I'm not even planning on converting my bass to a fretless. But I must say you are quite talented in doing this, it amazes me how some people are so incredibly handy. I would never have the balls to do this XD
@coolband1375 This question comes up a lot. I've answered it many times both here in the comments section and IRL. You certainly can use wood filler (many do) but it has many drawbacks that perhaps outweigh the "easy to apply" factor which is the primary allure. Bottom line, it's not the professional way a fretless conversion is typically done. When filler is used, you may have problems with; shrinkage, durability, porosity. Use your judgement and do the job as you see fit though.
Um say, I removed the frets with knife and smoothed it with sand paper and now its kinda fucked. I dont have any tools or money much for this, so I was wondering could i take like inch of wood from neck and paste a new wood on it? i got like wood and saw at the work practice i am right now but i dont think i have any precice equipment. my mics are all fucked up also so i think i might redo the whole bass XD
@KamiDisturbed No offense intended here, but if you got it totally messed up just pulling the frets and sanding the board do you really think replacing the fingerboard is within your abilities? Just how bad of condition is the fingerboard in right now? Is is so misshapen that you wouldn't be able to true it up again without replacing it?
@smbstressfest nwm i think i got the whole project on its way. i used lot of sand paper and took off the rest of marks the metal plates u know? and then im going to paint it and finish the neck.. i take the missing cm's i took out of neck i take it from the body cause it has too thick anyways and sucks ass. its fully hollow and made of veneer (which is already kinda broken. big bump at the bottom) so im gonna remove those and apply new veneer same time im reducing the thickness by sawing it :D
@KamiDisturbed its like only 50e bass at most so i dont give a rats ass. all im worried now is the oils i use but i think i got that fiqured out too trough one website. but its great if you would tell that too so i could be sure. you know the oil and paint they use for the fingerboard in casual fretlesses. that fully black and solid...
@link3775 when I did one of my basses a while ago I used epoxy mixed with hardwood dust turned out pretty good , you need to overfill it though and light sand the excess..
@mac2k2020 hey, thanks for that! curently i'm teaching bass, and my student is borrowing the bass i inted to turn in to a fretless, but as soon as i take it back those frets are out! and in their place i'll try some mix of epoxy and somthing else that will work
i live in houston texas and have a bass lying around in my house a G&L tribute 5 string how much would you charge me for a fretless conversion after seeing this videos it inspired me LOL
do you recommend any website or store that carries or sells replacement bass necks? im planning on getting another neck and converting it to fretless. if its any help my bass is an esp ltd b-206 sm
@LaneKelley94 I got that question once before actually. That would probably work, but would be tedious at best. Obviously, filing metal down takes a very long time.
It would give a unique look, but ultimately as the fingerboard wears, the remnants of the frets would cause problems since they wouldn't wear at the same rate. Not recommended.
@MrBassakos It seems as though you've never dealt with Ibanez before in trying to get replacement parts :-) I have my doubts as to whether or not they even offer a fretless lefty neck for this series of bass. And this bass most definitely didn't have Fender compatible heel shape or dimensions, and that's the standard that the majority of the commercially available aftermarket necks are built to.
More importantly though, I'm in the business of repairing and modifying stringed instruments.
@smbstressfest hehe.. ok man. respect. :).. no i never delt. im just playin. ;)... but, a friend of mine helped me once, we took a Cort body and a fender fretless neck and we puted together and its sounds aaaawsome. :). i love this bass. :P.. so i thought you could to it too.. sorry.
Gidday from New Zealand ! I love the sound of a fretless bass, but am still learning, so really need a regular bass... but i do have a cheap, beat up bass (no brand name fender copy) so was thinking i might just try your conversion using that... but do i need a good quality neck to get any sort of decent result? appreciate your thoughts :)
@smbstressfest Gidday again.. I decide to give it a go on my cheap bass in case i screw it up :) but so far its coming out great ! i used kitchen laminate samples (which are free from hardware stores and such like ) you can even cut them to a rough shape with scissors, sanding them to a pefect fit before you glue them in. - not sure if you agree but its better than using a filler i think?!
@kiwijohn01 I think almost ANYTHING is better than wood filler. Just make sure you use an adhesive that will fill structural as well as cosmetic gaps when you install them.
@smbstressfest my new fretless guitar looks awesome - thank you for a great how - to nothing unexpected popped up as you explained it all very well. Quick question if i can be pushy :) though - how do i know what height to run the strings above the fret board at the pick up end? cheers
@kiwijohn01 Where you set your action is larely up to you and your personal preference. You might measure the action on a fretted guitar from the bottom of the string to the top of the last fret. Then set yours to the same height, only you'll be setting from bottom of the string to the top of the fretboard. Use this as a starting point and then tweak it further (if necessary) by feel.
@smbstressfest Gotcha - I will have a look at a few that I like and go from there ! Thanks again man - really appreciatte your time... you gotta love the fretless sound ! John
um well I have a 4 string and its my first bass and its an unknown brand called JBP so I thought of customizing it alot so I want to just replace neck andinstall a fretless board. The previous one was 21 frets.
If you're going to be purchasing a replacement neck for a brand of instrument that's not too common, measure very carefully in the neck pocket. But if you're wanting a fretless, why not have the existing neck converted in the videos?
You could, but I don't recommend it. Look back through some of the comments on these bass videos to see my reasons.
It's a common question, and I've answered that one quite a bit. I think it comes up a lot because people are intimidated by the thought of cutting veneer, inlaying it, and then leveling the fingerboard. But this is the way the job is most often done.
One thing to keep in mind for anyone who might be reading this... This kind of work requires a certain level of skill on the part of the craftsman. If you're not confident in your ability to do the job correctly at this point in time you should either practice on a scrap neck until you feel ready to tackle the job on your own axe... OR send it to a professional to have the work completed. Don't be one of those bassists who mess up your instrument because you bit off more than you could chew...
I made the choice to deepen them, and the saw that I use for this follows the arc of the fingerboard, so a radiused slot is created by design. Originally, Fender fret slots were cut to match the radius of the fingerboard before frets were installed.
@GameLevelEditor The saw I use to deepen the slots follows the curvature of the fingerboard as the fret slots traditionally do as well. That's why I radius the bottom of the markers.
If you do have slots that are cut straight across it's fine to go ahead and just put flat bottom markers in. And no need to worry about gaps, the thin superglue fills those just fine.
ok, so im in JR in High school and im inalot of Tech ed class... needless to say i like making things... in my 3rd year woods class i didnt really know what to make and i was running out of ideas so i thought i would make a bass... after weeks of fighting with my teacher over it.. and him tellin me "Fine go and do it, but if you dont have it done bythe end of the year your going to fail" all i said was OK!
i started doing some research on basses and woods ands and stuff... i saw that totally custom basses were REALLY spendy to me, there where a few things that left me stutumped, if i should do a fret less or put in frets and what to do about the shaft that is in the center of the neck,
i went with the fretless because one, i was alot less work and i would be able to get it done sooner, 2 i thought that getting the frets in there 100% correctly and being able to play in tone would be rather hard for me to find out. i didnt use a shaft in the middle of the neck for 2 reason, one i didnt know where to get one, 2 i totally for got about getting one be i luckly made my neck on the rather fat and really heavy dudy side.. i thought it would go with kind of a flying V but not totally
i went fret less because of less work and i totally forgot about the center shaft and luckly made my neck on the heavy duty side. i also went with a flying v style body kinda, with my wood choice of red oak and maple. but now to my queston, i didnt know that necks have an "arc" or radus to them if im calling that right... i just sanded mine flat and hte fret board is 1/4 of a inch thick, i've made every thing for this bass but the pickups and the tuning, but i need some help. thanks
You mean you didn't make your neck with a truss rod? It may be okay in the short run but after a few years it will likely start to warp out of control. At that point you could always remove the fingerboard, rout for a truss rod and or reinforcement and then reinstall the fingerboard or make a new one. What material did you use for the FB by the way? In regards to radius, yeah typically it's more comfortable to play on a radiused board, but it's not required. Hope that helps, good luck!
No, I don't have any formal training in guitar repair. I've always been a natural tinkerer when it came to guitar. I did a lot of reading on the subject and things just sort of developed out of that.
There are many good lutherie schools out there. I hear wonderful things about Bryan Galloup's school in Michigan... I didn't go to school for lutherie, I learned by being a natural tinkerer and doing a lot of reading on the subject..
I'm sure that might work, but I don't recommend it. Depending on the chemistry of the filler you use, you might leave porosity in the fret slot. And the material you use to fill likely won't match the durability of the rest of the fingerboard, meaning it won't wear at the same rate as the wood. This is the only method I've ever used, wood strips into the fret slots, secured with CA glue. I really can't comment on other ways of doing the job.
When you are talking about recutting the fret groves in order to make them bend with the radius of the neck, why not just set flat strips of the veneer into the slots and then just bevel the tops when you reshape the fret board, wouldn't this still leave you with no air gaps but while in turn also save you some time? hope this made sense. BTW need a 7.25 radius vintage fender neck for a new re-fretting series? I'll provide the neck, free of charge!
Good observation, that would have worked perfectly but I needed to deepen the fret slots anyway. I like for the fret markers to run deep in the neck and "wrap around" the sides nearly to the bottom of the board. That way as the fingerboard wears and is leveled again and again over time, the fret markers are still clearly visible from the side. It's just me being picky that's all :-)
HAHA free of charge, you do that to me? I mean... for me?! LOL
About the neck.. Actually, I tryed getting hold of you through the myspace page. about refretting my neck for me. and in all sincerity, if you'd have the time, message me a price quote. If I can afford it, I'll send it to you, and it would be icing on the cake if my neck got to be featured in one of these series. You could talk about how to deal with a jerk client who demands too much... haha, Just joking. Great videos. I will be a subscriber.
Oh, '66 Jaguar was it, that's you huh? I wrote a response and forwarded it to the guy who manages our myspace page. If you don't receive it, do let me know and I'll resend it to you on here.
HOW do you set the intonation on a fretless bass. I have one and there are fret lines inlayed in the neck. Do I check the octave at thr 12th fret line or is it inbetween the fret lines (like a fretted bass)?
It's not very precise but if you must tweak the intonation on a fretless and you have inlayed fret lines... What I do is use my thumbnail pressing the string down DEAD CENTER OF THE FRET LINE and then checking what the tuner says. Never in between, always right on the line. Unless someone has been messing with your saddle or you've DRAMATICALLY changed string gauge I'm not sure I'd mess with it. Good luck!
I love seeing your craftsmanship, what a pleasure to watch.
videomaniac108 1 month ago
I'm not even planning on converting my bass to a fretless. But I must say you are quite talented in doing this, it amazes me how some people are so incredibly handy. I would never have the balls to do this XD
Navenadroj 1 month ago
would I just be able to use wood filler for the frets instead of pieces of wood?
coolband1375 3 months ago
@coolband1375 This question comes up a lot. I've answered it many times both here in the comments section and IRL. You certainly can use wood filler (many do) but it has many drawbacks that perhaps outweigh the "easy to apply" factor which is the primary allure. Bottom line, it's not the professional way a fretless conversion is typically done. When filler is used, you may have problems with; shrinkage, durability, porosity. Use your judgement and do the job as you see fit though.
smbstressfest 3 months ago
Comment removed
tehgaff08 7 months ago
there was something therapeutic to watching you pull off the frets... or was that just me?
designator99 8 months ago
Um say, I removed the frets with knife and smoothed it with sand paper and now its kinda fucked. I dont have any tools or money much for this, so I was wondering could i take like inch of wood from neck and paste a new wood on it? i got like wood and saw at the work practice i am right now but i dont think i have any precice equipment. my mics are all fucked up also so i think i might redo the whole bass XD
KamiDisturbed 10 months ago
@KamiDisturbed No offense intended here, but if you got it totally messed up just pulling the frets and sanding the board do you really think replacing the fingerboard is within your abilities? Just how bad of condition is the fingerboard in right now? Is is so misshapen that you wouldn't be able to true it up again without replacing it?
smbstressfest 9 months ago
@smbstressfest nwm i think i got the whole project on its way. i used lot of sand paper and took off the rest of marks the metal plates u know? and then im going to paint it and finish the neck.. i take the missing cm's i took out of neck i take it from the body cause it has too thick anyways and sucks ass. its fully hollow and made of veneer (which is already kinda broken. big bump at the bottom) so im gonna remove those and apply new veneer same time im reducing the thickness by sawing it :D
KamiDisturbed 9 months ago
@KamiDisturbed its like only 50e bass at most so i dont give a rats ass. all im worried now is the oils i use but i think i got that fiqured out too trough one website. but its great if you would tell that too so i could be sure. you know the oil and paint they use for the fingerboard in casual fretlesses. that fully black and solid...
KamiDisturbed 9 months ago
Comment removed
konxen 1 year ago
where oh where did you find that maple veneer!
nuckbucker 1 year ago
@nuckbucker Google "woodcraft, we have a retail store here in my town, but you can order some from their website if you don't have one locally.
smbstressfest 1 year ago
@smbstressfest Thank you once again. You've been a great help!
nuckbucker 1 year ago
cant you just pop the frets out and fill them with epoxy?
link3775 1 year ago
@link3775 when I did one of my basses a while ago I used epoxy mixed with hardwood dust turned out pretty good , you need to overfill it though and light sand the excess..
mac2k2020 1 year ago
@mac2k2020 hey, thanks for that! curently i'm teaching bass, and my student is borrowing the bass i inted to turn in to a fretless, but as soon as i take it back those frets are out! and in their place i'll try some mix of epoxy and somthing else that will work
link3775 1 year ago
@link3775 you could get creative and even use metal , I would use aluminum or stainless steel ;)
mac2k2020 1 year ago
i live in houston texas and have a bass lying around in my house a G&L tribute 5 string how much would you charge me for a fretless conversion after seeing this videos it inspired me LOL
fenderbass15 1 year ago
@fenderbass15 I'll send you a PM with pricing information.
smbstressfest 1 year ago
do you recommend any website or store that carries or sells replacement bass necks? im planning on getting another neck and converting it to fretless. if its any help my bass is an esp ltd b-206 sm
666snwprelyT 1 year ago
cant you just leave the frets on there and file them down? would it be the same?
LaneKelley94 1 year ago
@LaneKelley94 I got that question once before actually. That would probably work, but would be tedious at best. Obviously, filing metal down takes a very long time.
It would give a unique look, but ultimately as the fingerboard wears, the remnants of the frets would cause problems since they wouldn't wear at the same rate. Not recommended.
smbstressfest 1 year ago
could you have a 5-string fretless? i thought about converting my ernie ball 5 to fretless cause i bought a new one.
PennybagDarrell 1 year ago
@PennybagDarrell Yeah, a 5 string is no different than a 4.
smbstressfest 1 year ago
you could just buy a new fretless neck and put it one the old body... ;)
MrBassakos 1 year ago
@MrBassakos It seems as though you've never dealt with Ibanez before in trying to get replacement parts :-) I have my doubts as to whether or not they even offer a fretless lefty neck for this series of bass. And this bass most definitely didn't have Fender compatible heel shape or dimensions, and that's the standard that the majority of the commercially available aftermarket necks are built to.
More importantly though, I'm in the business of repairing and modifying stringed instruments.
smbstressfest 1 year ago
@smbstressfest hehe.. ok man. respect. :).. no i never delt. im just playin. ;)... but, a friend of mine helped me once, we took a Cort body and a fender fretless neck and we puted together and its sounds aaaawsome. :). i love this bass. :P.. so i thought you could to it too.. sorry.
MrBassakos 1 year ago
Gidday from New Zealand ! I love the sound of a fretless bass, but am still learning, so really need a regular bass... but i do have a cheap, beat up bass (no brand name fender copy) so was thinking i might just try your conversion using that... but do i need a good quality neck to get any sort of decent result? appreciate your thoughts :)
kiwijohn01 1 year ago
@kiwijohn01 If the neck on the cheap bass adjusts well using the truss rod, I say go for it.
smbstressfest 1 year ago
@smbstressfest Gidday again.. I decide to give it a go on my cheap bass in case i screw it up :) but so far its coming out great ! i used kitchen laminate samples (which are free from hardware stores and such like ) you can even cut them to a rough shape with scissors, sanding them to a pefect fit before you glue them in. - not sure if you agree but its better than using a filler i think?!
kiwijohn01 1 year ago
@kiwijohn01 I think almost ANYTHING is better than wood filler. Just make sure you use an adhesive that will fill structural as well as cosmetic gaps when you install them.
smbstressfest 1 year ago
@smbstressfest my new fretless guitar looks awesome - thank you for a great how - to nothing unexpected popped up as you explained it all very well. Quick question if i can be pushy :) though - how do i know what height to run the strings above the fret board at the pick up end? cheers
kiwijohn01 1 year ago
@kiwijohn01 Where you set your action is larely up to you and your personal preference. You might measure the action on a fretted guitar from the bottom of the string to the top of the last fret. Then set yours to the same height, only you'll be setting from bottom of the string to the top of the fretboard. Use this as a starting point and then tweak it further (if necessary) by feel.
smbstressfest 1 year ago
@smbstressfest Gotcha - I will have a look at a few that I like and go from there ! Thanks again man - really appreciatte your time... you gotta love the fretless sound ! John
kiwijohn01 1 year ago
This is a great informative video but how much would it cost to get a bass defretted?
morganchavis 2 years ago
I have replied in a private message.
smbstressfest 2 years ago
um well I have a 4 string and its my first bass and its an unknown brand called JBP so I thought of customizing it alot so I want to just replace neck andinstall a fretless board. The previous one was 21 frets.
drkmonkey7 2 years ago
If you're going to be purchasing a replacement neck for a brand of instrument that's not too common, measure very carefully in the neck pocket. But if you're wanting a fretless, why not have the existing neck converted in the videos?
smbstressfest 2 years ago
hey can i use WOOD PUTTY to fill my frets? dunno if it's acceptable, but i know that jaco did it
TreyFriend 2 years ago
You could, but I don't recommend it. Look back through some of the comments on these bass videos to see my reasons.
It's a common question, and I've answered that one quite a bit. I think it comes up a lot because people are intimidated by the thought of cutting veneer, inlaying it, and then leveling the fingerboard. But this is the way the job is most often done.
smbstressfest 2 years ago
One thing to keep in mind for anyone who might be reading this... This kind of work requires a certain level of skill on the part of the craftsman. If you're not confident in your ability to do the job correctly at this point in time you should either practice on a scrap neck until you feel ready to tackle the job on your own axe... OR send it to a professional to have the work completed. Don't be one of those bassists who mess up your instrument because you bit off more than you could chew...
smbstressfest 2 years ago
Hey,
Great videos. What's the reasoning behind a radiused fret slot?
thedonutman 2 years ago
I made the choice to deepen them, and the saw that I use for this follows the arc of the fingerboard, so a radiused slot is created by design. Originally, Fender fret slots were cut to match the radius of the fingerboard before frets were installed.
smbstressfest 2 years ago
@thedonutman I was thinking the same thing why complicate the bottom of the slot?
If it was cut straight across the bottom wouldn't it be easier to put a straight piece of veneer in so there'd be less chance of gaps?
GameLevelEditor 1 year ago
@GameLevelEditor The saw I use to deepen the slots follows the curvature of the fingerboard as the fret slots traditionally do as well. That's why I radius the bottom of the markers.
If you do have slots that are cut straight across it's fine to go ahead and just put flat bottom markers in. And no need to worry about gaps, the thin superglue fills those just fine.
smbstressfest 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
ok, so im in JR in High school and im inalot of Tech ed class... needless to say i like making things... in my 3rd year woods class i didnt really know what to make and i was running out of ideas so i thought i would make a bass... after weeks of fighting with my teacher over it.. and him tellin me "Fine go and do it, but if you dont have it done bythe end of the year your going to fail" all i said was OK!
mornin151 2 years ago
i started doing some research on basses and woods ands and stuff... i saw that totally custom basses were REALLY spendy to me, there where a few things that left me stutumped, if i should do a fret less or put in frets and what to do about the shaft that is in the center of the neck,
mornin151 2 years ago
i went with the fretless because one, i was alot less work and i would be able to get it done sooner, 2 i thought that getting the frets in there 100% correctly and being able to play in tone would be rather hard for me to find out. i didnt use a shaft in the middle of the neck for 2 reason, one i didnt know where to get one, 2 i totally for got about getting one be i luckly made my neck on the rather fat and really heavy dudy side.. i thought it would go with kind of a flying V but not totally
mornin151 2 years ago
i went fret less because of less work and i totally forgot about the center shaft and luckly made my neck on the heavy duty side. i also went with a flying v style body kinda, with my wood choice of red oak and maple. but now to my queston, i didnt know that necks have an "arc" or radus to them if im calling that right... i just sanded mine flat and hte fret board is 1/4 of a inch thick, i've made every thing for this bass but the pickups and the tuning, but i need some help. thanks
mornin151 2 years ago
You mean you didn't make your neck with a truss rod? It may be okay in the short run but after a few years it will likely start to warp out of control. At that point you could always remove the fingerboard, rout for a truss rod and or reinforcement and then reinstall the fingerboard or make a new one. What material did you use for the FB by the way? In regards to radius, yeah typically it's more comfortable to play on a radiused board, but it's not required. Hope that helps, good luck!
smbstressfest 2 years ago
i used maple, i'll post a vid of my project for you....
mornin151 2 years ago
are u makin it or did u?what happened lets see it?
9071freak 2 years ago
are you talkin to me or the other guy?
i made mine, im trying to find a dark stain for it, i tried walnut but i dont want the whole thing that colot, i would like a darker fret board,
mornin151 2 years ago
hey did you go to guitar making school? were did you learn your stuff from?
Satan666happy 2 years ago
No, I don't have any formal training in guitar repair. I've always been a natural tinkerer when it came to guitar. I did a lot of reading on the subject and things just sort of developed out of that.
smbstressfest 2 years ago
say, where do you go to study how to make or repear guitars? is it in a regular shop class? do you go to school or anywhere?
dragonzith 2 years ago
There are many good lutherie schools out there. I hear wonderful things about Bryan Galloup's school in Michigan... I didn't go to school for lutherie, I learned by being a natural tinkerer and doing a lot of reading on the subject..
smbstressfest 2 years ago
hey great video im wanting to turn my fender delux costum p bass into a fretliss
I dont have all the equipment you have but i read that you can just fill in the gaps with wood putty what would you recomend
majicalbassplayer 3 years ago
I'm sure that might work, but I don't recommend it. Depending on the chemistry of the filler you use, you might leave porosity in the fret slot. And the material you use to fill likely won't match the durability of the rest of the fingerboard, meaning it won't wear at the same rate as the wood. This is the only method I've ever used, wood strips into the fret slots, secured with CA glue. I really can't comment on other ways of doing the job.
smbstressfest 3 years ago
When you are talking about recutting the fret groves in order to make them bend with the radius of the neck, why not just set flat strips of the veneer into the slots and then just bevel the tops when you reshape the fret board, wouldn't this still leave you with no air gaps but while in turn also save you some time? hope this made sense. BTW need a 7.25 radius vintage fender neck for a new re-fretting series? I'll provide the neck, free of charge!
twoboots4you 3 years ago
Good observation, that would have worked perfectly but I needed to deepen the fret slots anyway. I like for the fret markers to run deep in the neck and "wrap around" the sides nearly to the bottom of the board. That way as the fingerboard wears and is leveled again and again over time, the fret markers are still clearly visible from the side. It's just me being picky that's all :-)
HAHA free of charge, you do that to me? I mean... for me?! LOL
smbstressfest 3 years ago
Comment removed
twoboots4you 3 years ago
oh, I see.
About the neck.. Actually, I tryed getting hold of you through the myspace page. about refretting my neck for me. and in all sincerity, if you'd have the time, message me a price quote. If I can afford it, I'll send it to you, and it would be icing on the cake if my neck got to be featured in one of these series. You could talk about how to deal with a jerk client who demands too much... haha, Just joking. Great videos. I will be a subscriber.
twoboots4you 3 years ago
Oh, '66 Jaguar was it, that's you huh? I wrote a response and forwarded it to the guy who manages our myspace page. If you don't receive it, do let me know and I'll resend it to you on here.
smbstressfest 3 years ago
HOW do you set the intonation on a fretless bass. I have one and there are fret lines inlayed in the neck. Do I check the octave at thr 12th fret line or is it inbetween the fret lines (like a fretted bass)?
inkey2 3 years ago
It's not very precise but if you must tweak the intonation on a fretless and you have inlayed fret lines... What I do is use my thumbnail pressing the string down DEAD CENTER OF THE FRET LINE and then checking what the tuner says. Never in between, always right on the line. Unless someone has been messing with your saddle or you've DRAMATICALLY changed string gauge I'm not sure I'd mess with it. Good luck!
smbstressfest 3 years ago