skynare Posted November 24, 2001 Share Posted November 24, 2001 Hi. I have fretted bass guitar, and I want to pull all the frets off from its fingerboard. (Just for fun :=) I herad that many people doing like that. Have anyone taken off frets? Is it possible for me to do it at home? Is it good? Thank you. S K Y N A R E Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
popeye Posted November 24, 2001 Share Posted November 24, 2001 Pianoman, the answers to your questions are; 1. yes 2. yes 3. yes I have used flat faced, flush cutting cutting snips to remove frets, then filled the slots with ebony or rosewood filler, then sanded and sealed, and sanded and sealed, etc etc etc. The frets may likely get bent or twisted during removal however and are thus pretty useless after removal, in case you intend to return the neck to its original state. Perhaps Bob Gollihur can shed some light. Regards, Popeye Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcr Posted November 24, 2001 Share Posted November 24, 2001 There was a good discussion of fret removal about a week ago in a thread called "Replacing Frets." There are also numerous websites with info; one I found particularly helpful is: http://www.geocities.com/charlesarms/ Be careful, be patient, watch the details! It's not very hard, but extra care will really pay off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashbulb Posted November 25, 2001 Share Posted November 25, 2001 I did it once and about 2 days later I wished I hadn't. Someone asked me, "What'd ya do, rip all your frets out?" If your going to do it, give it to someone who can fill the holes and finish it nicely. My best advice is, buy a fretless bass. That way you can sell whichever bass you don't want anymore, or have one of each. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graybass Posted November 25, 2001 Share Posted November 25, 2001 Hi Pianoman, I have a 1987 Ibanez Roadstar II 5 string that I had converted to fretless in 1991. I debated long and hard about doing it myself and in the end opted to use a local luthier. What I found out after that made me realise I had made the right choice. The board on my bass was ebony and, if not done properly, could have ended up wrecked as it is apparently very prone to chipping where the fret comes out. I also learned that a good luthier will contour the board dead flat with a straight edge. This is necessary to stop the board buzzing excessivley at a high or low spot. We want our basses to growl - not fart loudly at the wrong time. A fretted board doesn't have to be perfect as leveling the frets is an easy way to true thins up. I guess that is why most manufacturers charge more for fretless. If your bass has a finished board, binding or you are unsure what the wood is get it checked out. It is definitely worth doing. My man filled the slots with sandings off the board mixed with super glue and it looks like an unlined board but I can see lines up close. It plays well and, despite a LOT of use, has only needed minimal touch ups. This is definitely a case of do it once do it right and it will last you for years. Yours at the low end, Gray. Hmmmmm........... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad Thorne Posted November 25, 2001 Share Posted November 25, 2001 A buddy of mine bought a fretless neck for his P-Bass and just goes back & forth between fretted and fretless as his mood takes him. Ripping the frets out of an instrument, even if done right - I don't know, it gnaws on me somehow... (Just because Jaco did it doesn't necessarily make it right ... [ 11-25-2001: Message edited by: chad ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlimT Posted November 26, 2001 Share Posted November 26, 2001 I did it on my Ibanez ATK-300. It was a very fun project. If your goal is to get a nice fretless out of the bargain, well, I would just buy a nice fretless bass, or, the previously mentioned option of a fretless neck. If your goal is to have some fun with a bass of little value that doesn't get much use, well, go to it! SlimT It's all about the rumble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricknbokker Posted November 27, 2001 Share Posted November 27, 2001 I built a fretless a couple of years back. However, I wanted to keep the fret lines on the neck, so I glued some white plastic into the slots, sanded and finished the neck. It looks damn good. To bad the thing sounds and plays like crap. Have fun! Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dadgadget Posted November 27, 2001 Share Posted November 27, 2001 I took the frets out of my J bass many years ago and I'm glad to this day that I did. The fret slots were filled in with strips of matching rosewood veneer, and it looks seamless unless you look really hard. The BEST thing to do is coat the fingerboard with a product called "West System Marine Epoxy". This will save you from having to sand and plane your fingerboard as the strings (inevitably) wear ruts in the wood, yes even ebony will deteriorate over time ! The neck will become amazingly more temperature / humidity resistant and require very little maintenance with the truss rod. Tonally, you'll get better sustain, clearer highs and a much improved low-mid tone which is usually missing in wood only fingerboards. The epoxy is VERY tempermental during curing time, and must be kept warm and at a stable temperature or you'll end up with bubbles which you'll have to sand out and fix, like I did ! Before doing this I would have to refifnish the fingerboard about once every two months, I haven't touched it in five years since using the West System. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricknbokker Posted November 28, 2001 Share Posted November 28, 2001 Yo dad!!!! Now THAT'S some usable information!! I'm gonna look that stuff up right now! Just one question, though. When you mentioned less truss ro adjustments, was that just from using the stuff on the fretboard, or did you use it on the whole neck? For that matter, CAN you use it on the rest of the neck? Will using it on the rest of the neck prohibit me from keeping the back of the neck non-glossy? I want to keep the neck as smooth as possible. Thanks again, man. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skynare Posted December 27, 2001 Author Share Posted December 27, 2001 Thank you for all replies. Just one more question. Where can I buy filler maple and epoxy finish? Should I search at homedepot or music store? Happy New Year! S K Y N A R E Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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