and posture evince a marvelous balance of bliss, relaxation, being in the moment, yet also being ready to pounce with a musical comment. Thanks.

 

[Brother Goose]

converted an ABG to fretless. it sounds/plays great.

 

[d-dave]

Because I wanted to. I mean... that's about it. I just wanted to. I get it that some people may think it looks tacky and I'm fine with that. I love it and it's got sweet mwah.

I get your opinion, though. I remember back in the late 80s early 90s when some folks were (it's uncanny that you chose this reference earlier) chopping the tops off their trucks and making them convertibles. There was nothing in this world that looked tackier to me. Like a giant cheesemobile, painted with gorgonzola with a retractable cheddar top. But to some guy who couldn't afford a sports car and already had a truck who had the time and effort to invest, I suppose... meh.

My point is... the convertible trucks weren't for me. So I never had one. And I didn't worry about it. Who cares why someone else thought it looked even remotely acceptable, let alone wanted to be seen in one?

You hate DYI fretless conversions. So, don't do one. And don't let it trouble you. Who cares why anyone thought it was a remotely acceptable idea, let alone wanted to play one?

 

[MNAirHead]

I've done... cheap bass with dorked frets...

a bunch of time.. youtube videos... bunch of sand paper...

Silly question

 

[davy4575]

I confess that this could be a "hot button" topic for some people, though. It's why I said, "educate me". There may be something that I'm just not YET getting.

BTW, I converted a 1980 dodge D50 pickup to be a convertible back in the late 80's. It is because I was cheap, still needed a pickup, and a two seater sports car was out of the question with three pre-college daughters. Looking back, it was a fairly dumb thing to do, like putting a couple thousand dollars worth of wheels on a 15 year old honda. But young people have to figure it out, as I had to.

I had a 79 cadillac coup de ville that we cut the roof off and filled the holes with spray foam, the stuff turned orange after a couple weeks, looked like a pimp mobile with cheese whiz on it. We called it the pimp mobile, bright white leather interior.

 

[Bim1959]

I had played a fretless that someone converted because that model wasn't released as Such and liked the way it sounded. However, at that time I worked in a music store doing repairs on guitars and amps and a budding Luther brought in an old set of Dan Erlewine videos on VHS and Dan showed how to pull and replace frets or fill with wood putty. Since I had recently acquired my dream bass (a '96 Warwick Corvette 6 string), I had an Ibanez SR406 that I decided to convert to fret less.

It's actually pretty easy to do once you have the knowledge and desire to do it.

Would I do it again? Of course. Do I still have and play the Ibanez? Yes.

With the limited amount of fretless basses on the market, why wouldn't you convert a bass you like to fretless?

 

[Watchootognbout]

Hmm now you guys have got me curious... I'm gonna have to go find a $50 bass and try defretting it.

I love working with wood and trying new things so why not right.

For years I've read magazine articles on how to defret a bass.
And I've had four of my past basses defretted by pros.I'm confident that I can defret a bass.

I did it to my Tune TWB63 bass back in 2010.

Prior Preparation Prevents Poor Performance.

Tools needed to defret a bass
1.A pair of end nippers.With the nipping face ground flat so that they can get under the fret.
2.A soldering iron.
3.A Three foot level.
4.A Hobby Razor Saw.
5.An 8"Radius Sanding Block(you will need to know the radius of you fretboard)
Make sure the neck is straight with truss adjustment.
6.Various grades of sandpaper.

Your choice of what you want to fill the fret slots.I chose styrene plastic strips..062 as I remember.
7.Crazy Glue.
8.An Exacto knife.
9.You will need to deepen the nut slots.Personally I sanded the bottom of the nut to lower the slot height.
10.Howards Feed-N-Wax Wood Polish and Conditioner.Or Lemon oil.
A polish cloth.
No power tools.

This is like the first time you did your own brake job and you said"I pay a mechanic for this?"

Or you can get the bass and have a luthier do this.

 

[PauFerro]

A few reasons:

1. There is something uniquely independent about making your own tools.
2. The bass has some fundamentals you really like, that you can't get in a fretless model.
3. You want to do what Jaco did, for "identification" purposes.
4. You want to make the bass unique and one of a kind, perhaps by even using uniquely colored material to fill in the fret slots -- to make a line fretless.

 

[Acoop]

I converted only one bass from fretted to fretless, a 1966 Fender P-bass. That was beneath a full harvest moon way back in 1977, less then six months after seeing Jaco touring Heavy Weather in Miami. Back then I, like most players, only owned one bass, so, that's the one that went fretless. ... Fender was producing a fretless neck which, I remember trying and not liking. ... I still own that neck and still play it along with my other basses.

 

[Spidey2112]

That is a gorgeous photo of Jaco. What beautiful hands he had, and his visage and posture evince a marvelous balance of bliss, relaxation, being in the moment, yet also being ready to pounce with a musical comment. Thanks.

Nicely put, RW... Happy Birthday, Jaco!

 

[bearhart74]

You don't have to "get it". Everyone can do what they please.

 

[Bodeeni]

Wow this topic lit a fuse. I have had several of both. Back in the day, the only way to get a lined fretless was to have a conversion. Fretless options were also few and far between, it was a lot easier and cheaper to get something you had converted. I did a 25 year exclusive run on a cheap converted parts neck, it worked great. Other than a factory job, possibly, being a bit cleaner at the frets, I don't see a difference.