24 fret extender

[alex1fly]

This is a bass guitar question, but I'm posting here because more folks will see it and the theory should apply to guitars as well.

Looking to brainstorm some ways to extend my Fender P Bass up to 24 frets on the G string without modifying the instrument... It would seem a simple enough task - find a bass guitar fingerboard with frets 21-24 and shape\fit the piece appropriately - but before I go spending $ I thought I'd check with the knowledge base here. Has anybody done something like this, or seen something similar?

My crude idea so far is to buy a 24 fret bass neck, lop off the top 4 frets, and attach this piece to the pickguard. There would definitely be some shaping of the piece to get the dimensions right. Wouldn't need to be perfect, just close enough for solo entertainment.

 

[Top-L]

On a 22 fret super strat, I wanted to do something similar. I glued a brass rod to the top of the single coil neck pickup.

It kinda worked. There was no 23rd fret, but that was ok because the song I was working on didn't use it.

But the truth is, you can ghost fret at the 24th fret if its a picked note and there isn't any actual fret. It won't have sustain, but it can get you by.

If I were to do it again, I would use harder material, maybe a stainless steel rod. The brass rod tone was hollow. Actually, scratch that. I wouldn't ever do it again. My 24 fret guitars not outnumber my 22s.

You can probably fabricate something that uses the neck pickup/cavity.

 

[beaubrummels]

I would think the more stable way would be to use a 24-fret neck, replace the truss and shave back the join to the body underneath the fretboard. Or alternatively, replace the fretboard on your stock neck with one the extends over the pickguard.

I am not a guitar builder or luthier, however. ICTGoober would likely have the right solution of what to do.

 

[Chris Pile]

Yeah. You realize you could buy a fingerboard off eBay?

Or have a good luthier make something like this and put it on your bass?

 

[ehdwuld]

For the price of modding the fretboard
you could buy a custom neck and just bolt it on

It is a Fender

Change back if you dont like it

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Double-stick tape a piece of appropriately sized wood onto your pickguard, and fret it. This should cost very little, won’t require you to buy a neck, and will result in the same thing.

Similarly, I spoke with a luthier about adding a bass ramp to my Warwick fretless, with a single fret to get a “better” slap tone.

Is there any particular reason you only want the added range on the G?

 

[ehdwuld]

adding the extra frets to a Warmoth build is only 25 bucks

 

[alex1fly]

Similarly, I spoke with a luthier about adding a bass ramp to my Warwick fretless, with a single fret to get a “better” slap tone.

Is there any particular reason you only want the added range on the G?

What'd they come back with regarding the ramp?

I'll only use the added range on the G probably - just want a few more notes out of the high range of the instrument.

Looks like there's some cheap fingerboards and necks on ebay. Probably needs to be a 24 fret model to get the fret spacing right, right? Fingerboards are cheaper and seem to have fret slots, no frets. Necks would require a good deal of sanding and sawing to fit right. Or fret a chunk of wood... or find a local luthier interested in getting weird with me. Interesting thoughts.

 

[jeremy]

slotted 24 fret board is where id start

 

[JB_From_Hell]

What'd they come back with regarding the ramp?

He said he could do it. I’m positive I could rig something up, as well.

How often do you play in the lower range on the G? An easier alternative might be using a thinner string and tuning it a whole step up. That would give you two more frets, and make the interval a 5th, which shouldn’t be tough to navigate.

You’d “lose” the open G and 1st fret G#, which are still easily found on the 5th and 6th D string frets.

 

[jeremy]

that would mess me up hardcore

 

[alex1fly]

What about fastening a chunk of neck, or fingerboard to the pickguard? What are some good ways to do that? Glue, tape, screws, magnets...

 

[GuitarStv]

I always figured everything over the 6th fret on a bass guitar was just for show.


Seriously though . . . I agree with JB. Can you just tune tune the G up a step and use the frets you've got? Adding a couple extra frets sounds hella difficult and probably pretty damaging to the value of the guitar for very minimal benefit. I'd be inclined to buy a new guitar rather than do this.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

How about tuning the bass in fifths? E B F# C# would give you 6 extra high frets on the top end.

If you go to Talk Bass, you’ll find a lot of bass players don’t use the same tuning as the guitarist. Lots of them tune down a whole step for everything, and no ones the wiser.

When I started playing mandolin, getting used to the intervals being fifths was a lot easier to get used to than you’d think.

 

[alex1fly]

Good ideas. I do worry about changing the tuning of the EAD strings because of the muscle memory factor (and fewer mistakes when performing = good) but the G string is more of a solo string anyways. So the G could get tuned up. Certainly easier than slapping some extra fingerboard on.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

How about just a high C string in place of the G? 5 extra frets, and you’d have access to some really wide easily reached intervals.

 

[Adieu]

Just mount a thumbrest on the pickguard and "fret" on it.

 

[Blille]

When I was a teenager I used a short slide to make up for missing frets, it was hard not have it slide but it's all I had ¯\_(ツ)_/¯