Frets, Who needs em?

Ben.Bassist.NZ · Newbie Alert Joined: 27 Mar 2004 Posts: 1

First time poster, hello world?

Hehe. Okay I went out and bought a bass, it's a naff bass, legend by brand, standard everything, but okay for me cos i'm noob.

But not all is happy in new-bass land. The frets are obscene, well, I suppose they're normal (Metal set 1mm or so into the fingerboard) but I don't need them and they tend to mess up my tone rather than help it.

My question, is there a way to safely and cleanly extract them? And having done so would there be any negative repurcussions? I don't really care about resale value, I just want the instrument to be comfortable for me.

Any input would be excellent, thanks.

bcf717 · Posted: Mon Mar 29, 2004 6:53 pm Post subject:

Welcome aboard..you're gonna like here Very Happy

How high do your frets raise above the fretboard? I wasn't sure if you meant they're a mm above the board or embedded that deep. Anyhow I wouldn't recommend removal. That could loosen the glue that keeps the fretboard attached snugly to the neck wood. Heap big bad buzz! Also you're gonna have ruts where the frets were and if you slide with round-wounds its gonna feel and sound like driving a truck with sand in the tires over side-by-side speedbumps. If you tape the fretwood for protection you may try filing down those fret wires to a more comfortable height. But be careful ... unlike a bad haircut, they won't grow back.

Captain_Obvious · Puppy Joined: 10 Mar 2004 Posts: 203

Well, break out the screwdrivers/side cutters/needle nose pliers and start yanking! Filling in the grooves with wood strips and sanding smooth gives good results. A sturdy clearcoat on top of any stains is a good plan too.

But I'm with bcf, things may turn out wonderfully, but mods are difficult to undo.

Matthias · Posted: Thu Apr 01, 2004 7:38 am Post subject:

yeah, but don't try this at home if you are not experienced in woodworking. If not, take it to your local luthier or music store... i also tried this once ... twas definitely no good idea Wink

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Sabrien · House Cat Joined: 25 May 2003 Posts: 151 Location: PA

Only do something like this if your aware of the consequences...

I recently did it to my old beginner Ibanez because I was getting no use out of it and wanted to try something new...I knew that it might not turn out good and I had a "good" bass anyway.

I ripped the frets out with alligator plyers, sanded down, filled with wood putty, sanded down again and it was done. Now all I need is new strings.

Beware of the wierd noises you'll get...you'll be working with things called quarter tones...an freaky pitch inbetween C and C# for example.

Just be careful in your choices.

-Sabrien
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"Every once in awhile we may fall on our face, but we insist on doing what we wanna do" -Cliff Burton

squidospyder · Newbie Alert Joined: 22 Apr 2004 Posts: 4

Ooh... I did that with my cheapo ibanez that was juz lying around. Same old story, ripped the frets out with alligator pliers, cleaned out a little the slots where the frets once were, filled them with contrasting light coloured wood compound to act as fretlines... Then sanded the fretboard roughly level, poured a whole gunk of this clear cote resin thingy (the kind used to cast those transparent keychains and stuff) and when it dried, i sanded it down smooth. Then i put on strings, tuned up to pitch and with a straightedge i checked where the 'mountains' were where the resin had hardened unevenly and filed that down. On the contrary to what most think, the fretboard must be slightly concave, not dead flat, or else you'll have this buzzing problem (the same theory applies for upright basses too). But not such a problem for basses with truss rods as more relief can be adjusted. Only for those basses with dead/frozen truss rods this might be worth noting...

Now playing is another story. Its like playing any other fretless instrument: cello, violin, upright bass etc... Your ears have to compensate where the frets once were and ear intonation is EVERYTHING when playing this new defretted bass. Play along with your tuner or play with your favourite song on your cd player and get those notes right... Practice makes perfect. With time, you'll find this new toy is much more expressive than any fretted bass! Wink