Converting a Bass from fretted to fretless

[Gypsyblue]

I've refretted a few guitars but it's been at least 20 years. Still have most of my tools tho: end nippers ground down for fret removal, leveling files, crowning files, etc.

A friend wants me to remove the frets from his imported Ken Smith bass. Rosewood fingerboard.

He then wants me to fill the old fret slots and make it into a fretless bass.

I plan to fill the old fret slots with thin pieces of walnut and then level the fretboard surface.

Question: will the bottoms of the old fret slots be flat or radiused?

Because if they are radiused to match the arch of the fingerboard I'll want to radius the bottoms of the thin pieces of walnut I'll use to fill the old fret slots.

Once the slots are all filled, I'll level the fingerboard surface so it feels like nice fretless bass. The contrasting walnut in the old fret slots will act like position markers.

Thank you!

 

[MojoMonster]

Re: Converting a Bass from fretted to fretless

Question: will the bottoms of the old fret slots be flat or radiused?!

I would think it unlikely that they are radiused, but the only real way to know would be to contact the manufacturer.

In the end, IMO, it doesn't really matter.
Filling the fret slots will help prevent bowing, but it's realistically it's to get a level playing surface.
Are you going to epoxy/super glue the fretboard after the fret slots are filled?

 

[DankStar]

Re: Converting a Bass from fretted to fretless

I just played a univox bass in a shop that had the frets removed, it felt awesome - made me want to get a fretless or yank the frets out of a cheap one. they were still open slots - guy said he was going to mix super glue and rosewood dust to fill. some of the notes were buzzy - not sure how you'd adjust for that.

 

[Gypsyblue]

Re: Converting a Bass from fretted to fretless

I would think it unlikely that they are radiused, but the only real way to know would be to contact the manufacturer.

In the end, IMO, it doesn't really matter.
Filling the fret slots will help prevent bowing, but it's realistically it's to get a level playing surface.
Are you going to epoxy/super glue the fretboard after the fret slots are filled?

I'll probably just pull a fret and see if the bottom of the slot is radiused or not.

I was thinking of using epoxy rather than super glue. But I might go with super glue.

Wasn't thinking of finishing the fingerboard tho. It's unfinished rosewood. Probably just oil it when it's leveled and final sanded.

Thanks!

 

[BrianS.]

Re: Converting a Bass from fretted to fretless

what about just using epoxy mixed with lamp black or fine ebony dust? That would give you nice black lines.

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Converting a Bass from fretted to fretless

You'll know after you pull your first one. But either way, you'll be able to convert the bass. Your method will simply be different depending on what you get after pulling the first one.

Make sure to heat the frets with a soldering iron as you pull them, and to tape next to the frets to catch any slivers that might be pulled up, so you can glue them back down later.

 

[GuitarStv]

Re: Converting a Bass from fretted to fretless

I've got a buddy who pulled the frets and made one of his Yamaha basses fretless. He used a mixture of wood dust and epoxy to fill the grooves and it came out pretty well. Seems like cutting tiny wood shims would be more trouble than it's worth to me . . .

 

[MojoMonster]

Re: Converting a Bass from fretted to fretless

I'll probably just pull a fret and see if the bottom of the slot is radiused or not.

Ok, but I guess what I'm saying is that whether it's radiused or not, it's not really an issue so long as you get something in the slot to help against bowing.

Wasn't thinking of finishing the fingerboard tho. It's unfinished rosewood. Probably just oil it when it's leveled and final sanded.
Thanks!

Ok, I'd definitely rethink that.
Even if you use roundwounds the strings are eventually going to wear into the fretboard.
Superglue and/or epoxy will provide a barrier to help prevent that.
This is one of those places where super hard woods like ebony and pau ferro come in handy as fretboards.

 

[ImmortalSix]

Re: Converting a Bass from fretted to fretless

A) You are the only one who can find out.

B) If I were you, I'd fill with epoxy + dust. Then just run your radiusing block over the whole thing when you're done.

 

[Gypsyblue]

Re: Converting a Bass from fretted to fretless

Found this link on Youtube. It's part of a 10 part series on doing exactly the job I plan to do and in exactly the way I'd planned to do it. Looks like the fret slots will likely be radiused - but this guy shows how to do the job.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Converting a Bass from fretted to fretless

There is a website devoted to this very subject. (Its name escapes me.) The author list all of the tools.

IMO, wood fillet position markers look fine in freshly cut wood but not so good when surrounded by tang tears. Go carefully.

 

[Bass_Medic_05]

Re: Converting a Bass from fretted to fretless

Good luck with the project, let us see your progress and of course the final product. Are you sure you just don't want to buy a fretless neck?

 

[KoreanGuitarMan]

Re: Converting a Bass from fretted to fretless

Are you sure you just don't want to buy a fretless neck?

Isn't converting fretted to fretless, and screwing it up royally, part of every young bass player's development?

It's a learning experience if you do it right or not. It's a project to save for one's cheap backup instrument.

 

[MojoMonster]

Re: Converting a Bass from fretted to fretless

Found this link on Youtube. It's part of a 10 part series on doing exactly the job I plan to do and in exactly the way I'd planned to do it. Looks like the fret slots will likely be radiused - but this guy shows how to do the job.

Edit: watched the earlier videos.

I think radiusing the bottom of the fretslots is just extra work based on his reasoning.
If he recut the fret slots flat he wouldn't get the air gaps he talks about, either.

I like the veneer idea and that would work well, I think.

So long as the tops of the veneer are eventually radiused to match the fretboard, everything should be fine.

I'd still consider adding a hard finish of some kind to the fretboard to protect it from the strings.

Edit: Ok, watched the rest of the videos and it all looks good.
He says he doesn't bother with hard fretboard finishes because he knows how to fix that problem. If it's your own fretboard, that's fine.
If it's a clients fretboard I think it's a little disingenuous unless he does those fixes for free. Because there *will* be groves if the instrument is played with any regularity, even with flat-wounds, as he pointed out.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Converting a Bass from fretted to fretless

Isn't converting fretted to fretless, and screwing it up royally, part of every young bass player's development?

No. My first - and, for a long time, only - bass guitar was fretless. Still got it an' all.

Fretless is normal.

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Converting a Bass from fretted to fretless

No. My first - and, for a long time, only - bass guitar was fretless. Still got it an' all.

Fretless is normal.

Same here. Aside from here and there, I only started playing on frets in 2008...20 years after I started playing bass. I don't think I will ever go back to fretless. I only played fretless because that is what was there when I learned, so it was normal to me. Once I picked up a regular P-Bass (inherited from my dad in 2007), it was all over for the fretlesses. Have only played my Music Man twice since then, and haven't played the G&L at all.

 

[Bass_Medic_05]

Re: Converting a Bass from fretted to fretless

Isn't converting fretted to fretless, and screwing it up royally, part of every young bass player's development?

It's a learning experience if you do it right or not. It's a project to save for one's cheap backup instrument.

lol, yes your right, I'm just trying to save him some aggravation, blood and tears which there will be a lot of all three to go around and around.:cool2:

 

[Bass_Medic_05]

Re: Converting a Bass from fretted to fretless

If you want to fret or de-fret something make a cigar box bass lol! Atleast that won't cost you a ton of cash if you make a mistake, and it's good practice.

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Converting a Bass from fretted to fretless

There was talk of a replacement neck,but is the Ken Smith bass neck through?