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bass_head
Not So Newbie
Joined: 14 Mar 2005
Posts: 5
Location: a forgotton place
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 Posted: Mon Jul 17, 2006 3:38 pm Post subject: convert freted bass to fretless |
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hi all ,,,
i have an ibanez sr3005 prestige series bass .
one the frets was jumped out cuz of an accident , and the repair shopman said its 50/50 that if it can be fixed or not ,
i think if i can take off all frets and fill the holes with wood materials , and make a fretless bass , what do u think ? is it possible ???
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You know the sleeping feel no more pain ... |
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marc
Sea Monkey
Joined: 19 Jan 2004
Posts: 14
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| Posted: Mon Aug 21, 2006 5:09 pm Post subject: depends |
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depends (among other things) what kind of wood your fingerboard is made out of.
I was (am) a Jaco victim and defretted my mexican jazz bass with a rosewood fingerboard... i had the job done by a pro so it was very well done and it was great fun to play fretless. However, the rosewood is not the best wood to play fretless on i found, the sound isn't well defined.
That's how much i can tell you about my fretless experience. If you're going to do it yourself, make you wont regret it if the job is done wrong, and second, get informed about how different kionds of wood sound like played fretless. |
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Greasy Lil
Kitten
Joined: 05 Sep 2006
Posts: 129
Location: UK
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| Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2006 5:58 am Post subject: |
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Defretting can ve very tricky. Not every time, but you wont know till you start, and sometimes then its too late.
The biggest problem that i know of, is how the current frets are held in the slot. If they've been glued, you can sooooooo easily rip a piece of the neck out with the fret. I've heard some luthiers use a soldering iron placed on each fret in turn, heating up the glue first to loosen it.
How long this takes i just dont know - but DIY defretting is fraught with danger.
If your bass is worthless, then give it a shot. If you value it, take it to someone who knows what they're doing, and guarentees their work.
I've heard some rosewood fretboards that dont " MMmmwaaah " very much at all. Then again, i had a rosewood Aria SB600 fretless ( old 80's thing ) that " Mwaaaah'd with the best of 'em
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oldbass
Newbie Alert
Joined: 08 Sep 2006
Posts: 3
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| Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2006 4:11 pm Post subject: Re: convert freted bass to fretless |
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| bass_head wrote: | hi all ,,,
i have an ibanez sr3005 prestige series bass .
one the frets was jumped out cuz of an accident , and the repair shopman said its 50/50 that if it can be fixed or not ,
i think if i can take off all frets and fill the holes with wood materials , and make a fretless bass , what do u think ? is it possible ??? |
There is an awful lot of misinformation on the internet. It is also difficult to find a good luthier/repairman.
First: If you have a loose fret it can be fixed. Period. The method used will depend on the damage. In a worst case scenario the fret slot is hosed. If that is true then the slot should be filled with a veneer of the same material that comprises the fingerboard i.e. rosewood in a rosewood fingerboard, maple in a maple, and the fret slot is recut. The veneer is usually installed with wood glue. Some luthiers prefer epoxy. There can be quite a debate as to what is the best adhesive. After that the new fret is installed normally. Every other repair is easier than this one. And this one isn't very difficult for an experienced repairman.
As far as removing all the frets and filling the slots, your ideas are correct. However, it's probably cheaper to purchase a used fretless. The P 3005 is a great bass. Your ownership also indicates that you can afford to spend a couple of bucks. Do that. BTW, an authorized Ibanez dealer may be able to get a replacement neck for a Gary Willis signature. The bolt pattern should be the same. If not, a good luthier can line up the neck and redrill the holes. |
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